‘Silicon Valley‘ EP John Altschulerโฃ Says European Market โCraves authenticity American Showrunners โLack
CANNES, FRANCE โค – John Altschuler, โฃexecutive โฃproducer and writer for HBO’s Silicon Valley,โ asserted that European television executives are โขactively seeking showrunners with a distinct creative vision currently lacking in tehโ Americanโ market. Speaking atโข a recent industry event, Altschuler highlighted a โcultural difference in approachโฃ to storytelling, suggestingโ Europeanโ broadcasters value a unique viewpointโ over established formulas.
“They โdon’t have here, and there is also a โฃfeeling towards art andโ culture we don’t have in America,” Altschulerโค saeid.โ “Bringing them together is something a little โคmore โcaptivating, and โthat is how I believe we will succeed in the marketplace.” He believes thisโ appetite for originality presents a significant opportunity โฃforโ American creatives.
Altschuler revealed โhe is currently developing a series based onโ The Gangster’s Guide to Sobriety: My Lifeโ in 12 Steps, aโ bookโ he co-wrote with Dave โKrinsky โand Richieโ Stephens. He added, โ”That’sโ why I’m inโข town.”
The producer also reflected on his experience working on โ King of the โHill, recalling a strong connection โwith co-creator Mike Judge based on their sharedโข middle-class backgrounds.โค “Weโข hit off right off the bat,” he said. “He had a similar โbackground to me. We hadโ a horrible stink of the middleโฃ class. In Hollywood, they despise โคthe middle โขclass.”
Altschuler and krinsky eventually became showrunners for five seasons of โthe Fox show, working โwith high-profile โtalent including Brad Pitt, โคBen Stiller, and Jennifer Aniston. “It was fantastic,” he said.”I โขworked with everyone from Bradโค Pitt to Benโฃ Stiller โtoโฃ Jennifer Aniston, as it was aโฃ show everyone โwanted to be on. It opened up so many doors for us to create our own shows and do our own features.” Heโค noted a lossโฃ of “the structure of the business” compared to that era.
The success of King of the Hill led โคthe trio – Altschuler, Judge, and Krinsky – to Silicon Valley, driven by a โdesire to accurately portray the tech world.โ “Nobody was doing anything about technology,” he explained. “The closest โwas Big Bang Theory, which โคwas just about geniuses and didn’t get it right, and when โDave, Mike Judge โand I do something we try to get it right, so that’s why I did Silicon Valley.”
Afterโฃ conversations with Silicon Valley executives who claimed their primary motivationโ was “making theโค world a better place,” rather than profit, Altschuler described theโฃ tech leaders as “horrible peopleโฆgreedy, ravenous, terrible โpeople,” adding, “I like big targets.”
Addressing the impact of the 2023 labor strikes, Altschuler acknowledged โฃthe industry โขhas “always been โa game of chance,” but that success remains attainable despite increased uncertainty. “You have as much chance to succeed as ever it’s just a littleโ more unclear of how to get there. With more avenues [available] it isโค the good andโค the bad.”
