INSIDER

Leellen Childers is not living Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, but she’s doing the next best thing. As an
independent television producer based in Dallas, Childers produces segments for the late-night television show
narrated by admitted gossip journalist Robin Leach. And believe her, it isn’t easy.

The 30-year-old businesswoman, single parent, camera-woman, writer and producer is learning quickly that she’s going
to make mistakes. A few months ago, she invested several thousand dollars to tape and film an interview on location.
When she and her crew got back to the studio, they found lots of film but no sound. Whack! Several thousand dollars
of effort was gone in a flash. That’s unusual, but it happens sooner or later to almost any producer.

Childers takes such mishaps in stride. As president of Kelly Childs Productions Inc., she has nearly 40
Lifestyles segments under her belt, including interviews with such notables as John Connally, Lady Bird
Johnson and Mary Kay Ash. Segments that have aired recently include ones about Amanda Blake
and Joanne Herring. Ferrari Testarossa and Kirk Douglas will also be featured.

She says she has an easier time getting rich and famous people from Houston and San Antonio to agree to do an
interview than she does people from Dallas. “The show has such a conspicuous title that it’s not too popular with
Dallas celebrities,” she says. “They just don’t want to be portrayed as rich and famous. If those people would just
see the segments I do, they might change their minds.” Among the naysayers are Caroline Hunt Schoellkopf and
Norm and Nancy Brinker. Saying no didn’t seem to matter in the case of another Texan, oilman T. Boone
Pickens. Childers’ segment on him ran in July, although Pickens would not grant an on-camera interview.

Childers, who got much of her experience as a camerawom-an for WFAA/Channel 8’s recently canceled P.M. Magazine,
says there’s nobody else in Dallas or Texas doing what she’s doing. That’s why she plans to stay put in her
studio at the Dallas Communications Complex in Las Colinas rather than move to California or New York. “This is part
of what attracts me to Dallas. I’m in a perfect, unique situation. I’ve worked my way up from the bottom of the
ladder. The industry here has to evolve, so I’m going to evolve with it.”

Childers says she’d eventually like to get into movie production. She’s moving closer to that goal with a one-hour
special she and her partner David King produced (and are currently promoting) called Texas Life. The
program features interviews with San Antonio Mayor Henry Cisneros and author James Michener and is
narrated by actress Ana Alicia.