Maggie Bandur, Communication ’96, is the co-executive producer for the TBS series “My Boys” and previously worked on the FOX hit “Malcolm in the Middle.” Before she was penning plots in Los Angeles, she was majoring in Radio, Television and Film at Northwestern. The alumna talked to The Daily about braving Chicago winters, watching Orlando Bloom during production of “The Lord of the Rings” and networking one’s way to the top.
Excerpts:
The Daily: You currently write for the show “My Boys,” which is supposed to take place in Chicago but is written and filmed in LA. How does that work? Maggie Bandur: It definitely feels like it really takes place in Chicago. It was created by a Northwestern graduate, and the way the guys on the show talk to each other sounds like Chicago. Five of the six writers are alums so we reminisce all the time about Northwestern, much to the chagrin of the sixth guy who didn’t go to NU.
Daily: Can you describe what a typical day at work is like for you?Bandur: Generally, we’ll come in and we’ll pitch out stories as a group and sort of outline them together. Then someone will go off and write that script and then we’ll come back and write it up together. It’s very collaborative, and our hours are insanely good in the world of TV-it’s 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Daily: What were you like at NU? Bandur: I lived in (Communications Residential College), so there was a lot of movie watching and nerdy stuff like that. I had a column with The Daily for a quarter, and I did a lot of stuff on WNUR, which would be embarrassing to ever hear again.
Daily: Any fond memories of your time at NU? Bandur: I’d grown up in L.A., and just things like seeing fireflies-I knew they existed, but they had seemed mythical to me until I saw them at Northwestern. There was a year when we had a record low (temperature), and then in the summer it was like 6,000 degrees. I couldn’t believe there could be that much spread in temperature in any place on Earth.
Daily: Any advice for NU students who want to try to make it in Tinseltown? Bandur: You hear about how important networking is, and there’s this pressure to push and push and find people. Being tenacious is important, but a big part of networking is not just meeting people but becoming friends with them and connecting on a personal level. People who don’t seem like they have any connections now someday may be helpful in a way you never thought. So just remember: relax and be sincere.
Daily: Can you describe any good “only in Hollywood” moments? Bandur: I actually was a big nerd as a kid and read “The Lord of the Rings” books in junior high. Then I was at a panel to listen to Peter Jackson and the screenwriters for the film. After, I went up and I talked to one of the writers and I told her, “Hey, I’m actually a writer too. I work on ‘Malcolm in the Middle.'” She was more excited than I was-she said her kids loved the show! So when I went to New Zealand, I got in touch with her and got to go to Orlando Bloom’s last day of filming and meet Peter Jackson. The best part was probably that in New Zealand there is this traditional dance called the maori poi, and because it was Orlando’s last day they had a ceremony for him. These guys in full Orc makeup were doing this dance and chanting. It was seriously one of those things I doubt I’ll ever see again.
