American television producer and writer
Michael Schur
Born Michael Herbert Schur
(1975-10-29 ) October 29, 1975 (age 48)
[1] Other names Ken Tremendous Education
Harvard University (
BA ) Occupation(s) Television producer, director, and screenwriter Years active 1997–present Spouse
Children 2
Michael Herbert Schur (born October 29, 1975
[1]
[2]
[3] ) is an American television producer, writer, director, and actor. He was a producer and writer for the comedy series
The Office , and co-created
Parks and Recreation with Office producer
Greg Daniels . He created
The Good Place , co-created the comedy series
Brooklyn Nine-Nine and was a producer on the series
Master of None . He also played Mose Schrute on The Office . In 2021, he was one of three co-creators of the
Peacock comedy series
Rutherford Falls .
Schur's comedies typically include large, diverse casts; breakout stars have emerged from his shows. He features optimistic characters who often find strong friendships and lasting love,
[4]
[5]
[6] through plots that showcase "good-hearted humanistic warmth".
[7] As of September 2021, Schur has been nominated for 19
Primetime Emmy Awards , winning two for his work on
Saturday Night Live (1997–2004) and The Office .
[8]
Early life and education
Schur was born in 1975, at the
University of Michigan Hospital in
Ann Arbor ,
Michigan ,
[2]
[9] to a
Jewish family.
[10] His parents are Warren M. Schur and Anne Herbert. The family moved and he was raised in
West Hartford ,
Connecticut .
[3]
[11]
Schur attended
William H. Hall High School in West Hartford.
[12] He graduated
Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. in English from
Harvard University in 1997, where he was a president of the
Harvard Lampoon .
[13] Schur's father, Warren, also attended Harvard.
[14]
Career
1998–2005
Starting in 1998, Schur was a writer on NBC's
Saturday Night Live .
[15]
[16] He became the producer of
Weekend Update in 2001; his first show in the new role was Saturday Night Live ' s first episode after the
September 11 attacks .
[17] In 2002, he won his first
Primetime Emmy Award as part of SNL ' s writing team.
[8] Schur left Saturday Night Live in 2004.
[18]
Soon afterward, he became producer and writer for
The Office on NBC, for which he wrote ten episodes and won the
2006
Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series . Schur appeared on The Office as
Dwight 's cousin
Mose in several episodes, including "
Initiation ", in which Dwight takes
Ryan to his beet farm; "
Money ", in which Jim and Pam spend a night at the farm; "
The Deposition "; "
Koi Pond "; "
Counseling "; and "
Finale ". He also co-wrote
The Office: The Accountants
webisodes with
Paul Lieberstein . In 2005, Schur served as a co-producer of
HBO 's
The Comeback and wrote two of its 13 episodes.
2008–2015
In April 2008, Schur and
Greg Daniels started working on a pilot for
Parks and Recreation as a proposed
spin-off of The Office .
[18] Over time, Schur realized Parks and Recreation would work better if they made it separate from The Office . While Parks and Recreation received negative reviews in its first season, it received critical acclaim in the second, much like The Office .
[19] Schur also wrote for
Fire Joe Morgan , a sports journalism blog, under the pseudonym "Ken Tremendous".
[20] He resurrected the pen name on March 31, 2011, when he began writing for
SB Nation 's Baseball Nation site.
[21] @KenTremendous is also Schur's
Twitter handle.
[22]
Schur collaborated with
The Decemberists on their music video for "Calamity Song" from the album
The King Is Dead .
[23] This video is based upon Eschaton, a mock-nuclear war game played on tennis courts that
David Foster Wallace created in his 1996 novel
Infinite Jest . Schur wrote his undergraduate senior thesis on the novel
[24] and once held the film rights to it.
[25] With
Daniel J. Goor , Schur created the cop comedy
Brooklyn Nine-Nine , which premiered in fall 2013 on
Fox . The show was moved to NBC in its sixth season. In 2013,
Joe Posnanski and Schur created The PosCast , which is now hosted by
Meadowlark Media . The podcast primarily discusses baseball but meanders into other sports, subjects, and drafts of random items, and prides itself in being meaningless. The podcast has featured notable guests and co-hosts such as
Linda Holmes ,
Ken Rosenthal ,
Nick Offerman , Ellen Adair,
Stefan Fatsis ,
Brandon McCarthy ,
Joey Votto , and
Sean Doolittle .
2016–present
On September 19, 2016, the Schur-created sitcom
The Good Place began airing on
NBC .
[26] The supernatural series concerning philosophy and being a good person, starring
Kristen Bell and
Ted Danson , became a surprise critical and commercial success,
[7] concluding its four-season run on January 30, 2020. In 2016, Schur and
Rashida Jones co-wrote the teleplay of "
Nosedive ", an episode of the television
anthology series
Black Mirror , from a story by
Charlie Brooker .
[27]
In 2019, Schur joined other
Writers Guild of America writers in firing their agents as part of the WGA's stand against the
ATA and the practice of
packaging .
[28] In 2019, Schur began development of a scripted comedy called
Rutherford Falls starring
Ed Helms .
[29] The series premiered on the streaming service
Peacock on April 22, 2021.
[30] He worked on several projects on
IMDb TV .
[31] He also re-upped his overall deal at
Universal Television .
[32]
Personal life
Schur is married to
J. J. Philbin , who was formerly a writer on
The O.C. and is the daughter of
Regis Philbin . Their son was born in 2008 and their daughter in 2010.
[33]
[34]
He is a vegetarian.
[35]
Influences
He first became interested in comedy when he was 11 years old when he read
Woody Allen 's 1975 collection of humorous essays
Without Feathers . Schur said he found the book on his father's bookshelf and stayed up reading it until 4 a.m.
[36] He has also cited other influences as
Monty Python ,
David Foster Wallace , and
The Simpsons .
[37]
Filmography
Executive Producer only
Acting roles
Awards and nominations
Bibliography
References
^
a
b
Biodata , tvinsider.com. Accessed June 16, 2023.
^
a
b Schur, Michael (2022). "12". How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question (ebook ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 432.
ISBN
978-1-9821-5933-7 . I was born a healthy white dude in America in 1975, [...]
^
a
b
"Jennifer Philbin and Michael Schur" .
The New York Times . October 9, 2005. Retrieved September 15, 2008 . Mr. Schur, 29...
^ Hannemann, Emily (September 15, 2018).
"The Magic of Michael Schur's Sitcoms: Why 'The Good Place,' 'Parks and Rec' & More Are So Rewatchable" . TV Insider . Retrieved October 1, 2018 .
^ Leishman, Rachel (September 17, 2018).
"Mike Schur's Shows Have The Most Relatable Characters on Television" . TheMarySue.com. Retrieved October 1, 2018 .
^
"The Chemistry of Cluelessness in Michael Schur's Sitcoms" . PopMatters.com. July 12, 2018. Retrieved October 1, 2018 .
^
a
b Anderson, Sam (October 4, 2018).
"What Makes 'The Good Place' So Good?" . The New York Times . Retrieved February 10, 2019 .
^
a
b
"Michael Schur" . Television Academy. Retrieved September 26, 2021 .
^ Schur, Michael (October 29, 2021).
"I'm Mike Schur, co-creator and showrunner of the hit NBC television series Parks & Rec. I also helped create the musical force that is Mouse Rat, whose album, The Awesome Album, is out on vinyl today. AMA" . Reddit . Retrieved October 13, 2022 . Maybe I'll make it to U of M -- I was born there! University hospital! 46 years ago today! (It's my birthday.)
^ Grisar, PJ (January 8, 2020).
"What 'The Good Place' says about Jewish ethics" . Forward.com.
^ Ken Tremendous [@KenTremendous] (February 18, 2013).
"@williamfleitch I need no such reminding. I was born in Ann Arbor" (
Tweet ) – via
Twitter .
^ Gendreau, LeAnne (April 7, 2009).
"West Hartford Guy Behind Poehler's "Parks & Recreation" " .
WVIT . Retrieved October 31, 2012 .
^
"How Harvard Remade 'The Office' " .
The Harvard Crimson . Retrieved September 20, 2016 .
^
"An Evening With the Editor" . December 17, 2007.
^ Goldberg, Lesley (October 3, 2012).
"Showrunners 2012: 'Parks and Recreation's' Mike Schur" .
The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved August 12, 2018 .
^ VanDerWerff, Emily (January 9, 2018).
"The Good Place's creator explains why not every comedy is better off as a Netflix original" .
Vox . Retrieved October 6, 2019 .
^ Schur, Mike (September 11, 2016).
"Mike Schur on How 9/11 Influenced the Writing on SNL, The Office, and Parks and Rec" . Vulture.com .
New York . Retrieved August 12, 2018 .
^
a
b Zap2it (August 19, 2008).
"More Money for Mose at 'The Office' " . Los Angeles Times .
ISSN
0458-3035 . Archived from
the original on August 13, 2018. Retrieved August 12, 2018 . {{
cite news }}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
link )
^ Cormier, Roger (January 11, 2016).
"18 Facts About Parks and Recreation " .
Mental Floss . Archived from
the original on April 10, 2018. Retrieved November 30, 2018 .
^
"Fire Joe Morgan: About Us" . firejoemorgan.com. Retrieved October 31, 2012 .
^ Buchanan, Ben (March 31, 2011).
"Introducing Baseball Nation" . OverTheMonster.com .
SB Nation . Retrieved December 21, 2016 .
^
"Ken Tremendous (@KenTremendous)" .
Twitter . Retrieved December 21, 2016 .
^ Carlin, Shannon (August 22, 2011).
"First Watch: The Decemberists, 'Calamity Song' " .
NPR . Retrieved August 23, 2011 .
^ Hyden, Steve (August 22, 2011).
"Parks And Recreation's Michael Schur talks about directing the Decemberists' new Infinite Jest-themed video" . The A.V. Club. Retrieved November 18, 2012 .
^ Busis, Hillary.
"Last night's Parks and Rec was an extended homage to Infinite Jest" . EW. Retrieved May 12, 2013 .
^ Dodson, P. Claire (September 19, 2016).
"The Good Place Creator Michael Schur Has an Idea of Who's Going to Make It to Heaven" .
Esquire . Retrieved September 23, 2016 .
^ Gelman, Vlada (July 27, 2016).
"Black Mirror Enlists Rashida Jones and Mike Schur for Season 3 Writing Stint" . TVLine . Retrieved July 27, 2016 .
^
"Patton Oswalt, David Simon, Danny Zuker, More WGA Members Post Termination Letters" . Variety .
^
"Ed Helms Comedy From Mike Schur, 'Punky Brewster' Among Scripted Slate at NBCU Streamer" . The Hollywood Reporter . September 17, 2019. Retrieved June 30, 2022 .
^ Petski, Denise (March 16, 2021).
" 'Rutherford Falls': Peacock Unveils Trailer, Premiere Date For Michael Schur, Ed Helms & Sierra Teller Ornelas Comedy" .
Deadline Hollywood .
^ White, Peter (May 3, 2021).
"Mike Schur, Nkechi Okoro Carroll & Melina Kanakaredes Among Creators Developing Projects At IMDb TV" . Deadline . Retrieved May 4, 2021 .
^ Otterson, Joe (March 6, 2019).
"Mike Schur Renews Overall Deal at Universal Television" . Variety . Retrieved October 13, 2021 .
^
"Regis Philbin Is a Grandfather!" .
People . February 19, 2008. Retrieved October 31, 2012 .
^ Essany, Michael (2011).
Regis Philbin . Hyperink Inc. p. 32.
ISBN
9781614648062 .
^ Heritage, Stuart (January 26, 2022).
"Michael Schur: 'It's a daily gut punch that people are anti-mask' " . The Guardian . London, United Kingdom. Retrieved May 2, 2022 .
^ Martin, Denise (November 18, 2009).
"Making bureaucracy work: How NBC's "Parks and Recreation" overcame bad buzz" .
Los Angeles Times .
Los Angeles ,
California . Retrieved December 6, 2009 .
^
"An Interview with Michael Schur" . The Believer . October 2015. Retrieved July 26, 2023 .
^
"Michael Schur: Playing Mose on The Office was 'a waking nightmare' " .
Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved July 25, 2023 .
^
a
b
c
"Saturday Night Live" . Emmys.com . Retrieved September 24, 2021 .
^
a
b
c
"The Office" . The Emmys . Retrieved September 26, 2021 .
^
a
b
c
"Parks and Recreation" . Emmys.com . Retrieved September 24, 2021 .
^
"Parks and Recreation: April and Andy's Road Trip" . Emmys.com . Retrieved September 26, 2021 .
^
"WGA Awards 2014: Complete list of winners and nominees" . LA Times . January 30, 2014. Retrieved September 26, 2021 .
^
"Parks and Rec in Europe" . Emmys.com . Retrieved January 27, 2022 .
^
"Master of None" . Emmys.com . Retrieved September 26, 2021 .
^
a
b
"The Good Place" . Emmys.com . Retrieved September 24, 2021 .
^
"The Good Place Presents: The Selection" . The Emmys . Retrieved September 26, 2021 .
^
"Hacks" . Emmys.com. Retrieved September 26, 2021 .
^
" 'CODA,' 'Don't Look Up,' 'Hacks' and 'Succession' Win Top Prizes at 2022 Writers Guild Awards" . Variety. March 20, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2022 .
External links
Awards for Michael Schur
Nebula Award for Best Script
Soylent Green –
Stanley R. Greenberg (1973)
Sleeper –
Woody Allen (1974)
Young Frankenstein –
Mel Brooks and
Gene Wilder (1975)
Star Wars –
George Lucas (1977)
The Sixth Sense –
M. Night Shyamalan (1999)
Galaxy Quest – David Howard and
Robert Gordon (2000)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon –
James Schamus , Kuo Jung Tsai, and
Hui-Ling Wang (2001)
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring –
Fran Walsh ,
Philippa Boyens , and
Peter Jackson (2002)
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers –
Fran Walsh ,
Philippa Boyens ,
Stephen Sinclair , and
Peter Jackson (2003)
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King –
Fran Walsh ,
Philippa Boyens , and
Peter Jackson (2004)
Serenity –
Joss Whedon (2005)
Howl's Moving Castle –
Hayao Miyazaki , Cindy Davis Hewitt, and Donald H. Hewitt (2006)
Pan's Labyrinth –
Guillermo del Toro (2007)
WALL-E –
Andrew Stanton ,
Jim Reardon , and
Pete Docter (2008)
Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation
Eddie Izzard (2000)
Eric Drysdale ,
Jim Earl ,
Dan Goor ,
Charlie Grandy ,
J. R. Havlan ,
Tom Johnson ,
Kent Jones ,
Paul Mecurio ,
Chris Regan ,
Allison Silverman and
Jon Stewart (2001)
Doug Abeles,
James Anderson ,
Max Brooks ,
James Downey ,
Tina Fey , Hugh Fink,
Charlie Grandy ,
Jack Handey ,
Steve Higgins , Erik Kenward, Dennis McNicholas,
Lorne Michaels , Matt Murray,
Paula Pell ,
Matt Piedmont , Ken Scarborough,
Michael Schur , Frank Sebastiano,
T. Sean Shannon ,
Robert Smigel ,
Emily Spivey , Andrew Steele and Scott Wainio (2002)
Rich Blomquist ,
Steve Bodow ,
Eric Drysdale ,
J. R. Havlan ,
Scott Jacobson ,
David Javerbaum ,
Tom Johnson ,
Ben Karlin ,
Rob Kutner ,
Chris Regan ,
Jason Reich ,
Jason Ross and
Jon Stewart (2003)
Rich Blomquist ,
Steve Bodow ,
Tim Carvell ,
Stephen Colbert ,
Eric Drysdale ,
J. R. Havlan ,
Scott Jacobson ,
David Javerbaum ,
Ben Karlin ,
Chris Regan ,
Jason Reich ,
Jason Ross and
Jon Stewart (2004)
Rich Blomquist ,
Steve Bodow ,
Tim Carvell ,
Stephen Colbert ,
Eric Drysdale ,
J. R. Havlan ,
Scott Jacobson ,
David Javerbaum ,
Ben Karlin ,
Rob Kutner ,
Chris Regan ,
Jason Reich ,
Jason Ross and
Jon Stewart (2005)
Rich Blomquist ,
Steve Bodow ,
Rachel Axler ,
Kevin Bleyer ,
Tim Carvell ,
Stephen Colbert ,
Eric Drysdale ,
J. R. Havlan ,
Scott Jacobson ,
David Javerbaum ,
Ben Karlin ,
Rob Kutner ,
Sam Means ,
Chris Regan ,
Jason Reich ,
Jason Ross and
Jon Stewart (2006)
Chris Albers, Jose Arroyo, Dan Cronin,
Kevin Dorff ,
Dan Goor , Michael Gordon, Berkley Johnson, Brian Kiley, Michael Koman,
Tim Harrod ,
Brian McCann , Guy Nicolucci,
Conan O'Brien ,
Brian Stack , Mike Sweeney and
Andrew Weinberg (2007)
Bryan Adams, Michael Brumm,
Stephen Colbert , Richard Dahm,
Eric Drysdale , Rob Dubbin,
Glenn Eichler ,
Peter Grosz ,
Peter Gwinn , Barry Julien,
Laura Krafft , Jay Katsir, Frank Lesser,
Tom Purcell , Meredith Scardino and
Allison Silverman (2008)
Rory Albanese ,
Rachel Axler ,
Kevin Bleyer ,
Rich Blomquist ,
Steve Bodow ,
Tim Carvell ,
Wyatt Cenac ,
J. R. Havlan ,
David Javerbaum ,
Elliott Kalan ,
Rob Kutner , Josh Lieb,
Sam Means ,
John Oliver ,
Jason Ross and
Jon Stewart (2009)
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