Dick Wolf Quotes

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Dick Wolf

Profession : Producer

Birth : December 20, 1946

The most positive step is to try to expand the employment base by making it, if not economically friendly, at least not economically disastrous, for studios to take on deficits.

Dick Wolf

The agendas on the management side of the table now are not in sync like they used to be because you have vastly different entities supplying programming to networks.

Dick Wolf

People recognize certain things, like 'D' means 'this dialogue stinks.' We're dealing with shows that are written here, shot in New York and posted back here. Accurate communication is a necessity.

Dick Wolf

When it went on the air, the sales department hated it. It was the highest advertising pullout show in the history of NBC. At the early focus groups, people were saying, 'Who are these people? Why should we watch them?

Dick Wolf

The story drove the book. That had a very seminal effect on the way I saw writing and storytelling. If you can set a character in a story that is compelling and has a backbone, you draw people in.

Dick Wolf

Advertising is the art of the tiny. You have to tell a complete a story and deliver a complete message in a very encapsulated form. It disciplines you to cut away extraneous information.

Dick Wolf

I don't think you can really make television based on what you think audiences want. You can only make stories that you like, because you have to watch it so many times.

Dick Wolf

I get bored with establishing shots of people getting out of cars and walking into buildings, getting into elevators and then 45 seconds later they have a line.

Dick Wolf

It was like in Samoa when they'd put up a movie screen on the beach and show movies and the locals would run behind the sheet to see where the people went. It was pretty grim.

Dick Wolf

I think most people don't react well to being screamed at. It's counterproductive.

Dick Wolf

I was raised not to be rude, but I also try to get the best work out of people.

Dick Wolf

If the scripts are not good, I'll tell somebody, 'This isn't good.'

Dick Wolf

I do love television. But the business is accelerating and people are not getting the chance to fail.

Dick Wolf

There was an interesting article in Los Angeles Magazine about women directors. A woman director makes one bad independent film and her career is over. Guys tend to get an opportunity to learn from their mistakes.

Dick Wolf

The threat to free television. The reason television is free is because it is a life support system for commercials. That fundamental aspect is about to change.

Dick Wolf

TIVO executives stand up and say, 'Well, we're not getting rid of commercials, but we are letting them fast forward, because people like commercials, and if they see one that they like they stop and watch it.' I mean, please.

Dick Wolf

And the consumer doesn't care. They don't watch networks, they watch TV shows.

Dick Wolf

I hardly see myself as a futurist.

Dick Wolf

The environment doesn't change that radically. You are still going to go home at night and NBC is going to be there, ABC and CBS will still be there.

Dick Wolf

It's show business. No show, no business.

Dick Wolf