Exonian Profiles
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“I love to tell a story and I love the ability to move people,” says Christina Musrey ’83, a producer on ABC’s award-winning courtroom drama The Practice. “And, I like working in television because it’s accessible. Putting out quality television is very fulfilling for me.” As a producer on The Practice, Musrey strives to maintain a consistent tone for the show. “In television, the reason a series works or doesn’t work is consistency,” she explains. “A big part of my job is staying on the set and working with the directors and actors. Because I’ve been with the show for a while, I know how things are shot and what we look for in a performance or sensibility. Keeping those things uniform helps make the show feel familiar every week.” Now in her third season with The Practice, Musrey is enthusiastic about the show’s cast and crew. “It’s an incredible group of people, very professional, creative, and a lot of fun. David [E. Kelley, acclaimed executive producer/writer of The Practice and Ally McBeal] is very low-key and accessible. This isn’t typical Hollywood. I’ve had other jobs, and this is pretty special.” The show, which airs on Sunday nights at 10 p.m., has won two Emmy Awards for best drama, a Golden Globe Award, and a Peabody Award. Is it all glamour and glitz, living in Hollywood and working on a hit show? “Not in everyday life,” says Musrey. “I’m married, my husband is in the software business, and most of my friends are not in the business, so that keeps my life balanced.” Getting out and hobnobbing, however, comes with the territory. “There are a lot of functions that come with a job like this, and you do end up meeting and seeing people who are probably considered famous. So, I guess by some people’s standards, it is glamorous. But that’s only when you are working.” When you’re not working, Musrey goes on to explain, Hollywood can be a cold and impersonal place. “There was a period of about eight months when I didn’t work, and it’s very hard,” she says. “Your phone doesn’t ring, you don’t have health insurance. It’s tough financially. That’s why I think it’s very important to always take phone calls from those who aren’t working.” Musrey, who attended Exeter on a full scholarship and went on to graduate from Columbia University, landed her first job in Hollywood as a production assistant on LA Law (an early David E. Kelley production), through “the friend of a friend of a friend of a friend,” she now jokes. “In Hollywood, it all depends on who you know.” She stayed on with the show for six years, learning and working her way up through the ranks. Eventually, looking for a chance to expand her horizons, Musrey moved on to a company producing television commercials and then on to the feature film Titanic where she worked as a visual effects coordinator. In the latter position, she logged many long hours filming scaled models of the ill-fated ocean liner in various stages of submersion and destruction. Around the time that job ended, Musrey got a call from a contact on LA Law, and with it a job offer to join The Practice. Musrey couldn’t pass up the chance to tell a good story. —Bill Ewing |
