The show we planned became impossible to produce. So we built a better one.

The series began while we were actively developing new television concepts. We had met an animal rescuer whose work seemed like the basis for an interesting docu-follow.

But the deeper we went into the rescue world, the clearer it became that the original premise was too narrow. One person couldn't carry the entire show. The world around her could.

I proposed pivoting into a host-led format that could follow individual dogs from shelters through rescue, rehabilitation, foster care and ultimately adoption. I worked on the project from its earliest concept through every iteration that followed — developing the format, managing production, and recutting the pilot into the version used to pitch the series.

Then, just as we were preparing to produce it, everything changed.

The series was scheduled to enter production in April 2020. COVID stopped it. And the air date didn't move.

The series we had sold could not be produced the way we had designed it.

In June, I went back to the basic question: what was essential about the show, and what was simply the way we had planned to produce it?

The mission wasn't to document a particular production process. It was to show audiences the work rescue organizations were doing, and give them the emotional experience of seeing animals transformed. So I rebuilt the production model around those two things.

I redesigned the schedule and budget around the new format, cutting contact, travel and cost at the same time. There was no pilot period for the new version — we had to make it work while we were making it.

It worked. And the emergency format became the permanent series.

My credited role was Line Producer, but my responsibility extended across the entire production operation — prep through field production, post and final delivery. I also created or supervised the pitch deck, sizzle reel and pilot used to bring the show to market.

It also became the top syndicated program on its CW affiliates.

Branded entertainment was part of the model from the beginning. Animal rescue is naturally compatible with pet products, but some of the most interesting partnerships came from outside the obvious category.

Chrysler was one. Transportation is an everyday part of rescue work — animals move between shelters, veterinary appointments, foster homes and adoption events. A Chrysler Pacifica could appear in the show doing something completely authentic to the story.

That's the kind of integration I prefer. The objective isn't to stop the show so the audience can notice the sponsor. It's to find the point where the brand genuinely belongs in the world we're documenting. I worked with our sales team to pitch and structure partnerships and negotiate integrations with companies including Pedigree and Chrysler.

Those relationships also advanced the mission. Brand partners made gifts to rescue organizations featured in the series, viewers contributed directly, and organizations kept using their episodes and segments to support their own fundraising. Collectively, the program has helped direct hundreds of thousands of dollars toward animal rescue.

What I'm proudest of is that the show did what we hoped it would. It gave organizations doing difficult, largely unseen work a national platform.