ONE NSU MAGAZINE that taped at the complex, like The Price is Right, and providing additional administrative support to the audience team at the various shows,” said Ilagan, who would soon benefit from an unexpected juggernaut called Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, which had its primetime premiere in the summer of 1999. “My job as a page was shortlived, because right after I started, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire debuted. It became a phenomenon and started a big revival for the game-show industry,” he said. “Suddenly, there was a huge demand for game shows—and not enough people to fill out the staffs on these new shows.” With luck on his side, Ilagan nabbed a job on the FOX network show Greed. “I started as a production assistant but was quickly promoted to a writer/researcher after it got picked up as a series,” he said. “That really started a chain reaction in my career, as it led to a development job at Fremantle, where I created a game for The Price is Right called 1/2 Off and produced a reboot of Press Your Luck called Whammy for the Game Show Network.” His success at Fremantle led to his first job as a network executive when he was named executive in charge at the Fox Reality Channel, where he helped develop and oversee production of shows like Househusbands of Hollywood, The Search for the Next Elvira, and Gimme My Reality Show! In 2009, he accepted an enticing role as executive director of production and development/ reality and game shows at Hasbro Studios, where he helped turn Hasbro brands into TV game shows like Family Game Night. REACHING THE PINNACLE Ilagan took another step up the corporate ladder when he became vice president for unscripted, live-action development at Nickelodeon. “My job at Hasbro Studios introduced me to the kid-and-family space and played a pivotal role in my becoming an executive at Nickelodeon,” he explained. “During my seven-year run there, I oversaw and developed all unscripted shows, including the recent revival of Double Dare. This was a major highlight, as Double Dare was a very influential series for me, showing me how much fun it could be doing a game show. It was a Beyond achieving his professional dream, Mandel Ilagan found personal happiness with his husband Phil Berman. 36 “Suddenly, there was a huge demand for game shows—and not enough people to fill out the staffs on these new shows.”
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