Experience helps alum produce show
The cast of “Royal Pains,” a new series on USA Network that premiered on June 4. The show was created by UCLA alumnus Andrew Lenchewski, who graduated in 1998 with a degree in communication studies.
By Rocio Ayala
June 21, 2009 9:57 p.m.
It’s often said it doesn’t matter what you know but who you know. In the case of Andrew Lenchewski, it was a little bit of both.
Now the creator and co-executive producer of USA Network’s new series “Royal Pains,” which premiered on June 4, Lenchewski has been gaining knowledge and experience of the entertainment industry since his days at UCLA.
“Royal Pains” centers around a recently fired emergency room doctor, Hank Lawson (Mark Feuerstein), who is ousted after a morally correct decision leaves the bureaucratic board of the hospital unhappy.
In order to gain as much experience as possible while still a student, Lenchewski had completed a dozen internships by the time he graduated with a degree in communication studies in 1998.
While at UCLA, Lenchewski credits his enrollment in Communication Studies 185 as the most defining course of his undergraduate career.
Under the direction of Professor Marde Gregory, each class member maintains an internship while enrolled in the course and the class time often includes guest speakers from different backgrounds.
Originally interested in pursuing the business side of entertainment, Lenchewski credits this course as crucial in helping him acknowledge his talent for the creative side, a talent Gregory said was undeniable to her.
“Andrew is terribly bright, which makes him good with the business side of his work, but he is a creative soul,” Gregory said.
From Gregory’s perspective, Lenchewski possesses a wit and sharpness that put him a head above the rest even during his days in her class.
She found the same qualities while watching “Royal Pains.” “I hear his voice singing throughout the dialogue,” Gregory said.
Although feature films appealed to Lenchewski, he felt television was his destination since it had fascinated him as a child. Once in the television world, he realized how much quicker television moved than film, and he fit right in with the fast-paced environment and embraced the ability to be involved with so many aspects of bringing his script to life.
While what Lenchewski knew helped him gain perspective on his talent and his pursuits, it was who he knew that shaped his first creation for television. A native New Yorker, Lenchewski grew up in a family of doctors. At the onset of the development of his series two years ago, he knew he wanted to have it center around the medical world.
In the show, after being fired, Hank is urged by his younger brother Evan (Paulo Costanzo) to leave the comfort of his New York City apartment for a weekend in the Hamptons. However, his time there quickly turns into a job opportunity as a concierge doctor for the wealthy, who like to keep their medical emergencies confidential.
Reluctant at first to be a doctor for hire for the rich, Hank is unable to walk away from someone who needs his help. When a local hospital administrator catches his eye, his reluctance fades as he settles into his new employment.
“Hank is very much an old-fashioned hero because he became a doctor to help whoever needs help,” Lenchewski said. “The irony is that this doctor is not interested in money and now is in this world.”
Writer and consulting producer for “Royal Pains,” UCLA alumna Constance M. Burge believes Lenchewski reflects many of the qualities of his main characters.
“He’s smart, confident, trustworthy and incredibly loyal like Hank, and he’s also funny, fearless and quick-witted like Hank’s younger brother Evan,” Burge said.
Overall, Burge attributes Lenchewski’s success to his ability to stay grounded. “He’s always incredibly calm in an industry that is usually pretty chaotic,” Burge said.
Cementing his eagerness to gain experience while at UCLA, Lenchewski now implements it in “Royal Pains” as an executive producer and plays a role in the casting, editing and even costumes and set design.
For Lenchewski, the opportunity to have been part of so many internships while at UCLA gave him the ability to learn, experience and even fail sometimes. He said he hopes that opportunity finds anyone who wants to get into the entertainment industry.
“If you want to write, write and read as much as you can,” Lenchewski said. “Meet people, make mistakes and learn from them because some things can be taught but some things you can only learn by yourself.”
