#sparkchamber 092820 — Debbie Williams

Kind of like real life, it’s back-to-back television in #sparkchamber this week — two weeks in a row! — as we welcome lifelong show-biz whiz, Debbie Williams. In her own words:

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I have been in show biz literally my entire life. I grew up skating with my family from the age of 2 in the Ice Follies and Holiday on Ice. In summers off, my dad had my brother and me doing summer stock. After those years, I went to work in Television … first as a dancer on the Donny & Marie Show in the 70's  [curator’s note: here’s the very first opening of the very first show, just for fun] and then transitioned to behind the camera.

I worked as a producer and associate director but became known as the first lead female stage manager of live variety shows like the Emmys, The Golden Globes, American Music Awards — if it was live, I did it. Also, I did American Idol for the first 15 seasons on air. [Curator’s note: here’s a fun interview with Debbie giving some “insights” from behind the scenes on Idol, and some snaps “setting the stage” for the series finale.]

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The Covid invasion has brought live-event television to standstill, so Debbie, “semi-retired,” is involved in writing a treatment for a movie idea, and “attempting a book about so many life experiences in my career. There has always been show in my life — and many dress rehearsals.”

1.] Where do ideas come from?

Experiences. My background is pretty eclectic and pretty extensive over the years. Odd and different way of growing up and then working in a celebrity-driven biz, makes for lots of stories.

2.] What is the itch you are scratching?

The book everyone wants me to write. It’s a hard task.

3.] Early bird or night owl? Tortoise or hare?

Night owl always. From growing up, performing every night of my life ... the first 15 years of life … I start clicking around 5:00 pm.

4.] How do you know when you are done?

I’m never done — or when involved in doing a show … when the live show is over