Highland Hall Alumna Julie Weitz has been in the television industry for 28 years and has done just about everything in the television business working as a literary agent, network executive and executive producer. For the past four years she has partnered with Carol Mendelsohn, co-creator and executive producer of the CSI franchise, whose production company has a long term contract with Sony Pictures Television. Julie is responsible for developing new content and brings together writers, directors, producers and actors. “I package and put together the elements of the show, develop it, pitch it, and produce it." Her job involves taking a project from conception to production and requires a fair amount ofconceptual, analytical and communication skills. She says, "You have to be comfortable talking about ideas, telling stories, and getting people excited about them."
Most of the ideas for shows come from reading continuously. “I love books, so most of my stories come from books or true life stories.” Julie spends a lot of her time reading, researching historical events and "looking for stories that are provocative.” Her most recent show, Game of Silence, due out this fall on NBC, was based on a Turkish TV show, and is about a group of working class kids, best friends, who experience something horrific and take a vow of silence. The story picks up 20 years later as they contemplate whether to break their silence, take charge of their lives and lead the work of bringing dangerous criminals to justice.
Julie has always felt blessed to have had a Waldorf education. “For me, Highland Hall was magical – from the day I first started in the fourth grade until the day I graduated.” She still recalls the excitement of starting a new block and getting her new main lesson book. It was at Highland Hall that she realized that she loved reading and writing.
After graduating, Julie attended UCLA and studied Political Science and went on to USC to get her Masters degree in Communication Management from the Annenberg School. She always loved the arts and she worked at a number of non-profits, most notably contributing to the music fundraising concert called Band-Aid. After getting her Masters she dove into the TV business working with independent executive producers and selling shows across the network and cable spectrum. During her career in TV she has worked as a Literary and Packaging Agent at two top agencies, Executive VP of Original Programming for TNT, and as an Executive Producer.
Over the years, Julie has come across quite a few Waldorf grads. Her current assistant happens to be a Waldorf “lifer" from the Wisconsin and Toronto Waldorf schools. “Sometimes people fear that a Waldorf Education won’t prepare their children to be successful in life,” she says, “but that’s not at all the case.” Whenever she meets a Waldorf grad Julie notices, “They have a certain confidence and the ability to communicate well.”
Julie currently lives in Santa Monica with her husband David Karmazyn, a concert cellist. She has a son at the University of Michigan studying to be a composer. Her daughter who graduated Columbia last year is currently working in Washington D.C. in health care public relations.
Most of the ideas for shows come from reading continuously. “I love books, so most of my stories come from books or true life stories.” Julie spends a lot of her time reading, researching historical events and "looking for stories that are provocative.” Her most recent show, Game of Silence, due out this fall on NBC, was based on a Turkish TV show, and is about a group of working class kids, best friends, who experience something horrific and take a vow of silence. The story picks up 20 years later as they contemplate whether to break their silence, take charge of their lives and lead the work of bringing dangerous criminals to justice.
Julie has always felt blessed to have had a Waldorf education. “For me, Highland Hall was magical – from the day I first started in the fourth grade until the day I graduated.” She still recalls the excitement of starting a new block and getting her new main lesson book. It was at Highland Hall that she realized that she loved reading and writing.
After graduating, Julie attended UCLA and studied Political Science and went on to USC to get her Masters degree in Communication Management from the Annenberg School. She always loved the arts and she worked at a number of non-profits, most notably contributing to the music fundraising concert called Band-Aid. After getting her Masters she dove into the TV business working with independent executive producers and selling shows across the network and cable spectrum. During her career in TV she has worked as a Literary and Packaging Agent at two top agencies, Executive VP of Original Programming for TNT, and as an Executive Producer.
Over the years, Julie has come across quite a few Waldorf grads. Her current assistant happens to be a Waldorf “lifer" from the Wisconsin and Toronto Waldorf schools. “Sometimes people fear that a Waldorf Education won’t prepare their children to be successful in life,” she says, “but that’s not at all the case.” Whenever she meets a Waldorf grad Julie notices, “They have a certain confidence and the ability to communicate well.”
Julie currently lives in Santa Monica with her husband David Karmazyn, a concert cellist. She has a son at the University of Michigan studying to be a composer. Her daughter who graduated Columbia last year is currently working in Washington D.C. in health care public relations.