Meet Jacqueline Sacerio, based in Los Angeles.
As Executive Vice President and Co-Head of Scripted Television in the US, Jacqueline oversees some of eOne’s incredible scripted slate, including Yellowjackets, and she’s sharing behind the scenes stories from season 2.
Season 2 premiered on Showtime March 24 – and it’s not a moment too soon.
“We start the season off with a BANG,” explains Jacqueline. “Audiences won’t have to wait long to get a juicy story. It’s a season that is packed from beginning to end – with lots of unexpected twists. There’s never a dull moment.”
If you’re new to Yellowjackets, here’s the backstory. “It’s a group of elite teen soccer players whose plane crashed into the mountains in the remote northern wilderness in the 1990s. They end up being gone for two years, and we tell the story of how they deal with the trauma back then…and in the present. The writers describe it as kids from Dazed and Confused meet the Donner Party.” In other words, dark…funny and poignant.
This season adds a lot more to the story. For one, it takes place in winter. “We started shooting in August when it was still summer in Vancouver – so while we waited for snow, we built the entire wilderness set on stage.” Look closely and you’d never know it wasn’t outdoors. “Our production designers and set technicians did an incredible job. Everything from 30-foot-high trees to the rock faces. It all looks so real.” The production also went on location to Calgary to shoot vast snow sequences once weather permitted, which were then added to the show.
For Jacqueline, the second season of any show is an interesting time. She remains involved as she always does – giving notes and serving as conduit between production, post-production and the network. But it’s often here that shows begin to fall into a rhythm that mean she’s involved less day-to-day. “By now it’s a well-oiled machine for most shows like this. A show like Cruel Summer, which eOne produces for Freeform, is a little different. It’s an anthology series so that means that every season is like the first season.”
Overseeing the development of eOne’s scripted shows is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Jacqueline’s role, she also oversees eOne’s extensive roster of first-look and Pod Deals [A “Pod Deal” is an agreement we make with an outside production company to develop and produce content that goes through our studio]. “Right now, we have about 20 deals including partnerships with Keke Palmer, Constance Wu, and most recently we signed a deal with Viola Davis’s JuVee Productions.”
Whether it’s shepherding hit TV shows from inception to post-production, or fostering partnerships with top tier talent, Jacqueline Sacerio knows quality when she sees it. And Yellowjackets is proof of that. “This season the writers wanted to raise the stakes even higher and they've really delivered. It's such a huge show and it’s a testament to eOne and our production team behind the scenes. I’m so proud of the outcome.”
