A big "hello!" from TPIR director, Rich DiPirro!
From the Studio 33 Control Booth, a big hello to my fellow THE PRICE IS RIGHT fans!
It is a great privilege to be able to post my first blog entry here at priceisright.com and a thrill to be able to speak directly with fans of the show, and I count myself among you.
As a kid growing up in Boston, Massachusetts I was already a huge game show fan. I watched THE PRICE IS RIGHT every chance I got along with all the great Mark Goodson game shows of the time.
Summer break from elementary school not only meant the counselors would return to the neighborhood parks to unleash the tether balls and baseball bats from the equipment lock up, but also that I was free to catch my favorite game shows everyday.
Even at 7 or 8 years old, while watching the THE PRICE IS RIGHT, I began to notice camera movement, lighting, music and all the wonderful elements that made PRICE so special and so unique at the time. It was then the first sparks of interest in television direction ignited and eventually led me to the decision to combine my love for game shows with my profession.
While in college, I premiered to my roommates the ability to snap my fingers in unison with the camera cuts on the currently airing episode of THE PRICE IS RIGHT.
Unknowingly, this began the 20 year rehearsal process that would culminate with the taping of my first episode of PRICE as director in January 2009.
I’ll never forget the morning my phone rang and hearing on the other end of the line "Hi, this is Mike Richards. I'm the co-executive producer of The Price is Right". Uttering only a stuttered "really?" with a Peter Brady-esque crack in my voice, I was told a wonderful opportunity was available.
Follow up meetings and a great lunch with Drew Carey and Executive Producer Syd Vinnage at Drew's favorite diner (try the tuna sandwich-it's great!) eventually lead me to the directing chair I’ve always wanted to occupy. The one in Sutdio 33 at CBS Television City. The one Mark Breslow, Paul Alter, Andy Felsher, and Bark Eskandar all sat in before me while bring my favorite show THE PRICE IS RIGHT to my TV.
Now it’s my turn to bring THE PRICE IS RIGHT to your TV. I get to go into work every day, excited and full of promise for the fun we will have while making the day's episode, and happy to go home every night, proud to be working with such a great team of professional and genuinely nice people who care so deeply about this show and about entraining viewers. In the end, that is why TV people do what they do.
And thanks to priceisright.com, we can talk to each other about what you want from your game show in a way that no other TV show allows. Drew, the staff and I are always checking in on the fan boads and we’ll do our best to keep the dialog going!
This is truly a unique and special web home for a truly unique and special show.
