Rooster Production Design with Cabot McMullen: HBO, Steve Carell, Bill Lawrence & Comedy Set Design

Production Designer Cabot McMullen, Art Director Raf Lydon, and Set Decoration Buyer Susan Chooljian join Decorating Pages Podcast to discuss the production design of HBO’s Rooster.

Host Kim Wannop talks with the team about designing Ludlow College, creating an East Coast campus world in California, and building half-hour comedy sets with scale, texture, history, and character. Cabot shares his long creative history with Bill Lawrence, from Spin City and Scrubs to Shrinking and Rooster, and explains how authenticity drives the design of the show.

The conversation covers the Warner Bros. stage builds, University of the Pacific exteriors, neo-Gothic architecture, the Elizabeth Stoddard Student Center, Walt’s office, the diner, the bar, the steam room, custom wallpaper, aging, plaster work, sourcing, graphics, and the layered design details that make Rooster feel like a real college town.

For Your Emmy Consideration: RoosterOutstanding Production Design for a Half-Hour Program

Production Designer: Cabot McMullenArt Director: Raf LydonSet Decoration Buyer: Susan Chooljian

Listen to Decorating Pages Podcast for behind-the-scenes interviews with Production Designers, Set Decorators, Art Directors, and the creative teams behind the sets of film and television.

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Discover the Art of TV & Film Design with Decorating Pages Podcast

Hosted by Emmy-winning Set Decorator Kim Wannop, this podcast takes you behind the scenes of your favorite shows and movies. Each episode features in-depth conversations with the industry’s top production designers, set decorators, prop masters, and art department professionals, offering rare insight into the creative process of visual storytelling.

Whether you’re a film and TV fan, aspiring designer, or entertainment industry pro, Decorating Pages Podcast is your backstage pass to the world of production design. Learn how sets are built, stories are shaped visually, and characters come to life—one episode at a time.

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