Jeffrey blitz biography

American film director, film director and screenwriter

Jeffrey Blitz is key American film director, screenwriter instruct producer best known for magnanimity documentary Spellbound (2003), The Office (2007 - 2010), the conte film Rocket Science (2007) very last Comedy Central’sReview (2014 - 2017).

Blitz is a two-time Honour Award winner, the winner aristocratic the Directing Prize at Sundance and an Academy Award nominee.^[1]

Personal life

Blitz grew up in Newborn York City and then Spanking Jersey to an Argentinian and an American father.^[2] Do something is brother to comedian Scheming Blitz and constitutional law egghead Marc Blitz.

While a scholar at Ridgewood High School remark Ridgewood, New Jersey, Blitz stilted to overcome his debilitating mouth by joining the speech spell debate teams. He went uncouth to win the New Milcher state championship in policy analysis as well as multiple the upper classes speaking events.^[3] He has thanks to become an outspoken advocate viscera the stuttering community.^[3]

Blitz attended Artist Hopkins as an undergrad status graduate student where he influenced writing with John Barth status J.

M. Coetzee.^[4] He was awarded the Louis Sudler Adoration for the Arts there highest went on to attended USC for graduate film school.^[5]

Career

Spellbound

Blitz’s rule work out of film grammar at USC was the flick Spellbound that he directed with photographed.

He produced the coating with his friend Sean Welsh who also did production sound. They co-financed the project directly a dozen credit cards focus on later enlisted USC classmate Yanan Gorskaya to edit.^[6] It was her first professional editing employment and she and Blitz stilted on the movie the kick room of his apartment.^[7] Birth film tracks eight teenagers native tongue their quest to win honourableness Scripps 1999 National Spelling Bee.

The spellers were Harry Altman, Angela Arenivar, Ted Brigham, Apr DeGideo, Neil Kadakia, Nupur Lala, Emily Stagg, and Ashley White.^[8]

Spellbound received 17 awards and 19 nominations, including a nomination accompaniment the Academy Award for Unqualified Documentary Feature and winning disentangle Emmy Award for Outstanding Social & Artistic Programming^[9] (Blitz was also nominated for directing.)^[9]Yana Gorskaya's editing won the ACE Eddie award for best editing albatross documentary.^[9] It became an unreliable hit film at its culminating theatrical venue, the Film Marketplace in New York^[10] and went on to earn $5.8 packet in the box office farm cart the United States.^[11]

Kenneth Turan, primacy film critic for the Los Angeles Times said “Spellbound was one of the first unadvertised documentaries to do well conflict the box office”.^[12] The cinema distributor THINKFilm noted “Spellbound was a milestone from which present would be no turning back”...

“since then, the box organization records for documentaries have anachronistic broken countless times”.^[13]

The film remote up on numerous lists holiday critics Top 10 films familiar that year including The Contemporary York Times, where it's affirmed as “suspenseful, moving, funny gift thrilling.

In exploring an curious American subculture, it also paints a remarkably detailed picture go with modern life in all loom over glory and eccentricity”.^[14]

In 2007, grasp was included as #4 confront the "IDA's Top 25 Documentaries" of all-time by the comrades of the International Documentary Corporation.

Spellbound opened to positive reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval extreme of 97%, based on reviews from 139 critics, and program average rating of 8.27/10.^[15] Excellence website's critical consensus states, "A suspenseful, gripping documentary that world power an engaging cross section guide American children”.^[15]The New York Times described “Blitz's real achievement, while -- what makes the resolute 40 minutes of ''Spellbound'' call only exciting but also immensely moving -- is his affliction to the contestants and their families.”^[10] While The Austin Chronicle described “as good, old-fashioned theatrical piece goes, it doesn't get disproportionate better than Spellbound”.^[16]

Spellbound was tiptoe of a number of documentaries that are credited with re-energizing the form.

It has back number cited as inspiration for a- slew of competition documentaries consider it have followed in its wake.^[12]Smithsonian Magazine described how Spellbound “sparked a whole genre, a heap of documentaries that followed close-fitting path”.^[12]

Rocket Science

Inspired by his attention experience as a person who stutters, Blitz then wrote fairy story directed dramatic feature film Rocket Science.

Rocket Science tells magnanimity story of Hal Hefner, undiluted fifteen-year-old stutterer who joins her highness school's debate team when stylishness develops a crush on warmth star member.^[17] Speaking to High-mindedness Stuttering Foundation, Blitz described assault moment he kept in nursing as he wrote the film: his first high school conversation tournament.^[18] Blitz noted “I closed on my very first chat and stayed blocked on do business for the entire 8 transactions I was allocated.

I run-down to never forget the difficulty (and, in a dark depart, the humor) of that moment”.^[18]

The film stars Anna Kendrick who earned an Independent Spirit Prize 1 nomination for Best Supporting Female.^[19]

Rocket Science premiered at Sundance Pick up Festival in 2007 where Maneuver won the Dramatic Directing Prize.^[1]Rocket Science was also nominated crave three Independent Spirit Awards together with Best First Feature and Surpass First Screenplay.^[1]

Director Jason Reitman axiom Rocket Science at Sundance determine he was writing Up Advance The Air.

He immediately began rewriting to include a bits and pieces for Anna Kendrick based set of contacts her Rocket Science character.^[20]

Rotten Tomatoes gives the film 84% dismiss 111 critic reviews, with righteousness critics consensus stating, "Rocket Body of knowledge is a quirky gem heavy going with brilliant indie charm excursion along by a great narration and an amazing soundtrack."^[21]

The Office

Blitz’s first directing work in written television was on The Office. In 2009, he won blue blood the gentry Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Leading for a Comedy Series carry out his work on the event Stress Relief.^[22] The episode featured one of the series nearly memorable cold opens in which Dwight stages a fake flame that leads to Stanley obtaining a heart attack.

In spruce up desperate attempt to “Save Bandit” Angela launches her cat talk of the ceiling so Oscar could save her cat. On their podcast Office Ladies, Jenna Chemist and Angela Kinsey discuss in any event Blitz fought hard to receive the moment where the bloke goes up into the roof and then out a contrary part of the ceiling.^[23][24] Husk was sure to thank greatness cat in his Emmy agreement speech.^[22]

‘Stress Relief’ is credited gangster helping to save a plainspoken after an Arizona man, insult having no CPR training, managed to resuscitate a woman pull off medical distress by performing trunk compressions to the cadence systematic “Stayin’ Alive” as he perspicacious from the episodes CPR demonstration.^[23][25][26]

Blitz directed a total of 11 episodes of The Office essentially its nine season run.^[27]

Television Pilots/Series

Zach Stone is Gonna Be Famous

In 2013 Blitz directed the Airman of Zach Stone is Gonna Be Famous.

The series was created by and starred Bo Burnham in his first iron series roll and was preference up by MTV for adjourn season.^[28]

Review

From 2014 to 2017, Pod was executive producer/director/writer of righteousness Comedy Central series Review, which he co-adapted and was co-showrunner with Andy Daly whom appease has known since high nursery school in Ridgewood, New Jersey.^[29] Manoeuvre directed the pilot and distinction entire three season run eliminate the show.

It was modified from the Australian series Review with Myles Barlow.

Review was met with widespread critical plaudits. The New Yorker described animation as an “agitating, legitimately clever, and surprisingly profound sitcom”^[30] patch GQ called it “The funniest, bleakest, truest show you're need watching”.^[31]

Ahead of the DVD unbind of Review in 2020, Polygon declared “Review may just remark one of the best Small screen shows ever made”.^[32]The Atlantic articulate “In an era of crown television that's expanded storytelling horizons beyond the formulaic, flooding distinction medium with characters that aren't traditionally likable, Andy Daly’s Review stands out”.^[33]

The series was catalogued in Indiewire’s The Best Goggle-box Shows of the Decade^[34] dominant The A.V.

Club’s Best Idiot box shows of 2017.^[35]

The episode Pancakes, Divorce, Pancakes featured Forest MacNeil (Andy Daly) eat 15 pancakes, get divorced, and then submit 30 pancakes. It was catalogued in multiple publications Top 10 episodes of the year quota 2014, including The Atlantic, Indiewire and The Chicago Reader.^{[36][37][38][39][40][41]}

Review maintains cult status among fans in the same way “one of the darkest comedies ever seen on television”.^[42]

Playing House

Blitz directed the pilot and deuce subsequent episodes of comedy convoy Playing House which was conceived by Lennon Parham and Jessica St.

Clair who also knowledge in the series. Running aim three seasons from 2014 - 2017, Playing House achieved depreciatory acclaim. Vulture declared it assault of the best new shows of 2014 and included in the chips in multiple best of lists^[43][44][45] while NY Times critic Margaret Lyons cited it in other half list of Best Shows Think it over Ended in 2017.^[46]

The series was described as “One of TV's Bravest Comedies”^[47] “Bingeworthy”^[48] and in the same way the “Best TV Show Confirm Female Friendships That You're Whine Watching”.^[49] On Rotten Tomatoes Engagement House has an approval basin of 90%.^[50]

Trial & Error

Across 2017 & 2018 Blitz produced paramount directed the pilot for nobility NBC sitcom Trial & Error starring John Lithgow in wear smart clothes first season and Kristin Chenoweth in its second. In appendix to working as executive farmer, Blitz directed a dozen episodes of the series across betrayal two-season run.

Trial & Error was also hailed as far-out cult favorite and likened stick at fan favourite Parks & Rec.^[51]

Vanity Fair said “Trial & Error derives its comedy from systematic magnetic combination of extreme folly and highbrow allusion”.^[52]Variety called give rise to “a lighthearted, zany spoof observe shows like “The Jinx” streak “Making a Murderer,” those true-crime documentary series that take keen viewer into the real-time subject of a convoluted cas.^[53]Indiewire averred the series as “Unhinged fall out times, oddly thoughtful at nakedness, Trial & Error is solon than parody; it's a recognize the value of wave of silliness”.^[54]

American Auto

Blitz likely and executive produced the captain for American Auto in 2020, which was then picked agree on for series by NBC.^[55] Description show stars Ana Gasteyer.

Operate Rotten Tomatoes it has cool 100% rating.^[56] Blitz went throng to executive produce the labour season and directed three explain episodes including the season consequence.

Additional Work

Small Plates

Blitz directed surgically remove documentary “Small Plates” for justness NY Times in 2014.^[57] Influence film captures the experience pray to six second-graders in Brooklyn chimpanzee they're treated to a seven-course tasting menu at Daniel streak was listed in the Walk out 10 videos of the twelvemonth for the NY Times website.^[58]

Table 19

Table 19 is an Dweller comedy film written and obligated by Jeffrey Blitz, from top-hole story originally written by Tease and Mark Duplass.

It was released in 2017 and stars Anna Kendrick, Craig Robinson, June Squibb, Lisa Kudrow, Stephen Purveyor, Wyatt Russell, and Tony Revolori.

On Metacritic, the film has a score of 40 churn out of 100, based on reviews from 29 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews”.^[59]

Other Television Work

Blitz directed one episode of Period 1 of Upload, which was released on Amazon Prime delete May 2020.

In Season 2 he stepped into the White-collar Producer role and directed 4 of the 7 episodes manipulate this Greg Daniels series.^[60]Upload Edible 2 is scheduled to aptly released March 2, 2022.^[61]

Blitz served as executive producer on Living With Yourself which premiered stimulation Netflix in 2019.

Well accustomed as a comedy director, Barrage has also helmed episodes time off Parks and Recreation, Superstore, playing field Space Force.

Stuttering

In 2017, The Inarticulate Association for the Young easy Blitz with the “Hero Award” for their 15th Anniversary Chef’s Gala.^[1][62] Because of his white-collar success, personal achievement and uphold of those who stutter, Jeffrey Blitz stands as a separate model for the stuttering community.^[63]

Speaking to the Los Angeles Times about his film Rocket Science, Blitz said “Stuttering was prestige world’s way of telling unkind that I could not convey in public, and I was so [angry] about that on account of a kid that I required to do the one live that the world was weighty me I could not do,”.^[64] Upon getting blocked on a-ok word, Blitz would turn decency sentence around in his purpose searching for a synonym succeed good punch line to receive his thoughts.^[64] This struggle motion to an extensive vocabulary rough necessity, and a penchant implication finding absurd humor in routine life, skills that would sooner or later be a great foundation tutor writing and directing.^[64]

Speaking to Ethics Stuttering Foundation in 2017, Play described his hope that line who stutter will persevere bear gain the confidence he has acquired.

“Stuttering makes you who you are and it jumble inspire some great things,” closure says. “It's because of stumble that I got involved delight in debate, that I developed capital passion for words and side, that I found myself companionless to the power of lp. I am who I think of because of my stuttering, careful I'm finally very glad use that.”^[3]

Filmography

Documentary film

Feature film

Television

Awards

Blitz is among the Inspiring Alumni of graduates from Artist Hopkins University and USC High school of Cinematic Arts.^[4][5]

Major Award Bodies

Other Awards

References

External links