A run down of the Baywatch producers – The information below is out of date as the original write-ups are from The Official Baywatch Site in 1995. However, they are preserved here.
Gregory J. Bonann – Executive Producer
There’s a reason why Baywatch captures the look and flavor of Southern California living so accurately. Its Creator and Executive Producer, Greg Bonann, was born and raised in Los Angeles and has maintained a “Baywatch” way of life ever since.
Despite a number of physical challenges, Greg was determined at a young age to become an expert swimmer. He soon excelled at the sport and went on to break many records for the swim team at Pacific Palisades High School. As soon as he was old enough, he focused his efforts on qualifying to join the elite team of men and women that make up the Los Angeles County Lifeguards. Greg’s dream came true in 1970, and he’s been a dedicated lifeguard ever since.
Even when close friends left for universities out of town, Greg never strayed far from home graduating from Cal State Long Beach with a BA in Journalism in 1974 and going on to earn his MBA from UCLA in 1976. From there, Greg combined his business education with his gift for story telling and began pursuing a career as a film maker. His first major effort was producing and directing the official films for the U.S. Olympic Committee in 1976 for the games at Innisbrook and Montreal.
Greg went on to enjoy a long and prosperous period of producing and directing award-winning documentaries for PBS that took him to Saudi Arabia, North Africa, Alaska, and other locations all around the world. His love of sports, especially Olympic competition, eventually led him back to America in the winter of 1980 to once again produce and direct the official film for the U.S. Olympic Committee in Lake Placid. “Fire and Ice” went on to win eight prestigious awards including the coveted Cine Golden Eagle. More importantly, the honors gave him the impetus to produce and direct the official films for the 1984 Winter and Summer Olympic Games in Sarajevo and Los Angeles (“Frozen in Time” and “Elements of Gold”) and the 1988 Winter games in Calgary (“City of Gold”). Greg won countless honors for his work and would have continued to follow the Olympic Games for the rest of his life if it weren’t for the show business break of a lifetime.
In 1988, Greg created a short music video featuring his lifeguard buddies doing what they do best on a hot beach day to the beat of Don Henley’s hit “Boys of Summer.” This “montage” would serve as the calling card for what would become Baywatch on NBC a year later.
It was during a routine scout of the beach that first season of Baywatch when a young boy ran up to Greg frantic because his brother was drowning 200 yards off-shore. Greg quickly jumped into action and swam with the rip current to where the boy was last seen. He had to make several surface dives to find the unconscious victim who had been submerged at the murky bottom. Performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation while treading water, Greg was able to save the boy’s life and was awarded the prestigious Medal of Valor for his heroic effort.
Greg has personally directed over 25 episodes of Baywatch including many of the action and rescue scenes, as well as 200 of his signature music montages.
In addition to the Baywatch franchise, Greg and his partners, Michael Berk and Douglas Schwartz, formed Berk, Schwartz, Bonann (BSB) Productions in 1993. Their first venture was Thunder in Paradise, the hit sun and fun series starring the legendary Hulk Hogan, now in syndication on Turner.
Douglas Schwartz – Executive Producer
Doug Schwartz began his film career at the tender age of 13, when his uncle Sherwood gave him an 8mm movie camera for his Bar Mitzvah. That summer, he and his cousin produced a short war film entitled “The Lost Battalion.” At a neighborhood screening, a CBS Executive saw the film, loved it, and offered Doug $5,000 on the spot to air it nationally on CBS. One year later, Doug was running the largest teenage movie company ever in existence, and he began production on a slate of shorts, commercials, and documentaries.
Later Doug was given a three picture movie deal by Roger Corman which led to his first major feature assignment, “Your Three Minutes Are Up” starring Ron Leibman. After its release, Doug was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa, a degenerative eye disease that limits the field of vision. Told by his doctors that he should discontinue directing, Doug concentrated his efforts on writing and producing. Along with his partner and first-cousin Michael Berk, he penned the original “Dick Tracy” screenplay, which later was produced by Warren Beatty. That was followed by a string of 17 made-for-television movies for various networks and Hollywood studios.
In 1985, Doug and Michael produced the critically acclaimed Fox series, “The Wizard,” starring David Rappaport, the first television series to find a dwarf in the lead role. Their next series at Fox was “Manamal” for Glen Larson, and in 1988, they began production of the worldwide television phenomenon, “Baywatch.” To date, Doug has co-written numerous episodes of the series and has directed over 25.
Last year, Doug and Michael teamed up again with Greg Bonann and David Hasselhoff to create the new action/adventure series “Baywatch Nights.” The one-hour weekly series starring David Hasselhoff premiered in national syndication in September of `95.
Michael Berk – Executive Producer
Michael Berk wrote and produced a dozen television movies and two network television series before creating “Baywatch” with partners Douglas Schwartz and Greg Bonann.
Among his accomplishments are writing and producing “The Incredible Journey of Dr. Meg Laurel,” the highest rated movie on television for the year with a 42 share over three hours, “The Ordeal of Dr. Mudd” which received two Emmy Awards, and “The Haunting Passion,” winner of the Venice Film Festival Award. Michael also created the critically acclaimed CBS series “The Wizard,” and the syndicated series “Thunder in Paradise.”
As the head writer of “Baywatch,” Michael has written more than forty episodes and directed several more.
His prolific career began at the age of thirteen, when he and his cousin wrote, produced and directed a short film entitled “The Lost Battalion.” A CBS executive saw it at a backyard screening and bought the picture for $5,000 and aired it nationally. By the time Michael was eighteen he was partners in a production company comprised entirely of teenagers.
Now in his forties, Michael continues doing what he’s loved since childhood – using his creativity and production acumen to draft quality television. The resurrection of “Baywatch,” a highly rated domestic and international success, is a model of production efficiency that has defined new standards in the industry.
Last year, Michael teamed up again with Schwartz, Greg Bonann and David Hasselhoff to create the action/adventure series “Baywatch Nights.” The one-hour weekly series premiered in national syndication in September of `95.
