Poplar Bluff native helps bring 'Saturday Night' to life

"Live from New York, it's Saturday night" has echoed throughout American homes since "Saturday Night Live" premiered Oct. 11, 1975. Even folks who don't watch the show are probably familiar with the weekly sketch-comedy format, featuring a celebrity host, musical guest and ensemble cast.

For one Poplar Bluff, Missouri, native, SNL has become more than late-night entertainment; it has become his job. Steven Pierce, a 2004 graduate of Poplar Bluff High School, has been working behind the scenes on the iconic show for its past three seasons.

"Everyone takes a lot of pride in what they do there," Pierce said. "It's a team effort to make someone else's vision come to life."

Pierce moved to New York City eight years ago, after graduating from Webster University in Webster Groves, Missouri, with his bachelor's degree in musical theater. He and his wife, Halley, live in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens, about 10 minutes from Manhattan.

Pierce started editing digital-short segments for SNL and eventually transitioned into a key member of the first visual-effects team.

What this means is even though SNL is a live show, it comprises footage from three film units, plus the live sketches. The film units are set up in different locations and film different things.

Wednesday of each week is the cast's first read-through with scripts. That night, everything to be included in Saturday's show is selected.

Thursday is a prep day for everything. Sometimes the footage Pierce uses will be shot Thursday night, but it usually ends up happening Friday afternoon.

Most of the time, while crews still are filming, someone drives a memory card with the ready footage from the filming location to the SNL studio so Pierce's team can begin work.

Pierce typically goes in Friday night to read through the scripts and returns around 5 a.m. Saturday. Most of the time, he is finishing the digital shorts mere minutes before they air on television.

"SNL is a writer's show first; comedy is the forefront," Pierce said. "We do all the work to showcase the writers' style and skill and help them hone it."

Dress rehearsal is at 8 p.m. Saturday. Everything scheduled to run in the live show is previewed in front of a studio audience and the show's producers.

Because it is a live show, blunders occur. For instance, a Star Wars parody-trailer Pierce was brought in to work on hit live television before it was finished.

"We were sitting there, still editing, trying to save it from becoming a disaster," Pierce said. "And then we heard it start on the television. There were green screens in it and everything."

Luckily, the half-finished product only aired in the Midwest and along the East Coast, and Pierce was able to provide a clean product for the rest of the country. He said those types of situations are few and far between.

Another piece Pierce worked on using visual effects was a short called "The Librarian," featuring actress Margot Robbie. The short was set to air, but during dress rehearsal, SNL creator and producer Lorne Michaels wanted to see more pizazz at the end.

"So, really quickly, we had to make five guys' heads explode," Pierce said.

Michaels apparently loved the result, and now it has become common for Pierce to create complex visual effects in a short amount of time. And, yes, it can get stressful, he said. But how did it feel for Pierce the first time he walked in and realized he was really going to work for SNL?

"It was pretty terrifying," Pierce said. Though he felt prepared and qualified, he said it was still "pretty intense" and described the atmosphere as trying to follow a constantly moving target.

Pierce said the entire live portion of the show is cue-carded, his favorite cast members of all time include Will Ferrell and Tina Fey, and he's won an Emmy.

"Yes, I won a collaborative Emmy for working graphics for the SNL 40th Anniversary Special," Pierce said.

In a way, SNL is Pierce's second job. His primary focus is Framework Productions, which he created from the ground up. The company creates commercials, web series and similar projects with a three-person team. "Top Photographer" is the most recent project and is available on YouTube.

"I always wanted to work in entertainment, movies and television," Pierce said. "I went to theater school instead of film because film is so new, it's constantly changing. Theater provided a more complete background in entertainment. It teaches how to tell stories."

For examples of Pierce's work on SNL and with Framework Productions, visit his website, frameworkproductions.tv.