Go for Donny! with Mark Stepp | Season 2

What does it take to make Top Gear USA, work behind the scenes at Formula 1 Las Vegas and finish a South Park concert special under an impossible deadline? Two-time Primetime Emmy-winning editor and director Mark Stepp joins Donny McGuire on Switch to Channel 2 for a candid conversation about television production, live events, motorsport and the unexpected turns of a career behind the camera. Mark traces his journey from drumming in Athens, Georgia, to mixing audio in Nashville, learning Avid editing and working on VH1’s Behind the Music in Los Angeles. He explains how editing shaped his approach to multicamera directing and shares stories from the Academy Awards red carpet, NBA and WNBA All-Star entertainment, and NBA Global Games. We also get into producing the opening-night concert for F1 Las Vegas, finding his way onto the grid and into the garages, racing simulators, Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi and his dream assignment: working trackside for an entire Formula 1 season. Then we revisit the pressure of finishing South Park’s 25th Anniversary Concert at Red Rocks, our early MTV Networks days, Cadillac CTS-Vs and the challenges of filming Top Gear USA. That includes a tractor course that needed some serious imagination and Tanner’s barn falling off a trailer. We close with an honest discussion about broadcast television, streaming, vertical storytelling and the people who make great production possible. CHAPTERS 00:00 Welcome to Switch to Channel 2 00:41 Mark’s beginnings: music, Nashville and television 02:49 Emmy wins and directing with an editor’s eye 04:41 Academy Awards red-carpet production 05:54 NBA, WNBA and Global Games 06:56 Behind the scenes at F1 Las Vegas 09:13 F1 grid access and garage visits 10:44 The Vegas circuit and the “Big Pig” 12:10 Racing simulators and learning the tracks 14:31 Ferrari World and roller-coaster G-forces 15:43 Motion sickness and filming with Tanner Foust 19:05 Last-minute edits before a show airs 20:04 South Park at Red Rocks: a 30-hour editing marathon 23:20 Early South Park and MTV Networks memories 27:07 Creative freedom and the dream directing job 28:08 The dream: an entire Formula 1 season 29:11 F1 team talk and unexpected LinkedIn job alerts 32:37 Cadillac CTS-Vs and becoming a believer 34:28 Stressful Top Gear USA shoots 35:58 The tractor episode and building the course 37:02 Automotive production logistics and breakdowns 39:24 When Tanner’s barn fell off the trailer 40:12 What’s next for Mark 41:14 The future of television, streaming and vertical video 44:14 Closing and where to find the show Subscribe to @gofordonny for more conversations with the people behind your favorite television shows. Explore Go for Donny! and Switch to Channel 2: @ Production work and inquiries: @ What would your dream production assignment be? Tell us in the comments. #MarkStepp #topgearusa #formula1 #toyota #southpark #avideo #f1 #cadillac #lasvegas