Dan Schneider (TV Producer)
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Dan Schneider
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| Occupation | Television producer, screenwriter, actor |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Known for | Game Shakers, Henry Danger, iCarly, Sam & Cat, Good Burger, All That, Drake & Josh, Victorious, Kenan & Kel, Zoey 101, Head of the Class, The Amanda Show, Better of Dead, What I Like About You, The Big Picture |
| Board member of | Schneider's Bakery |
| Spouse(s) | Lisa Lillien (m. 2002) |
| Emmy Award Nominations | |
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Outstanding Chilrdren's Program |
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| Website | |
| danschneider.com www.danwarp.blogspot.com |
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Dan Schneider (born January 14, 1966) is an American actor, screenwriter, and producer of films and television. He is the president of his own production company called Schneider's Bakery, Inc. On the internet, he and his production company often go by the nickname DanWarp.
Schneider acted in several TV shows and films in the 1980's and early 1990's, the most notable being a five-year run on the ABC comedy Head of the Class. Then he made the move to writer-producer when he co-created the show All That for Nickelodeon in 1994.
Early Life[edit]
Schneider was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee where he attended two high schools: Memphis University School and White Station High School, where he was the president of his senior class. After graduating, Schneider moved to Boston, Massachusetts where he studied acting at Harvard University. After only one semester, Schneider moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the entertainment business.
Acting Career[edit]
In the 1980s, Schneider starred and co-starred in several films. In 1985 he landed the role "Ricky" in the movie Better Off Dead, which also starred John Cusack. In 1987 Schneider co-starred in the movie Happy Together with Patrick Dempsey. In 1988, Schneider co-starred in the movie The Big Picture, which starred Kevin Bacon and was directed by Christopher Guest.
In 1986, Schneider became nationally well-known when he landed the role of "Dennis Blunden" on the ABC television series Head of the Class. The popular series ran for five seasons, from 1986 to 1991.
In 1992, Schneider starred in the ABC TV series Home Free which also starred Matthew Perry (later of Friends fame). Schneider played best friend to Perry's character.
After deciding to pursue a writing-producer career in 1993, Schneider began limiting his acting roles mostly to ones he wrote for himself in his own projects, such as the 1997 movie Good Burger (written and co-produced by Schneider) where he played restaurant manager "Mr. Baily".
Schneider still continues to make cameo appearances in episodes of his televisions shows (e.g. Drake & Josh, iCarly, Victorious, Sam & Cat, etc.). But more often, you can hear Schneider's voice as off-screen characters and announcers.
Writing-Producing Career[edit]
Schneider's career shifted directions in 1993 when he began writing and producing a string of highly successful television shows (listed below).
Television – Media
The headline in a New York Times article (April 8, 2007) about Schneider called him "the master of a television genre."
Another New York Times article (September 7, 2007) said that Schneider "has become the Normal Lear of children's television."
A 2008 Variety article said "Writer-producer Dan Schneider displays a Jedi master-like acumen for creating shows that appeal to kids in the awkward years of adolescence."
The New York based website Gawker referred to Dan Schneider as Nickelodeon's secret weapon and "the Aaron Sorkin of tween TV who can turn out hit shows by the precise, devastating force of his instinct."
A June 8, 2013 article in the L.A. Times calls Dan Schneider the Neil Simon of teen sitcoms.
In 9/7/2010, Forbes Magazine referenced Dan Schneider as "The Willy Wonka of Television."
Television – Shows (Created/Produced)
Dan Schneider is the creative force behind the following hit TV series:
| Series | Original run | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Game Shakers | 2015–present (Nickelodeon) | Game Shakers is a muti-million dollar gaming company, run by two middle schoolers: the highly intelligent, but socially awkward Kenzie Bell (Madisyn Shipman), and the sassy, business savvy Babe Carano (Cree Cicchino). The girls create the smash-hit game Sky Whale, earning millions, but are soon sued by rap superstar Double G (Kel Mitchell) for using his song in their game without permission. But instead of tearing their business apart, Double G decides to partner up with the girls, becoming co-owner of Game Shakers. The show follows the team, including Double G’s gaming-expert son, Triple G (Benjamin Flores Jr.), and human test dummy Hudson (Thomas Kuc), as they make games and kick app. |
| Henry Danger | 2014–present (Nickelodeon) | Henry Danger is a comedy about a kid named Henry Hart, who applies for a typical after-school job. Soon after being hired, Henry discovers that his job is actually being the sidekick to the city’s superhero, Captain Man. Although Captain Man has no traditional super powers, he is indestructible. Set in the mythical town of Swellview, Henry Danger premiered in the summer of 2014, and by the end of the year was the #1 on television with kids ages 6 to 14. Henry Danger stars Jace Norman as Henry (a.k.a. Kid Danger), and Cooper Barnes as Ray (a.k.a. Captain Man). |
| Sam & Cat | 2013–2014 (Nickelodeon) | Sam & Cat is a spiff-off of both iCarly and Victorious. It stars Jennette McCurdy ("Sam Puckett" from iCarly) and Ariana Grande ("Cat" from Victorious). The show premiered in 2013, soon after their previous shows completed production. Sam & Cat bowed to 4.7 million viewers, and became the the highest rated live-action show on the Nickelodeon network at the time. Sam & Cat was Nickelodeon’s #1 television show during its run. The show ended after 36 episodes because of the actors’ age, and their desire to move on to other new projects. |
| Victorious | 2010–2012 (Nickelodeon) | Victorious is a comedy about the character "Tori Vega" who, by a twist of fate, ends up being asked to attend a prestigious performing arts high school. Notably, Victorious launched the success of Ariana Grande, who played the character "Cat Valentine" in the series. Grande's "Cat" character was well-known for her brightly-colored red hair and her bizarre, naive attitude about life and situations. |
| iCarly | 2007–2012 (Nickelodeon) | iCarly is a comedy about a teenage girl who creates her own web show and becomes famous (www.iCarly.com). The series starred Miranda Cosgrove ("Carly"), Jerry Trainor ("Spencer"), Jennette McCurdy ("Sam"), and Nathan Kress ("Freddie"). iCarly first premiered on television in September 2007. Based on early confidence, the network increased the first season order from 13 episodes to 40 episodes, an enormous order for a television series. iCarly won the Kids' Choice Award in its first season, competing against Hannah Montana and Drake & Josh (another show created by Schneider). iCarly was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2009 for Outstanding Children's Program, and was later nominated for several more Emmy Awards. |
| Zoey 101 | 2004–2007 (Nickelodeon) | Zoey 101 is about a teenage girl who decides to attend the elite boarding high school called "Pacific Coast Academy" (PCA) which had previously been an all-boys school. The series starred an ensemble of young teen actors including Jamie Lynn Spears, the younger sister of pop star Britney Spears. Zoey 101 was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2005. Jamie Lynn Spears won the Kids Choice Award for "Favorite Actress" in 2006 for her starring role in Zoey 101. Unlike most of Dan Schneider's shows which use the multi-camera live audience format, Zoey 101 was a single-camera show. It was filmed at Pepperdine University, a picturesque college located on the southern California coast in Malibu. Schneider made an appearance in the Zoey 101 TV movie, "Chasing Zoey" – he played a frenetic cab driver who argues with his wife on the phone, then flees his taxi leaving his passengers stranded. |
| Drake & Josh | 2002–2006 (Nickelodeon) | Drake & Josh is a situation comedy about two teenage boys with opposing personalities who become step-brothers when their single parents get married. It starred three actors from The Amanda Show: Drake Bell ("Drake"), Josh Peck ("Josh"), Nancy Sullivan ("Mrs. Parker"), Jonathan Goldstein ("Walter") – and introduced Miranda Cosgrove as "Megan," the devilish little sister of Drake and Josh. Drake & Josh won multiple Kids' Choice Awards, and is one of Nickelodeon's all-time most popular series. Nearly two years after the series concluded production in 2006, the entire cast was reunited for a television Christmas movie entitled "Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh" which scored impressive ratings (8 million viewers) for Nickelodeon in December of 2008. |
| What I Like About You | 2002–2006 (The WB) | What I Like About You is a situation comedy about a teenager who decides to live with her older sister in Manhattan, New York. The series starred Jennie Garth, formerly of Beverly Hills 90210, and Amanda Bynes from Dan Schneider's previous TV series All That and The Amanda Show. What I Like About You was produced at Warner Bros. studios where Schneider himself had starred in the series Head of the Class, several years earlier. What I Like About You had a successful four-year run on The WB, just before The WB and UPN merged into the CW Network. |
| The Amanda Show | 1999–2001 (Nickelodeon) | The Amanda Show is a sketch comedy show, somewhat similar in format to All That, another TV series produced and written by Dan Schneider. The Amanda Show was a major hit for Nickelodeon, winning multiple Kids Choice Awards. Oddly, despite the TV series' overwhelming popularity, the network ordered only 41 episodes over a two-year period. When The Amanda Show ended in 2001, Schneider took most of the same cast and created Drake & Josh, another big hit for Nickelodeon. In many episodes of The Amanda Show, Dan Schneider can be seen playing a flustered old man character who is the repeated victim of bizarre prank phone calls. His catch phrase was, "You have the wrong number!" |
| Kenan & Kel | 1996–2000 (Nickelodeon) | Kenan & Kel is a situation comedy about the exploits of two teenage boys who are best friends in Chicago. It starred Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell. Dan Schneider also hired his former Head of the Class co-star Dan Frischman as a series regular performer. Kenan & Kel was a major hit for Nickelodeon, always scoring high ratings. The series won a Cable Ace Award and multiple Kids Choice Awards. One of Kenan & Kel's main stars, Kenan Thompson, later went on to become a regular performer on NBC's Saturday Night Live. |
| All That | 1994–2005 (Nickelodeon) | All That is a sketch comedy show, often referred to by the media as the "little brother" of Saturday Night Live. It starred an ensemble cast of kids ranging in age from 10 to 17. Dan Schneider was the head writer on All That for every season he was associated with the series. The show featured hundreds of comedy sketches, one of the most popular being Good Burger which was later turned into a movie (written by Schneider). All That won multiple Cable Ace Awards and Kids Choice Awards. It was the longest-running live-action series ever on Nickelodeon. All That featured musical appearances by major music artists such as Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, P. Diddy, Barenaked Ladies, Usher, Mandy Moore, 'N Sync, Avril Lavigne, etc. Dan Schneider quit All That after four seasons so that he could create The Amanda Show. After Schneider's departure, All That's ratings began to decline, and it was canceled in 1999. A year later, Nickelodeon asked Schneider to come back and revamp All That. He agreed, and All That returned to Nickelodeon in 2001 where it ran for four more successful seasons. Schneider left the show again in 2004, bringing All That to the end of its ten season run. |
Movies
Schneider has also written and produced feature films.
| Big Fat Liar | 2002 | Schneider wrote and co-produced the movie Big Fat Liar which starred Paul Giamatti and Frankie Muniz. The film was a hit for Universal Studios, earning nearly $50 million in domestic box office alone. |
| Good Burger | 1997 | Schneider wrote and co-produced the movie 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 in recent years has acquired cult film status. Good Burger (the movie) was spun off from a popular comedy sketch which Schneider wrote and produced on the Nickelodeon television series, All That. |
Schneider currently has movies in development at both Paramount Studios and Nickelodeon's television movie division.
Emmy Nominations[edit]
Several of Dan Schneider's shows have been nominated for Emmys in several categories. Zoey 101, iCarly, and Victorious have all received multiple Emmy nominations for Outstanding Children's Television Show. Schneider's shows have also received Emmy nominations in other categories categories, including hair styling, make-up, and stunt coordination.
Personal Life[edit]
Schneider is married to Lisa Lillien – a.k.a. Hungry Girl – a lifestyle brand devoted to fun foods and recipes that taste good but are low in fat and calories. Hungry Girl sends out a free daily email to 1.5 million subscribers. Lisa Lillien has also authored multiple books (mostly cookbooks). Six of her books have reached #1 on the New York Times best sellers list.
In 2009, under the name DanWarp, Schneider began using the internet to give fans of his television shows and movies inside, behind-the-scenes information, which he often refers to as "Fun Facts." Schneider distributes most of this information via his Twitter account, @DanWarp. In 2013, the website DanSchneider.com was launched.
Schneider has said in multiple interviews that he is a major fan of both The Simpsons and South Park, the latter of which he has called "one of the funniest shows ever on television."
Schneider named his production company Schneider's Bakery as a tribute to his late grandfather, Joe Schneider, who owned and ran a popular bakery of the same name in Memphis, Tennessee, before Dan was born.