Alexa Junge
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Alexa Junge is an American television writer, producer and screenwriter. Her work on ''Friends'', from 1994 to 1999, earned her nominations for three
Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
.


Personal life

Junge grew up in Los Angeles and attended
Barnard College Barnard College of Columbia University is a private women's liberal arts college in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a group of women led by young student activist Annie Nathan Meyer, who petitioned Columbia ...
, where she wrote for and performed in the
Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
Varsity Show The Varsity Show is one of the oldest traditions at Columbia University and its oldest performing arts presentation. Founded in 1894 as a fundraiser for the university's fledgling athletic teams, the Varsity Show now draws together the entire Colu ...
with
David Rakoff David Benjamin Rakoff (November 27, 1964 – August 9, 2012) was a Canadian-born American writer of prose and poetry based in New York City, who wrote humorous and sometimes autobiographical non-fiction essays. Rakoff was an essayist, journ ...
and
Jeanine Tesori Jeanine Tesori (known earlier in her career as Jeanine Levenson) is an American composer and musical arranger best known for her work in the theater. She is the most prolific and honored female theatrical composer in history, with five Broadway mu ...
. Junge continued her education at NYU's
Tisch School of the Arts The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic and media arts school of New York University. Founded on August 17, 1965, Tisch is a training ground for artists, scholars of the a ...
. A 2001 profile of Junge observed, "For someone who once moved to the East Coast to pursue theater writing, a career in television came as a bit of a surprise."Stack, Vanessa. "Writer's POV" (in feature "Road to the Emmys writers and directors"), ''Daily Variety'', 14 June 2001, ''272''(9), page not given. Junge is the granddaughter of screenwriter Marvin Borowsky and has one son, Henry Petrie.


Career

Junge was a writer and producer for ''Friends'' from 1994 to 1999, for which she was nominated for three
Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
and a
Writers Guild of America Award The Writers Guild of America Awards is an award for film, television, and radio writing including both fiction and non-fiction categories given by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America West since 1949. Eligibility Th ...
. Junge wrote the episode " The One Where Everybody Finds Out", which won the National AOL Poll for "All Time Favorite ''Friends'' Episode" Her episode "
The One with the Prom Video "The One with the Prom Video" is the fourteenth episode of the second season, and the 38th episode overall, of the American television situation comedy ''Friends'', which first aired on NBC on February 1, 1996. The episode focuses on the main char ...
" was heralded by the authors of ''Friends like Us: The Unofficial Guide to Friends'' as "a watershed in the history of the show." In 2014,
Gawker ''Gawker'' is an American blog founded by Nick Denton and Elizabeth Spiers and based in New York City focusing on celebrities and the media industry. According to SimilarWeb, the site had over 23 million visits per month as of 2015. Founded in ...
published a list of every episode of Friends ranked from #236 through #1. "The One With The Prom Video" came in first. It was 100 in the
TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All-Time 100 Greatest Episodes of All-Time (1997) and Top 100 Episodes of All Time (2009) are lists of the 100 "best" television show episodes on U.S. television as published by ''TV Guide''. The first list, published on June 28, 1997, was produced in co ...
. Junge went on to write for ''
Once and Again ''Once and Again'' is an American family drama television series that aired on ABC from September 21, 1999, to April 15, 2002. It depicts the family of a single mother and her romance with a single father. It was created by Marshall Herskovitz a ...
'', ''
Sex and the City ''Sex and the City'' is an American romantic comedy, romantic comedy-drama television series created by Darren Star for HBO. An adaptation of Candace Bushnell's Sex and the City (newspaper column), newspaper column and 1996 book anthology of the ...
'',The Dramatists Guild. "Ten questions: Alexa Junge," ''The Dramatist'', Jan/Feb 2017, 14-15. ''
The West Wing ''The West Wing'' is an American serial (radio and television), serial political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the ...
'' (for which she was nominated for one Emmy for production and one WGA Award) as well as ''
Big Love ''Big Love'' is an American drama television series that aired on HBO from March 12, 2006 to March 20, 2011. It stars Bill Paxton as the patriarch of a fundamentalist Mormon family in contemporary Utah that practices polygamy, with Jeanne Tripp ...
'' and the BBC comedy '' Clone''. Junge also wrote lyrics for Disney's ''
Mulan 2 ''Mulan II'' is a 2004 American direct-to-video animated musical adventure film produced by the Japanese office of  Disneytoon Studios. It is directed by Darrell Rooney and Lynne Southerland. It is a sequel to the 1998 theatrically-released ...
'' and the children's stage version ''Mulan Jr.'',"Season preview 2015-16," ''American Theatre'', October 2015, p. 66. as well as screenplay and lyrics for Disney's ''
Lilo & Stitch 2 ''Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch'' is a 2005 American direct-to-video animated science fiction comedy-drama film produced by the Australian office of Disneytoon Studios. It is the third film released in the ''Lilo & Stitch'' franchise an ...
''. A frequent contributor to National Public Radio's ''
This American Life ''This American Life'' (''TAL'') is an American monthly hour-long radio program produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media and hosted by Ira Glass. It is broadcast on numerous public radio stations in the United States and internation ...
'', Junge performed live for their 2008 "What I Learned From Television" tour. She served as
executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...
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 ...
for the first season of Showtime's series ''
The United States of Tara ''United States of Tara'' is an American television comedy-drama created by Diablo Cody, which aired on Showtime from 2009 to 2011. The series follows the life of Tara (Toni Collette), a suburban artist and mother coping with dissociative ident ...
''; upon her departure ''
Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly larg ...
'' noted, "Bringing ''Friends'' alumna Junge on board (had been) key to securing a series order for ''Tara'', created by Oscar winner
Diablo Cody Brook Maurio (''née'' Busey; born June 14, 1978), known professionally by the pen name Diablo Cody, is an American writer and producer. She gained recognition for her candid blog and subsequent memoir, '' Candy Girl: A Year in the Life of an Unl ...
."Andreeva, Nellie.
Junge steps aside as ''Tara'' topper
" ''Hollywood Reporter'', ''409''(4), 2009-03-23, page not given. via Press Reader
Junge subsequently worked on '' Tilda'' for HBO with
Bill Condon William Condon (born October 22, 1955) is an American director and screenwriter. Condon is known for writing and/or directing numerous successful and acclaimed films including '' Gods and Monsters'', ''Chicago'', '' Kinsey'', ''Dreamgirls'', ' ...
,
Alan Poul Alan Mark Poul (born May 1, 1954) is an American film and television producer and director. Career Poul served as executive producer for the HBO original series, '' Six Feet Under'', on which he made his directing debut. He directed four episo ...
and John Hoffman, and was the executive producer on ''
Best Friends Forever "Best friends forever" is a phrase that describes a close friendship. It is sometimes written as an initialism, "BFF". Definition A BFF is a term for someone's best friend or close friend and is characterized by trust and permanence, irrespectiv ...
'' starring
Lennon Parham Lennon Kathleen Parham (born October 26, 1975) is an American actress and improvisational comedian from the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. With frequent collaborator Jessica St. Clair, she created and co-starred in NBC's ''Best Friends Forev ...
and
Jessica St. Clair Jessica St. Clair is an American actress and improvisational comedian from the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. With frequent collaborator Lennon Parham, she co-created and co-starred in NBC's ''Best Friends Forever'' and USA Network's '' Playi ...
for NBC. She also wrote four episodes of the 2015-16
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
series ''
Grace and Frankie ''Grace and Frankie'' is an American comedy television series created by Marta Kauffman and Howard J. Morris for Netflix. The series stars Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin as the eponymous Grace Hanson and Frankie Bergstein, two aging women who form ...
''. Junge's play '' Fingersmith'' (an adaptation of
Sarah Waters Sarah Ann Waters (born 21 July 1966) is a Welsh novelist. She is best known for her novels set in Victorian society and featuring lesbian protagonists, such as ''Tipping the Velvet'' and '' Fingersmith''. Life and education Early life Sara ...
' novel) had its world premiere at the
Oregon Shakespeare Festival The Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) is a regional repertory theatre in Ashland, Oregon, United States, founded in 1935 by Angus L. Bowmer. The Festival now offers matinee and evening performances of a wide range of classic and contemporary pla ...
in March 2015. Additional plays and musicals by Junge were produced at the
Goodspeed Opera House Goodspeed Musicals is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and advancement of musical theater and the creation of new works, located in East Haddam, Connecticut. A distinctive feature of the view from the Connecticut River, th ...
,
Studio Arena Theater The Shea's 710 Theatre (originally known as the Studio Arena Theatre) is a theatre in Buffalo, New York. It was founded in the 1920s and briefly closed in 2008 citing $3 million in debt and laying off its staff. It was reopened as the 710 Main ...
,
Playwrights Horizons Playwrights Horizons is a not-for-profit Off-Broadway theater located in New York City dedicated to the support and development of contemporary American playwrights, composers, and lyricists, and to the production of their new work. Under the ...
Lab, Theaterworks and developed at
New York Stage and Film New York Stage and Film is an art and film institution founded in 1985 by Mark Linn-Baker, Max Mayer and Leslie Urdang in order to provide artists with a rigorous and nurturing environment to invigorate the artistic process; to promote collabora ...
as well as the MacDowell and Djerassi colonies of Hedgebrook Women Playwrights Festival. Among these productions was the musical ''Starcrossed: The Trial of
Galileo Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642) was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a polymath. Commonly referred to as Galileo, his name was pronounced (, ). He was ...
'', for which Junge co-wrote the book and lyrics with Keith Levenson.
Starcrossed: the trial of Galileo
' (theatrical program), New York Public Library Research holdings.


Television writing credits


''Friends'' episodes

Junge has written the following ''
Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa ...
'' episodes: * " The One Where Everybody Finds Out" (1999) * "
The One with the Yeti The fifth season of ''Friends'', an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, premiered on NBC on September 24, 1998. ''Friends'' was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television. ...
" (1998) * "
The One Where Chandler Can't Remember Which Sister The third season of '' Friends'', an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, premiered on NBC on September 19, 1996. ''Friends'' was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television. ...
" (1997) * "
The One with the Metaphorical Tunnel The third season of '' Friends'', an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, premiered on NBC on September 19, 1996. ''Friends'' was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television. ...
" (1996) * " The One with the Two Parties" (1996) * "
The One with the Prom Video "The One with the Prom Video" is the fourteenth episode of the second season, and the 38th episode overall, of the American television situation comedy ''Friends'', which first aired on NBC on February 1, 1996. The episode focuses on the main char ...
" (1996) * "
The One with Phoebe's Husband The second season of ''Friends'', an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, premiered on NBC on September 21, 1995. ''Friends'' was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television. ...
" (1995) * " The One with the Ick Factor" (1995) * "
The One with the Boobies The first season of ''Friends'', an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, premiered on NBC on September 22, 1994. ''Friends'' was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television. ...
" (1995) * " The One with George Stephanopoulos" (1994)


''The West Wing'' episodes

Junge has written the following ''
The West Wing ''The West Wing'' is an American serial (radio and television), serial political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the ...
'' episodes: * "
Eppur Si Muove ''And Yet It Moves'' is a puzzle-platform game developed by independent developer Broken Rules. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux on April 2, 2009, and for Wii as a WiiWare title in August 2010. ''And Yet It Mov ...
" (2004) * "
Disaster Relief Emergency management or disaster management is the managerial function charged with creating the framework within which communities reduce vulnerability to hazards and cope with disasters. Emergency management, despite its name, does not actuall ...
" (2003)


''The United States of Tara'' episodes

Junge has written the following ''
The United States of Tara ''United States of Tara'' is an American television comedy-drama created by Diablo Cody, which aired on Showtime from 2009 to 2011. The series follows the life of Tara (Toni Collette), a suburban artist and mother coping with dissociative ident ...
'' episodes: * "Snow" (2009) * "Revolution" (2009) * "Inspiration" (2009)


''Grace and Frankie'' episodes

Junge has written the following ''
Grace and Frankie ''Grace and Frankie'' is an American comedy television series created by Marta Kauffman and Howard J. Morris for Netflix. The series stars Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin as the eponymous Grace Hanson and Frankie Bergstein, two aging women who form ...
'' episodes: * "The Floor" (2017) * "The Party" (2016) * "The Vitamix" (2016) * "The Vows" (2015) * "The Funeral" (2015)


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Junge, Alexa American screenwriters American television producers American women television producers American television writers Barnard College alumni Living people American women screenwriters American women television writers Tisch School of the Arts alumni Year of birth missing (living people)