Josh Schwartz

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Josh Schwartz

Born: August 6, 1976 (age 30)
Flag of United States Providence, Rhode Island, USA
Occupation: Screenwriter
Television producer
Nationality: American
Debut works: Television series The O.C. (2003)

Josh Schwartz (born August 6, 1976) is an American screenwriter and television producer. He is the creator and executive producer of the FOX drama The O.C. At 26, Schwartz became the youngest person in network history to create a network series and run its day-to-day production.

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[edit] Early years

Schwartz grew up on the East side of Providence, Rhode Island[1] where he was raised Reform along with his younger brother Dan and his younger sister.[2] His parents Honey and Steve Schwartz were both toy inventors at Hasbro, working on the development of toys such as Transformers and My Little Pony, until they went on to start their own company.[3][4] Schwartz always had ambitions of being a writer since early childhood.[5] When Schwartz was 7, he was sent to sleep-away camp and won an essay-writing contest there for his review of Gremlins which had come out that summer. The opening line of his piece was 'Spielberg has done it again' and stood out among the pile of essays from other kids.[6] He attended Providence's private Wheeler School for 11 years[1] and graduated with the class of 1994.[7]

"I was in fourth grade, back in 1986 or '87, and I was at my first concert: Huey Lewis and the News at the Worcester Centrum. It's not the coolest story in the world. I was standing on my seat, on the tip of my feet, and Huey made like he had fake binoculars to scope out the audience. Then he pointed at me and said, 'This song is dedicated to that little guy right there.' It was 'The Power of Love.' That kicked it all off for me right there."
— Josh Schwartz, on the moment he began his love affair with music.[8]

[edit] Moving from East coast to West coast

In 1995 he realized his boyhood dream of attending film school at USC to study screen and television writing. He became a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity and got to see what it's like "behind the gated communities and big mansions" of Southern California which would later provide fodder for his pilot The O.C.[9][10] He was an outsider, and met many kids from Newport Beach.[11]

In his sophomore year he wrote an autobiographical screenplay about his senior year in high school called Providence as a homework assignment for school. He entered his screenplay into the prestigious Nicholson Award in Screenwriting, the highest honor awarded to undergraduates, and won. The prize was later revoked because he was too young to be eligible. Schwartz says "I dropped it in a box – I was a sophomore. And I got a call over the summer saying I’d won, and I’d won five thousand dollars. I was like, "This is awesome!" Then they called back, like, the next day and said you had to be a junior to enter and not a sophomore, so they were rescinding it. I was pretty pissed."[12] Nevertheless with help from connections through his fraternity he generated interest in Hollywood to buy his screenplay.[13] In 1997 Sony's TriStar Pictures bought his first screenplay in a bidding war for a deal guaranteeing $550,000 and worth up to $1 million while he was still a junior in college. It was never made.[14]

[edit] Career

Schwartz got an agent and subsequently he wrote a pilot called Brookfield while still in college for ABC/Disney. It was a boarding school drama about wealthy kids in New England and was later produced starring Amy Smart and Eric Balfour but never aired. He then dropped out of USC to work full-time[3][13] and wrote another pilot called Wall to Wall Records, a drama about working in a music store for Warner Bros. TV that was also produced but never aired.[15]

Promotional poster for The O.C. premiere.
Promotional poster for The O.C. premiere.

In 2003 Schwartz wrote a pilot called the The O.C. for Warner Bros. TV and Wonderland Sound and Vision which was produced with him as creator and executive producer. At 26 he was the youngest ever creator of a TV show, which didn't sit well with Fox executives who sent a series of seasoned pros armed with conventional ideas about how to steer the show and a bitterness about sharing control with someone so young. That changed when Bob DeLaurentis signed on, a TV veteran who proved to be a nurturing presence on the show.[6] The O.C. became an instant teen favorite when it debuted on the FOX Network in August 2003. The show popularized its setting, Orange County, and led to copycats like MTV's reality show Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County and the Bravo documentary series The Real Housewives of Orange County.[16] The show became well known for its music, chosen by Schwartz according to his own musical tastes and designed to reflect who the characters were, bringing an awareness to indie rock bands like Death Cab for Cutie and Rooney.[8] He has said that he partially based The O.C. character Seth Cohen on his own Jewish upbringing.[17] Schwartz was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award for the pilot[18] as well as a People's Choice Award. The O.C. was named "Guilty Pleasure of the Year" by VH1. In 2007, after 4 seasons The O.C. was canceled due to a significant ratings drop.[19]

Schwartz has worked on his share of projects that never saw the light of day. In 2004 he worked as a script doctor on the J. J. Abrams Superman screenplay that Warner Bros. eventually tossed.[20][21] He sold a pilot to Fox called Alphabet City, a drama about a New York tabloid but it was never produced.[22] He also worked on a drama for Fox called Athens described as an "OC" companion but it was never produced.[23][24]

In 2005 Paramount signed Schwartz to adapt and direct John Green's young adult novel Looking for Alaska with producer Mark Waters.[25]

It was revealed in late August, 2006 that Schwartz would develop and executive produce a drama pilot for The CW Television Network, based on the popular book series Gossip Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar.[26] In 2007 Schwartz signed a three-year, seven-figure overall deal with Warner Bros. TV to write and exec produce with Chris Fedak an hourlong high-concept action comedy called Chuck for NBC about twentysomething spies in the vein of Grosse Pointe Blank. The pilot revolves around a normal guy who somehow ends up downloading the entire CIA database into his head.[27]

[edit] Personal life

Schwartz has stayed in touch with his alma maters: The Wheeler School and USC. In 2005 he endowed USC with its first television writing scholarship: The Josh Schwartz Scholarship. The scholarship is intended to be awarded annually to a student or students concentrating on writing for television and in need of financial assistance, who have completed a TV pilot script and first season synopsis.[28] Schwartz was supposed to graduate from USC with the class of '99 but never returned after finding work in the TV industry. He has since worked with many USC alumni.[9] Also in 2005 he gave a commencement speech to The Wheeler School.[1]

Schwartz currently resides in Los Angeles. He is represented by the Endeavor Talent Agency.[29]

[edit] Credits

[edit] Television series

  • The O.C. (television series, 2003-2007; creator, writer, executive producer)
  • Chuck (television series, 2007-; writer, executive producer)
  • Gossip Girl (television series, 2007-; creator, writer, executive producer)

[edit] Television pilots (unaired)

  • Brookfield (2000; teleplay; produced by ABC/Disney )
  • Wall to Wall Records (2001; teleplay; produced by Warner Bros.)

[edit] Films

  • Looking for Alaska (in pre-production; 2008; screenplay)

[edit] Screenplays (unproduced)

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Andy Smith. "People: O.C. creator to speak at Wheeler, his alma mater", The Providence Journal, 2005-06-10. Retrieved on 2007-01-08.
  2. ^ Engelberg, Keren. "Young Creator Spells Success ‘O.C.’", The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, 2003-10-31. Retrieved on 2007-01-16.
  3. ^ a b Hadley Freeman. "The man behind the OC", Guardian Unlimited, 2005-01-22. Retrieved on 2007-01-16.
  4. ^ Michael Elkin. ""On the Scene": "The O.C."", The Jewish Exponent. Retrieved on 2007-01-07.
  5. ^ Curt Schleier. "Charmed life: Young writer’s made it big with Fox hit", The Jewish News Weekly of Northern California, 2004-03-19. Retrieved on 2007-01-16.
  6. ^ a b Ari Posner. "'The O.C.' Rewrites the Rules of TV Writing", New York Times, 2004-03-21. Retrieved on 2007-01-08.
  7. ^ Richard Asinof. "For Producer of Hit Show "The O.C.," Jewish Background Is Fertile Ground", JTA.Org, 2005-06-15. Retrieved on 2007-01-07.
  8. ^ a b Josef Adalian (2005-02-10). The DJ of 'The O.C.': Show creator's musical taste guides skein. Variety. Retrieved on 2007-01-07.
  9. ^ a b Kim Holmes (2004-04-22). Schwartz struts his stuff on 'O.C.'. Daily Trojan. Retrieved on 2007-01-07.
  10. ^ Exclusive Interview: Josh Schwartz, Creator/Executive Producer of The OC. BuddyTV (2006-12-14). Retrieved on 2007-01-04.
  11. ^ Libby Slate (2005). The OC revealed. Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Retrieved on 2007-01-16.
  12. ^ a b Molly Shalgos (May 2004). Schwartz uses youth to his advantage…A look behind The O.C.. Lumino Magazine. Retrieved on 2007-01-04.
  13. ^ a b Cynthia Littleton (2003-08-04). Young Hollywood guns flex primetime muscle. Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved on 2007-01-07.
  14. ^ Michael Fleming (1997-12-15). Big Journey at WB; Foster exits 'Double'. Variety. Retrieved on 2007-01-07.
  15. ^ The O.C.. Fox61tv.com. Retrieved on 2007-01-04.
  16. ^ Suzanne C. Ryan (2006-10-29). Once hot, 'O.C.' now struggles. The Boston Globe. Retrieved on 2007-01-04.
  17. ^ Schwartz still likes hanging in ‘The O.C.’. MSNBC.com (2006-03-29). Retrieved on 2007-01-04.
  18. ^ 56th Annual Writers Guild Awards -- Television and Radio Nominees Announced (2004). Retrieved on 2007-01-07.
  19. ^ Michael Schneider (2007-01-03). Fox bids farewell to 'The OC'. Variety. Retrieved on 2007-01-04.
  20. ^ a b Cathy Dunkley, Michael Fleming (2004-07-18). Supe's on with 'X' man: Singer flies with pic. Variety. Retrieved on 2007-01-08.
  21. ^ Michael Fleming, Cathy Dunkley (2004-06-16). 'Superman' back in orbit: Moritz, Adler in negotiations to produce. Variety. Retrieved on 2007-01-08.
  22. ^ John Horn. "He's 'O.C.'s' fresh breeze: Infusing it with sly wit and detail, creator Josh Schwartz has raised the Fox drama above its prime-time soap trappings", LA Times. Retrieved on 2007-01-07.
  23. ^ Josef Adalian, Michael Schneider (2004-05-18). Fox turning a triple play: Hit trio fields new timeslots. Retrieved on 2007-01-08.
  24. ^ Daniel Robert Epstein. Josh Schwartz of The O.C. Interview. UnderGroundOnline. Retrieved on 2007-01-08.
  25. ^ Dave McNary (2005-07-18). Par, Schwartz bake 'Alaska':'OC' creator 'Looking' for Paramount project. Variety. Retrieved on 2007-01-04.
  26. ^ Michael Schneider; Josef Adalian (2007-01-03). CW gives Schwartz some good news: 2nd pilot picked up for show creator. Variety. Retrieved on 2007-01-04.
  27. ^ Josef Adalian (2006-09-14). Networks return to pilot parade: ABC aligned with Mimoun; NBC nabs Schwartz project. Variety. Retrieved on 2007-01-04.
  28. ^ "The OC” Creator Josh Schwartz Endows Inaugural Scholarship for Television Writing Students at USC School of Cinema-Television. USC School of Cinematic Arts. Retrieved on 2007-01-04.
  29. ^ Michael Fleming (2005-11-03). Endeavor trio partner up: Agency ups Donnelly, Hodes, Wiczyk. Variety. Retrieved on 2007-01-06.

[edit] Further reading

  • Prigge, Steven (2005-09-30). Created by: Inside the Minds of TV's Top Show Creators. Silman-James Press. ISBN 978-1879505827. 

[edit] External links

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