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# Getting off ‘The Lot’ a winner
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/hogwash-books-adult-fans-debunk-nagging-childish-perception/
- Published: 2007-07-12T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T02:16:33.000Z
- Author: Melody Hanatani
- Tags: local, Santa Monica, #archive-import

HOLLYWOOD There are those who dream big, and then there are those who accomplish big.

Sam Friedlander hopes to be classified in the latter. The Santa Monica resident could be on his way, inching toward landing a $1 million development deal with DreamWorks as one of 10 remaining contestants on the FOX reality show, “On the Lot.”

Produced by Steven Spielberg and Mark Burnett — creator of the CBS reality staple “Survivor” — “On the Lot” takes 18 fresh-faced filmmakers and showcases their talents to a national audience, all for a chance to score a deal with DreamWorks.

Frequently playing behind the camera lens as a child, Friedlander headed to Santa Monica from his hometown of Mount Vernon, N.Y. in 2001 after he applied to USC School Cinema, crossing his fingers that he would be admitted.

Friedlander did get into USC and spent the next few years working toward a master’s degree in filmmaking, graduating in 2005\. It was at USC where Friedlander produced the short film that would eventually earn him a ticket to the cast of“On the Lot.”

A fan of reality shows, though he never envisioned being a part of one, Friedlander was showing his film, “Lucid,” at the Los Angeles International Short Film Festival when he attended an information session about a new FOX reality show.

“I just get a kick out of entertaining people,” Friedlander said from the CBS Studio Center in Studio City. “In my personal life with friends and in groups and audiences, it’s exciting for me to tell a story and entertain people.”

"Lucid” was one of more than 12,000 submissions from around the world, created by filmmakers who had the same dream of trying to take a crack at the competitive world of entertainment in an unconventional way.

Produced during Friedlander’s last year at USC’s School of Cinema, “Lucid” is a short film about two men who dream that they’re actually each other.

“I’ve always been into dreams and wanted to do a fairly different take on the dream movie that wasn’t so based in fantasy and more based in reality,” Friedlander said.

The submission was well received among producers of the show, placing Friedlander in the final cast of 18 contestants.

“On the Lot”has aired twice a week since premiering on May 22, the first episode of the week — the “film premiere” episode — dedicated to showcasing the contestant’s short films before a live audience. In the latter episode — the “box office” results show — the contestant with the fewest votes is booted off.

The films are critiqued by established figures in the entertainment industry, such as directors Garry Marshall and Brett Ratner and actress Carrie Fisher.

Divided into teams, the contestants work closely with industry professionals in producing a new short film every week from a chosen genre, including drama and horror.

Friedlander has produced three films on the reality show — “Broken Pipe Dreams,” a comedy about a guy who loses his engagement ring in the toilet; “Replication Theory” a comedy about passing gas; and most recently,“Ankle Biters,” a horror movie about monsters.

“It’s very satisfying to prepare a script on Wednesday, shoot on the weekend and premiere to an audience the following Tuesday,” Friedlander said of the quick turnaround.

The contestants are completely isolated from society throughout the duration of the show, living in bungalows on the CBS Studio Center for two months, cut off from the Internet and phones, except to make one call a week.

“They want to keep it as unbiased as possible,”said Trevor Kress, publicist for “On the Lot.”

“They just don’t want information leaking, information behind the scenes and on upcoming shows.”

The reality show is not as focused on conflict and drama among the contestants and their living situations, themes c¶ But since he has yet to watch an episode, Friedlander said he isn’t sure how his character is being portrayed on television. His TiVo set back home in Santa Monica to record every episode, Friedlander said it’ll be interesting to watch himself on television.

“It’s going to be interesting to get home and watch,” Friedlander said. “It’s going to be a different experience to get home and watch myself than to be here.”

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/071207-18_01.jpg)

FOX READY FOR HIS CLOSEUP: Sam Friedlander is among the finalist on FOX’s ‘On the Lot’ reality series. (Photo: Photo courtesy)

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 12, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/071207.pdf?ref=smdp.com)