Neal Baer
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Neal Baer (born 1955) is an American pediatrician and television writer and producer. He is best known for his work on the television shows ''
Designated Survivor In the United States, a designated survivor (or designated successor) is a named individual in the presidential line of succession, chosen to stay at an undisclosed secure location, away from events such as State of the Union addresses and pre ...
'', '' ER'' and '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit''.


Biography


Education

Baer was born in 1955. His father, Sylvan, was a surgeon and his mother was very active politically. He graduated from
Cherry Creek High School Cherry Creek High School (commonly Cherry Creek, Creek, or CCHS) is the oldest of seven high schools in the Cherry Creek School District in the Denver metropolitan area. It is located in Greenwood Village, Colorado, and is one of the largest high s ...
in 1973 and later graduated ''magna cum laude'' with a B.A. in Political Science from
Colorado College Colorado College is a private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell in his daughter's memory. The college enrolls approxi ...
. Baer attended the
AFI Conservatory The AFI Conservatory is a private not-for-profit graduate film school in the Hollywood Hills district of Los Angeles. Students (called "Fellows") learn from the masters in a collaborative, hands-on production environment with an emphasis on st ...
as a directing fellow in 1983. Baer studied for a master's degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in Sociology and focused on family policy. Baer attended
Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the graduate medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is one of the oldest medical schools in the United States and is consi ...
from 1991 to 1996. The final part of his training overlapped with his work in television, and he completed his degree by undertaking electives at
UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
and returning to Harvard during breaks in production. Baer graduated from Harvard Medical School and completed his internship in Pediatrics at
Children's Hospital Los Angeles Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) is a nationally ranked, freestanding acute care children's hospital in the East Hollywood district of Los Angeles, on Sunset Boulevard at the corner of Vermont Avenue. The hospital has been academically affi ...
. He received the Jerry L. Pettis Memorial Scholarship from the American Medical Association as the most outstanding medical student who has contributed to promoting a better understanding of medicine in the media. He balanced completing his medical internship with working in television, again practicing medicine in breaks in filming including working as a resident at Children's Hospital in December 1997 and March, April, and May 1998. Baer also holds a master's degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. In 2000, he received an honorary Doctor of Laws from Colorado College.


Academic career

Baer has written extensively on adolescent health issues for '' Scholastic Magazine'', covering such topics as teen
pregnancy Pregnancy is the time during which one or more offspring develops ( gestates) inside a woman's uterus (womb). A multiple pregnancy involves more than one offspring, such as with twins. Pregnancy usually occurs by sexual intercourse, but ca ...
,
AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...
,
drug A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via insuffla ...
and alcohol abuse, and nutrition. Baer taught elementary school in
Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
and also worked as a research associate at USC Medical School, where he focused on drug and alcohol abuse prevention. The American Association for the Advancement of Science selected him as a Mass Media Fellow. In 2003, he was honored by Physicians for Social Responsibility, Lupus L.A., and the Media Project. Baer serves on the boards of many organizations related to health care, including the Venice Family Clinic, RAND Health, Children Now, the Huckleberry Fund of Children's Hospital Los Angeles, and the National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Baer is a member of the Board of Associates at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research. He is currently engaged in work to improve the visibility of social determinants of health in media.


Television career

Baer began his work in television by writing and directing an '' ABC Afterschool Special'' entitled "Private Affairs". The program dealt with
sexually transmitted disease Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), also referred to as sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and the older term venereal diseases, are infections that are spread by sexual activity, especially vaginal intercourse, anal sex, and oral ...
s, and was selected by The Association of Women in Film and Television as the Best Children's Drama of the Year. Baer was hired by writer and producer John Wells to write for drama series ''
China Beach ''China Beach'' is an American war film, war drama television series set at an evacuation hospital during the Vietnam War. The title refers to My Khe beach in the city of Da Nang, Đà Nẵng, Vietnam, nicknamed "China Beach" in English by Amer ...
''. The series focused on nurses in Vietnam and Baer was nominated for 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 Guil ...
Award An award, sometimes called a distinction, is something given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration. An awar ...
for Best Screenplay in Episodic Drama his work on the episode "Warriors". During this time, Baer prepared a film script treatment for
Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...
called ''The Lost Mariner'', based on a story from the book '' The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat'' by
Oliver Sacks Oliver Wolf Sacks, (9 July 1933 – 30 August 2015) was a British neurologist, naturalist, historian of science, and writer. Born in Britain, Sacks received his medical degree in 1958 from The Queen's College, Oxford, before moving to the Uni ...
, but the project was not produced. Baer was hired by John Wells again as a
staff writer In journalism, a staff writer byline indicates that the author of the article is an employee of the periodical, as opposed to being an independent freelance writer. In Britain, staff writers may work in the office instead of traveling to cover a b ...
for the first season of '' ER''. He contributed directly to four episodes and his medical experience informed other storylines. He became a story editor for the second season, taking responsibility for compiling scripts and developing the medical storylines. As a story editor, Baer worked alongside fellow medical professional
Lance Gentile Lance Gentile is an American doctor, and television technical advisor, writer and producer. Career Gentile graduated with a BA degree in psychology from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. He was a medical student at New York Medical College ...
. Baer remained a regular writer and contributed scripts for the episodes "Hell and High Water" and "The Match". Baer and Gentile were promoted to executive story editors by the end of the season. Baer was nominated for an
Emmy Award 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 ...
for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series at the 1996 awards for his work on "Hell and High Water". Baer became a co-producer on the third season of ''ER'' and wrote a further four episodes. The third season was nominated for a
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series This is a list of winners and nominees of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series since its institution in 1951. The award goes to the producers of the series. The award is often cited as one of the "main awards" at the Emmys cerem ...
at the
1997 awards File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic (1997 film), Titanic'', the List of highest-grossing films, highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; ...
. The producers shared the nomination for their work on the season. Baer was personally nominated for a second Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for his work on the episode "Whose Appy Now?". He was also nominated a second Writers Guild of America award for Best Screenplay in Episodic Drama for the same episode in at the 1998 ceremony. Baer was promoted to producer for the fourth season and wrote two more episodes. The season was again nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series at the
1998 awards 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...
and Baer shared the nomination for a second time. Baer was promoted again to supervising producer for the fifth season. He was responsible for writing a two more episodes, continuing to develop medical storylines for all episodes, and supervising other aspects of production including casting, design, directing, and editing. Baer was also responsible for answering mail relating to the medical aspects of the series and for developing projects that drew on ''ER'' to promote public health including a series of news segments covering issues related to the series. The fifth season was also nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series at the 1999 awards and Baer shared the nomination for a third time. Baer became a co-executive producer for the sixth season of ''ER'' and wrote a further three episodes. The sixth season was also nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series at the 2000 awards and Baer shared the nomination for a fourth time. Baer was promoted to executive producer for the seventh season of ''ER'' and wrote one more episode. The seventh season was also nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series at the
2001 awards 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit (measurement), unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment ...
, marking Baer's fifth consecutive nomination for the award. Baer left ''ER'' following the seventh season, having been a producer for five seasons and with 18 episodes as a writer. Following his departure from ''ER'', Baer became executive producer 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 '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' from the second season until departing after 12th season to move to
CBS Television Studios CBS Studios, Inc. is an American television production company which is a subsidiary of CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global. It was formed on January 17, 2006, by CBS Corporation as CBS Paramount Television, as a renaming of the o ...
. Baer has written the pilot episode of two unproduced television series; ''The Edge'' for CBS and ''Outreach'' for the
WB Network The WB Television Network (for Warner Bros., or the "Frog Network", for its former mascot, Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network launched on broadcast television on January 11, 1995, as a joint venture between the Warner Bros. ...
. Baer served as a writer and producer for the pilot of ''Outreach'' and the episode aired on A&E in 1999, but the series was not picked up. Baer has also written an unproduced film for Twentieth Century Fox entitled ''The Doctor Corps''. Baer is a trustee of the Writers Guild of America Health and Pension Fund. From 2013-2015, he served as showrunner and executive producer of the TV series '' Under the Dome''. In 2015, he co-wrote along
Marc Cherry Marc Cherry (born March 23, 1962) is an American television writer and producer. He is best known for creating the ABC dramedy series ''Desperate Housewives''. Personal life Early life Marc Cherry was born in Long Beach and lived briefly in ...
and
Dan Truly Dan or DAN may refer to: People * Dan (name), including a list of people with the name ** Dan (king), several kings of Denmark * Dan people, an ethnic group located in West Africa **Dan language, a Mande language spoken primarily in Côte d'Ivoi ...
the pilot episode of the comedy crime series ''
Cheerleader Death Squad Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense physical activity. It can be performed to motivate sports teams, to ente ...
''. Fox has purchased Baer's show '' The Beast'' for the 2017-2018 season. The show, to be written by Baer and Dawn DeNoon and produced by 20th Century Fox Television in association with Baer Bones, will be a medical drama in which the main character has a clinical fear of death. In 2018, it was announced that Baer was cast as the showrunner for the third season of the political thriller drama series ''
Designated Survivor In the United States, a designated survivor (or designated successor) is a named individual in the presidential line of succession, chosen to stay at an undisclosed secure location, away from events such as State of the Union addresses and pre ...
''. The third season which consists of 10 episodes, premiered on
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 ...
on June 7, 2019.


Film career

A documentary film co-produced by Baer and Christine O'Malley and directed by
Patrick Creadon Patrick Creadon (born May 4, 1967) is an American filmmaker primarily known for his work in documentaries. His first film, ''Wordplay'', profiled ''New York Times'' crossword editor Will Shortz and premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. ...
, '' If You Build It'', shows a year in the life of an innovative school in
Bertie County, North Carolina Bertie County ( , with both syllables stressed) is a county located in the northeast area of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,934. Its county seat is Windsor. The county was created in 1722 as Ber ...
. Facing a bleak economic future in the county, Bertie Public Schools Superintendent Chip Zullinger invites Emily Pilloton and Matt Miller to create a high school shop class for the 21st century. Their hope is that people's lives are changed due to great design. The film is part of the Art, Architecture, and Design series at the
Newport Beach Film Festival The Newport Beach Film Festival (NBFF) is an annual film festival in Newport Beach, California, typically held in late April. In 2022, it was announced that the festival have permanently changed its date to be held in October, as the festival beg ...
in Newport Beach, CA. The film was released on 6 April 2013.


Personal life

Baer lives in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
in the
Hollywood Hills West Hollywood Hills West is a neighborhood within Central Los Angeles, California. There are three city parks and one elementary school. Geography Hollywood Hills West touches Studio City on the north, Hollywood Hills on the east, Hollywood and West H ...
neighborhood. In a July 2014 blog for ''The Huffington Post'', Baer publicly acknowledged that he is gay.


Filmography


Writer


Director


Producer


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Baer, Neal 1955 births Living people AFI Conservatory alumni American television writers Colorado College alumni Harvard Graduate School of Education alumni Harvard Medical School alumni LGBT film producers American LGBT writers American male television writers Place of birth missing (living people) Showrunners