Matt Selman
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Matt Selman (born ) is an American
writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...
and producer.


Early life

Selman is a native of
Watertown, Massachusetts Watertown is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, part of Greater Boston. The population was 35,329 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Its neighborhoods include Bemis, Coolidge Square, East Watertown, Watertown Sq ...
. He graduated from Beaver Country Day School in 1989 and the
University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...
in 1993.


Career

After considering a career in
journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree of accuracy. The word, a noun, applies to the journ ...
, he decided to try to become a
television writer A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...
. After two years of failed spec scripts he was eventually hired to write an episode of ''
Seinfeld ''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, with a total of nine seasons consisting of List of Seinfeld episodes, 180 episodes. It ...
'' in 1996.


''The Simpsons''

In 1997, Selman joined the writing staff of ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...
'', where he has remained, rising to the position of
executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...
. He has written or co-written 28 episodes of the show, including " Natural Born Kissers" which the show's creator
Matt Groening Matthew Abram Groening ( ; born February 15, 1954) is an American cartoonist, writer, producer, and animator. He is best known as the creator of the television series ''The Simpsons'' (1989–present), ''Futurama'' (1999–2003, 2008–2013, 2 ...
listed as his eighth favorite episode in 2000, " Behind the Laughter", " Trilogy of Error", " Sky Police" and " The Food Wife". He also co-wrote the 2007 film adaptation of the show, as well as co-writing the video games '' The Simpsons: Road Rage'', '' The Simpsons: Hit & Run'' and '' The Simpsons Game''. Selman has won six
Primetime Emmy Awards The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
for his work on the show, sharing them with the other producers. Selman received an
Annie Award The Annie Awards are accolades which the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood, has presented each year since 1972 to recognize excellence in animation shown in American cinema and television. Origina ...
in 1999 for writing " Simpsons Bible Stories". He also won a Writers Guild of America Award in 2004 for writing the episode " The Dad Who Knew Too Little". In the episode,
Homer Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his autho ...
's e-mail was said to be chunkylover53@aol.com. Selman registered the e-mail and received thousands of messages after the episode aired. He responded to some of them in the character of Homer, but gave up when he forgot the password. Of his writing of ''The Simpsons'', Selman said: "The hardest thing is we have to try and make each episode as good as everything that's come before it. We have a legacy of greatness, and you don't want to be the person that ruins ''The Simpsons''." Since season 33 in 2021, he is the main showrunner, with
Al Jean Alfred Ernest Jean III (born January 9, 1961) is an American screenwriter and producer. Jean is well known for his work on ''The Simpsons''. He was raised near Detroit, Michigan, and graduated from Harvard University in 1981. Jean began his wri ...
showrunning a few episodes per year.


Other journalistic endeavors

Selman formerly wrote for Time.com's Techland "Nerd World" blog alongside Lev Grossman, and is also the creator and writer of the Icebox.com webtoon "Superhero Roommate." Selman also has written jokes for many animated movies. He appeared alongside Groening and voice actor Hank Azaria to judge on a ''The Simpsons''-themed challenge on an episode of '' Top Chef: Masters'' in 2010.


Credits

*''
Seinfeld ''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, with a total of nine seasons consisting of List of Seinfeld episodes, 180 episodes. It ...
'' (1996) – writer, program consultant **" The Wait Out" *''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...
'' (1997–present) – writer, producer, story editor, supervising producer, executive producer **" Natural Born Kissers" (1998) **" Simpsons Bible Stories" (along with Tim Long and Larry Doyle) (1999) **" They Saved Lisa's Brain" (1999) **" Eight Misbehavin' (1999) **" Behind the Laughter" (along with
George Meyer George Meyer (born 1956) is an United States, American producer and writer. Meyer is best known for his work on ''The Simpsons'', where he served as a scriptwriter and gag writer (for which he is credited as a producer) and led the show's commu ...
, Tim Long, and Mike Scully) (2000) **" Lisa the Tree Hugger" (2000) **" Trilogy of Error" (2001) **" Simpsons Tall Tales" (2001) **" Jaws Wired Shut" (2002) **" The Dad Who Knew Too Little" (2003) **" All's Fair in Oven War" (2004) **" Pranksta Rap" (2005) **" Future-Drama" (2005) **" Girls Just Want to Have Sums" (2006) **" The Haw-Hawed Couple" (2006) **" Husbands and Knives" (2007) **" That '90s Show" (2008) **" Bart Gets a 'Z' (2009) **" O Brother, Where Bart Thou?" (2009) **" Flaming Moe" (2011) **" The Food Wife" (2011) **" The Day the Earth Stood Cool" (2012) **" Gorgeous Grampa" (2013) **" Covercraft" (2014) **" Sky Police" (2015) **" There Will Be Buds" (2016) **" The Great Phatsby" (along with Dan Greaney) (2017) **" Heartbreak Hotel" (along with Renee Ridgeley) (2018) **" The Clown Stays in the Picture" (2019) **" Treehouse of Horror XXXIII" (2022) *'' The Simpsons: Road Rage'' (2001) – co-writer *'' The Simpsons Hit and Run'' (2003) – co-writer *'' The Simpsons Movie'' (2007) – co-writer *'' The Simpsons Game'' (2007) – co-writer


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Selman, Matt Living people The Daily Pennsylvanian people Writers Guild of America Award winners American television writers American male television writers Beaver Country Day School alumni University of Pennsylvania School of Arts and Sciences alumni Year of birth missing (living people) Primetime Emmy Award winners Showrunners of animated series American showrunners