Dan Schneider (TV producer)
| Dan Schneider | |
|---|---|
| Born |
January 14, 1966 Memphis, Tennessee, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Harvard University for 1 semester |
| Alma mater | none |
| Occupation | Television producer, screenwriter, actor |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Notable work | All That, Kenan & Kel, The Amanda Show, Drake & Josh, Zoey 101, iCarly, Victorious, Sam & Cat, Henry Danger, Game Shakers |
| Board member of | Schneider's Bakery |
| Spouse(s) | Lisa Lillien (m. 2002) |
| Website |
danschneider danwarp |
Dan Schneider (pronounced Snyder) (born January 14, 1966)[1][2] is an American actor, television and film writer, and producer. After appearing in mostly supporting roles in a number of 1980s and 1990s films and TV shows, Schneider devoted himself to behind-the-scenes work in production. He is the co-president of television production company Schneider's Bakery. He created/co-created All That, The Amanda Show, Drake & Josh, Zoey 101, iCarly, Victorious, Sam & Cat, Henry Danger, and Game Shakers.
Early life
Schneider was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, to parents Harry and Carol Schneider (both deceased). He attended Harvard University for one semester. After returning to Memphis, he worked repairing computers. Soon after, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career, and eventually a screenwriting career.[2][3][4]
Career
Acting career
In the 1980s, Schneider co-starred in several films including Making the Grade and Better Off Dead. Schneider also co-starred in the films The Big Picture, Happy Together and Hot Resort (1985).
In 1986, Schneider played Dennis Blunden on the ABC television sitcom Head of the Class. The series ran for five seasons from 1986 to 1991. In 1993, Schneider starred in the series Home Free, and in 1994, he played Shawn Eckhardt in Tonya & Nancy: The Inside Story, one of two made-for-television films about the Tonya Harding-Nancy Kerrigan scandal.
Schneider is well known for making cameo appearances in TV series that he has helped to create/produce. He has made cameo appearances in All That (and its subsequent film Good Burger), The Amanda Show, Zoey 101, iCarly, and Henry Danger. Schneider also does voiceovers in many projects.
Writing and producing career (1993–present)
- Television series
In 1988, Schneider co-hosted the second annual Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, where he met Albie Hecht, a development executive for Nickelodeon.[5] In 1993, Hecht, now head of production for the network, hired Schneider to work on a new sketch-comedy show for children called All That. After writing the pilot episode, Schneider worked as producer, executive producer, and writer on the show. Schneider quit All That after the first four seasons to run The Amanda Show. The show's ratings soon declined, and it was cancelled in the 2000–2001 season. Nickelodeon then asked Schneider to come back and revamp All That in 2001. Schneider agreed, and All That returned to Nickelodeon in 2002. It ran for another four seasons until 2005, bringing All That to the end of its 10-season run.
From 1996 to 1997, Schneider was an executive producer and a writer for Kenan & Kel. Schneider guest-starred in an episode and was an executive producer during the first two seasons. He continued working as a consultant for the remainder of the series. In 1998, Schneider began his career as a show creator with Guys Like Us. The series is one of only two series Schneider created that was produced for broadcast network television. The show was cancelled after its first season due to low ratings and poor reviews.
The next two shows created by Schneider starred Amanda Bynes, who had worked with Schneider on All That. The Amanda Show ran from 1999 until 2002 on Nickelodeon and was a spin-off from All That. Schneider himself often appeared on The Amanda Show as a frustrated old man who was frequently the victim of strange prank phone calls. Schneider co-created What I Like About You with former Friends writer/producer Wil Calhoun. It premiered in 2002 on The WB and ran until 2006. Schneider was an executive producer during the show's first two seasons. Schneider returned to Nickelodeon in 2004 with the show Drake & Josh. The series starred Drake Bell and Josh Peck, who were actors on The Amanda Show, and Miranda Cosgrove, who would later star in another of Schneider’s shows, iCarly. Overlapping both Drake & Josh and iCarly, Schneider created the show Zoey 101, which starred Jamie Lynn Spears. Zoey 101 was Schneider's first and to date only single-camera format program and the first to be presented in a letterbox format. Schneider also guest-starred in the Zoey 101 series finale "Chasing Zoey", playing a cab driver. After the show was cancelled in 2008, Schneider began working on a new project for one of the actresses, Victoria Justice. That show, Victorious, premiered in 2010 after the 2010 Kids’ Choice Awards. A dual-show spin-off of both iCarly and Victorious called Sam & Cat premiered in 2013. It was cancelled after 36 episodes.
Following the cancellation of Sam & Cat, Scheneider co-created Henry Danger with Dana Olsen. The show premiered in 2014. The following year, Schneider created Game Shakers, which reunited him with actor Kel Mitchell. Schneider also serves as Executive Producer.
A New York Times article (September 7, 2007) said that Schneider "has become the Norman Lear of children's television."[6]
| Series | Original run | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Game Shakers | 2015–present (Nickelodeon) | Creator, executive producer, writer |
| Henry Danger | 2014–present (Nickelodeon) | Co-creator, executive producer, director, writer, guest star |
| Sam & Cat | 2013–14 (Nickelodeon) | Creator, executive producer, writer |
| Victorious | 2010–13 (Nickelodeon) | Creator, executive producer, writer, actor (voice) |
| iCarly | 2007–12 (Nickelodeon) | Creator, executive producer, writer, guest star |
| Zoey 101 | 2005–08 (Nickelodeon) | Creator, executive producer, writer, guest star (“Chasing Zoey”) |
| Drake & Josh | 2004–07 (Nickelodeon) | Creator, executive producer, writer |
| What I Like About You | 2002–06 (The WB) | Co-creator (with Wil Calhoun), executive producer (Seasons 1-2), director, writer, executive consultant (Seasons 3-4) |
| The Amanda Show | 1999–2002 (Nickelodeon) | Creator, executive producer, writer, director, recurring guest star |
| Guys Like Us | 1998–1999 (UPN) | Creator, executive producer |
| Kenan & Kel | 1996–2000 (Nickelodeon) | Executive producer (Seasons 1-2), writer (Seasons 1-2), consultant (Seasons 3-4), guest star |
| All That | 1994–2005 (Nickelodeon) | Co-Creator, Producer (Season 1), writer (Seasons 1-4, 6-10), executive producer (Seasons 6-10), guest star |
- Films
Schneider has also been involved in films. He wrote the film Good Burger, which starred Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell (and featured Schneider himself in a supporting role). The film was a successful moneymaker for Paramount Studios, and has begun to enjoy "cult film" status over recent years. Good Burger was spun off from a popular comedy sketch which Schneider produced on his Nickelodeon television show All That.
Schneider also wrote and co-produced the film Big Fat Liar which starred Frankie Muniz, Amanda Bynes, Paul Giamatti and Donald Faison. The film earned nearly $52,000,000 in box office.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Making the Grade | Blimp |
| 1985 | Better Off Dead | Ricky Smith |
| Hot Resort | Chuck | |
| 1989 | Happy Together | Stan |
| Listen to Me | Nathan Gore | |
| The Big Picture | Jonathan Tristan-Bennet | |
| 1997 | Good Burger | Mr. Baily |
| 2003 | Big Fat Liar | Story, screenwriter, and producer |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986–91 | Head of the Class | Dennis Blunden | |
| 1993 | Home Free | Walter Peters | |
| 1994–99 | All That | Mr. Bailey | |
| 2000–01 | The Amanda Show | Mr. Oldman | Various episodes |
| 2008 | Zoey 101 | Taxi Driver | "Chasing Zoey" (season 4: episodes 12-13) |
| 2012 | iCarly | Meekalito, Voiceover, Random Dancer Cameo Appearance | "iMeet the First Lady" (season 5: episode 10), "iToe Fat Cakes" (season 5: episode 11), and "iGoodbye" (season 7: episode 9) |
| 2013–14 | Sam & Cat | Tandy | Voice, Recurring role |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated Production | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | CableACE Award | Children's Series – 7 and Older | All That | Nominated |
| 2000 | Burbank International Children's Film Festival Award | Best Short Comedy | The Amanda Show | Won |
| 2005 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Children's Program Shared with Jan Korbelin & Bill O'Dowd | Zoey 101 | Nominated |
| 2009 | Outstanding Children's Program Shared with Robin Weiner, Bruce Rand Berman & Joe Catania | iCarly | Nominated | |
| 2010 | BAFTA Children's Award | Best International Shared with Joe Catania | Nominated | |
| Best International Shared with Sean Gill & Bruce Rand Berman | Victorious | Nominated | ||
| Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Children's Program Bruce Rand Berman, Joe Catania & Robin Weiner | iCarly | Nominated | |
| 2011 | Outstanding Children's Program Shared with George Doty IV, Robin Weiner, Bruce Rand Berman & Joe Catania | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Children's Program Bruce Rand Berman, Joe Catania & Robin Weiner | Victorious | Nominated | ||
| 2014 | Kids' Choice Awards | Lifetime Achievement Award | Won |
References
- ↑ DanWarp (January 14, 2014). "Just woke up to so many birthday greetings here on Twitter! THANKS everyone! And the day BEGINS... :)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- 1 2 "Meet Dan Schneider". Bangor Daily News. July 25, 1989. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
- ↑ "Native Memphian Dan Schneider bringing likable young stars to town for St. Jude event". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
- ↑ Eakin, Marah (November 23, 2012). "Dan Schneider on Head Of The Class and creating some of Nickelodeon's most memorable shows". The A.V. Club. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
- ↑ Dee, Jonathan (April 8, 2007). "Tween on the Screen". The New York Times. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
- ↑ Steinberg, Jacques (September 7, 2007). "I, Little Sister, Becomes 'iCarly'". The New York Times. Retrieved May 22, 2011.