When Randy Douthit was a small boy, he was introduced to television when his grandparents bought one. From that early age, Douthit knew he was destined to be involved in putting on a show for tv. His professional career started when Douthit was just 23. He became the director for a local tv station in Portland, Oregon.
From there, Douthit moved to producer when he joined CNN. He produced Larry King Live, Crossfire( a current events debate show) and Capital Gang(a political talk show). Though these shows were popular on CNN, Douthit claims that he is most proud of his producing Judge Judy. The show ran from September 1996 to its final show in July 2021. The show was a three time Emmy award winner. Douthit worked well with Judy Sheindlin. When the show ended Amazon Studios picked up Judy Justice for 120 episodes.
The number of episodes may not have seemed daunting to Randy Douthit as an experienced producer. However, all 120 episodes had to be filmed in 3 months during the pandemic. Everyone involved in the show’s production had to be vaccinated and regularly checked. This process added hours to production. How did Douthit handle the pressure? His mindset was forge ahead and get it done. He knew he had to work with speed, but he knew everything had to be done right the first time.
When asked what advice he would give to his younger self, he answered that you have to concentrate on one thing at a time and give it your absolute best before you move on to another task. Douthit stated that determination is his biggest reason for success.
It has obviously paid off for Randy Douthit. He has won six CableACE awards, six Emmy awards and two Peabody awards.