44 Blue Productions’ Rasha Drachkovitch

Rasha Drachkovitch, the CEO and co-founder of 44 Blue Productions, tells TV Real about the new series Nightwatch Nation and discusses the company’s expansive slate, which runs the gamut from crime to celeb-reality and everything in between.

Dick Wolf’s Chicago franchise on NBC has proven that audiences can’t seem to get enough of stories about first responders, from firefighters to cops to emergency room doctors. Looking to replicate that allure in the unscripted space, the hit producer teamed up with 44 Blue Productions, a Red Arrow Studios-owned outfit, on Nightwatch. Commissioned by A&E, the show chronicled emergency responders, first in New Orleans, Louisiana, and then in Tampa, Florida. This week, A&E is set to premiere an expansion of the franchise, Nightwatch Nation. Launching August 16 on A&E, with international distribution being handled by A+E Networks, Nightwatch Nation heads to four bustling American cities and follows EMTs (emergency medical technicians) as they work the 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. overnight shift.

TV REAL: How did Nightwatch Nation and the partnership with Dick Wolf come about?
DRACHKOVITCH: Dick was launching his highly successful Chicago scripted series at NBC. We had been talking for a while about teaming up on some non-scripted shows. 44 Blue is known for going inside prisons and police departments and so on. So we collaborated on finding a city that would let us in to do the same version of Dick’s scripted ideas in the non-scripted field. I had done quite a bit of production in Louisiana and I knew the mayor of New Orleans, so Dick and I went in and he said, “I want to make heroes out of your first responders.” And the mayor said, “What do you need, Dick?” And Dick said, “The keys to your city!” The mayor let us in and that was the beginning of Nightwatch. We followed the New Orleans police department, fire department and EMTs for three seasons. It took off. We added Tampa, Florida. We were able to embed in these cities for four to six months, following first responders. That’s how it started. And then with the success A&E has had with Live PD, it was a natural evolution for us to go national.

TV REAL: How did you manage the logistics of that expansion?
DRACHKOVITCH: It’s a challenging show. One of the biggest challenges is getting permission. You have to get the trust of the city, starting with the mayor. We had a lot of outreach to a lot of cities in America. We got a lot of “no’s,” but the strength of the show and the relationships with the mayors of New Orleans and Tampa were our best calling cards. We were able to get into Yonkers, New York; into Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Austin, Texas; and Tucson, Arizona. We have plans for other cities as well. If you’re in one city for half a year, you can set up shop. Now we have divided our production strategy into four groups for the four cities for a shorter amount of time.

TV REAL: How do you and your teams sift through all that footage to structure each episode into a compelling story?
DRACHKOVITCH: We have a clock, it’s the signature element—the shift starts at 8 p.m. and ends at 4 a.m. The biggest juggle is how many cases we do in each city and how we pace ourselves. The cases in each city are very different because of the geography—that gives us variety. The one reoccurring call that happens in all the cities that is incredibly sad is the opioid epidemic. The calls are pretty frantic. In many cases, the patient is literally not breathing, and the EMTs administer this drug called Narcan and they come back. It’s very powerful and very timely for what’s going on in America today. You get perspective on what it’s like to treat so many people caught up in it.

TV REAL: You have a broad and diverse slate at 44 Blue. How is the overall commissioning landscape for the company in today’s factual marketplace?
DRACHKOVITCH: We do have a diverse slate. That’s on purpose. The marketplace is changing so much. There are some things we’re known for and that we’re attracted to—stories of redemption, second chances and the extreme human experience speak to us. We like to look for stories that fall into those categories. That fits with our brand and some of the networks, like A&E, which is doubling down on shows like Live PD and Nightwatch Nation and Intervention and so on. We’ve got a couple of shows at Netflix, one in the prison space. That’s a new buyer for us and it’s great to be working with such a supportive network. And then on the other side of the spectrum, Hollywood Medium was picked up for its fourth season at E! It’s a whole different show. It’s very popular with the E! audience. Our development slate is really across the board!

TV REAL: Your bio says you’ve been stoned, shot at and chased by the Yakuza! Are you still able to spend a lot of time in the field?
DRACHKOVITCH: Those were the good old days! Now it’s a little safer. I’ve always been attracted to these kinds of stories, in the cop world or prisons or red-light districts. I got to see the world from the back seat of a cop car! Now, I try to balance my time as much as I can. I do love being in the field. I’m very curious about stories and people. I try to make sure I get out for every show and spend a little bit of time with the police chiefs and paramedics and ride around. It’s important—if you’re going to make content, you’ve got to get to know the content. I don’t travel as much anymore, but I do make it a point to get out as much as I can.

TV REAL: What advice can you offer your crews on how to deal with the sometimes-precarious situations that can arise when you’re doing shows like this?
DRACHKOVITCH: You never want to become the story; you want to capture the story. We’re careful about selecting specialists for these kinds of shows, people who are comfortable working in uncomfortable situations. You’ve got to have a thick skin and be able to adapt quickly when things go south. You need to have people who can show good judgment and understand safety first. We have lots of safety meetings. We do lots of counseling to make sure everybody is OK. We’re fortunate to have high-end professional teams.

TV REAL: What’s it been like working with Dick Wolf?
DRACHKOVITCH: He loves this series and his goal is to do more and more programming in this area. I’m thrilled that we have one of the legendary television producers as a partner. It’s quite a thrill to be producing with him.