Karen Israel is the producer of this Friday's episode with Andrea Canning, The Night of the New Moon. She works out of the L.A. bureau, so Associate Producer Marika Price caught up with her there to get the inside scoop. (Karen's responses have been edited for time and clarity.)
Marika Price, Associate Producer: Hey Karen, have a second?
Karen Israel, Producer: Hey, Marika!
Marika: How did you come across the case in this Friday’s report?
Karen: Well, Dateline has known about one of the defendants for a while because he -- he was on a Dateline several years back. He was the hero in that story. And now he’s back.
Marika: Without giving anything away, tell us a bit about the story.
Karen: This is a story about a man who some women found to be a protector and a hero-figure. But, in our story, he meets another woman in a very different situation. And the question is… is he the hero or the villain? Or, something in-between?
Marika: What was the most unusual location you filmed at for this episode?
Karen: We went to the crime scene where [this] whole story takes place. Which was a weird, somewhat isolated dirt road not far from civilization in Carlsbad, California. But, very remote -- and very dark -- on the night that all of this happened.
Marika: What is the one clue we should be on the lookout for?
Karen: Like some other Dateline stories, this one involves a burner phone.
Marika: What’s the best thing about working on a story with Andrea Canning?
Karen: Andrea is willing to do anything and go anywhere; she has gone into the desert, into a mine shaft, she’s ridden on a horse, she’s gone on a cliff. In this one, she goes to this weird location. So she’s always up for an adventure.
Marika: Thanks, Karen!
Karen: Thank you, Marika!
