Tom Purcell

Last updated
Tom Purcell
Occupation(s)Writer, Producer
Years active1986–present
Notable work'The Colbert Report and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

Tom Purcell is an American television writer and executive who is notable for his work with Stephen Colbert on The Colbert Report and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert . He is the winner of seven Primetime Emmy awards.

Contents

Early life and education

Tom Purcell grew up in St. Joseph, Michigan, just north of South Bend, Indiana, and graduated from St. Joseph High School. [1] While attending St. Josephs', he started writing comedy at 15 years old, having his own comedy column and serving as features editor for his high school comedy newspaper called The Wind Up. [1]

In 1985, Purcell graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Loyola University in Chicago. [2]

After college, Purcell took a job at Loyola’s law library to pay the bills while working on his comedy routine and attending improvisation classes at The Second City in Chicago. [2]

In the summer of 1987, Purcell wrote and performed with the resident theatre company New Age Vaudeville. [3]

Career

In 1997 to 2000, while living in Los Angeles, Purcell served as story editor and writer for the Cosby TV series. [4] He went on to write for such television shows as Grounded for Life , Run of the House , and The Daily Show . [4]

In 2005, Purcell relocated to New York City, being hired as a writer for The Colbert Report on Comedy Central and then in 2015 followed his boss to CBS’s Late Show With Stephen Colbert . [1] [5]

Purcell currently serves as an executive producer of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert , where he oversees the show’s writers and helps write and polish Colbert’s material. [4] [2] Purcell has said that he often relies on his Catholic, Jesuit education from Loyola University while working for Colbert, who is known for using Catholic humor. [4] [2]

As of 2021, he is the winner of 7 Primetime Emmy awards. [6]

Awards

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rich Dahm</span> American comedy writer from Wisconsin

Richard Dahm is an Emmy-winning American comedy writer from Wisconsin, most well-known for his work on The Colbert Report and The Middle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">59th Primetime Emmy Awards</span> 2007 American television programming awards

The 59th Primetime Emmy Awards were held on Sunday, September 16, 2007, honoring the best in U.S. prime time television programming at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. The ceremony was televised live on Fox at 8:00 p.m. EDT for the first time in high definition. It was also the most recent Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony to be held at the Shrine Auditorium, as it was then relocated to the Nokia Theatre from the following year. The ceremony was hosted by Ryan Seacrest.

Allison Silverman is an American comedy writer and producer, known for her work on Russian Doll, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and Late Night with Conan O'Brien. She was the head writer and executive producer for The Colbert Report until 2009. In 2011, she was an executive producer and writer of Portlandia. She is co-creator of the comedy series Schmigadoon!, and was a writer for the television series At Home with Amy Sedaris, The Office, and The Daily Show.

Christopher Kelly is an American comedian, writer, and director known for his work on Saturday Night Live, and writing and directing the autobiographical film Other People that premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. He has received five Emmy Award nominations for his work on SNL.

The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series debuted in 1966, and has been annually awarded most years since the mid-1960s. It has had a large number of name changes, mostly involving the addition or subtraction of the word comedy. Generally, the category has recognized the writers of variety and sketch comedy shows. However, in 1969, 1970 and 1979, it was the main category for writers of situation comedies. Prior to 1966, variety series were eligible in Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series where The Red Skelton Show and other variety programs were occasionally nominated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">63rd Primetime Emmy Awards</span> 2011 American television programming awards

The 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards, honoring the best in prime time television programming from June 1, 2010, until May 31, 2011, were held on Sunday, September 18, 2011, at the Nokia Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles, California. Fox televised the ceremony within the United States. Jane Lynch hosted the Emmys for the first time. The Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremony was held on September 10.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">67th Primetime Emmy Awards</span> Primetime Emmy Award annual ceremony

The 67th Primetime Emmy Awards honored the best in US prime time television programming from June 1, 2014 until May 31, 2015, as chosen by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The ceremony was held on Sunday, September 20, 2015 at the Microsoft Theater in Downtown Los Angeles, California, and was broadcast in the U.S. by Fox. Andy Samberg hosted the show for the first time. The nominations were announced on July 16, 2015.

@midnight with Chris Hardwick is an American late night Internet-themed panel game show, hosted by Chris Hardwick, that aired Monday through Thursday nights between October 21, 2013, and August 4, 2017, on Comedy Central. It was syndicated internationally in Australia on SBS2 and The Comedy Channel, in the United Kingdom on Comedy Central Extra, and in Canada formerly on MuchMusic and later on The Comedy Network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Burditt (writer)</span> American television writer and producer

George Henry Burditt was an American television writer and producer who wrote sketches for television variety shows and other programs such as Three's Company, for which he was also an executive producer in its last few seasons. Burditt was Emmy-nominated in writing categories alongside writing crew, including his writing partner Paul Wayne, for twice each The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour and Van Dyke and Company.

Paul Wayne is a Canadian writer. He wrote sketches of television variety shows, like The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour that he won an Emmy Award for, and episodes of other television shows, like Three's Company. He also served as producer of only two short-lived sitcoms, Doc and Excuse My French.

Neil Casey is an American actor, writer, and comedian. Casey served as a writer for the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 2012 to 2013, and the Comedy Central series Inside Amy Schumer in 2014, receiving Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series for both shows. As an actor, he was a series regular on the comedies Other Space (2015) and Making History (2017). Casey also appeared in the 2016 reboot of Ghostbusters.

The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Scripted Variety Series is an award presented to the best sketch comedy-driven variety show of the year. The award goes to the producers of the series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">69th Primetime Emmy Awards</span> Television awards covering 2016 and 2017

The 69th Primetime Emmy Awards honored the best in US prime time television programming from June 1, 2016, until May 31, 2017, as chosen by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The ceremony was held on Sunday, September 17, 2017, at the Microsoft Theater in Downtown Los Angeles, California, and was broadcast in the U.S. by CBS. The ceremony was hosted by Stephen Colbert. The 69th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards were held on September 9 and 10, and was broadcast by FXX on September 16.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natasha Rothwell</span> American actress, writer and comedian (born 1980)

Natasha Rothwell is an American writer, actress, and comedian. She is known for working on the HBO television series Insecure as a writer, series regular, and supervising producer. She is also known for her work in HBO's The White Lotus, which earned her a nomination for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">73rd Primetime Emmy Awards</span> 2021 American television programming awards

The 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards honored the best in American prime time television programming from June 1, 2020, until May 31, 2021, as chosen by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The award ceremony was held live on September 19, 2021, at the Event Deck at L.A. Live in Downtown Los Angeles, California, and was preceded by the 73rd Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards on September 11 and 12. During the ceremony, Emmy Awards were handed out in 27 different categories. The ceremony was produced by Reginald Hudlin and Ian Stewart, directed by Hamish Hamilton, and broadcast in the United States by CBS and Paramount+. Cedric the Entertainer served as host for the event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meredith Scardino</span> American screenwriter and producer

Meredith Scardino is an American screenwriter, showrunner and producer. She has worked as a writer for several television comedies, including Colbert Report, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and Mr. Mayor. She is the creator of the Peacock/Netflix original series Girls5eva.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Kavner, Lucas. "Tom Purcell". The Days of Yore. The Days of Yore. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Sweeney Etter, Nicole. "Funny business". Loyola Magazine. Loyola University.
  3. ↑ Kogan, Rick (May 3, 1987), "Vaudeville Troupe Takes Leave of City", Chicago Tribune , archived from the original on October 11, 2018, retrieved October 10, 2018
  4. 1 2 3 4 Archived. "Tom Purcel". IMDb. Amazon. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  5. ↑ James Poniewozik (June 4, 2015). "Stephen Colbert and Company Are Already Writing The Late Show". TIME Magazine. Retrieved 2015-10-21. says Colbert, gabbing with longtime executive producer Tom Purcell
  6. ↑ Archived. "Tom Purcell". IMDb. Amazon. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  7. ↑ "2013 Emmy Award Winners and Nominees". The New York Times. 2013-09-22. Retrieved 2015-10-26. WRITING, VARIETY SERIES 'The Colbert Report' (Comedy Central) ... Moreschi; Writers: ... Tom Purcell, [normal font indicate nominee]
  8. ↑ "Emmys 2014: The Nominees and Winners". The New York Times. 2014-07-10. Retrieved 2015-10-26. WRITING, VARIETY SERIES 'The Colbert Report' (Comedy Central) ... Writers: ... Tom Purcell... [Bold indicates 'winner']
  9. ↑ Day, Patrick Kevin (2014-12-04). "'True Detective,' 'Transparent' among WGA TV nominees". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2015-10-26. "The Colbert Report," writers ... Tom Purcell, ...
  10. ↑ Derschowitz, Jessica (2015-01-05). "PGA Awards 2015: Nominees include "Boyhood," "Gone Girl"". CBS News. Retrieved 2015-10-26. Outstanding Producer of Live Entertainment & Talk Television:"The Colbert Report" (Comedy Central)Producers: ... Tom Purcell, ...


U.S. flag on television.svg

This article about a television writer from the United States is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.