Bibliography
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- Koppelman, Brian (2015). "Wednesday is Viktor's". In Block, Lawrence (ed.). Dark city lights : New York stories. New York: Three Rooms Press.
- — (September 20, 2021). "We can make it work". Shouts & Murmurs. The New Yorker. 97 (29): 27.
Brian Koppelman | |
|---|---|
| Born | Brian William Koppelman April 27, 1966 |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation(s) | Screenwriter, director, filmmaker, record producer, essayist, podcaster, former music business executive |
| Spouse | Amy Levine |
| Children | 2 [1] |
| Parent(s) | Brenda "Bunny" Koppelman Charles Koppelman |
Brian William Koppelman (born April 27, 1966) is an American showrunner. Koppelman is the co-writer of Ocean's Thirteen and Rounders , the producer for films including The Illusionist and The Lucky Ones , the director for films including Solitary Man and the documentary This Is What They Want for ESPN as part of their 30 for 30 series, and the co-creator, showrunner, and executive producer of Showtime's Billions [2] [3] [4] [5] and Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber. [6]
Koppelman was born on April 27, 1966, in Roslyn Harbor, New York, [7] the son of Brenda "Bunny" Koppelman and Charles Koppelman. [8] [9] Koppelman is Jewish. [10] His father was a producer and media executive. Koppelman holds degrees from Tufts University and Fordham University School of Law. [11] [12]
He first started managing local Long Island bands as a teenager. [13] He would also book bands at a local nightclub. Through booking acts, he came into contact with Eddie Murphy and helped arrange Murphy's first record deal. [13] As a student at Tufts University, he discovered singer/songwriter Tracy Chapman and executive-produced her first album. [13] He was later brought to Giant Records by president Irving Azoff. [14] [15] During his career, Koppelman was an A&R representative for music labels Elektra Records, Giant Records, SBK Records and EMI Records. [15]
In 1997, Koppelman wrote the original screenplay for Rounders with his writing partner, David Levien. Koppelman has described his approach to writing as a team as having only one rule: no video games in the office. [4] In 2001, Koppelman wrote, produced, and directed his first film, Knockaround Guys , which film critic Roger Ebert gave 3 out of 4 stars. [16] Since then, Koppelman has worked on a dozen films, including having written Ocean's Thirteen and directed an ESPN 30 for 30 documentary, This Is What They Want. [4]
In 2009, Koppelman co-directed Solitary Man starring Michael Douglas. The film was included in both A. O. Scott's The New York Times "Year End Best" list, Roger Ebert's "Year End Best" list, and holds a "Fresh" rating of 81% at the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. [17]
Koppelman was a contributor and essayist at Grantland.com, a website that was dedicated to sports and pop culture. [18] Additionally, since March 2014, Koppelman has hosted a weekly podcast, "The Moment", on ESPN Radio. [19] In October, 2013, Koppelman received significant media attention for releasing a series of videos on the platform Vine in which he gives screenwriting advice in six seconds or less called "Six Second Screenwriting Lessons". [20] His "Screenwriting, in Six Seconds or Less" Vine from July 31, 2014, generated over 15 million loops in less than nine days. [21] He has also written a short story, "Wednesday is Viktor's", for the anthology Dark City Lights: New York Stories (Have a NYC), published in 2015. [22] Koppelman has a chapter giving advice in Tim Ferriss' book Tools of Titans.
Showtime's drama Billions , created by Koppelman with The New York Times columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin and writing partner David Levien, and starring Paul Giamatti and Damian Lewis, premiered to strong reviews in 2016. [23] [24]
Koppelman has been involved in several lawsuits regarding his work, namely Grosso v. Miramax Film Corp., [25] Cayuga Nations v. Showtime Networks Inc., [26] and Shull v. Sorkin. [27] Both Grosso and Shull claimed that Koppelman stole their ideas and copyright work in his creation of Rounders and Billions respectively. [25] [28] All cases have since been dismissed. Shull's case was recently dismissed a second time. [28]
In 2013, Tufts University awarded Koppelman their P.T. Barnum Award for success in Media/Arts. [29] In 2014, Koppelman won an Emmy Award for his 30 for 30 documentary. [30]
In 1992, Koppelman married novelist Amy Levine at the Central Synagogue in Manhattan. [31] His sister is Jennifer Koppelman Hutt, who hosts a Sirius Satellite Radio show called Just Jenny . [32] Regarding religion, Koppelman describes himself as culturally Jewish, but from a philosophical standpoint he identifies himself as an atheist. [33] Koppelman is a fan of the Knicks, Jets, and Yankees. [1]
Of his five-year practice of Transcendental Meditation Koppelman said in 2016: "For me it was a way to control anxiety, and I found that the physical manifestations of anxiety just dissipated by about 85 or 90 percent ... So that was a gigantic life change, to not feel a fluttering stomach, to not get a stress headache and things like that." [34]
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Rounders | No | Yes | No | |
| 2001 | Knockaround Guys | Yes | Yes | Yes | Co-directed with David Levien |
| 2003 | Runaway Jury | No | Yes | No | |
| 2004 | Walking Tall | No | Yes | No | |
| 2007 | Ocean's Thirteen | No | Yes | No | |
| 2009 | Solitary Man | Yes | Yes | No | Co-directed with David Levien |
| The Girlfriend Experience | No | Yes | No | ||
| 2013 | Runner Runner | No | Yes | Yes | |
Producer only
Actor
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | The Street Lawyer | No | Yes | Yes | TV pilot |
| 2005 | Tilt | Yes | Yes | Yes | Co-creator |
| 2013 | This Is What They Want | Yes | No | No | |
| 2016 | Billions | No | Yes | Executive | Co-creator |
|
Miramax, LLC, formerly known as Miramax Films, is an American independent film and television production and distribution company founded on December 19, 1979, by Bob and Harvey Weinstein, and based in Los Angeles, California. Today, it is owned by beIN Media Group and Paramount Global.
Tilt is an American drama television series set against the backdrop of the (fictional) World Championship of Poker tournament in Las Vegas, and with the tagline "You're playing poker. They're playing you." The series first aired on January 13, 2005, and is the second original drama series from ESPN, following Playmakers. It was created by Brian Koppelman and David Levien, who co-wrote the poker-themed feature film Rounders.
The Weinstein Company, LLC was an American independent film studio, founded in New York City by Bob and Harvey Weinstein on March 10, 2005. TWC was one of the largest mini-major film studios in North America as well as in the United States. However, the firing of Harvey Weinstein following allegations of sexual harassment and rape against him, as well as financial troubles that followed, led to the company's decline. The studio eventually declared bankruptcy in February 2018, with independent studio Lantern Entertainment acquiring a majority of its film library and assets. Co-founder and chief executive Bob Weinstein previously owned a small stake in the company.
Rick Cleveland is an American television writer, playwright, and monologist, best known for writing on the HBO original series Six Feet Under and NBC's The West Wing. His 2011 play The Rail Splitter premiered at Carthage College as the third production of Carthage's annual New Play Initiative. The production also traveled to the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival in 2012.
Robert Weinstein is an American film producer. He is the founder and head of Dimension Films, former co-chairman of Miramax Films and The Weinstein Company (TWC), all of which he co-founded with his older brother, Harvey. He has focused on making action and horror films.
Charles Koppelman was an American musician, music producer, and businessman. He held executive positions at EMI and Steve Madden, and he was Chairman of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. At the time of his death, he was the CEO of CAK Entertainment.
C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures was a Canadian film and television computer animation special effects studio based in Toronto, and founded at the end of March 1994. Its productions included fully animated television series and feature films.
F.M. Cornog is an American songwriter, singer, self-taught musician, and home-recordist who records under the name East River Pipe. The New York Times describes Cornog as "the Brian Wilson of home recording."
The Mayfair Club was a cardroom in New York City. Originally starting as a bridge and backgammon club, it eventually became "the most touted card club in New York" until its abrupt closing by authorities in 2000. Unlike the other gamehalls in the city, the Mayfair Club kept a low profile in a basement. During the poker era, Mayfair games and tournaments were dealt by the players as opposed to professional dealers in a casino environment. Mayfair Club games were also noted for their high stakes and elite competition.
The Winter of Frankie Machine is a 2006 thriller novel by American writer Don Winslow.
David Levien is an American screenwriter, director, producer, and novelist. He is co-creator, executive producer, and showrunner of Showtime's Billions, along with Brian Koppelman. Over the past two decades Levien has created an influential and diverse body of work in both film and television. Some of his most noteworthy credits include Ocean's Thirteen,Rounders, Solitary Man, The Illusionist, Runaway Jury, Tilt, and ESPN's 30 for 30 for which he won a sports Emmy.
Peter Eric Zizzo is an American songwriter, music producer, musician and writer. Zizzo is also a stage and television actor, having appeared in the Showtime series Billions in 2021. Zizzo has written hits for artists such as Celine Dion, Avril Lavigne, Jennifer Lopez, Marit Larsen, O.A.R, Jason Mraz, Donna Summer, Diana Ross, M2M, Cliff Richard, Clay Aiken, Howie Day, Kate Voegele, Jackie Evancho, Pixie Lott, Vanessa Carlton, and many others. He has been considered instrumental in developing the careers of artists Avril Lavigne, Vanessa Carlton in the US, and Pixie Lott in the UK. Recordings of his songs have collectively sold in excess of 100 million copies worldwide.
Denise Kay Shull is a performance coach who uses neuroeconomics and modern psychoanalysis in her work with ouhedge funds and professional athletes. She is also the founder of The ReThink Group. Shull focuses on the positive contribution of feelings and emotion in high-pressure decisions. She is the author of Market Mind Games which explains how Wall Street traders act out Freudian transferences in reaction to market moves. Shull postulates that human perception contains fractal elements in the same manner as the fractal geometry of nature.
Andrew Ross Sorkin is an American journalist and author. He is a financial columnist for The New York Times and a co-anchor of CNBC's Squawk Box. He is also the founder and editor of DealBook, a financial news service published by The New York Times. He wrote the bestselling book Too Big to Fail and co-produced a movie adaptation of the book for HBO Films. He is also a co-creator of the Showtime series Billions.
The Greenwich International Film Festival is a non-profit organization that celebrates the visual arts in Greenwich, CT, with an annual film festival in June and supporting events throughout the year. The Festival, located in downtown Greenwich, features film screenings, premieres, events and parties showcasing filmmakers, panel discussions, and an award ceremony. The Festival focuses on "socially conscious" films, acting in partnership with nonprofits.
Jennifer Koppelman Hutt is an American radio host, television host, author and lawyer.
Meg LeFauve is an American screenwriter and film producer. She is best known for writing her screenplays of the Pixar animated films Inside Out (2015) and its upcoming sequel Inside Out 2 (2024), and The Good Dinosaur (2015). For her work on Inside Out, LeFauve was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
Billions is an American drama television series created by Brian Koppelman, David Levien, and Andrew Ross Sorkin. The series premiered on January 17, 2016, on Showtime and its seventh and final season premiered on August 13, 2023.
Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber is a 2019 book by New York Times journalist Mike Isaac. The book covers the events between the founding of Uber and its initial public offering in 2019.
Super Pumped is an American anthology drama television series created by Brian Koppelman and David Levien, named for the 2019 nonfiction book of the same name by Mike Isaac. The first installment, subtitled The Battle For Uber, is based on Isaac's book and centers on the rise and fall of former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Also starring Kyle Chandler, Uma Thurman, and Elisabeth Shue, it premiered on Showtime on February 27, 2022. Ahead of the series premiere, the series was renewed for a second season, based on a separate forthcoming book by Mike Isaac about Facebook.
David Levien is my creative partner, he and I both practice Transcendental Meditation … and we have found tremendous benefit in it.
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