George Verschoor (born 1960) is a
showrunner, director and a creator of television shows, known primarily for producing unscripted and reality series for television, such as ''
The Real World
Real World or The Real World may also refer to:
* Real life, a phrase to distinguish between the real world and fictional, virtual or idealized worlds
Television
* ''The Real World'' (TV series), 1992–2017
* "The Real World" (''Stargate Atla ...
'', on which he retains a
creative consultant credit. He is considered one of the pioneers of non-fiction programming.
Career
Verschoor developed, produced and directed the first four seasons of
MTV's groundbreaking series
The Real World
Real World or The Real World may also refer to:
* Real life, a phrase to distinguish between the real world and fictional, virtual or idealized worlds
Television
* ''The Real World'' (TV series), 1992–2017
* "The Real World" (''Stargate Atla ...
, which launched the modern non-fiction genre and is one of the longest-running reality programs in history. As an Emmy-nominated showrunner, he executive produced and directed
MTV's Fear
''Fear'' (promoted as ''MTV's Fear'') is an American paranormal TV, paranormal reality TV#Supernatural and paranormal, reality television series that originally aired from 2000 to 2002 on MTV and spawned the genre. The program follows a group of ...
, created and ran the hybrid mystery series
Murder in Small Town X
''Murder in Small Town X'' (sometimes abbreviated MiSTX) is an American reality television series created by George Verschoor, Robert Fisher Jr., and Gordon Cassidy and was hosted by Sgt. Gary Fredo, a California Police Investigator, that aired o ...
for FOX, and was creator and showrunner for the live music competition series
Nashville Star
''Nashville Star'' is an American reality television singing competition program that aired for six seasons, from 2003 to 2008. Its first five seasons aired on USA Network, while the last season aired on NBC. Its five seasons on USA made it the l ...
, which went for six season and launched the career of country music star
Miranda Lambert
Miranda Leigh Lambert (born November 10, 1983) is an American country singer and guitarist. Born in Longview, Texas, she started out in early 2001 when she released her self-titled debut album independently. In 2003, she finished in third place o ...
.
Verschoor also executive produced and was showrunner of the long-running ABC hit series
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. He also executive produced the
David Lynch Foundation
The David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace (or simply DLF) is a global charitable foundation with offices in New York City, Los Angeles, and Fairfield, Iowa. It was founded by film director and Transcendental Me ...
's star-studded charity benefi
Change Begins Withinfor
PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
, featuring a reunion of the two surviving
Beatles,
Sir Paul McCartney
''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...
and
Ringo Starr.
Verschoor executive produced and directed other successful television series, including the scripted comedies
Austin Stories
''Austin Stories'' is an American sitcom that aired on MTV from September 10, 1997 until January 7, 1998. It aired Wednesday nights at 10:30 pm. The show aired twelve episodes filmed on location in Austin, Texas.
An MTV search brought executives ...
,
Howard Stern
Howard Allan Stern (born January 12, 1954) is an American radio and television personality, comedian, and author. He is best known for his radio show, '' The Howard Stern Show'', which gained popularity when it was nationally syndicated on terr ...
's
Son of the Beach
''Son of the Beach'' is an American sitcom that aired from March 14, 2000, to October 1, 2002, on FX. The series is a spoof of ''Baywatch'', with much of the comedy based on sexual double entendres, puns, innuendo and the like. A major running g ...
, and
Blowin' Up
''Blowin' Up'' is a comedic reality show on MTV. The show stars Jamie Kennedy, an actor who follows his dream of becoming a successful rapper. The show was written by Kennedy after the success of the movie ''Malibu's Most Wanted,'' in which he sta ...
starring
Jamie Kennedy
James Harvey Kennedy (born May 25, 1970) is an American actor and comedian. He has played Randy Meeks in the ''Scream'' franchise (1996–2000) and a multitude of characters in '' The Jamie Kennedy Experiment'' (2002–2004) on The WB. His oth ...
. He also executive produced the award-winning
National Geographic documentary fil
Death on the Mountain: the Women of K2
As part of an overall development and production deal with
National Geographic Channel, Verschoor executive produced the hit investigative series
Border Wars, and created and executive produced the documentary adventure series Die Trying, and their off-the-grid build series Building Wild.
Most recently, Verschoor has been helming the building competition series
Home Free (2015 TV series)
''Home Free'' was an American television reality competition series that premiered on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox network on July 22, 2015. It featured couples competing to win a dream home. The series is hosted by Mike Holmes and Co host ...
starring noted contractor and TV host
Mike Holmes
Michael James Holmes (born August 3, 1963) is a Canadian builder/contractor, businessman, investor, television host, and philanthropist. In his first television series, ''Holmes on Homes,'' he rescues homeowners from renovations gone wrong. He ...
. The series premiered on the Fox network on July 22, 2015 and he is noted for coming up with Holmes' patented catchphrase "This is gonna be good!"
Verschoor is the founder and President o
Hoosick Falls Productions based in Santa Monica, CA. He currently serves on the advisory board of th
S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communicationsat
Syracuse University, the board of directors for the Woodstock Academy of Music, and is an executive producer wit
David Lynch Foundation Television
Productions
References
External links
Hoosick Falls Productionson Facebook
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Verschoor, George
Living people
1960 births
American people of Dutch descent
American television producers
People from New York (state)