Steven Conrad
Steven Conrad (born May 20, 1968) is an American filmmaker. Personal life Steven Conrad was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and briefly attended Florida State University before transferring to Northwestern University, where he majored in creative writing. His brother, Chris Conrad, is an actor and has frequently appeared in Steven's productions. Their mother was a teacher at St. Gregory the Great Catholic School, Plantation, Broward County, Florida. Career Shortly after attending Northwestern, at age 19, he sold his first screenplay, '' Wrestling Ernest Hemingway'', adapted from a short story he had written for a creative writing class. Eleven years passed before he tackled his next project, ''Lawrence Melm'', which he wrote and directed. He followed this with ''The Weather Man'' (which he also produced) and ''The Pursuit of Happyness''. He wrote, directed, and edited ''The Promotion'', which premiered at South by Southwest in March 2008 and was released by Dimension Films la ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Patriot (TV Series)
''Patriot'' is an American comedy-drama television series created by Steven Conrad. It premiered on November 5, 2015, on Amazon Prime Video, with the remaining first-season episodes released on February 23, 2017. It stars Michael Dorman, Kurtwood Smith, Michael Chernus, Kathleen Munroe, Aliette Opheim, Chris Conrad, Terry O'Quinn and Debra Winger. In April 2017, Amazon announced that it had renewed the series for a second season, which premiered on November 9, 2018. In July 2019, Amazon announced that they had no plans for a third season. Premise To prevent Iran from going nuclear, intelligence officer John Tavner must forgo all safety nets and assume a perilous non-official cover ("NOC") of a mid-level employee at a Milwaukee industrial piping firm. Cast and characters Main * Michael Dorman as John Tavner, a troubled intelligence officer and folk singer posing as an industrial engineer * Kurtwood Smith as Leslie Claret, John's boss at McMillan, his engineering firm * Michael ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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South By Southwest
South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas, United States. It began in 1987 and has continued to grow in both scope and size every year. In 2017, the conference lasted for 10 days with the interactive track lasting for five days, music for seven days, and film for nine days. There was no in-person event in 2020 and 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in Austin, Texas; both years, there was a smaller online event instead. SXSW is run by the company SXSW, LLC, which organizes conferences, trade shows, festivals, and other events. In addition to SXSW, the company runs the conference SXSW Edu and the upcoming SXSW Sydney festival, and co-runs North by Northeast in Toronto. It has previously run or co-run the events North by Northwest (1995-2001), West by ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Jack Thorne
Jack Thorne FRSL (born 6 December 1978) is a British playwright, television writer, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for writing the stage play ''Harry Potter and the Cursed Child'', the films ''Wonder'' and '' Enola Holmes'', and the television programme ''His Dark Materials''. Early life Thorne was born in Bristol on 6 December 1978. He was educated at St. Bartholomew's School in Newbury, Berkshire, and matriculated in 1998 at Pembroke College, Cambridge. He was forced to "degrade" (drop out to return at a later date) due to ill health in his third year, but returned to finish his studies and graduated with lower second-class honours in 2002. Career Theatre Thorne's plays for stage include ''When You Cure Me'' ( Bush Theatre 2005), ''Fanny and Faggot'' ( Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2004, Finborough Theatre and tour, 2007), ''Stacy'' ( Arcola Theatre and Trafalgar Studios, 2007), ''Burying Your Brother in the Pavement'' ( Royal National Theatre Connections F ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Wonder (Palacio Novel)
''Wonder'' is a children's novel written by R. J. Palacio, published on February 14, 2012. ''Wonder'' was inspired by an incident where her son started to cry after noticing a girl with a severe facial deformity. Fearing her son would react badly, Palacio attempted to remove him from the situation so as not to upset the girl and her family but ended up worsening the situation. Natalie Merchant's song of the same name made her realize that the incident could illustrate a valuable lesson. Palacio was inspired by Merchant's lyrics and she began writing. She named the book directly after the song and used the song's chorus as the prologue of the first chapter. Several spin-offs, including the calendar book ''365 Days of Wonder: Mr. Browne's Book of Precepts'', ''We're All Wonders'', ''Auggie and Me'', and ''White Bird'' have been published. A film adaptation was released in 2017, of which a spin-off sequel/prequel film (adapting ''White Bird'') followed in 2022. Plot August "Augg ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Wonder (film)
''Wonder'' is a 2017 American coming-of-age drama film directed by Stephen Chbosky and written by Jack Thorne, Steven Conrad, and Chbosky. It is based on the 2012 novel of the same name by R. J. Palacio and stars Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson, Jacob Tremblay, Noah Jupe, Izabela Vidovic, Bryce Gheisar, and Daveed Diggs. The film, which follows a boy named August Pullman with Treacher Collins syndrome trying to fit in, was released in the United States on November 17, 2017, by Lionsgate. It received positive reviews from critics and audiences, with many praising Tremblay and Roberts' performances, Chbosky's direction, writing, musical score and faithfulness to Palacio's novel; the film grossed $306 million worldwide on a $20 million budget. At the 90th Academy Awards, the film was nominated for Best Makeup and Hairstyling. A spin-off sequel/prequel film, '' White Bird: A Wonder Story'', will release in 2023, with Gheisar reprising his role. Plot August "Auggie" Pullman is a 10-year ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Television Pilot
A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other distributor. A pilot is created to be a testing ground to gauge whether a series will be successful. It is, therefore, a test episode for the intended television series, an early step in the series development, much like pilot studies serve as precursors to the start of larger activity. A successful pilot may be used as the series premiere, the first aired episode of a new show, but sometimes a series' pilot may be aired as a later episode or never aired at all. Some series are commissioned straight-to-series without a pilot. On some occasions, pilots that were not ordered to series may also be broadcast as a standalone television film or special. A "backdoor pilot" is an episode of an existing series that heavily features supporting characters ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Amazon Studios
Amazon Studios is an American television and film producer and distributor that is a subsidiary of Amazon. It specializes in developing television series and distributing and producing films. It was started in late 2010. Content is distributed through theaters and Amazon Prime Video, Amazon's digital video streaming service, whose competitors include Netflix and Hulu, among others. Overview Scripts for television and films used to be submitted online to Amazon and read by staff; however, the website states they no longer accept submissions. Amazon aimed to review submitted scripts within 90 days (although the process may be longer). If a project was chosen for development, the writer was paid $10,000. If a developed script was selected for distribution as a full-budget movie, the creator was paid $200,000; if it was selected for distribution as a full-budget series, the creator was paid $55,000 as well as "up to 5 percent of Amazon's net receipts from toy and t-shirt licensing, a ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ben Stiller
Benjamin Edward Meara Stiller (born November 30, 1965) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is the son of the comedians and actors Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. Stiller was a member of a group of comedic actors colloquially known as the Frat Pack. His films have grossed more than $2.6 billion in Canada and the United States, with an average of $79 million per film. Throughout his career, he has received various awards and honors, including an Emmy Award, multiple MTV Movie Awards, a Britannia Award and a Teen Choice Award. While beginning his acting career, Stiller wrote several mockumentaries and was offered a variety sketch comedy series titled ''The Ben Stiller Show'', which he produced and hosted for its 13-episode run. The series ran on MTV from 1990 to 1992, earning him a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Program. He then appeared on shows such as '' Friends'', '' Curb Your Enthusiasm'', and ''Arrested Development''. Having previo ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty (2013 Film)
''The Secret Life of Walter Mitty'' is a 2013 American adventure comedy-drama film directed, co-produced by and starring Ben Stiller and written by Steve Conrad. The film also stars Kristen Wiig, Shirley MacLaine, Adam Scott, Kathryn Hahn, and Sean Penn. It is the second film adaptation of James Thurber's 1939 short story of the same name, following the 1947 film. Following its world premiere at the New York Film Festival on October 5, 2013, ''The Secret Life of Walter Mitty'' was theatrically released by 20th Century Fox on December 25, 2013, in North America to generally mixed reception. It was chosen by the National Board of Review as one of the top ten films of 2013. Plot Walter Mitty is a negative assets manager at ''Life'' magazine living alone in New York City. He chronically daydreams and has a secret crush on Cheryl Melhoff, a coworker. Walter attempts to contact Cheryl via eHarmony but eHarmony customer service agent Todd Mahar explains that Walter's accou ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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James Thurber
James Grover Thurber (December 8, 1894 – November 2, 1961) was an American cartoonist, writer, humorist, journalist and playwright. He was best known for his cartoons and short stories, published mainly in ''The New Yorker'' and collected in his numerous books. Thurber was one of the most popular humorists of his time and celebrated the comic frustrations and eccentricities of ordinary people. His works have frequently been adapted into films, including ''The Male Animal'' (1942), ''The Battle of the Sexes'' (1959, based on Thurber's " The Catbird Seat"), and ''The Secret Life of Walter Mitty'' (adapted twice, in 1947 and in 2013). Life Thurber was born in Columbus, Ohio, to Charles L. Thurber and Mary Agnes "Mame" (née Fisher) Thurber on December 8, 1894. Both of his parents greatly influenced his work. His father was a sporadically employed clerk and minor politician who dreamed of being a lawyer or an actor. Thurber described his mother as a "born comedian" and "one o ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Jack Black
Thomas Jacob Black (born August 28, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is known for his acting roles in the films '' High Fidelity'' (2000), ''Shallow Hal'' (2001), ''Orange County'' (2002), '' School of Rock'' (2003), ''Envy'' (2004), ''The Holiday'' (2006), '' Gulliver's Travels'' (2010), '' Bernie'' (2011), ''The House with a Clock in Its Walls'' (2018), and the ''Jumanji'' franchise; in addition, as of August 2022, his music video for "Tribute"—as one half of the Grammy Award–winning comedy rock duo Tenacious D—has accumulated more than 112 million views on YouTube alone. Additionally, he is also well known for his voice-acting roles as the giant panda named Po from DreamWorks Animation's ''Kung Fu Panda'' films. Black gained Golden Globe nominations for his work in ''School of Rock'' and ''Bernie'', and was given a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame in 2018. He is the lead vocalist of the Tenacious D, and formed the duo in 1994 with long-time fr ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Brad Pitt
William Bradley Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. He is the recipient of various accolades, including two Academy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award. As a public figure, Pitt has been cited as one of the most powerful and influential people in the American entertainment industry. Pitt first gained recognition as a cowboy hitchhiker in the Ridley Scott road film ''Thelma & Louise'' (1991). His first leading roles in big-budget productions came with the drama films '' A River Runs Through It'' (1992) and '' Legends of the Fall'' (1994), and the horror film ''Interview with the Vampire'' (1994). He gave critically acclaimed performances in David Fincher's crime thriller ''Seven'' (1995) and the science fiction film '' 12 Monkeys'' (1995). The latter earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor and his first Academy Award nomination. Pitt found greater commercial success s ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |