Kim Wannop is an Emmy winning set decorator and has just completed the FX Series "American Crime Story: Impeachment". Kim shares her passion for decorating sets and is always explaining the reality of our not so glamorous career. She started the podcast to share her appreciation of all the creative positions and the struggles it takes to get sets completed. Interviews explaining our limits in timing, budget and each position's responsibilities gives a clear picture of how we make the magic happen.
When did you start your podcast and who was your first guest?
I started the podcast in May of 2018 asking my friends to be my guinea pig guests for interviews. Some of the early guests include art directors Adam Rowe and Shaun Page and production designers Ian Phillips and Derek Hill. They were very generous with their time, I'm very grateful. It definitely took some of the nerves off of conducting the interviews. I'm ending season 4 this week with my second part interview with TV director Craig Zisk.
What are some of the most interesting things you learned from doing a podcast?
I feel like I'm always learning from everyone I interview, even other set decorators. From hearing the details that set decorators Lydia Marks, Jan Pascale or Sarah McMillan put into their sets to just being in awe of production designers like Jim Bissell, Jane Musky, Bob Shaw and their influence on my own career.
I really love getting to talk to directors or storyboard artists and hear their stories about the interaction with the art department as well. Learning about design decisions, props that were made, or picking camera angles from directors. I'm so fortunate that anyone has given me their time and their stories. I was very lucky during the pandemic to reach out to many creatives and have them be able to talk with me.
How often do you interview folks per month and how much prep do you do before each interview?
Scheduling interviews gets very hard when I'm working (and raising 3 year old twins, who you hear many times in the background of the interview) and the other person is working too. This past fall was very hard to get in sync with people to interview, but it's great that everyone is working!
I've tried to put out one to two episodes a month. I would love to do more, especially when it is award season so that voters can hear about the projects they are voting on. This is truly a passion project that I just love doing!
How would you describe your podcast and its mission?
Decorating Pages Podcast is dedicated to taking you behind the scenes of production design of your favorite films and TV shows. Each episode features interviews from production designers, set decorators, art directors, editors, directors and other creative positions sharing how they brought the story from page to screen. Discussions include creating the look, design inspirations and sharing stories of the hard work and dedication it takes to create these sets.