SA grad mastermind behind TV drama

From:Sewickley Herald Star
Date:11/19/2003
By Rachel Weaver

CBS' popular drama "The Guardian" is watched by millions every Tuesday at 9 p.m. But without a 1986 Sewickley Academy graduate, the show never would've premiered at all.

David Hollander, creator and executive producer of "The Guardian, was raised in Mt. Lebanon. His parents enrolled him in the academy for a more attentive and personal education environment.

"Going from 700 kids in a class to 68 appealed to me," he says.

At SA, Hollander played soccer, wrestled and participated in band.

But his heart was dedicated to the theater. Since the age of 5, he took part in local theater programs and workshops. At SA he got involved in every performance possible.

"I always knew this is what I wanted to do," says Hollander, 35. "I wasn't particularly academic. I was more interested in theater and writing and making music."

He started writing drama while at the academy then turned to directing during his studies at Northwestern University.

After graduating, Hollander wrote several plays such as "The Sun Dialogues," "Faith" and "The Things You Don't Know."

Then, seven years ago, he formed an idea for a television show about lawyer Nick Fallin who is sentenced to perform community service or risk being disbarred after being arrested for drugs.

He pulled from the diverse experiences of his youth to create the plot.

"Sewickley Academy was a big influence. My father's family were immigrant steel miners in Monessen, so I grew up with my feet planted firmly in two socioeconomic worlds.

"Sewickley was one extreme. The first time I went there I was blown away by a world I hadn't seen yet," he says.

"'The Guardian' is a manifestation of that. It's about a rich person who works with the poor. Those stories are right on the tip of my tongue all the time. It's very personal to me."

His family background is not the only personal aspect of the show. Fellow Class of '86 SA grads can hear their names on "The Guardian" because he uses them for characters almost every week.

The show also is set in Hollander's hometown. However, filming takes place in Southern California.

Several times a year, the production team travels to Pittsburgh to get scenic shots of the city.

After living in California with his wife Courtney and their three children, coming back to his hometown is shocking for the producer.

"I really love that city. It held enormous amounts of my imagination," he says. "But it is a very small place."

When he is in town and has leisure time, Hollander stops by Nichols Field or has a drink at the Sewickley Hotel.

"Those places hold a lot of memories," he says.


But leisure time is rare as Hollander is often in demand. In the past few years, he completed an adaptation of Nicholson Baker's novel "The Fermata" for Oscar-winning director Robert Zemeckis, as well as "Becoming Alfred" for producer Scott Rudin at Paramount Pictures.


Now Hollander has plans for a movie and another television show, both to be set in Pittsburgh.


He believes his profession requires ambition, persistence and clarity of vision.


"You have to make the choice to do it for the long haul," he says.


While Hollander has the necessary drive for success, he also gives credit to his early surroundings.


"Sewickley was a place where arts were fostered. It was an amazing outlet for me."