Meet Jason Antoniewicz | Game show producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jason Antoniewicz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jason, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
It’s definitely changed over the past few years. The pandemic had a great deal to do with that. I think we all took our social lives for granted. When even the simplest pleasure of seeing some friends got taken away by COVID, I noticed just how important it was. Now, I make it a point to connect with other people and stop whatever work I’m doing, even if my deadlines say I shouldn’t. I’m better for it. Work from home has improved my life immensely. Sure, I work a few more hours each week now that I’m not commuting, but it makes me more flexible during the day to take care of my health, talk to family back home — all of that.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I pretty much solely work in TV game shows. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. I’ve realized more and more that knowing that from a young age and following it into adulthood is exceptionally rare. But for me, it’s hardwired into my being. I can’t really put myself in other people’s shoes there, because I never struggled with the question: “what do you want to do when you grow up?” There’s that thing Malcolm Gladwell had, that now has its doubters, which said the key to getting expertise in a skill is practicing for at least 10,000 hours. Between all the watching, the reading, and the writing growing up, I must have passed that years ago. So combine that with an ear to the ground to apply for any job on a set, submitting writing samples to whoever would read them, and just grinding, grinding, grinding…I wasn’t going to take “no” for an answer until I had $0 to my name. The biggest challenge was self-doubt. I never doubted my ability so to speak, but I doubted my chances at getting a seat the proverbial table. So I held back for a little longer than I should have, staying on a safer career path before taking a chance on myself.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
The best thing about SoCal is that variety is just a car ride away. I’d want to go to a TV taping or few. “The Price is Right” still has lots of charm. I’ll never forget my first time there, when the woman next to me in line was arguing with her friends over who would get what prize if she won. Sure enough, she got called at the top of the show and won a car! Of course, you’d have to hit some LA dining…Hollywood proper is a sight to see. Yamashiro is a restaurant there that’s near and dear to my heart. It’s up by Magic Castle, and gives you a great lookout into the city. There’s also so many unique clubs and fun spots…I have to give a shout out to Escape Hotel, which might have everything. They took the escape room concept and blew it up, making their entire facility immersive. There’s a “check in” process, live actors, and now, a restaurant with great atmosphere and great food. And much like the rivers and freighters back home in Michigan, I think we take our mountains and palm trees for granted in LA, so any drive around is going to have lots of scenery that an out-of-towner will appreciate.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
So much of what made me “me” is thanks to almost everyone that came along in the years prior to now There’s family of course. My mom was always supportive of my game show dreams…my dad helped foster my curiosity…my brother and my friends were all there to literally play along. Putting those formative experiences aside, I’m really grateful that I almost never met opposition growing up. Everyone who heard what I wanted to do for a living was curious or excited — I can’t recall a discouraging word, even when I moved to Los Angeles.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/byjayanton/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-antoniewicz-a6298046/