Greg Beck Whiteley (born November 11, 1969) is the creator, executive producer, and director of the Netflix documentary series ''

Cheer Cheering involves the uttering or making of sounds and may be used to encourage, excite to action, indicate approval or welcome. The word cheer originally meant face, countenance, or expression, and came through Old French into Middle Engli ...

'' (2020–2022) and ''

Last Chance U ''Last Chance U'' is an American documentary streaming television series that is produced and premiered by Netflix. The six-episode first season explores the football program at East Mississippi Community College, which features several colleg ...

'' (2016–2020). His films include ''

New York Doll ''New York Doll'' is a documentary based on the life of former New York Dolls member Arthur Kane. It was nominated for both a Satellite Award and a Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, where it premiered in 2005. Synopsis The fil ...

'' (2005), '' Resolved'' (2007), '' Mitt'' (2014), and '' Most Likely to Succeed'' (2015). Whiteley's documentaries have garnered an IDA award for best documentary series, four Emmy Awards and three premieres at the Sundance Film Festival.

Early life and education

Whiteley was born in Provo, Utah to parents Jessie and Kent Whiteley. He was raised in Bellevue, Washington where he attended

Interlake High School Interlake High School (IHS) is a public secondary school in Bellevue, Washington, one of the four traditional high schools in the Bellevue School District. Its mascot is a Saint Bernard named Bernie, and the school's sports teams are known as th ...

and became a two-time debate state champion. He served for two years, from 1989–1991, as a missionary for

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...

on the

Navajo Nation The Navajo Nation ( nv, Naabeehó Bináhásdzo), also known as Navajoland, is a Native American reservation in the United States. It occupies portions of northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and southeastern Utah; at roughly , the ...

in New Mexico. He then graduated from

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-d ...

in 1995 with a BA in film and received an MFA in film from

Art Center College of Design Art Center College of Design (stylized as ArtCenter College of Design) is a private art college in Pasadena, California. History ArtCenter College of Design was founded in 1930 in downtown Los Angeles as the Art Center School. In 1935, Fred ...

in 2001.

Career

After winning two Clio Awards during graduate school at Art Center, he was hired by Populuxe Pictures to direct commercials. From 1996 to 2000, Whiteley served as the head of Film Actors Theater in Los Angeles. While beginning work on New York Doll in 2005, he launched One Potato Productions with his wife, Erin. He named the company in homage to his recently deceased father, who grew up on an Idaho potato farm. Whiteley wrote, filmed, and directed ''New York Doll'' in 2005. This documentary explores the history of the punk rock band New York Dolls, focusing on the life of bassist Arthur Kane after he converts to

. He then created ''Resolved'' in 2006, which follows the story of a high school debate team. Whiteley spent 2006 to 2012 filming ''Mitt'', having gained access to the Romney family, though not his campaign staff, during both of governor Mitt Romney's campaigns for the United States presidency. From 2012 to 2014, he created ''Most Likely To Succeed'', which discusses the education system in the United States and proposes ideas for its reform.

Personal life

Whiteley married Erin Bybee in 1999. The couple lives in

Laguna Beach, California Laguna Beach (; ''Laguna'', Spanish for "Lagoon") is a seaside resort city located in southern Orange County, California, in the United States. It is known for its mild year-round climate, scenic coves, environmental preservation efforts, and a ...

with their son, Henry, and daughter, Scout.

Filmography

* ''

'' (2005) * ''Resolved'' (2007) * ''Mitt'' (2014) * '' Most Likely to Succeed'' (2015) * ''

'' (2016–2020) * ''

'' (2020–present)

Awards and honors

* 1999

Clio In Greek mythology, Clio ( , ; el, Κλειώ), also spelled Kleio, is the muse of history, or in a few mythological accounts, the muse of lyre playing. Etymology Clio's name is etymologically derived from the Greek root κλέω/κλεί ...

Student Awards: ''Pepsi'' and ''Krazy Glue'' * 2005 nomination,

Satellite Award The Satellite Awards are annual awards given by the International Press Academy that are commonly noted in entertainment industry journals and blogs. The awards were originally known as the Golden Satellite Awards. The award ceremonies take place ...

: ''New York Doll'' (2005) * 2005 nomination, Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival: ''New York Doll'' (2005) * 2007 Audience Award, Best Documentary at the

Los Angeles Film Festival The LA Film Festival was an annual film festival that was held in Los Angeles, California, and usually took place in June. It showcased independent, international, feature, documentary and short films, as well as web series, music videos, episod ...

: ''Resolved'' (2007) * 2009 nomination, Emmy Award for Best Documentary: ''Resolved'' (2007) * 2009 nomination, Emmy Award for Editing: ''Resolved'' (2007) * 2014 Opening Gala Film, Sundance Film Festival: ''Mitt'' (2014) * 2016 Best Documentary Series, International Documentary Association: ''Last Chance U'' (2016) *2020 Best Nonfiction Sports Documentary Series, Realscreen Award: ''Last Chance U'' (2019) *2020 Emmy Award for Outstanding Serialized Sports Documentary : ''Last Chance U'' (2020) *2020 Emmy Award for Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program: ''Cheer'' (2020) *2020 Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Reality Program: ''Cheer'' (2020)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Whiteley, Greg 1969 births Living people American documentary filmmakers Brigham Young University alumni Writers from Provo, Utah People from Bellevue, Washington Primetime Emmy Award winners Filmmakers from Utah