Adam Horowitz (born December 4, 1971) is an American screenwriter and producer. He is known for co-creating the ABC fairy tale drama series ''

Once Upon a Time "Once upon a time" is a stock phrase used to introduce a narrative of past events, typically in fairy tales and folk tales. It has been used in some form since at least 1380 (according to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'') in storytelling in ...

'' with his writing partner Edward Kitsis. Days after the show ended its seven-year run in 2018, Kitsis and Horowitz were announced as

showrunner A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also the ...

s for

Apple TV An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus '' Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, ...

's ''

Amazing Stories ''Amazing Stories'' is an American science fiction magazine launched in April 1926 by Hugo Gernsback's Experimenter Publishing. It was the first magazine devoted solely to science fiction. Science fiction stories had made regular appearances ...

''.

Early life

Horowitz was born in New York City,Variety Magazine: "Abrams keeps it all in the fan family – J.J. and his collaborators conquer Hollywood" By Cynthia Littleton
October 16, 2009 , ''"We’re all self-deprecating short Jews, with the exception of Bob Orci”'' and graduated from

Hunter College High School Hunter College High School is a secondary school located in the Carnegie Hill neighborhood on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. It is administered by Hunter College of the City University of New York (CUNY). Hunter is publicly funded, and there ...

in 1990. He attended

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...

and graduated with a

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four ye ...

in 1994, majoring in communication arts and

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and ...

. There he met his future collaborator, Edward Kitsis. Horowitz was writer and reporter for the '' Daily Cardinal'' student newspaper, writing as many as five articles in the same issue. He often caught editors off-guard with humorous leads or picking odd quotes. He worked on articles about

spearfishing Spearfishing is a method of fishing that involves impaling the fish with a straight pointed object such as a spear, gig or harpoon. It has been deployed in artisanal fishing throughout the world for millennia. Early civilisations were famil ...

and the

Exxon Valdez oil spill The ''Exxon Valdez'' oil spill occurred in Prince William Sound, Alaska, on March 24, 1989. '' Exxon Valdez'', an oil supertanker owned by Exxon Shipping Company bound for Long Beach, California struck Prince William Sound's Bligh Reef, west ...

Career

Television

After graduating, Kitsis and Horowitz traveled together to Los Angeles, and worked together on ''Fantasy Island'', ''Felicity'' and ''Popular'', before joining the ''Lost'' team halfway through the first season. He is married to Erin Barrett Horowitz. Horowitz, Kitsis and the '' Lost'' writing staff won the Writers Guild of America (WGA) Award for Best Dramatic Series at the February 2006 ceremony for their work on the

first First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

and second seasons. They were nominated for the WGA Award for Best Dramatic Series again at the February 2007 ceremony for their work on the second and

third Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (disambiguation) * Third Avenue (disambiguation) * Hi ...

seasons, at the February 2009 ceremony for the fourth season of ''Lost'' and at the February 2010 ceremony for the fifth season. They also wrote ''Confessions of an American Bride'', a

made-for-television movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

. During Lost's run, he signed an overall deal with ABC Studios in 2007. Horowitz and Kitsis created the ABC fantasy drama series ''

'', which began airing on October 23, 2011. The show focuses on a town which is actually a parallel world populated by fairytale characters who are unaware of their true identity. The two came up with the concept seven years prior to joining the staff of ''Lost'', but wanted to wait until it ended before they focused on this project. Kitsis and Horowitz also worked on the first four episodes of '' Tron: Uprising''. He explains that he has used this chance to explore the

Tron ''Tron'' (stylized as ''TRON'') is a 1982 American science fiction action-adventure film written and directed by Steven Lisberger from a story by Lisberger and Bonnie MacBird. The film stars Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn, a computer programme ...

universe, particularly the life of a program under CLU's regime. Kitsis, Horowitz, and

Josh Gad Joshua Ilan Gad (born February 23, 1981) is an American actor. He is known for voicing Olaf in the ''Frozen'' franchise, playing Elder Arnold Cunningham in the Broadway musical ''The Book of Mormon'', and playing Le Fou in the live-action adap ...

will serve as creators and writers for a limited prequel series to Disney's 2017 film ''

Beauty and the Beast ''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' (''The Young American and Marine T ...

''. The series was conceived after the three had a discussion after the cancellation of their planned Disney+ series, ''Muppets Live Another Day''. In December 2019, it was announced that Horowitz and Kitsis were working on a new TV show set in the world of fairy tales and

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

titled ''Epic''. The pilot was picked up by ABC in January 2021, however it was dropped in August of the same year.

Film

Kitsis and Horowitz worked as writers on early unused drafts of the Universal project ''

Ouija The ouija ( , ), also known as a spirit board or talking board, is a flat board marked with the letters of the Latin alphabet, the numbers 0–9, the words "yes", "no", occasionally "hello" and "goodbye", along with various symbols and grap ...

'', and co-wrote the film '' Tron: Legacy'' in 2010. He frequently collaborates with a tightly knit group of film professionals which include J. J. Abrams,

Damon Lindelof Damon Laurence Lindelof (born April 24, 1973) is an American screenwriter, comic book writer, and producer. Among his accolades, he received three Primetime Emmy Awards, from twelve nominations. In 2010, ''Time'' magazine named him one of the ...

Alex Kurtzman Alexander Hilary Kurtzman (born September 7, 1973) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for his work on the ''Star Trek'' franchise since 2009, co-writing the scripts to ''Transformers'' (2007), '' Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'' and ...

Roberto Orci Roberto Gaston Orcí (born July 20, 1973) is a Mexican-American film and television screenwriter and producer. He began his longtime collaboration with Alex Kurtzman while at school in California. Together they have been employed on television ...

, Edward Kitsis, Andre Nemec,

Josh Appelbaum Josh Appelbaum is an American television writer, screenwriter, showrunner and producer. Biography Appelbaum is from a Jewish family.Jeff Pinkner Jeff Pinkner (born November 16, 1964) is an American television and movie writer and producer. Life and career Born to a Jewish family,Bryan Burk Bryan Burk (born December 30, 1968) is an American film and television producer. He is mostly known for producing movies in collaboration with J. J. Abrams, including the ''Star Trek'' reboot series, the ''Mission: Impossible'' films '' Gh ...

Credits

* '' Dead of Summer'', 2016 (with Edward Kitsis) **Episode 1.01 "Patience" (also with

Ian Goldberg Ian Avrum Goldberg (born March 31, 1973) is a cryptographer and cypherpunk. He is best known for breaking Netscape's implementation of SSL (with David Wagner), and for his role as chief scientist of Radialpoint (formerly Zero Knowledge Sys ...

) (also as director) **Episode 1.03 "Mix Tape" **Episode 1.04 "Modern Love" **Episode 1.10 "She Talks to Angels" * '' Once Upon a Time in Wonderland'', 2013–2014 (with Edward Kitsis) **Episode 1.01 " Down the Rabbit Hole" (also with Zack Estrin and

Jane Espenson Jane Espenson (born July 14, 1964) is an American television writer and producer. Espenson has worked on both situation comedies and serial dramas. She had a five-year stint as a writer and producer on ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and shared ...

) **Episode 1.08 "

Home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or many humans, and sometimes various companion animals. It is a fully or semi sheltered space and can have both interior and exterior aspects to it ...

" (also with Zack Estrin) **Episode 1.13 " And They Lived..." (also with Zack Estrin) * '' Tron: Uprising'', 2012 ** Episode 1.01 "Beck's Beginning" with Edward Kitsis ** Episode 1.02 "The Renegade, Part 1" with Kitsis (Story – Written by

Kamran Pasha Kamran Pasha ( ur, ; born on 3 April 1972) is an American Hollywood screenwriter, director and novelist of Pakistani origin. He was a writer and producer on the NBC series ''Kings'', after working as a producer on NBC's '' Bionic Woman''.. Previo ...

, Adam Nussdorf and Bill Wolkoff) ** Episode 1.03 "The Renegade, Part 2" with Kitsis (Story – Written by

, Adam Nussdorf and Bill Wolkoff) ** Episode 1.04 "Blackout" with Kitsis * ''

'', 2011–2018 (with Edward Kitsis) **Episode 1.01 "

Pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...

" **Episode 1.02 " The Thing You Love Most" **Episode 1.07 "

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter ''The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter'' (1940) is the debut novel by the American author Carson McCullers; she was 23 at the time of publication. It is about a deaf man named John Singer and the people he encounters in a 1930s mill town in the US state ...

" **Episode 1.10 " 7:15 A.M." (story with Kitsis, teleplay by Daniel T. Thomsen) **Episode 1.14 " Dreamy" **Episode 1.18 " The Stable Boy" **Episode 1.22 "

A Land Without Magic "A Land Without Magic" is the 22nd episode and first season finale of the American fairy tale/drama television series ''Once Upon a Time'', which aired in the United States on ABC on May 13, 2012. The series takes place in the fictional seaside ...

" **Episode 2.01 " Broken" **Episode 2.05 " The Doctor" **Episode 2.09 "

Queen of Hearts The Queen (playing card), queen of hearts is a playing card in the standard 52-card deck. Queen of Hearts or The Queen of Hearts may refer to: Books * The Queen of Hearts (poem), "The Queen of Hearts" (poem), anonymous nursery rhyme published 17 ...

" **Episode 2.14 "

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the List of co ...

" **Episode 2.19 " Lacey" **Episode 2.22 " And Straight On 'til Morning" **Episode 3.01 " The Heart of the Truest Believer" **Episode 3.06 "

Ariel Ariel may refer to: Film and television *Ariel Award, a Mexican Academy of Film award * ''Ariel'' (film), a 1988 Finnish film by Aki Kaurismäki * ''ARIEL Visual'' and ''ARIEL Deluxe'', 1989 and 1991 anime video series based on the novel series ...

" **Episode 3.11 "

Going Home Going Home or Goin' Home may refer to: Film and television Films * ''Going Home'' (1944 film), an unreleased entry in the Private Snafu series * ''Going Home'' (1971 film), starring Robert Mitchum * ''Going Home'' (1987 film), starring Nicho ...

" **Episode 3.12 " New York City Serenade" **Episode 3.19 "

A Curious Thing ''A Curious Thing'' is the second album by Scottish singer-songwriter Amy Macdonald, and was released on 8 March 2010. The album's lead single, "Don't Tell Me That It's Over" (containing "Young lovers" as b-side), was released on 1 March 2010. ...

" **Episode 3.22 " There's No Place Like Home" **Episode 4.01 "

A Tale of Two Sisters ''A Tale of Two Sisters'' (; lit. "Rose Flower, Red Lotus") is a 2003 South Korean psychological horror-drama film written and directed by Kim Jee-woon. The film is inspired by a Joseon Dynasty era folktale entitled Janghwa Hongryeon jeon, which ...

" **Episode 4.07 "

The Snow Queen "The Snow Queen" ( da, Snedronningen) is an original fairy tale by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. It was first published 21 December 1844 in '' New Fairy Tales. First Volume. Second Collection'' (''Nye Eventyr. Første Bind. Anden Saml ...

" **Episode 4.11 "

Heroes and Villains "Heroes and Villains" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1967 album ''Smiley Smile'' and their unfinished ''Smile'' project. Written by Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks, Wilson envisioned the song as an Old West-themed ...

" **Episode 4.12 "

Darkness on the Edge of Town ''Darkness on the Edge of Town'' is the fourth studio album by American rock singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on June 2, 1978, by Columbia Records. The album marked the end of a three-year gap between albums brought on by contractu ...

" **Episode 4.13 "

Unforgiven ''Unforgiven'' is a 1992 American Revisionist Western film starring, directed, and produced by Clint Eastwood, and written by David Webb Peoples. The film tells the story of William Munny, an aging outlaw and killer who takes on one more jo ...

" (as director) **Episode 4.21/22 " Operation Mongoose" **Episode 5.01 " The Dark Swan" **Episode 5.05 "

Dreamcatcher In some Native American and First Nations cultures, a dreamcatcher ( oj, asabikeshiinh, the inanimate form of the word for 'spider') is a handmade willow hoop, on which is woven a net or web. It may also be decorated with sacred items such a ...

" **Episode 5.11 "

Swan Song The swan song ( grc, κύκνειον ᾆσμα; la, carmen cygni) is a metaphorical phrase for a final gesture, effort, or performance given just before death or retirement. The phrase refers to an ancient belief that swans sing a beautiful so ...

" **Episode 5.12 " Souls of the Departed" (100th episode) **Episode 5.23 "

An Untold Story "An Untold Story" is the twenty-third episode of the fifth season of the American fantasy drama series '' Once Upon a Time'', which aired on May 15, 2016. The episode served as part 2 of the 2-part fifth-season finale, with the first part being "O ...

" **Episode 6.01 " The Savior" **Episode 6.05 " Street Rats" **Episode 6.10 " Wish You Were Here" **Episode 6.11 "

Tougher Than the Rest "Tougher Than the Rest" is a song by Bruce Springsteen from his 1987 '' Tunnel of Love'' album. It was released as a single in some countries, following " Brilliant Disguise" and the title track, but was not released as a single in the United ...

" **Episode 6.16 "

Mother's Little Helper "Mother's Little Helper" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. A product of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards' songwriting partnership, it is a folk rock song with Eastern influences. Its lyrics deal with the popularity of pres ...

" (story with Kitsis, teleplay by Paul Karp) **Episode 6.21/22 " The Final Battle" **Episode 7.01 " Hyperion Heights" **Episode 7.11 " Secret Garden" **Episode 7.19 "

Flower Child Flower child originated as a synonym for hippie, especially among the idealistic young people who gathered in San Francisco and the surrounding area during the Summer of Love in 1967. It was the custom of "flower children" to wear and distribute ...

" **Episode 7.22 " Leaving Storybrooke" (series finale) * '' Tron: Legacy'', 2010 (with Edward Kitsis) * '' Lost'', 2005–2010 ** Episode 1.22 "

Born to Run ''Born to Run'' is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on August 25, 1975, by Columbia Records. As his effort to break into the mainstream, the album was a commercial success, peaking at number three ...

" teleplay with Edward Kitsis, story by Javier Grillo-Marxuach ** Episode 2.04 " Everybody Hates Hugo" with Kitsis ** Episode 2.12 " Fire and Water" with Kitsis ** Episode 2.18 "

Dave Dave may refer to: Film, television, and theater * ''Dave'' (film), a 1993 film starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver * ''Dave'' (musical), a 2018 stage musical adaptation of the film * Dave (TV channel), a digital television channel in the ...

" with Kitsis ** Episode 2.22 " Three Minutes" with Kitsis ** Episode 3.04 " Every Man for Himself" with Kitsis ** Episode 3.10 " Tricia Tanaka Is Dead" with Kitsis ** Episode 3.14 " Exposé" with Kitsis ** Episode 3.18 " D.O.C." with Kitsis ** Episode 3.21 "

Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...

" with Kitsis ** Episode 4.03 "

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Econ ...

" with Kitsis ** Episode 4.07 " Ji Yeon" with Kitsis ** Episode 4.10 "

Something Nice Back Home "Something Nice Back Home" is the tenth episode of the American Broadcasting Company's fourth season of the serial drama television series ''Lost'' and 82nd episode overall. It was aired on May 1, 2008, on ABC in the United States and on CTV ...

" with Kitsis ** Episode 5.02 " The Lie" with Kitsis ** Episode 5.05 " This Place Is Death" with Kitsis ** Episode 5.10 " He's Our You" with Kitsis ** Episode 5.14 "

The Variable "The Variable" is the 14th television episode of the fifth season of '' Lost'', and the 100th episode overall. It originally aired on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States on April 29, 2009. The hundredth episode milestone ...

" with Kitsis ** Episode 6.02 " What Kate Does" with Kitsis ** Episode 6.07 " Dr. Linus" with Kitsis ** Episode 6.12 " Everybody Loves Hugo" with Kitsis ** Episode 6.16 " What They Died For" with Kitsis and

Elizabeth Sarnoff Elizabeth "Liz" Sarnoff is an American television writer and producer. She has written episodes of '' NYPD Blue'', ''Crossing Jordan'', ''Deadwood'' and '' Lost''. She is the co-creator of the Fox crime/ mystery series ''Alcatraz''. Career Sarn ...

* ''Confessions of an American Bride'', 2005 with Edward Kitsis * '' Life as We Know It'', 2004 ** Episode 1.08 "Family Hard-ships" with Edward Kitsis * ''

One Tree Hill One Tree Hill may refer to: * "One Tree Hill" (song), a 1987 song by U2 referencing One Tree Hill, New Zealand volcanic peak * ''One Tree Hill'' (TV series), a 2003–2012 American drama series named for the U2 song ** ''One Tree Hill'' (soundtr ...

'', 2004 ** Episode 1.20 "What Is and What Should Never Be" with Edward Kitsis * ''

Black Sash The Black Sash is a South African human rights organisation. It was founded in Johannesburg in 1955 as a non-violent resistance organisation for liberal white women. Origins The Black Sash was founded on 19 May 1955 by six middle-class white ...

'', 2003 ** Episode 1.04 "Prodigal Son" with Edward Kitsis * ''

Birds of Prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and other smaller birds). In addition to speed and strength, these predato ...

'', 2002–2003 ** Episode 1.03 "Prey for the Hunter" teleplay with Edward Kitsis, story by Adam Armus & Kay Foster ** Episode 1.06 "Primal Scream" teleplay with Kitsis, story by Adam Armus & Kay Foster ** Episode 1.07 "Split" teleplay with Kitsis, story by Adam Armus & Kay Foster ** Episode 1.08 "Lady Shiva" teleplay with Kitsis, story by Adam Armus & Kay Foster ** Episode 1.11 "Reunion" with Kitsis * '' Felicity'', 2001 ** Episode 4.03 "Your Money or Your Wife" with Edward Kitsis ** Episode 4.09 "Moving On" with Kitsis * '' Popular'', 1999–2001 ** Episode 1.08 "Tonight's the Night" with Edward Kitsis and Ryan Murphy ** Episode 1.15 "Booty Camp" with Kitsis ** Episode 1.21 "What Makes Sammy Run" with Kitsis ** Episode 2.02 "Baby, Don't Do It" with Kitsis ** Episode 2.07 "Ur-ine Trouble" with Kitsis ** Episode 2.12 "The Shocking Possession of Harrison John" with Kitsis ** Episode 2.15 "It's Greek to Me" with Kitsis ** Episode 2.20 "You Don't Tug on Superman's Cape...You Don't Spit into the Wind...You Don't Pull the Mask off the Ol' Lone Ranger...And You Don't Mess Around with Big Bertha Muffin" with Kitsis * ''

Fantasy Island ''Fantasy Island'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Gene Levitt. It aired on ABC from 1977 to 1984. The series starred Ricardo Montalbán as the mysterious Mr. Roarke and Hervé Villechaize as his assistant, Tattoo ...

'', 1998–1999 ** Episode 1.02 "Superfriends" with Edward Kitsis ** Episode 1.08 "Handymen" with Kitsis ** Episode 1.12 "The Real Thing" with Kitsis * Untitled ''

'' series (with Kitsis and

)

Awards

* 2005

Writers Guild of America Award The Writers Guild of America Awards is an award for film, television, and radio writing including both fiction and non-fiction categories given by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America West since 1949. Eligibility Th ...

for Best Dramatic Series for ''Lost''. * 2000 SHINE Award for Best Comedy Episode for '' Popular'' episode " Booty Camp". * Nominated for 2000 Shine Award for Best Dramatic Episode for ''Popular'' episode " Tonight's the Night". * Nominated for 2008 Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series for ''Lost'' * Nominated for 2009 Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series for ''Lost'' * Nominated for 2010 Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series for ''Lost''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Horowitz, Adam 1971 births American male screenwriters Television producers from New York City Hunter College High School alumni Living people Jewish American screenwriters University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Letters and Science alumni Writers Guild of America Award winners Writers from Manhattan Screenwriters from New York (state) 20th-century American screenwriters 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American screenwriters 21st-century American male writers Showrunners 21st-century American Jews