A Little of Your Time with Quinn Marcus and Alumni Behind New ABC Digital Show

Emerson College alumna Quinn Marcus ’13 says she has dreamed of hosting a talk show since the age of 10. “More like since you were 5,” her mother interrupts. That mother-and-daughter exchange is part of the title sequence of Marcus’s new ABC Digital show A Little of Your Time with Quinn Marcus. In the show, which premiered on September 15, interviewees are asked to share some aspect of their everyday lives with Marcus. The results walk a fine line between intimate and invasive.

Marcus and the Emerson alumni production crew behind the show spoke candidly at Emerson College Los Angeles (ELA) on September 20 about building careers in the digital space, the benefits of collaboration, and creating your own content after Emerson. Panelists included Drew Van Steenbergen ’11, the show’s director; Matt Newman ’15, a production assistant; Pat Lambert ’12, talent coordinator; Dan Muchnik ’11, camera operator; and Louis Weissman ’16, gaffer. That the crew of her show is filled with Emerson talent is not a coincidence.

“You make connections with people in school,” said Marcus. “And you just make stuff.”

From left: Dan Muchnik '11, Louis Weissman '16, Drew Van Steenbergen '11, Quinn Marcus '13, Matt Newman '15, and Pat Lambert '12. Photo/Daryl Paranada

The first episode of A Little of Your Time with Quinn Marcus features Marcus chatting with actor Adam Pally while he races to get his kids fed, dressed, and off to school. Pally, who executive produces the show, first met Marcus while she was interviewing the cast of the ABC series Happy Endings for her comedy show Quinnterviews, which aired on mtvU, MTV’s college channel. A subsequent interview with Pally while he was working on The Mindy Project led to the actor helping her make connections for her new ABC Digital show. Working with a small budget—most of which goes toward paying for celebrities—Marcus and her production crew of Emersonians have created 11 episodes of A Little of Your Time with Quinn Marcus.

“The greatest part about having taught at Emerson is experiencing joy from the success of your students,” said Kevin Bright ’76, ELA’s founding director, who attended the talk. “Quinn, Drew, Matt, and Pat were all very special in the classroom. It doesn’t surprise me that they’re successful in life.”

From left: Dan Muchnik '11, Louis Weissman '16, Drew Van Steenbergen '11, Quinn Marcus '13, Matt Newman '15, and Pat Lambert '12. Photo/Daryl Paranada

Filming for the show took place in February and March. Marcus and Van Steenbergen both said there were times that they weren’t sure the show would happen. Marcus said she had a feeling that there was no one working on the show, but that she learned a lot every step of the way.

“There were so many moments where it could have gone wrong,” said Van Steenbergen, who spoke about having to work with questionable crew members, marketing challenges, a limited budget, and other issues.

Now that the first episode has aired, how will they measure the show’s success? If we are asked to do the show again, Van Steenbergen said, noting that ABC Digital has some 40-odd shows in some process of development right now. Upcoming episodes of A Little of Your Time with Quinn Marcus will feature Moby, Ben Schwartz, and Casey Wilson, among others. Dream guests include Jimmy Kimmel and Celine Dion.

Panelists share a laugh. Photo/Daryl Paranada

ELA student Jess Morse ’16 will be one of the Emersonians keeping an eye out for future episodes.

“I came to Emerson the semester after she graduated and I heard so much about Quinn,” said Morse, a Visual and Media Arts major. “It’s great to hear what she has to say in hopes that I can learn from her experience.”

Even if the show doesn’t come back for another season, Marcus said she is proud of her work and happy to have something to showcase in her growing portfolio. Up next, Marcus and Van Steenbergen said they would like to work on a feature film together.

“I didn’t personally know Quinn when I went to Emerson, but she’s super cool,” said alumna Gillian Bissonnette ’14, who attended the talk. “I’m really excited about seeing the rest of the show.”