Torreys Together in Television

Zoë Ritchken ’03 and Francesca Halleman ’06 didn’t meet in high school, despite being three years apart. When Halleman joined La Jolla Country Day School in her sophomore year, Ritchken had already graduated. Little did they know that they would meet in Los Angeles years later and work together on the same television series, The Masked Singer. 

Ritchken, senior supervising producer, and Halleman, associate producer, met on Season 6; the show is currently in its ninth season. They are on the team responsible for interviewing the celebrities to produce the show’s video clue packages—short films that give visual clues to the celebrities’ identities while telling their personal stories in veiled ways. 

“I love that every day I get to write and imagine some of the more creative and out-of-the-box ideas ever seen in unscripted television programming and then make them come to life with the help of our amazing team of directors, cinematographers, producers, set decorators and editors,” shares Ritchken. 

“One day we’re in a magical gnome garden, and the next we’re underwater at a lobster’s disco,” adds Halleman. “It’s great working with a fellow alum. There’s a sense of trust knowing that you come from the same place and grew up more or less together.” 

Hosted by Nick Cannon, with panelists Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy, Nicole Scherzinger and Robin Thicke, The Masked Singer is an Emmy-nominated singing competition where celebrities appear in elaborate costumes to conceal their identities as they perform.