Phil Segal: The Producer Who Refused to Take No for an Answer

2026-06-03

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What do you do when the world tells you "no" for seven years straight? This week, I’m talking with legendary TV and film producer Phil Segal. With a 38-year career that includes everything from Twin Peaks and SeaQuest DSV to Deadliest Catch, Phil is perhaps best known to sci-fi fans as the man who fought for nearly a decade to bring Doctor Who back to the screen in 1996. Phil shares how climbing over a studio fence led to his first job and why he believes a producer must und...

What do you do when the world tells you "no" for seven years straight?

This week, I’m talking with legendary TV and film producer Phil Segal. With a 38-year career that includes everything from Twin Peaks and SeaQuest DSV to Deadliest Catch, Phil is perhaps best known to sci-fi fans as the man who fought for nearly a decade to bring Doctor Who back to the screen in 1996.

Phil shares how climbing over a studio fence led to his first job and why he believes a producer must understand every single role on a set to truly lead. We also discuss his current passion, SprueVerse, and why taking ten minutes for your own "creative release"—even if you think you’ll be bad at it—is the key to staying alive in a high-pressure world.

In this episode, we discuss:

The Fence-Climbing Incident: How a literal leap of faith launched Phil's career with one of Hollywood’s greatest casting directors.
No Means Yes: Why Phil views rejection as fuel rather than a stop sign, and how that mindset saved the Doctor.
The "Indelible" Teacher: The power of the people who see our potential before we do.
SprueVerse and Scale Models: Why "owning your time" for a hobby like scale modeling is a vital act of creative survival.

Ready to send your inner critic to summer camp for an hour? We get together once a month for a relaxed, low-pressure session where you can work on whatever you want—without any pressure to do it "right." Join the Creativity Circle.

Episode breakdown:

0:00 How to get unstuck through creative curiosity

1:15 Phil Segal’s early life: A creative kid in a wacky world

4:30 Moving from the UK to San Diego: A world of possibilities

7:15 The impact of a great teacher and the legacy of sharing

13:10 Climbing the fence: Phil’s legendary Hollywood break-in

17:40 Learning every job: The secret to being a confident producer

21:30 The 7-year fight for the Doctor Who TV movie rights

33:45 Dealing with rejection: Why "No means Yes"

41:00 On-set memories with Sylvester McCoy

52:10 SprueVerse: Reclaiming joy through scale modeling

56:30 Why you must own your time for yourself