#28 "The Equalizer" Creator and Television Producer Michael Sloan

Michael Sloan was born into a British theatrical family and raised amid the smell of greasepaint and the sound of applause.   Bob and Suzanne’s conversation with Michael starts with his youth as a budding actor and his early adventures writing and producing his own independent feature films.  Michael’s story then demonstrates his unique creative instincts as he describes how he got his first major primetime television break writing for Columbo, a credit that propelled him toward a meteoric career path at Universal City Studios and beyond.   Sloan’s credits soon ranged from BJ & The Bear (where he gave Bob his first primetime writing gig) and Quincy to McCloud, Battlestar Gallactica, Sword of Justice, and The Return of The Man From Uncle... to name only a few of hundreds!  His was the producing and writing “juice” behind unforgettable shows like Kung Fu: The Legend Continues and the contemporary Alfred Hitchcock Presents.   And as if his hundreds of writing and producing credits weren’t enough, Michael was also the creator of one of television’s most highly-acclaimed suspense and action series, The Equalizer—now a major motion picture starring Denzel Washington set to appear in theaters worldwide.   Almost as “throwaway” in the interview, Michael reveals that his wife—actress Melissa Sue Anderson of Little House on the Prairie fame—first suggested Denzel Washington in the role of The Equalizer’s “Robert McCall” a full seven years before the movie went into production…and then we learn that Michael’s new novel The Equalizer has just debuted in bookstores everywhere.   With great wit and humor, the lessons Michael Sloan shares in this podcast are truly bricks of gold on the road to Hollywood success!