Bill Grundfest
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Bill Grundfest is a US
television writer A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. T ...
and producer. He has won a Golden Globe Award, and has been nominated for an Emmy Award three times.


Writer and Producer

His work as a writer and producer includes: * ''
Mad About You ''Mad About You'' is an American television sitcom starring Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt as a married couple in New York City. It initially aired on NBC from September 23, 1992, to May 24, 1999, winning numerous awards including four Golden Glob ...
'' - for which he served as a story editor, co-producer, and Supervising Producer. * Award show telecasts, including the
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
s, the Emmy Awards, Grammy,
People's Choice Awards The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show, recognizing people in entertainment, voted online by the general public and fans. The show has been held annually since 1975, with the winners originally determined using Gallup Polls until ...
. * Sony International recently sent him to Beijing, China numerous times to supervise the adaptation and production of the first U.S. sitcom ("Mad About You") adapted for China. * '' That's Life'', an hour-long drama series for
Paramount Studios Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production and distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldest film studio in the world, the second-oldest ...
, and which aired on CBS TV. * "Pryor Offenses," a dramatic-comedy special for Showtime TV. Based on characters and material by
Richard Pryor Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor Sr. (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He reached a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style, and is widely regarded as on ...
, Grundfest is credited as Executive Producer, and shares writing credit with Richard Pryor. * "The Richard Pryor Comedy Special" for
Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programmin ...
. He is credited as director of this special. * ''
Campus Ladies ''Campus Ladies'' is an American sitcom that premiered on Oxygen on January 8, 2006. It stars Christen Sussin and Carrie Aizley as two 40-something women who decide to go enroll at the fictional University of the Midwest. The humor comes from the ...
'', a comedy series following two forty-ish women returning to college where they wreak havoc. He is credited as Executive Producer. It aired on the OXYGEN
cable network Networking cables are networking hardware used to connect one network device to other network devices or to connect two or more computers to share devices such as printers or scanners. Different types of network cables, such as coaxial cable, op ...
. * '' Exes & Ohs'', a dramedy series aired in the US on LOGO and in Canada on Showcase. Its first season was nominated for a GLAAD Award. Grundfest is the Executive Producer. * ''We The Jury'', a nationally syndicated daily court-reality series wherein the jury was allowed to ask questions in small claims cases, and wherein "secret" jury deliberations made up half of each episode. Grundfest was creator and Executive Producer. * '' Missing'', a nationally syndicated weekly reality–news series which told the stories of actual missing persons, and asked the viewers for help and information in locating them. It was a co-production of Sand In My Pants, Inc. and Telco Productions and was syndicated by Tribune.


Comedy

Prior to going to Hollywood, Grundfest lived in New York, where he founded The Comedy Cellar, a 150-seat
comedy club A comedy club is a venue—typically a nightclub, bar, hotel, casino, or restaurant—where people watch or listen to performances, including stand-up comedians, improvisational comedians, impersonators, impressionists, magicians, ventriloquist ...
in
Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...
. It opened in 1982 and is still in operation. And prior to that, he was in 1970 a CIT (Counselor-in-Training) at a Jewish camp called Camp Aishel, where he was mercilessly teased by his campers. Grundfest, a former stand-up comedian himself, showcased then-unknown comedians such as Jon Stewart, Bill Maher,
Rita Rudner Rita Rudner (born September 17, 1953) is an American comedian. Beginning her career as a Broadway dancer, Rudner noticed the lack of female comedians in New York City and turned to stand-up comedy, where she has flourished for over three deca ...
,
Ray Romano Raymond Albert Romano (born December 21, 1957) is an American stand-up comedian, actor and screenwriter. He is best known for his role as Ray Barone on the CBS sitcom '' Everybody Loves Raymond'', for which he received an Emmy Award, and as t ...
, Dave Atell. Jon Stewart credits Grundfest with discovering him and guiding his early career. Established stars such as
Robin Williams Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian. Known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and come ...
and Jerry Seinfeld would "drop in" unannounced to perform. He also performed on radio, WNBC-66AM, where he hosted his own series ("The Wild Bill Grundfest Show") Saturday and Sunday afternoons (2-7 PM), and was the permanent substitute host for
Don Imus John Donald Imus Jr. (July 23, 1940 – December 27, 2019), also known mononymously as Imus, was an American radio personality, television show host, recording artist, and author. His radio show, '' Imus in the Morning'', was aired on various sta ...
and
Soupy Sales Milton Supman (January 8, 1926 – October 22, 2009), known professionally as Soupy Sales, was an American comedian, actor, radio-television personality, and jazz aficionado. He was best known for his local and network children's television serie ...
.


Corporate Speaking

Grundfest has made recent appearances at corporate conferences including multiple appearances at Eric Reis' "Lean Start Up" Conference in San Francisco, and "Funny Bizz" conferences in New York City and San Francisco. His topic is "Whoever Tells The Best Story - Wins", in which attendees create content during his address. Bill Grundfest created the "Write Like A Pro" writers workshop, a "learn-by-doing, No Theory Allowed" workshop which teaches non-writers and writers to write like professional TV and film writers


Business Innovation

Google recently purchased the Silicon Valley start up for which he was credited as creative director. ("Timeful", a smart calendar app)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grundfest, Bill American television writers American male television writers American television producers Living people Year of birth missing (living people)