• WHAT I REALLY WANT TO DO IS DIRECT! - How getting accepted to the Yale School of Drama taught Asaad which side of the stage he really wanted to be on.
• THE 5-YEAR DIRECTING SCHOOL: Observing all the MTM shows from the bleachers, for five years, got Asaad ready for his first TV job: Directing Valerie Harper in Rhoda!
• DAY ONE: On his first day directing The Facts of Life, the only person he recognized that he had worked with before was… Tootie (Kim Fields)!
• DOUBLE STANDARD: In this early episode of The Facts of Life, Asaad realized the potential of the show: “It was just like being in the theater, like working on a play --  with substance, with humor, with intelligence -- and yet they were young girls. This was television in a new form.
• RUNAWAY TRAIN: Asaad describes the increasing tension and hi-stakes artistry of a show as it speeds thru its season -- and how he learned to not fall off!
• ON CHARLOTTE RAE: “She and I were the grownups in the room. She was the centerpiece in a show about four girls.”
• STORY CONFERENCE -- WITH THE CAST: “After the table read, we’d just talk -- talk about what the episode is dealing with, what it’s about, how it all ties together.”
• FACTS OF LIFE GOES TO PARIS: “It was a trial by fire. Every single shot, every single frame was filmed on location. We were at Notre Dame, the Champs Elysee… How can this be called a job?”

So join Susan and Sharon -- and Asaad -- as they talk George Clooney, The Bob Newhart Show, Grant Tinker, Geri Jewel, speaking French, Bill Haley & the Comets, Nancy McKeon -- and being ready when your opportunity finally comes!

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GET READY FOR PART 2 -- NEXT EPISODE! Don't miss more Facts of Life stories, plus Family Ties and Who's The Boss!!