Megan Ganz

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Megan Ganz
Megan Ganz (2012) (cropped).jpg
Ganz at the 2012 Comic Con
Born
Megan Ann Ganz [1]

(1984-06-01) June 1, 1984 (age 40)
Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S.
Alma mater University of Michigan
Occupations
  • Writer
  • editor
  • Director
Years active2006–present
Spouse
​
(m. 2015)​

Megan Ann Ganz (born June 1, 1984) is an American comedy writer, podcaster, and former associate editor of The Onion . She has been a writer and executive producer on the FXX series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia since 2017. She previously wrote for the NBC series Community for three years from 2010 to 2013, and left to write for Modern Family from 2013 to 2015, where she won an Emmy. [2] She also wrote for the Fox comedy series The Last Man on Earth , and co-created the Apple TV+ comedy series Mythic Quest alongside Rob McElhenney and Charlie Day.

Contents

Early life and education

Ganz was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She was born at 4:20. [3] Her father died when she was eight years old. [4] She graduated from Hackett Catholic Central High School in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 2002. [5]

In 2006, she graduated with honors from the University of Michigan, where she was editor-in-chief of The Every Three Weekly . [6]

Career

After completing her junior year at the university, she interned at Mad magazine in New York City. Ganz had planned to move back to Michigan after her internship was over, but Mad's editor-in-chief John Ficarra encouraged her to remain in New York and pursue comedy writing. [7] She returned to New York and became assistant editor at The Onion and was later promoted to associate editor.

In 2008 Ganz was featured on an episode of This American Life along with other Onion staff members. An agent from United Talent Agency heard the broadcast and suggested that she move into television writing. [8] In summer 2009 Ganz left her job at The Onion and moved to Los Angeles to become a writer for the Comedy Central sketch show Important Things with Demetri Martin . [9]

In 2010, she began writing for the NBC comedy series Community . [10] In 2013, after the shortened season 4 of Community had wrapped, Ganz joined the writing staff of the ABC series Modern Family . [11] In 2015, Ganz created and produced an animated action-comedy pilot called Cassius and Clay which was expected to be paired with Archer on FXX, but the show never progressed beyond the pilot stage. [12]

In 2016, Ganz announced on her Instagram that she had been hired as a writer for It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia , where she has since been promoted to executive producer and director for certain episodes. She also stars in, edits and produces the Always Sunny podcast, alongside Rob McElhenney, Glenn Howerton & Charlie Day. [13]

In 2019, Apple TV+ announced Ganz as co-creator, along with Rob McElhenney and Charlie Day, of the new comedy series Mythic Quest , which premiered February 7, 2020 on the streaming platform.

Ganz cites Dave Barry, Kaitlin Olson, Louis Sachar, Mad , Charles Schulz, and Bill Watterson as influences. [7]

Personal life

In 2018, during a Twitter exchange with Community creator and executive producer Dan Harmon, Ganz revealed Harmon engaged in inappropriate behavior toward her during their time on the show together. [14] Harmon admitted his behavior on an episode of his podcast, Harmontown , in which he went into detail about his wrongdoings which included making advances on her and then mistreating her after she turned him down. Ganz said that she felt vindicated by the admission and accepted his apology, urging her Twitter followers to listen to this episode of Harmontown, and calling it a "master class in how to apologize", ultimately forgiving him. [15] [16] The exchange, the apology and Ganz's thoughts about them were covered in episode 674 of This American Life in which she was interviewed. [17]

Filmography

The following is a partial list of television episodes written or directed by Ganz.

Community

Modern Family

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia

The Last Man on Earth

Mythic Quest

Awards and nominations

Ganz has been nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series for Modern Family twice, winning in 2014, and nominated in 2015. [18]

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"Celebrity Booze: The Ultimate Cash Grab" is the fifth episode of the sixteenth season of the American sitcom television series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. It is the 167th overall episode of the series and was written by series developers Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day, and Glenn Howerton, and directed by executive producer Megan Ganz. It originally aired on FXX on June 28, 2023.

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References

  1. ↑ Megan Ganz [@meganganz] (December 16, 2009). "I submit to you, twitter followers, that I have the most boring, Midwestern name ever: Megan Ann Ganz. Who dares dispute me?" (Tweet). Archived from the original on March 5, 2016 – via Twitter.
  2. ↑ Megan Ganz (January 3, 2013). "Reddit Post".
  3. ↑ "It's Always Sunny Podcast". It's Always Sunny Podcast. September 5, 2022.
  4. ↑ Zerilli, Ursula (January 22, 2013). "Portage native and 'Modern Family' writer Megan Ganz talks comedy, Chevy Chase and her path to L.A." mlive. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
  5. ↑ "NBC's 'Community' writer Megan Ganz, a Kalamazoo-area native, takes writing job for 'Modern Family'". MLive.com. January 5, 2013. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
  6. ↑ Van Hyfte, Laura (July 4, 2005). "Court limits student publishing freedom". The Michigan Daily.
  7. 1 2 Singer, Andrew (August 5, 2008). "Inside With: Megan Ganz, Assistant Editor at The Onion". The Apiary.
  8. ↑ "Interview: 'Community' Writer Megan Ganz". Feminist Film. February 22, 2011. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
  9. ↑ Konigsberg, Eric (November 2, 2009). "Collecting Headlines Funnier Than This". New York Times. Retrieved May 27, 2011.
  10. ↑ Frucci, Adam (March 28, 2011). "Behind the Scenes at Community with Writer Megan Ganz". Splitsider. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
  11. ↑ Zakarin, Jordan (January 3, 2013). "'Community' Writer Megan Ganz Heads to 'Modern Family'". Hollywood Reporter.
  12. ↑ "'Cassius and Clay' Animated Series Dead at FXX". The Hollywood Reporter . January 4, 2016.
  13. ↑ "Megan Ganz (@meganganz) • Instagram photos and videos". www.instagram.com.
  14. ↑ Barsanti, Sam (January 3, 2018). "Former Community writer Megan Ganz calls out Dan Harmon for misconduct". AV Club. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  15. ↑ Framke, Caroline (January 11, 2018). "Most harassment apologies are just damage control. Dan Harmon's was a self-reckoning". Vox. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  16. ↑ Bromwich, Jonah Engel (January 14, 2018). "Megan Ganz on Dan Harmon's Apology: 'I Felt Vindicated'". The New York Times. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
  17. ↑ "Get a Spine!". This American Life. Public Radio Exchange. April 26, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  18. ↑ "Megan Ganz Awards, Nominations and Wins". Emmys.com . Retrieved July 4, 2021.
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