Mark Koops and Eric Day Of INE Entertainment: Five Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career As A Filmmaker

…You have to step outside your bubble. It’s easy, especially when we’re always on our phones, to think that our immediate surroundings reflect the broader world. That’s not true. The next great storytellers won’t come from within our bubbles. You have to make an effort to step out, travel, read, and listen to diverse voices…

I had the pleasure of talking to Mark Koops and Eric Day.

Mark Koops is a distinguished figure in the realm of unscripted television, recognized for co-founding the independent production company INE Entertainment with Eric Day. Born and raised in England, Mark’s early life was marked by a traditional English upbringing. After completing his university education, he relocated to the United States, where he embarked on his career in entertainment.

Starting out in the mailroom at William Morris Agency, Koops participated in the agency’s traditional mailroom program, a foundational experience that shaped his understanding of the entertainment industry. His dedication and skill eventually led him to co-found Reveille in 2002 alongside Ben Silverman and Howard Owens. The company quickly gained prominence, operating from Studios USA which, later became NBC Universal. Here, Koops contributed to the creation of numerous successful television shows, including “The Biggest Loser,” “MasterChef,” and “American Gladiators,” as well as scripted successes like “Ugly Betty” and “The Office.”

Koops’s career is notable for his innovative approach to blending scripted and unscripted television, a strategy that allowed for creative crossover and collaboration across different genres. This approach not only set Reveille apart but also demonstrated Koops’s foresight in content creation. For example, Randall Einhorn transitioned from being a camera operator on unscripted shows under Koops’s direction to becoming a director on “The Office,” illustrating the successful cross-genre career development encouraged by Koops.

In 2011, Koops’s vision for the future of media led him to partner with Eric Day to form INE Entertainment. This venture was driven by Koops’s experience with traditional television and complemented by Day’s digital content & marketing expertise. Together, they have built a robust production company that stands at the forefront of producing engaging unscripted content for major networks like Disney, Discovery, and TLC, and platforms such as Roku and Amazon Kids+.

INE Entertainment is recognized for its dynamic programming and ability to innovate within the unscripted genre. Recent projects include “Surprise & Seek,” a family-oriented series on Amazon Kids+, “Carpe DM with Juanpa,” a bilingual adventure series featuring internet celebrity Juanpa Zurita on Roku, and digital series “Going Public” that will be hosted by Baron Davis and distributed on MarketWatch. All three series highlight INE’s continued commitment to pushing the boundaries of traditional and digital media, often incorporating popular influencers to draw in built-in audiences.

Koops’s expertise and foresight in the rapidly evolving landscape of television production have established him as a key player in keeping unscripted reality television relevant in the streaming era. His career trajectory from a foundational role at a traditional agency to pioneering new formats in television illustrates a deep commitment to innovation and adaptability in an ever-changing industry.

Eric Day, co-managing partner of INE Entertainment, stands as a pivotal figure in the world of unscripted television, his career shaped significantly by the evolution of digital marketing and content creation. Born in the Midwest and raised in Central Oregon, Day’s early ambitions to escape his small-town roots led him to major urban centers like San Francisco, New York, and ultimately Los Angeles. This trajectory provided him a front-row seat to the seismic shifts occurring in the advertising industry during the dot-com boom.

Day’s professional journey began in San Francisco, where he quickly integrated into the advertising sector during a time of rapid digital transformation. His early exposure to the challenges of digital advertising, such as the advent of TiVo, which disrupted traditional advertising revenues by allowing viewers to skip commercials, catalyzed his interest in integrating marketing with content creation. His subsequent roles in New York involved helping major brands like Pepsi and Bank of America navigate the nascent field of digital marketing.

His move to Microsoft, where he worked with MSN and Xbox, marked a significant phase in his career, blending Hollywood content creation with brand marketing. This period was crucial for the development of branded entertainment, predating platforms like YouTube. Day’s work during this time involved creating some of the first branded entertainment projects since the early days of television sponsored by Procter & Gamble.

In 2011, Eric Day partnered with Mark Koops to establish INE Entertainment, a production company designed to adapt to the rapidly changing landscape of television and digital media. Their company has been instrumental in producing innovative content across various genres for top networks and brands such as Disney, Discovery, and TLC. INE’s success in navigating both traditional media channels and emerging digital platforms has distinguished it as a leader in the industry.

INE Entertainment is also known for engaging modern audiences through strategic casting and partnerships with influencers, as seen in their recent projects such as “Surprise & Seek” on Amazon Kids+ and “Carpe DM with Juanpa” on Roku. These series not only reflect INE’s adaptability to current trends but also their commitment to delivering content that resonates with contemporary viewers, leveraging the wide-reaching influence of digital celebrities.

With a career spanning over three decades, Eric Day’s contributions to the evolution of content creation and marketing have left an indelible mark on the industry. As streaming platforms continue to dominate the entertainment landscape, his insights and experiences are shaping the future of how content is created, marketed, and consumed. Through INE Entertainment, Day continues to explore the intersection of creativity and commerce, creating engaging and innovative programming that stands at the forefront of the unscripted television genre.

Yitzi: Mark and Eric, it’s really an honor to meet you. Before we dive in deep, our readers would love to learn about your personal origin stories. Mark, could you share a story from your childhood and how you grew up?

Mark: How we grew up? Well, that’s a big one. I grew up in England with a very traditional English upbringing and then moved to the States after university. I started working at William Morris Agency in the mailroom and participated in the traditional mailroom program. I worked at William Morris for four years. In 2002, I set up a company called Reveille with Ben Silverman, who was an agent at William Morris at the time, and Howard Owens. We were a production shingle based out of Studios USA, which became NBC Universal, on the Universal lot. We produced shows in the unscripted space like The Biggest Loser, MasterChef, and American Gladiators, as well as lots of MTV shows and Nashville Star, to name but a few. On the scripted side, we were one of the few shops doing both scripted and unscripted. We produced Ugly Betty, The Office, and The Tudors with Michael Hurst on Showtime. We loved both scripted and unscripted and felt there was no reason why we couldn’t move skill sets across genres. This approach helped differentiate us and involved moving talent from the scripted world to unscripted and vice versa. For example, Randall Einhorn, who was a camera operator for me on my unscripted shows, became the camera operator on The Office and then the DP, eventually becoming a big-time half-hour sitcom director. The third part of our strategy was doing a lot of brand digital work, where we worked with advertisers who were funding the programming, whether for traditional networks or online. That’s where Eric, who was working at Microsoft at the time and running that initiative, came in. So we had a third leg of doing branded projects. As I began to think about the future, that’s how INE came together. I was the old traditional television dinosaur, and Eric was the shiny new digital marketer. I felt that was really the way content was going to evolve, and to a greater or lesser extent, it has, with many ups and downs. We formed together in 2011 and have been working together ever since. That’s the long story.

Yitzi: Eric, will you share your origin story with us?

Eric: Yeah, sure. I was born in the Midwest but really grew up in Central Oregon in a relatively small town. I think I spent most of high school dreaming about how I would get out of that small town and go somewhere big. That took me to San Francisco, New York, and then L.A. — all big cities. Now, all I’m doing is fighting to get back to a small town. I knew I wanted to go and do bigger things. Coming out of college — I had worked a bit at my dad’s ad agency when I was pretty young — I landed in San Francisco and immediately fell into the advertising business at a time when it was undergoing a lot of changes due to the digital evolution. I was right there in the middle of the dot-com era. These companies were early digital brands doing things that now seem familiar but were way ahead of their time then. Digital marketing was at its nascent stages, and technology was coming in, like TiVo, which allowed people to skip ads — the primary revenue mechanism for TV at the time. This started to cause shifts in the business where marketers had to start thinking about being part of the content itself. I ended up in New York, helping brands like Pepsi and Bank of America dive into what it means to be a digital marketer and content creator. This eventually led me to Microsoft, which included MSN and Xbox at the time. We were at the intersection of Hollywood content creators, brands, and the 160 million people our networks reached daily, finding that intersection both creatively and commercially. This was long before YouTube was launched, and it represented the first sort of branded entertainment that existed since the soap opera era when Procter & Gamble literally underwrote television shows. Mark, at Reveille at the time, was one of my biggest producing partners. We did a lot of projects together, figuring out what the early version of original programming that included brand partnerships looked like, which was shorter form than traditional TV. We had a lot of success making those shows, both scripted and unscripted, and looked at each other and said, “What is the production company of the future that’s equally adept at doing big TV and short form, and can create and produce and package with talent in a way that’s future-proof?” So, we teamed up in 2011. We’ve been here for cable’s decline and resurgence. We’ve seen the power dynamic shift with all these digital buyers coming in and out, from YouTube Originals to the MCNs to Go90s to Quibi, and whatever’s next. All the while, we’ve continued to work closely with brands, which is in both of our DNAs, making shows for both traditional outlets and original content. It’s funny because now Netflix, once the new kid on the block, is kind of the dinosaur out there, and yet it’s doing quite well.

Yitzi: Mark, I’m sure you have some amazing stories from your career. You’ve probably seen it all. Can you share with our readers one or two of your favorite stories or anecdotes from behind the scenes of Hollywood?

Mark: One story that stands out is a lunch we had in London many years ago. I was there with Ben Silverman, my boss at the time, and we were taking a Friday lunch meeting after a long week of pitch meetings. We met with Michael Hirst, the writer of “Elizabeth,” at the request of legendary agent, Duncan Heath. We sat down, thinking it would be a quick last meeting of the week. Four hours later, we had received more of a history lesson than I probably learned in all my school years. Shekhar Kapur even dropped by. It was one of those “welcome to Hollywood” moments, albeit in London. Michael was sharing his vision for “The Tudors,” reimagining Henry VIII in the way Jonathan Rhys Meyers ultimately brought to life. We left thinking there was no way anyone in America would make a story about Henry VIII, but we knew we wanted to be in business with Michael so let’s try and then fingers crossed we figured we might get to do a procedural with Michael that was more saleable. Long story short, it got set up at CBS, moved to Showtime, and 38 hours later, an English king was on an American network. Who would have thought? It really makes you realize what’s possible and stretches your mind to be open to new ideas.

Another story involves a show we just launched called “Carpe DM with Juanpa” on Roku. Eric and I were fortunate enough to meet Juanpa Zurita through his agents at CAA when he was just starting out on Vine, a social media platform at that time. We coalesced around this idea and tried to sell the show for five years, setting it up at different places but never quite getting the trigger pulled. Then Brian Tannenbaum, who had liked the show while he was at Quibi, moved to Roku and called us one morning saying he had been thinking about this for a long time. We knew we had a fan in David Eilenberg of Juanpa, and long story short, six years on, we were making it, and seven years on it aired starting in March. I think this speaks to finding great talent, believing in them, and staying the course. The overnight success stories in Hollywood are normally anything but — they are often long, winding roads. But they feel like overnight successes when they happen. Those are just two stories that show what is possible with perseverance and dreaming. One day, I might get around to writing a book that no one will read, not even my own kids, but maybe their kids will, skipping a generation. Those stories show anyone who thinks they know what will work and become the next big thing, I’ve yet to meet them. And I’ve met some pretty inspired people in this business.

Yitzi: How about you, Eric? Do you have a favorite story that personifies Hollywood or the back rooms of Hollywood?

Eric: Yes, some stories I won’t share, but I think a good example is our work with Juanpa, which really highlights my point. From the outside, Hollywood often seems very constructed, but I’ve been truly inspired by the skill set on the reality television side. Nonfiction storytelling, I believe, is much harder than scripted storytelling, and I am constantly in awe of those who excel in this craft. Mark has certainly been a prime example. Watching him operate to find stories, both in the field and in post-production, has been enlightening. But I’ve also been amazed by the wonderful intersection of producing a right moment and then letting talent run with it when you begin to trust them. One of the first shows we ever made together had Craig Robinson from “The Office” on set. It was a scripted show called “Mr. Robinson’s Driving School,” where Craig ran a driving school. There was a scene where Craig was supposed to play a song. Of course, nobody was going to script that for him. But we didn’t need to because he was able to sit down and within about 15 or 20 minutes, he came up with something amazing that was funny, insightful, and fit right into the scene. Over the years, I’ve been continually surprised. Whether it’s working with people like Juanpa Zurita or Craig Robinson, I’m always inspired by what happens when you trust them and give them the runway to create something great. They invariably pull it off, and that’s something that always keeps me inspired.

Yitzi: Mark, shows like The Biggest Loser and MasterChef have become cultural icons. What do you think is the key to creating unscripted television that stays relevant and successful in the cultural zeitgeist?

Mark: I always say I’m a bit of a Hollywood outsider. I wasn’t much into television or film growing up; I was more of a sports guy. That perspective, being somewhat removed from the typical Hollywood lens, has given me an advantage. I think it’s about how you connect with a broad audience and tell real people’s stories, which are every bit as exciting as, and I would argue more challenging than, scripted content. Both The Biggest Loser and MasterChef connected with audiences in a profound way. For example, The Biggest Loser came about because everyone was doing plastic surgery shows at the time, and NBC asked us to come up with our version. We were hesitant because it didn’t align with our values. Instead, we created a show around weight loss, a topic that was relatable yet hardly talked about in Hollywood circles. It wasn’t just about losing weight; it was about addressing the deeper issues people faced, including past traumas or just being unhappy with where their life was at. On the other hand, MasterChef taps into everyone’s connection with food. It’s about taking home-cooking skills to the next level, which resonated widely because of the personal nature of cooking and eating.

The common thread in these shows is real people from diverse backgrounds showcasing their talents and working incredibly hard. The presence of exceptional talent like Jillian Michaels and Gordon Ramsay also elevated the shows and made a significant difference. These individuals are giants in the unscripted scene, and working with them has been a highlight of my career. We also try to identify and nurture the next generation of talent in other projects, like our show for Amazon Kids Original, where we feature young kids like Brody Schaffer, Ava Foley, Cayden Jacques, etc etc who we believe are going to be the next big stars.

Additionally, we are currently working on a project with LeBron James’s company SpringHill for the History Channel about Jim Thorpe, a Native American athlete who dominated sports in the early 20th century. His story is incredibly inspiring, and bringing such stories to light is what excites me about this industry. We always try to see things from the viewer’s perspective, asking ourselves what we would want to watch. This approach has been key to our success, making sure we are not just content creators but also fans of our own content, always striving to produce something that resonates deeply with audiences.

Yitzi: Eric, you mentioned the show with Juanpa. You guys are pioneers in using influencers and trying to bring their audience to different levels of screens. What do you think is the secret to successfully integrating non-traditional talent like influencers into great scripted or unscripted programs?

Eric: The secret starts with not focusing solely on their audience. It’s really about recognizing the talent behind the social media numbers. Talent transcends their online following. It’s about having a unique point of view or a voice that can influence a conversation, whether they’re a comedian or an influencer with a lowercase ‘i’. Thinking that a show will be successful just because an influencer has millions of followers is a trap. It’s crucial to identify those who can offer more in terms of storytelling, personality, and perspective.

Take, for instance, Elizabeth Shapiro, an amazing writer we worked with. She had agents ready to pitch her shows around town, but Mark asked her what she had that was so different that her agents didn’t know what to do with it. She pitched a short script about the day Hitler got rejected from art school for the second time. It was risky and provocative, but it showed her grasp of history and comedy. We felt she was a talent we could help elevate. We went on to pilot that on spec, and it turned into ‘Crossroads of History,’ which was Emmy-nominated.

So, the real secret is identifying and empowering talent, helping them reach their potential in ways they might not have on their own, rather than exploiting what they’ve already achieved. This approach ensures a more genuine and potentially successful transition from social media to mainstream media.

Yitzi: That’s great, amazing. Just for clarification, what’s the difference between reality TV and unscripted TV? How are they similar, how are they different, or am I totally off base?

Eric: Unscripted or non-fiction really encompasses everything within that genre. It includes game shows, formats, and survival shows like ‘Survivalist’ and ‘Carpe DM’. Most reality shows are those that follow someone’s life, which are manipulated to some extent — that’s where I would draw the distinction. But honestly, there isn’t a huge difference.

Yitzi: We’d love to hear more about what you’re both working on now. Mark, can you share some exciting projects that you’re working on?

Mark: I’m super excited about a couple of projects that recently launched. ‘Carpe DM with Juanpa on Roku is one that we hope will convince the network to bring it back for a second season. We have a lot more adventures to cover. This show features an incredible talent who’s out there being a positive force and trying to inspire change. It reminds me of when we did ‘The Buried Life’ for MTV, where some of those guys have gone on to be significant influencers, like Ben Nemtin, one of the biggest speakers in the world. ‘Carpe Diem’ stars a young man from Mexico who’s living his best life and challenging himself to be his best self, which is incredibly inspiring. It’s also a bilingual series, which is unique. Roku is brave in trying to connect with audiences who speak two languages and come from two cultures. There are a lot of learnings from season one, and we hope it can grow into something even bigger.

On the kids’ side, we have ‘Surprise and Seek’, which is based on the classic game of hide and seek but adds elements like surprises and slime to create immersive worlds that encourage kids to move their bodies and use their imaginations. The feedback we’ve received has been positive, and it seems to resonate well with the audience. We hope it gives us a chance to continue encouraging every generation of kids to get involved and use their imagination more actively.

Yitzi: Eric, what else are you excited about?

Eric: I’m particularly thrilled about our partnership with SpringHill and the History Channel on the Thorpe documentary. This project has been years in the making and challenging to set up, but I’m glad History is trusting us to tell it right. We’re fortunate to have Chris Eyre, one of the preeminent Native American directors, at the helm. He’s a massive sports and Jim Thorpe fan, which is vital because he’ll bring an indigenous perspective to the story of the first GOAT, who was Native American. Jim Thorpe has been an inspiration for generations, and it’s crucial we tell his story before it risks being forgotten — there’s very little video archive of his life.

Additionally, we’re working with C3 Presents, the company behind major festivals like Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, and ACL. They are the top-tier festival producers globally and in the U.S. We’re developing innovative television and documentary formats with them that celebrate festival culture and live music. This is particularly poignant as we emerge from the pandemic and reconnect with live entertainment. C3, being part of Live Nation, provides access to incredible talent and resources, opening up fantastic opportunities for storytelling in the music and food spaces. These projects are some of the highlights I’m most excited about.

Yitzi: This is our signature question. Mark and Eric, you both have a lot of experience, and I’m sure you’ve learned a ton from the hands-on work you do. Looking back, can each of you share five things needed to create a successful career as a filmmaker?

Eric: I think I’ve said this before, but you have to put in the work. Honestly, as someone who somewhat skipped over the assistant and PA phase because I started in a different business and came in here, I still had to put in the work when I got in. The advice I give to anyone is you’ve got to put in the work. There’s no shortcut to acquiring the skills you need. The way to do that is to figure out what you want to be, whether a director, a writer, or anything else, and find someone who excels at that. Become indispensable to them. That’s how you’ll earn their trust and be in their orbit to absorb everything they do. You’ll get more opportunities that way. Those are two points. I’d say third is to listen a lot. You gain much more from listening than talking. It’s vital for learning in the business and showing that you’re open to real stories and what people have to say, making those connections. Fourth, you have to step outside your bubble. It’s easy, especially when we’re always on our phones, to think that our immediate surroundings reflect the broader world. That’s not true. The next great storytellers won’t come from within our bubbles. You have to make an effort to step out, travel, read, and listen to diverse voices.

Mark: Being a producer means you don’t need any particular talent; you’re not in front of the camera or directing. I say that a bit self-deprecatingly. But you need perseverance and passion. If you’re not passionate, if you don’t want it badly enough, many others are waiting to take your place. I saw that at William Morris; people were coming and making no money in New York. You have to want this career to seep into every cell of your body or step aside. So perseverance, passion, hard work — which goes without saying because the more I practice, the luckier I get — luck, and networking. Networking is a crucial skill that seems to be losing ground. You never know who the next Ben Affleck and Matt Damon might be. My mentor, Ben, treated everyone with the same respect, from PAs to high executives. Networking is essential. We used to spend nearly every night out, meeting talented individuals across the spectrum. No barriers to who we might network with to find the next big hit. An example is a British filmmaker who went to Sundance and saw an early screening of “Supersize Me” by Morgan Spurlock, recommended we meet him. We set up a meeting and came up with the show “30 Days”. That all came from perseverance, hard work, networking, passion, and luck. That’s my five.

Eric made a good point about traveling to different cultures and places, like a small town bar in America, has been some of my best experiences. As I always say, if you put kids from anywhere on a beach with a ball, they’ll get along. We have so much in common. It’s vital to step outside the bubbles we live in. The more we can converse with people and understand that their experiences and beliefs are as valid as ours, the more enriched our lives become. If you want a career that allows you to experience the world, meet incredible people, and absorb diverse perspectives, filmmaking is an unparalleled path.

Yitzi: Amazing. This is our final question, our aspirational question. So each of you are people of enormous influence, and people take your words very seriously. Mark, and Eric, if you could spread an idea or inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?

Mark: Remember when you were a kid and you didn’t judge people for how they looked, but for how much fun you had with them? I honestly believe that. I look at my kids and I see hope in the way they deal with people. I always saw this from my son who was on a very multicultural soccer team. He’d refer to kids like, ‘the kid with the orange boots,’ and it made me realize I was looking at it the wrong way — through a lens of adulthood and media influence. He was just seeing the kid who made him laugh, the one who shared a snack with him. The more we can remember those childlike qualities of how we judge people — whether they were nice or not — that’s key. Not everyone is nice, and it’s normally because of their past experiences. We’re doing a documentary about life after death row, focusing on people who were wrongfully convicted and served decades for crimes they didn’t commit. These people still have faith in God and society despite their ordeals, showing immense forgiveness. There’s so much hope and joy in the way kids view the world, which is often overshadowed by the media’s focus on negative news. Corporate America could benefit from changing its lens to realize that good news can uplift everyone.

Yitzi: How can our readers continue to follow your work online? How can they support you in any way?

Eric: Tune in and watch, visit ineentertainment.com, follow our social media handles, and support our shows. You can contact Brian Tannenbaum at Roku and encourage him to order a second season of Carpe DM with Juanpa. Supporting anyone in this business really comes down to consuming media, telling networks what you love, and sharing your favorites. Keep watching, whether it’s our product or someone else’s. There are so many talented people in this industry.

Yitzi: You guys are both amazing. Thank you so much for this incredible conversation.

Mark: Such a pleasure, Yitzi. Looking forward to continuing our discussions in the coming weeks, months, and years.