Colbert Report producer speaks at BU

Colbert Report producer Nicole Savini ('99) returned to BU in March for the Cinematheque series, where she screened clips and shared stories with students.

Savini got her first taste of producing in COM's Hothouse Productions program before working as an NBC page after graduation. That opened the door to work as an assistant at Late Night with Conan O'Brien before jumping to the Peabody and Emmy award-winning Colbert Report.

Savini spoke with BU Today ahead of her Friday March 21 Cinematheque screening in COM.

Working on a project for the student-run, client-driven production company Hothouse Productions, Savini was producing a public service announcement for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. As happens "on even the most well-oiled show," Savini says, "things started to fall apart—the editing software stopped working the day before the group’s deadline, making it impossible to finish the project."

Garland Waller, a College of Communication assistant professor of film and television, was, and still is, in charge of Hothouse.

“I remember calling Professor Waller the next morning in a panic, not knowing what to do,” Savini says. “She calmly said, ‘Nicole, now you’re a producer.’ It was a subtle way of telling me that it was my responsibility; that being the producer means dealing with everything that goes wrong. I’ve learned that that’s the hardest part of being a producer, but also the most rewarding.”

For more information on the Cinematheque series, visit the Film and TV Department website.