'General Hospital' Executive Producer Frank Valentini: "I Feel Like the Show Right Now is Incredibly Emotionally Satisfying Every Day"

Frank Valentini

General Hospital executive producer Frank Valentini shared some fascinating insight into what its like managing a complex system like the ABC sudser in an online interview Monday.

The Emmy-winning Valentini also dished to Michael Fairman’s On Air On Soaps on what may lie ahead in some of GH’s hottest summer storylines.

Stories often become a balancing act between meticulous design and swift flexibility. GH’s producers and head writers have to work together to map things out but also be able to change course as a story progresses.

“We have an idea of where it’s going, but we always like to keep our ear to the ground of what is airing, and sort of seeing what things are working, and are exciting,” he said.

Valentni offered that while the task of presiding over the continual creation of an intricate tapestry like GH can be draining, it’s paying off in spades these days.

“I feel like the show right now is incredibly emotionally satisfying every day.  We are seeing the response from the fans, and the daytime community at large,” Valentini said.

The one thing that seems to drive Valentini a little batty is keeping his show within budget.

“We take our responsibility to the network that has been so good to us very seriously. We have to be on budget, because at the end of the day it’s a business,” the EP noted.

And what about some spoiler hints, you ask? Look for lots of Laura-related drama coming up, particularly involving the Cassadines, Lulu and Dante, and Kevin! The Jasam story will get “pretty intense.” Valentini also said he’d “absolutely” consider bringing daytime legend Erika Slezak to the show for the right role at the right time!

Akbi Khan has been a soap mega-fan for 31 years. She has been writing about them and working to save the soap genre for several years. Last May she got her Master’s in rhetoric and composition, for which she completed a thesis on the Save Our Soaps (SOS) movement and created her own SOS group, thistimeitsforever.org. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with family and friends, activism for various progressive causes, traveling down her spiritual path, rollerskating, going dancing, anything having to do with language or words, and laughing heartily and often, and more. You may reach her at akbikhan@gmail.com.