One Course with JB Smoove (S2)
Art Director
MSG Networks
MCM Creative
February 2023
Production Design by
Lily Bolles
Producer:
Ellyn Vander Wyden
Art Assistant:
Isiah Mitchell
For Season 2 of One Course with JB Smoove, I took over as the on-set art director in place of production designer Lily Bolles, whom I had worked with as an assistant on Season 1. We carried over most of the design elements from Season 1, and I was responsible for propping the show to Lily’s vision.
One Course is an interview show similar to Hot Ones, and all the interviews for Season 2 — a total of roughly 20 interviews — were shot over the course of two days at MCM’s studio in Chelsea.
The show features primarily food props, and the rhythm of each day involved performing rapid table resets between interview setups, while utilizing the tapings to catch up on “sidework”: washing dishes, pouring beverages for the next guest, steaming table cloths, rotating food and preparing fresh Caesar salads for the table, etc. My years of work in the food service sector came in handy for this job.
The vibe in the MCM studio was great for both seasons of this show, and I look forward to my next opportunity to work on a project like this.
Highlights from this job included: fussing over tablecloth folds and plate edges; tasting delicious vegan food from Chef Shenarri Freeman; leading a group of young, hardworking PAs as though we were working back-of-house in an upscale restaurant serving only JB Smoove and his celebrity friends.
