Life & Work with Steve Pilot of Venice

Today we’d like to introduce you to Steve Pilot.

Hi Steve, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’m a television producer and my story begins back in the state of Maine where I was known as “the fat kid who could draw.” Okay, no one called me that. But I was fat and I could draw. And I loved TV so after graduating from Syracuse University I moved to Los Angeles where I worked on amazing shows like “Fear Factor,” “Breaking Bonaduce,” “Shooting Sizemore,” and “Mystery Diners” to name a few.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As most people in Los Angeles know, the entertainment business ain’t what she used to be. Cable is dead. The streaming bubble has popped. The strikes and pandemic only made things worse. And now AI is here to stay. It’s depressing because a lot of people I know aren’t working and haven’t worked in months — if not longer. But instead of being a victim of these circumstances, my girlfriend and I used it as an opportunity to start our own production company (named after our late dog, Otto) and we’re embracing the new model of creating branded content for social media and online platforms.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
So far, we’ve produced a couple YouTube cooking series with celebrity chef, Jet Tila that were sponsored by Coyote Outdoor Living and Sur La Table. Most recently, we partnered with Shamrock Foods and shot an inspiring series with Arizona chef, John Conley and his son Adam, who has Down Syndrome. We’re currently editing that project and are really excited to release it because it’s really fun with a lot of heart. We have several other projects lined up and are always looking for new talent to work with. And I’ve also reconnected with the “fat kid who can draw” inside of me and have an animated pilot that I’m laboring over. You can also check out my drawings of cartoony-looking super heroes on my Instagram page.

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
When I was a young freelance producer, I preferred jumping around to different shows that I found interesting instead of making a home for myself at one company. Because of that, I’ve never had a traditional mentor but I’ve been fortunate to work with a lot of talented company heads and showrunners who I learned from like David Hurwitz, Troy Searer, Rob LaPlante, Greg Johnston, Jenny Daly, and SallyAnn Salsano. I’m not sure I would do anything differently, but having security at one company isn’t a bad thing. One of the people I mentioned told me that. It’s good advice.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ottopilotent.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tvstevepilot/