Sony-owned Crackle on Thursday, Nov. 19, premiered what’s probably its biggest show yet, The Art of More, starring Dennis Quaid, Cary Elwes and Kate Bosworth.

Andrew Greene chatted with some of the talent behind the scenes: Creator and Executive Producer Chuck Rose and Executive Producers Tamara Chestna and Gardner Stern.

Chuck Rose came from theater, with The Art of More as his first foray into TV. Gardner Stern is the self-appointed elder statesmen, having executive produced shows such as Las Vegas and NYPD Blue.

Together, the trio discuss the evolution of digital media, the philosophy of art, and play a round of “Would You Rather?” But we begin with the most important question of all.

What was your favorite TV show from childhood?

Rose: Oh god. I loved All in the Family.

Chestna: I was a Family Ties kind of gal. That Alex P. Keaton, I tell ya. Dreamboat of my childhood.

Stern: Boy, that’s a tough question. What did I watch as a kid? I’m older than these guys, so I can remember The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

If you had the kind of “**** you money” that Dennis Quaid’s Samuel Brukner has on the show, what would you bid on?

Stern: I suppose some sort of famous piece of art or just knowing that any piece of art that appealed to you could be yours. I always find when I go to museums, there’s a little bit of bittersweet feeling because there’s all this beautiful stuff, and you realize from a purely personal perspective, ‘Yeah it’s great, but I could never have that. That will never be in my home.’

Rose: That’s what’s great about museums. Art should belong to everybody. Obviously, I love art; that’s why I wanted to do the show. But I love that most pieces are in museums. When a piece sells at auction and it sells to an anonymous buyer, then that piece of art is really lost to the world. Art should be seen and appreciated by everybody.

Stern: Now you know who the altruistic one among us is.

Unless I’m mistaken and IMDB lies, this is your first TV project, Chuck. How has the experience lived up to your expectations?

Rose: I come from a theater background. I was a playwright, so I’m used to telling stories with very little money. The fundamentals of telling stories are the same, but it’s nice to be able to reach a wider audience and work with wonderful actors like
Dennis Quaid, Cary Elwes, Kate Bosworth, and with Crackle in an emerging digital medium. We all brought an excitement to it because this is a show and a world that hasn’t been seen before. We feel a little bit like trailblazers.

How much experience do you all have in this world? Or is it just a lot of research? Are you art collectors?

Chestna: The show was inspired and informed by some of Chuck’s acquaintances who have worked at auction houses before.

Stern: There was a lot of research. None of us are collectors anywhere near the level of the people on the show. We all appreciate art to a certain extent. We’re hoping that the show goes for many years, and at that point we can become the kind of
collectors we’re writing about.

You mentioned yourselves as sort of trailblazers. The Art of More seems like Crackle’s most high profile project to date, and the start of a new era for the streaming service. What’s that like?

Chestna: This is Crackle’s first one-hour drama series. I think they see us as a flagship drama for the network and it’s been exciting to be on the ground floor with someone as they’re trying to build a new part of their business. They’ve given us a lot of support, both with the show and with marketing and promotion. Crackle is making sure eyeballs are on The Art of More.

What are your thoughts on the digital programming phenomenon?

Chestna: Viewers are going to be drawn to the quality and the stories they want to watch. Whether it’s on NBC or Crackle or another platform, it’s not going to matter anymore. People are going to have the ability and the technology to seek out the concept that they want, rather than, ‘Oh it has to be on ABC.’ It’s exciting.

Stern: No one has appointment television anymore where they have to be in front of a TV at a certain time on a certain day. Regardless of the platform, everything is either instantly available or can be recorded, so it doesn’t matter when it’s on.

In a world without appointment TV where all of these episodes arrive on the same day, how does that affect how you write and produce the show?

Stern: It’s very helpful because we got an order for 10 episodes, and knowing that allowed us to modulate the storytelling over the full season, as opposed to having to fire all our guns at once in order to guarantee a back order.

Would you rather live in the mountains or on the beach?

Rose: We talk a lot about that in the writer’s room.

Chestna: I think instead of living on a mountain, I would live on a cliff overlooking the beach so I have a little bit of both.

Stern: I’d take mountain.

Rose: I like being by the water, but I think Tammy’s idea is a good one. Maybe live in the Cinque Terre in Italy, and then you’re living in the mountains and you’re also by the Mediterranean.

Chestna: That’s the perfect answer.

In ten seasons, you’ll all be living there.

All ten episodes of The Art of More premiere are now exclusively on Crackle.

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