Ghostbusters provided the lucky break that changed Giuliano's career.
"I was working on a movie of the week and the producer got sick. The
guy who took over refused to hire me because he didn't know me, even
though I was already on the job. I was really depressed, sitting at home.
The AD on Ghostbusters was
fired and they needed some-
body right away, somebody in
New York. I was literally the
only first AD not working in
New York at the time. It was
just luck that I got the job.
And, it changed everything."
At the time, Ghostbusters was
the biggest film ever to shoot
in New York, both logistically
and in terms of crew size. The
film's success changed
people's perception of
Giuliano, and brought him
many more opportunities.
Having successfully worked
with director Ivan Reitman on
Ghostbusters, Giuliano was
hired back to first AD other
Reitman pictures, including
Legal Eagles, Twins, Ghostbusters
II, Kindergarten Cop, and Dave.
Giuliano moved to Los Angeles in the mid-1980s, where another
important break came when he landed the first AD job on Avalon,
directed by Barry Levinson. Hitting it off with Levinson, he served as first
AD on Bugsy, was upped to first AD/co-producer on Toys, and was then
promoted to line producer on Jimmy Hollywood, Disclosure, Sleepers, and
Sphere.
In 1994, Giuliano relocated to Missouri, and spent his time off between
productions there. Looking for a new creative challenge, he accepted
an offer from a friend to produce a television pilot called The Force.
Discovering that he enjoyed the format's ever-changing opportunities to
solve problems, he went on to work on the series Bull, and then Thieves.
While working on Thieves, Giuliano had a premonition that he should
be working on a production about three different crime fighters with dif-
ferent powers. After Thieves was cancelled, he was offered another pilot.
"It was a really good script, but something bugged me about it. A week
What do you like
least about your job?
"I like the budget
the least amount."
--Peter Giuliano
What do you love most
about your job?
"The part I like the most is the filming
part--and solving problems. You come in
at 7:00 and there is a problem you have to
overcome: an actress or actor that didn't
show up; it's raining and it wasn't supposed
to be; a director can't figure out how to do
a shot and you help him; or the set burnt
to the ground and you have to figure out
how to shoot something else that day--
it's the problem solving part that I like
most."--Peter Giuliano
VOICES OF
EXPERIENCE
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