Executive Producer Frank Valentini shares what it took to get GH back up and running

Soap Opera Digest: Talk me through what was required for you to be able to resume production in a safe way.

Frank Valentini: It took, basically, every brain and every mind and every ounce of manpower in the Disney corporation to get the show back up and running. We were the first scripted show back on the air on ABC, so we had full, undivided attention and support from the entire network, and we needed to make sure that not only were we protecting the staff and crew, but we were ensuring that, you know, life as we knew it on the set would have to metamorphose to a new and different reality. So, setting up all the new protocols and working with the unions and the guilds to ensure they felt comfortable sending their members back into the studio was very, very challenging and that’s why it took so long, because with something like this, you have to be extra-careful, and we were, and so far, so good. It’s been very exciting and very rewarding to see all of that hard work pay off. I couldn’t be prouder of the entire team. Everybody has been so great and so responsible. It’s really inspiring to see, because we always pull together under normal circumstances, but you can really tell the strength of the team under these challenging times. But I think everyone’s goal in the studio, aside from being employed, which is very, very important, was getting the show out to our fans and creating new, original content, not just for the network but for the world. We had the scripts and we were excited about the story and we really wanted to tell it.

Digest: You’ve also hired a health coordinator to help ensure everyone’s health and safety.

Valentini: We have two COVID-19 medical professionals on the set making sure everything is safe and we’re following all the protocols and if anything new comes up that was either unexpected or hadn’t been thought through, new situations in terms of taping, they are there to make sure that we are following the rules to a T and beyond.

Digest: What did it mean to you to have new episodes to share with the fans? Valentini: It was really exciting to be able to get the show up and running. Obviously, it took an incredible amount of work in preparation, but I have to say, I think it was even more meaningful to be back with the GH family, just to see everybody, because it had been four months — and when we left, we thought that it was just going to be a couple of weeks and unfortunately, it turned into four months. So it was really fun to see everybody, even though we couldn’t hug. Just laying eyes on everybody was a really emotional and moving day.

Digest: What was the sense you got from members of the cast over the break? Were they itching to get back to work?

Valentini: Yeah, I would say every single day that we were down, I would get probably two or three phone calls. It was interesting because I feel like I have gotten so much closer to many of the cast members. Not that [we] weren’t already close, but just hearing about their lives and asking after their families and being more involved in their personal life. It was very rewarding because we all really genuinely care about one another.

Digest: Are the days at the studio longer now because there are new protocols to take into consideration?

Valentini: The days aren’t longer; we’re doing less material, so the days are about the same length. But everything takes a little bit longer to accommodate all the safety protocols. We won’t have as many dark weeks and as many hiatuses.

Digest: You tucked a great surprise into the show’s first episode back: the return of Dominic Zamprogna as Dante. How did that come about?

Valentini: The scenes with Dominic were one of the very first things we taped. Obviously, part of that first episode was taped before the hiatus, and the show lent itself to adding Dante. It felt like the right time for Dom to come back and it felt like the right time for us to have Dante back, and it all came together. I think it came together really beautifully, and actually, I had the good fortune of being able to direct those first scenes that Dom did. I am very excited; I think Dom is a terrific guy and also a tremendous actor, and obviously, [Dante is] such an important character on the canvas. It will mean great things for everybody he’s connected to.

Digest: What does it mean to you that you still were able to produce a Nurses’ Ball this year?

Valentini: I just think that there are so many people, like the frontline workers and the medical workers, who put their lives on the line and did so much for all of us to be safe and to sort of help us traverse the beginning, the very scary part of all of this. What we are doing is miniscule compared to that. And I thought that for our audience, to bring a little bit of joy and a little bit of lightness and some romance into their lives is so incredibly important. Along with the intrigue and the mystery and a little bit of excitement, I think it was really important to have some fun and see people sing and dance, and see that there is, still, an incredible amount of joy in life, and how much more precious it is when we were aware that we were isolated from many of those whom we love.

Digest: Knowing how long and how closely everyone at GH has been working together, I really am struck by how emotional it must have been to be together again.

Valentini: You know, it was surprising; people would tear up when they saw somebody. Silly, small things sometimes mean the most. Like, I saw Eden McCoy [Josslyn] and she had grown almost four or five inches! I have seen some of these young people grow up before my eyes, but not seeing them for four months, it’s just a big difference and you realize that time does fly and that while we have one another in our lives, we have to cherish each other and enjoy each other and celebrate each other, and the silver lining of all this is that this was an opportunity for us to all be reminded of how important we are to one another. Just like everyone else in the building, I love my job and I love what I do and I love that I get to be creative. Even the days when it’s very challenging, it’s still incredibly rewarding. I think everyone feels that, together, we are more than the sum of our parts, when we all pull in the same direction and work together, and creatively, we feed off one another and we’re inspired by one another and you add the level of family and connection and love and history with each other and it’s a pretty strong combination.

Digest: Would you like to say anything directly to the fans?

Valentini: I would just like to thank the fans for all of their support and for their excitement about the new episodes and for sticking with us and coming back. I think it’s also a great time for them to bang the drums and let everybody know that we’re back and share with family and friends the good things that are going on. Let’s bring some new people into the GENERAL HOSPITAL audience family!