BEHIND some of the award-winning TV programs today is Filipino-American executive producer Paul Cabana.
One of History Channel’s young talented producers, Paul Cabana develops and produces new content for the popular cable network. He shot and directed No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain for the Travel Channel and has done projects with the Discovery Channel and PBS, among others.
Born in Chicago, Paul is the youngest of four sons. His Filipino parents migrated from the Philippines to fulfill their medical residences. Paul’s brothers followed in their parents’ medical profession while Paul chose to go into media and production, with his family’s full support.
Before he became a TV producer, Paul was a new media producer and writer for Fast Company and Inc Magazines, The Atlantic Monthly Online and The Boston Globe.
He became a researcher, then a field or developmental producer, until he eventually became executive producer.
Paul was a researcher in 2004 for the Colonial House TV mini series.
In 2005, he was a field producer for Moving Up and Color-Blind Architects, Nature and Can Animals Predict Disaster? In 2006, he produced the Most Evil TV series documentary.
Since then, Paul produced quite a number of TV hit shows such as Warriors, Special Forces, Islands of Blood, Zulu Siege, Spartan Vengeance, The Last Crusaders, How Bruce Lee Changed the World, Life After People, Roads to Nowhere, Waters of Death, Armed and Defenseless, Bound and Buried, Seven Signs of the Apocalypse, Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, Sex in the Ancient World, The Kennedy Assassination, Cowboys and Outlaws, Wild, Wild West, Top Shot, How the States Got Their Shapes, and Secret Access: The Vatican.
“Being an executive producer entails more than inherent creativity; it also has a business side to
it that requires me to closely monitor the audience, which gives me direction for my next step,” Paul said in an earlier interview.
“With every show, I try to develop the idea further, whether that means creating succeeding seasons or partnering with merchandisers or even institutions to fully stretch the concepts we’ve worked so hard on.”
More than his extensive knowledge of production, Cabana’s passion for his work makes him the success that he is. “Passion for my job and passion for history makes me excited to get up and go to work everyday,” he said.
Having been with History Channel since 2008, Paul said that they worked on the channel’s evolution.
“We wanted to transform History and make it entertaining while being loyal to core viewers.”
The traditional audience was composed of older males who loved traditional historical information. So while History has reached out to a new demographic — the younger set, as well as women — it continues to boast a customary set of shows that appeal to hardcore history lovers.
“Capture people by making it entertaining first, and educational second,” Cabana explains. This is what has been referred to as “factual entertainment”, which Paul says is the wave of the future.
Admitting with a smile that his Pinoy relatives in the US make up his informal focus group, Paul said his being Filipino brings in a unique perspective, especially since History Channel is looking to expand its reach to other regions in the world.
“There’s a global history, but each region also has its own history, ” said the proud Pinoy.
(www.asianjournal.com)
(LA Weekend Dec 31 - Jan 3, 2012 Sec A pg.10)
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