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Daniel Knauf, sometimes credited under the pseudonyms Wilfred Schmidt and Chris Neal, is an American
television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
screenwriter and producer, as well as
comic book writer A script is a document describing the narrative and dialogue of a comic book in detail. It is the comic book equivalent of a Television, television program teleplay or a film screenplay. In comics, a script may be preceded by a plot outline, and ...
, best known for his creation of the 2003 HBO series '' Carnivàle''.


Biography

Born and raised in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
, Knauf attended several colleges in Southern California studying
fine art In European academic traditions, fine art is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwor ...
, and later graduated from the
California State University, Los Angeles California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) is a public university in Los Angeles, California. It is part of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) system. Cal State LA offers 142 bachelor's degrees, 122 master's degrees, ...
with a
bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
in English in 1982. He began work as an
employee benefit Employment is a relationship between two parties regulating the provision of paid labour services. Usually based on a contract, one party, the employer, which might be a corporation, a not-for-profit organization, a co-operative, or any oth ...
s consultant and later a health insurance
broker A broker is a person or firm who arranges transactions between a buyer and a seller for a commission when the deal is executed. A broker who also acts as a seller or as a buyer becomes a principal party to the deal. Neither role should be confu ...
, writing once he was able to support himself and his family financially. Hoping to become a screenwriter, Knauf's first draft of '' Carnivàle'', written in 1992, was 180 pages long and twice the length of the average
feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...
. Convinced the screenplay could not work as either a standard television series or a film, he put it aside, planning to one day adapt it into a novel. ''Carnivàle'' evolved as a result of Knauf's childhood fascination with carnivals and his interest in "freaks", due in part to the childhood
polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...
that confined his father to a wheelchair, which Knauf felt his father was defined by. After meeting with a number of television writers at a
Writers Guild of America The Writers Guild of America is the joint efforts of two different US labor unions representing TV and film writers: * The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), headquartered in New York City and affiliated with the AFL–CIO * The Writers Gu ...
retreat in the mid-90s, he started to think that his screenplay might work as a television piece. He took the first act and reworked it as a
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 distr ...
, but shelved the script again when he could not get the project produced. Knauf went on to write the 1994 HBO-produced
television movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...
'' Blind Justice'', and, during a low-point in his screenwriting career, created his own website, posting his resume and ''Carnivàle'''s first act online. He created the 2001
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 distr ...
''Honey Vicarro'' and was a writer and consulting producer for the television series ''
Wolf Lake ''Wolf Lake'' is an American supernatural drama television series that originally aired on CBS from September 19 to October 24, 2001. Nine episodes were produced, but only five aired before the series was canceled by CBS. The full series, inclu ...
''. He was also writer and director on the 2002 film ''Dark Descent'' (his sole directing credit) before a television production scout brought ''Carnivàle'' to television producers
Scott Winant Scott Winant is an American television director and producer. He is a member of the Directors Guild of America and Producers Guild of America The Producers Guild of America (PGA) is a 501(c)(6) trade association representing television prod ...
and Howard Klein, who brought it to HBO where the series ended up being produced, twelve years after Knauf had first drafted the script. Since ''Carnivàle'' was cancelled in 2005, Knauf has moved on to write for '' Supernatural'' and '' Standoff'', also serving as a co-executive producer on ''Standoff''. He worked as a writer for the
Christian Slater Christian Michael Leonard Slater (born August 18, 1969) is an American actor and producer. He made his film debut with a leading role in ''The Legend of Billie Jean'' (1985) and gained wider recognition for his breakthrough role as Jason "J.D." D ...
drama '' My Own Worst Enemy'' in 2008. He and his son Charles Knauf have written issues 7–18 and 21–28 of '' Iron Man'' for
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
, as well as volume #2 of '' The Eternals'' since its 2006 revival after over thirty years. He has submitted a draft to Sci Fi Channel for an adaptation of ''
The Phantom ''The Phantom'' is an American adventure comic strip, first published by Lee Falk in February 1936. The main character, the Phantom, is a fictional costumed crime-fighter who operates from the fictional African country of Bangalla. The char ...
''. He was a consulting producer for the latter part of the first season of historical action drama '' Spartacus: Blood and Sand''. Knauf wrote two episodes for the first season. Knauf co-wrote with Andrea Berloff and Caleb Pinkett the script for a mystery thriller, ''The Legend of Cain'', but it has not been produced. Knauf was the writer and showrunner of the short-lived
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
series '' Dracula'', before joining the staff of ''
The Blacklist ''The Blacklist'' is an American crime thriller television series that premiered on NBC on September 23, 2013. The show follows Raymond "Red" Reddington (James Spader), a former U.S. Navy officer turned high-profile criminal who voluntarily s ...
'' with the beginning of season two.


Filmography


Films


Television


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Knauf, Daniel Television producers from California American television writers Film producers from California American male screenwriters American comics writers Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American male television writers Film directors from Los Angeles Screenwriters from California