Victor Gialanella began his professional career as an actor, stage manager and administrator in regional theatre.  His first produced work was a stage adaptation of Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, which premiered in St. Louis and was subsequently produced on Broadway at the Palace Theatre in New York in 1981. A later play,  Ivory Pawns, was awarded Best New Play in the Washington,  D.C.  Theatre Festival.

He began writing for daytime television in 1983 for Guiding Light, the longest running serial drama in broadcasting.  Other programs include Another World, Loving, and General Hospital.  In 1991, he co-created and scripted The Lodge, a 12 part dramatic serial for Great Britain’s ITV network and subsequently served for two seasons as story consultant for another ITV series, Wavelength..  Mr. Gialanella then spent fourteen years writing for NBC’s Days of Our Lives. He left for a short period and wrote for ABC’s One Life to Live, then returned to Days of Our Lives as co-head writer through 2010.  Mr. Gialanella continues on contract with Days of Our Lives and is developing scripted and reality television and film projects.

He is the recipient of two Daytime Emmy awards for his work on Guiding Light and One Life To Live, a Writers Guild of America award for Days of Our Lives and a Soap Opera Award for General Hospital.  He resides in McMurray, PA with his wife, two daughters, four cats, two dogs and five televisions. 

Changing Channels: How Television has evolved, informed and influenced American Society 

Watching television consumes more and more of the average American’s time and attention. While fewer of us may gather “communally”… more and more of us are watching one way or another. And there doesn’t appear to be an end in sight as viewership continues to increase every year.  It’s influence on our society can’t be diminished, dismissed or denied. But it does raise some interesting questions: Does television reflect the public’s current tastes, trends, beliefs and morality? Or does a large percentage of its audience  reflect, emulate and copy what they see on television? It’s a real “chicken or the egg” issue and there are compelling arguments and evidence for both points of view. 

 In an entertaining and informative presentation, the audience is engaged and challenged to  contribute their own experience and opinion as the contrast between television programming and societal attitudes and behavior are explored and compared from the 1950’s to the present.  We’ve come a long way from the innocence and Eisenhower era optimism of “I love Lucy” and “The Lone Ranger” to today’s jaded cynicism and voyeuristic reality programming like “The Real Housewives of Everywhere” and “Cops”.  

Key elements such as political, religious, regional and economic  influences that affect programming content are discussed as well as how the entire landscape has changed since the advent of cable in the late 1970’s and the “on demand” niche programming now available online, as well as the emulation of commercial television by individuals on you tube and personal websites. Not only has content changed dramatically, but so has the way television is watched and delivered. One set in the living room viewed by the entire family has given way to multiple sets in different rooms and content delivered on computers, tablets and cell phones. What used to be a bonding family experience is now often watched alone, then shared “after the fact” through chat and online postings.  Has this change also contributed to or reflected the way modern society interacts?  It’s been almost 30 years from “Laverne & Shirley” to “Snooki & JWoww” and it’s clear that the only element they have in common are the hairdos.  Insightful, humorous and analytical, the presentation invites discussion, opinion and debate about all elements of television, and  whether it has helped revolutionize society, its values, style and behavior… or has contributed to what many perceive as its steady and frightening decline. 

The speaker, Victor Gialanella, has spent the last 28 years working in television, predominantly writing for American soap operas. This type of ongoing, long-running programming is arguably the most “reflective” of the changing tastes, topics and trends in contemporary society. His experience has afforded him an insider’s view into the ever-evolving state of network television along with a unique appreciation of cable and online programming and their astounding freedom from the overwhelming “commercial” concerns that have shaped and virtually controlled network content from the beginning of the medium. Thought provoking and entertaining, the presentation explores not only what we watch but how it affects us, reflects us  and examines why, for well over half a century, we have, and apparently always will, “stay tuned”.