Doug Ellin Talks Directing

If you're ever wondering why Doug Ellin (the show's creator) doesn't direct more episodes, The Hollywood Reporter spoke with Ellin about the crazy life of a showrunner and the little time he has to actually direct:

Doug Ellin -- who had credits as a feature film director before he got his first encounter with television on "Entourage," the show he created and now runs -- has directed only two episodes of the HBO comedy, including the upcoming Season 7 premiere set for June 27.

"The only reason I don't direct more is because we're writing the scripts and we only have two writers," he says -- though he then acknowledges another reason: As showrunner, he exerts much of the power a feature director would: "At the end of the day, I like when I'm in total charge. I'm sort of a psycho egomaniac."

A directing day for Ellin is similar to one he had during production on Season 7. "I directed a three-page scene, then went into editing on another that we had to lock down, then went and wrote a scene for another episode, and had to look for music for a midseason episode and then back to directing," Ellin says.

He calls directing "his favorite part," but admits that when a show has an established look and tone, it isn't crucial that he do it. "I try and bring what I can to it, but the director's job isn't to create a new show week-to-week."