When Francesca Harewood’s mother became ill in New York at the end of 2002, it looked as though she would have to put her life on hold. Instead, it gave her the opportunity of a lifetime.
Harewood ’92, had been working in Silicon Valley at a big law firm doing corporate law.
“People urged me not to leave or to take a leave of absence, but I really decided that being close to my mom was more important,” she said.
Harewood packed up and moved back to the east coast. She says her interest in entertainment had led her to the west coast, but it was in New York that she would realize those dreams.
While caring for her mother, Harewood worked some connections and managed to land the position of production attorney for the popular syndicated game show, “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?”
Harewood’s job consists of staying on set to make sure the game is played fairly and to protect the interests of the show. She also makes changes to the rules of the show and deals with viewers and players who have misunderstood a question, or think they found a mistake.
“I have to diffuse them a bit,” she said. “I do a lot of keeping the legal issues to a minimum, avoiding litigators.”
In February, ABC, in a sweeps-period ratings stunt, will be bringing the show back to primetime in a weeklong blitz, called “Super Millionaire.” Harewood has been instrumental in crafting the show’s new rules that include a higher jackpot and new “lifelines,” according to ABC press materials.
“Millionaire” was credited with saving ABC a few years back from the ratings doldrums, and quickly saturated the network’s primetime schedule. It was cancelled after the novelty wore off, and now plays in daytime syndication.
“I liked the original series that Regis [Philbin] hosted,” said Chris Cody’07. “I’m all for [bringing it back].”
The network hopes that enough time has passed to revitalize the network. Harewood is optimistic.
“Everyone I speak to always asks if primetime ”Millionaire“ will be coming back, so there is an interest,” Harewood said. “People will watch it.”
Harewood remembers Wesleyan fondly. She majored in psychology, was the president of her sorority, and made a lot of friends, many of whom she still keeps closely in touch with.
“I have an enduring love for Wesleyan,” she said. “I learned to stick up for myself and speak my mind there.” She said she has flown in from California to go to both her reunions.
After graduation, Harewood worked in television ad sales. She then decided to go to law school, and says her love for entertainment brought her to the West Coast and the University of Southern California. In law school she interned with Paramount, and, after graduation, got a job at a major law firm before moving on to Silicon Valley. It was the Paramount connection that eventually paved her way to “Millionaire.”
“Anyone who knows me knows that working on a show where you give away a lot of money is perfect for me,” Harewood said. “I like seeing how it changes lives—they may be worrying about debt or paying off student loans, then a few hours later everything changes. It’s exciting!”
Leave a Reply