Adam Frederick Goldberg (born April 2, 1976) is an American television and

film producer A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...

, and writer. Goldberg is best known as the creator and

showrunner A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also th ...

of '' The Goldbergs'', a television

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

based on his childhood in which he is portrayed by

Sean Giambrone Sean Giambrone (born May 30, 1999) is an American actor. His on-screen roles include Adam F. Goldberg in the sitcom ''The Goldbergs (2013 TV series), The Goldbergs'' and Ron Stoppable in the Disney Channel film ''Kim Possible (film), Kim Possible' ...

. He also created and led the sitcoms '' Breaking In'', ''

Imaginary Mary ''Imaginary Mary'' is an American live-action/animated fantasy sitcom television series created by Adam F. Goldberg, David Guarascio and Patrick Osborne that aired on ABC from March 29 to May 30, 2017. The series is executive produced by the c ...

'', and '' Schooled'', a spin-off of ''The Goldbergs''.

Early life and work

Goldberg was born to a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, and lived in nearby

Jenkintown Jenkintown is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. It is approximately 10 miles (16 km) north of Center City Philadelphia. History The community was named for William Jenkins, a Welsh pioneer settler. Jenkintown is located just ...

. His parents are Beverly (née Solomon) (born October 8, 1943) and Murray Goldberg (September 25, 1940 – February 1, 2008); he is the youngest of three sons, with brothers Eric (born August 18, 1967) and Barry (born October 15, 1969). He produced his first play, ''Dr. Pickup'', in 1992 at the age of 15, and won the Philadelphia Young Playwrights Festival. His plays were performed in venues such as the Sundance Playwrights Lab, the Illusion Theater, The Greenwich Street Theater, The Saint Marks Theatre, The Tada! Theater, The Walnut Street Theater and the Joseph Papp Theater. He was a finalist for the American Theater Critics Association's 1997 Osborn Award for his full-length play, ''One on One''. His dramedy ''The Purple Heart'' was produced by the Institute for Arts and Education at the Annenberg Theater and also won first place in The Very Special Arts Playwriting Award and was produced at the

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

in Washington, D.C.

Career

Screenwriting

Goldberg's first comedy-writing job began in 2003 for the sitcom '' Still Standing'', where he worked for four years and finished as a co-producer. After his first year on ''Still Standing'', he teamed up with Picture Machine,

Trigger Street Productions Trigger Street Productions is an American entertainment production company formed by Kevin Spacey in 1997 and further developed by his business partner Dana Brunetti. The company's credits include '' Captain Phillips'', ''Shakespeare High'', ' ...

, and college friend

Kyle Newman Kyle Newman (born March 16, 1976) is an American filmmaker, actor and New York Times bestselling author. He is known for directing ''Fanboys'', a Star Wars-themed comedy, '' Barely Lethal'' starring Hailee Steinfeld and Samuel L. Jackson for ...

to develop the screenplay for '' Fanboys''. After a year, they sold it to

The Weinstein Company The Weinstein Company (usually credited or abbreviated as TWC) was an American independent film studio, founded in New York City by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in March 2005. TWC was one of the largest mini-major film studios in North America prior ...

. The screenplay ended up seventh on the 2005 Black List for most popular unproduced scripts of the year. After the success of '' Fanboys'', Goldberg was hired to write the screenplays for ''

The Jetsons ''The Jetsons'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. It originally aired in prime time from September 23, 1962, to March 17, 1963, on ABC, then later aired in reruns via syndication, with new episodes produced f ...

''; a 2007 remake of ''

Revenge of the Nerds ''Revenge of the Nerds'' is a 1984 American comedy film directed by Jeff Kanew and starring Robert Carradine, Anthony Edwards, Ted McGinley, and Bernie Casey. The film's plot chronicles a group of nerds at the fictional Adams College trying ...

'' (1984) starring

Adam Brody Adam Jared Brody (born December 15, 1979) is an American actor, writer, musician, and producer. He is known for his breakthrough role as Seth Cohen on the Fox television series ''The O.C.'', which premiered in 2003. Subsequently, Brody appeared ...

, which was cancelled after three weeks of filming; '' Aliens in the Attic''; and ''

The Muppets' Wizard of Oz ''The Muppets' Wizard of Oz'' is a 2005 musical fantasy television film directed by Kirk R. Thatcher. It is the second film to be made for television in ''The Muppets'' franchise. The film stars Ashanti, Jeffrey Tambor, Quentin Tarantino, David ...

''. He also spent a year writing on DreamWorks Animation's ''

How to Train Your Dragon ''How to Train Your Dragon'' (abbreviated ''HTTYD'') is an American media franchise from DreamWorks Animation and loosely based on the eponymous series of children's books by British author Cressida Cowell. It consists of three feature films: ' ...

'', before moving over to write '' Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space'' as well as the 2011 ''How to Train Your Dragon'' Christmas special, '' Gift of the Night Fury''. He is currently adapting the graphic novel ''Seal Team 7'' for director

Shawn Levy Shawn Adam Levy (born July 23, 1968) is a Canadian film director, film producer, actor, and founder of 21 Laps Entertainment. He has worked across genres and is perhaps best known as the director of the ''Night at the Museum'' film franchise an ...

, and bringing the book ''

Simon Bloom Simon Bloom is a series of young adult novels by Michael Reisman. Set in the fictional town of Lawnville, New Jersey, it is about a boy who finds a book that lets him control the laws of physics. The first of the books was acquired by Walden Media ...

: Gravity Keeper'' to the screen for

Walden Media Walden Media, LLC or Walden Media is an American film investor, distributor, and publishing company. Its films are based on children's literature, biographies or historical events, as well as documentaries and some original screenplays. The corpo ...

. Goldberg has also produced several movies, including ''

The Comebacks ''The Comebacks'' is a 2007 American satirical comedy film directed by Tom Brady. This film is a parody of the clichés and plots of the sports film genre. In the UK, Greece, Finland, Australia and New Zealand this film is called ''Sports Movie''. ...

'', ''

Daddy Day Camp ''Daddy Day Camp'' (also known as ''Daddy Day Care 2'') is a 2007 American comedy film starring Cuba Gooding Jr., and directed by Fred Savage in his feature film directorial debut. It is the second installment in the ''Daddy Day Care'' film se ...

'', ''Bobism'', ''Jeff the Immortal'', and a remake of ''Night of the Living Dorks''.

Television

On the television side, Goldberg teamed up with

Adam Sandler Adam Richard Sandler (born September 9, 1966) is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, producer and singer. He was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1990 to 1995, before going on to star in numerous Hollywood films, those of wh ...

's production company

Happy Madison Happy Madison Productions is an American film and television production company founded in 1999 by Adam Sandler, which is best known for its comedy films. Happy Madison takes its name from the films ''Happy Gilmore'' and ''Billy Madison'', two ...

to write four pilots for various networks. In 2010, Happy Madison introduced him to ''

King of Kong ''The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters'' is a 2007 American documentary film about competitive arcade gaming directed by Seth Gordon. It follows Steve Wiebe in his attempts to take the high score record for the 1981 arcade game ''Donkey Kong ...

'' director

Seth Gordon Seth Lewis Gordon (born July 15, 1974) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and film editor. He has produced and directed for film and television, including for PBS, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the United Nations Staf ...

and together they created the 2011

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

comedy series '' Breaking In''. The show was pitched as "''The Office'' meets ''The A-Team''" and, after a year of development, was picked up to series. Prior to ''Breaking In'', Goldberg also wrote on the shows ''

Aliens in America ''Aliens in America'' is an American teen sitcom created by David Guarascio and Moses Port that aired on The CW for one season from October 1, 2007, to May 18, 2008. Guarascio and Port also served as executive producers of the show alongside Tim ...

'', ''

Secret Girlfriend ''Secret Girlfriend'' is an American sitcom which was produced by FremantleMedia North America and aired from October 7 until November 11, 2009 on Comedy Central. The show features the viewer as the "star" of a dating satire, with the show's actor ...

'', ''

Voltron Force ''Voltron Force'' is a pseudo-sequel to the 1980s animated series ''Voltron (1984 TV series), Voltron'' that was originally scheduled for a release in autumn of 2010. Eventually, the show premiered on June 16, 2011, exclusively on the Nicktoons ( ...

'', ''

WordGirl ''WordGirl'' (stylized as ''W✪RD GIRL'') is an American children's Flash animated superhero television series produced by the Soup2Nuts animation unit of Scholastic Entertainment for PBS Kids. The series began as a series of shorts entitled ' ...

'' and Kevin Williamson's '' Glory Days''. In 2011, Goldberg signed a three-year overall deal with Sony Pictures TV. During this time, Goldberg was a producer on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

's ''

Community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...

'' while developing new projects. In 2012, Goldberg got a pilot commitment to shoot an autobiographical show about his family titled ''How the F--- Am I Normal?'', and also reunited with Fox on a pilot starring

AJ Michalka Amanda Joy Michalka ( ; born April 10, 1991) is an American actress, singer-songwriter, record producer and voice actress who is best known as one half of the musical duo Aly & AJ (briefly 78violet), alongside her older sister Aly Michalka. She h ...

and

. The autobiographical show was picked up by ABC with a title change to '' The Goldbergs''. He also co-created ''

'' and ''The Goldbergs'' spinoff series '' Schooled'' for ABC.

Other projects

On July 22, 2020, Goldberg, along with Uncle Louie, launched

challenge coin A challenge coin is a small coin or medallion, bearing an organization's insignia or emblem and carried by the organization's members. Traditionally, they might be given to prove membership when asked and to enhance morale. They are also coll ...

s with the

Garbage Pail Kids ''Garbage Pail Kids'' is a series of sticker trading cards produced by the Topps Company, originally released in 1985 and designed to parody the ''Cabbage Patch Kids'' dolls, which were popular at the time. Each sticker card features a Garbage ...

. They were licensed by

Topps The Topps Company, Inc. is an American company that manufactures chewing gum, candy, and collectibles. Formerly based in New York City, Topps is best known as a leading producer of American Football Card, American football, Baseball card, baseb ...

and sold out in minutes.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Goldberg, Adam F. American film producers American male screenwriters Television producers from Pennsylvania American television writers Jewish American screenwriters Living people People from Jenkintown, Pennsylvania 1976 births Showrunners American male television writers William Penn Charter School alumni American dramatists and playwrights People from Philadelphia