Welcome to Dunder Mifflin The ultimate oral history of The office

Brian Baumgartner

eAudio - 2021

Join the cast and creators of The Office on a journey back to Scranton ... In this definitive oral history, based on hundreds of hours of exclusive interviews with the actors, writers, producers, directors, network execs, and crew, Welcome to Dunder Mifflin pulls back the curtain on all the absurdity, genius, love, and dumb luck that went in to creating one of the most beloved television shows of the 21st century. Why is The Office different? How did we make a show that has a larger and more loyal following today than it did when we first created it? That's the question we set out to answer in this book, which grew out of hundreds of hours of interviews. I asked everybody involved in making the show - the cast, the writers, the directo...rs and film crew, producers, casting agents, and makeup, and our fearless leader, Greg Daniels - to weigh in on this riddle. What you're about to read in Welcome to Dunder Mifflin isn't just a behind-the-scenes account of how The Office was created, although it's certainly that too. Yes, we're going to show you how the sausage gets made, and unlike a sausage factory, our process was a lot more fun (and considerably less gross, chili aside). Michael Scott used to insist that Dunder Mifflin was like a family. Well, it's debatable whether any of his employees agreed with that sentiment, but what is most certainly true is that the cast and crew of The Office were family, and we still feel that way about each other. When I started work on this oral history, I thought of it as a true crime podcast. There weren't any dead bodies, I can promise. But the mystery was just as compelling. How did we get here? What did The Office do right? Could we find the clues, retrace our steps and figure out how we stumbled onto a formula that resonates stronger today than it ever did? I have some theories. And it turns out, many of my old Office mates do, too. And, oh boy it was fun to explore these questions with them. This book aims to capture that joy, as we relive the collective experiences we had in the context of these questions and the show's popularity today. On set for the pilot. Our terrible ratings in the beginning. That first Golden Globe Awards. Our first Emmy's. Our multiple all-night shoots for "Booze Cruise." Steve leaving. Jim and Pam's wedding. Our finale together after 10 years. Let's start at the beginning ... -From the Preface by Brian Baumgartner Featuring a foreword by Greg Daniels. Fully illustrated with behind-the-scenes photography. Includes exclusive interviews with Steve Carell, John Krasinkski, Jenna Fischer, Rainn Wilson, Angela Kinsey, Craig Robinson, Phyllis Smith, Kate Flannery, Ed Helms, Oscar Nunez, Amy Ryan, Ellie Kemper, Creed Bratton, Paul Lieberstein, Greg Daniels, Ben Silverman, Mike Schur, Ricky Gervais, and many more.

Saved in:
Subjects
Published
[United States] : HarperAudio 2021.
Language
English
Corporate Author
hoopla digital
Main Author
Brian Baumgartner (author)
Corporate Author
hoopla digital (-)
Other Authors
Benjamin Silverman, 1970- (author), Greg Daniels (writer of foreword)
Edition
Unabridged
Online Access
Instantly available on hoopla.
Cover image
Physical Description
1 online resource (1 audio file (11hr., 13 min.)) : digital
Format
Mode of access: World Wide Web.
ISBN
9780063082229
Access
AVAILABLE FOR USE ONLY BY IOWA CITY AND RESIDENTS OF THE CONTRACTING GOVERNMENTS OF JOHNSON COUNTY, UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, HILLS, AND LONE TREE (IA).
Contents unavailable.
Review by Library Journal Review

To provide a behind-the-scenes oral history of the ragingly popular The Office, actor/director Baumgartner (who played Kevin Malone in the show) and Silverman (its Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning producer) conduced exclusive interviews with actors, writers, producers, executives, and fans. With a 150,000-copy first printing and lots of photos.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

A comprehensive view of the landmark TV show. Don't be fooled by Baumgartner's character on The Office, the lovable oaf Kevin Malone. This definitive oral history he created with executive producer Silverman is as sharp and well crafted as the groundbreaking comedy that inspired it. The American version of The Office made stars out of those on both sides of the camera. Steve Carell and John Krasinski became A-list celebrities, while creator and showrunner Greg Daniels has developed hits like Parks and Recreation. Baumgartner gets all of them, as well as nearly everyone else involved with the show, to talk about how it came together and why it became such an enduring success. (Notably absent from the discussions are writers/actors Mindy Kaling and B.J. Novak.) Because he was a part of the process, Baumgartner is able to steer the conversations in well-informed ways--e.g., explaining why the ratings were even more important than usual to the experimental show and why they dictated NBC's approvals of only a handful episodes at a time in the early years. Because Baumgartner's Kevin was not the fake documentary's central character (Carell's awkward regional manager Michael Scott) or part of the love story (Krasinski's Jim and Jenna Fischer's Pam) at its core, he is able to observe more of the big picture than those in the eye of the publicity storm. He and Silverman also do a great job showing how shifting viewing habits--especially The Office's stunning popularity on iTunes and now in reruns on streaming services--pushed it to new levels of popularity. Comedy is rarely simple, but the authors show how complex it was to make such a forward-thinking product. The contributors discuss their wide-ranging influences, including Molière, Aristophanes' The Frogs, the visual style of Survivor, and the comedic timing of King of the Hill. They also discuss the agonizing decision-making processes behind the show's major moments. A true insider's guide filled with sweet surprises for fans and the brainy charm to make new ones. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.