Joel Gallen

Joel Gallen is an American director and producer. He is the founder of Tenth Planet Productions, a Los Angeles-based film and television production company.

In 2001, Gallen produced and directed America: A Tribute to Heroes, a charity telethon and concert that raised money for victims of the 9/11 attacks. With no live audience, no celebrity introductions, and sparse staging, the production design became a template for charity concerts and events.

Gallen created the MTV Movie Awards and the comedic short films that became their signature. He produced and directed The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 25th Anniversary Concert in addition to 20 of its induction ceremonies. He also produced and directed stand-up shows and comedy specials for Comedy Central and HBO, directed Not Another Teen Movie, and executive produced the film Zoolander, which was based on a VH-1 Fashion Awards short film.

Gallen has received 14 Primetime Emmy nominations over the course of his career, from a 2001 nomination for Ellen DeGeneres' HBO special, The Beginning, to two 2023 nominations for Chris Rock's livestreamed Netflix special, Selective Outrage.

Gallen was born in Detroit, Michigan and raised in Rockville Centre, New York. He attended the University of Rhode Island, where as a member of the school's entertainment committee, he booked on-campus concerts by artists including Charlie Daniels, The J. Geils Band and Andy Kaufman. He also dj'd on the school's radio station, WRIU. He graduated with a BS in marketing.

After working in the mailroom at ICM, Gallen was hired by a television syndication company, George Back and Associates (later known as All-American Television). Over the next four years, Gallen marketed, syndicated and produced television shows, including the Uncle Floyd Show, a New Jersey basic cable program that Back and Gallen syndicated to NBC affiliates. Gallen's first job in production, his role included booking musical guests such as the Ramones, Paul Simon and Blue Öyster Cult.

Gallen believed there was a substantial audience for music videos by artists from the 60s and 70s, and as MTV (and the videos by new artists it programmed) became increasingly popular, he created and produced Deja View, two one-hour specials composed of original music videos for older hit songs, often featuring the original artists. The video for Sly and the Family Stone's Everyday People" starred Sly Stone; "Good Lovin'" starred Felix Cavaliere; "Bus Stop featured Graham Nash; and the Beach Boys hit "Don't Worry Baby" starred Brian Wilson. Actors also appeared in Deja View videos -- "A Whiter Shade of Pale" featured Harry Dean Stanton (as well as Bernie Taupin), and She's Not There starred Teri Garr. Hosted by John Sebastian of The Lovin' Spoonful, the specials were sponsored by Lincoln-Mercury.[10]

Gallen subsequently produced A Soul Session: James Brown and Friends; a Cinemax special taped at a small club in Detroit, it featured Brown and Aretha Franklin. [11] He also produced the American version of the long-running UK music show, Top of the Pops. Unlike the British program, where bands lip-synced to their music, he had the artists play live. Among others, David Bowie, Bryan Adams, Sting, INXS, Belinda Carlisle and Depeche Mode performed on the show, which aired on CBS for 26 weeks.[12]

In 1989 Gallen was named head of production for MTV. During his first year at the network, he served as the producer of the Video Music Awards and the executive producer of MTV Unplugged, which he helped to develop. Gallen said: "The real big win for Unplugged (was) we got the big arena acts to strip down and go acoustic." Among others, Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Pearl Jam, R.E.M., Elton John and LL Cool J performed. McCartney released an Unplugged album, as did Clapton, whose Unplugged album went 26x platinum and became the best-selling live album of all time.[13][14]

Gallen produced the VMAs from 1990-1993. Approaching the broadcast as "a rock n' roll show first and a television show second," [15][16][17] the 1992 VMAs featured Nirvana, Guns N' Roses, Pearl Jam, The Black Crowes, and Def Leppard, among others. In his book Your Favorite Band is Killing Me, Steven Hyden wrote: "The 1992 VMAs were the fulcrum between the ’80s and ’90s, a show where you could actually watch one era end and another begin in real time." [18][19]

In 1992, Gallen created the MTV Movie Awards. Irreverent in tone, Gallen said it was the opposite of the Oscars. "We wanted to have some fun with it and come up with categories that our audience cared about.” The categories included "Best Kiss", "Best Villain" and "Best Fight."[20][21] "A hilarious spoof of the Oscars and a celebration of movies," [22] Gallen developed, directed and produced the short film parodies that became a signature of the MTV Movie Awards; they included Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex and The Matrix and Ben Stiller as Tom Cruise's stunt double in Mission: Improbable. [23] Jack Black, Will Ferrell, Samuel L. Jackson and Justin Timberlake, among others, also appeared in the MTV Movie Awards film parodies.[24]

Mainly interested in directing and producing, Gallen's management role at MTV kept him from working in the trenches of production. In December 1993, he left MTV and moved from New York to Los Angeles, where he founded Tenth Planet Productions. At the time, he had two series in development—one for HBO and one for ABC—and a special in development at Fox. He continued to work in association with MTV, executive producing and directing the Movie Awards from 1995 through 2006 and in 2018.[25] He also executive produced and directed the VH1 Fashion Awards from 1996-1998. Gallen and head writer Drake Sather created the "professionally good-looking supermodel Derek Zoolander" for Ben Stiller for a Fashion Awards short film.[26]

Four days after the September 11 attacks Gallen was enlisted by the heads of the four major television networks to produce and direct America: A Tribute to Heroes, a benefit to raise money for victims of the 9/11 attacks.[27] 22 artists performed on candle-lit soundstages in New York, Los Angeles and London, and 20 actors spoke briefly from the stage. Other actors and celebrities—organized by George Clooney—manned phone banks to collect donations. Put together in six days, the telethon aired live on September 21, 2001.[28] Gallen said: "I did not want the show to feel celebratory. I did not want a live audience...no introductions, no applause, no fanfare." [29] A Tribute to Heroes was simulcast commercial-free by more than 35 broadcast and cable networks and 8000 radio stations. Seen in 120 countries, it raised an estimated $150 million in two hours.[30] Gallen won an Emmy (Outstanding Producing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program), a Peabody Award, and a Director's Guild Award. He also won the first Producers Guild Visionary Award.[31]

On September 9, 2005—again enlisted by the heads of several broadcast networks—Gallen produced and directed Shelter from the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast. A benefit for victims of Hurricane Katrina, the tone of the concert was similar to that of A Tribute to Heroes: solemn. The one-hour show aired live and commercial-free on 30 broadcast and cable networks and raised $30 million for Red Cross and Salvation Army relief efforts.[32][33]

In 2010, in association with MTV, he executive produced and directed Hope for Haiti Now, a concert telethon that raised money for victims of the January 12 earthquake in Haiti. Developed by Gallen, Clooney, and Wyclef Jean, the show was broadcast live from stages in New York, Los Angeles, and London. Anderson Cooper reported live from Port-au-Prince.[34] Airing on 60 broadcast, cable, and online outlets, it was then the most widely distributed telethon in history.[35] The telethon raised $61 million for Haitian relief through seven non-profit organizations.[36] An album that included all of the live performances from the event debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts.[37]

Gallen also produced and directed the Stand Up to Cancer telethons in 2012 and 2014, which cumulatively raised $200 million for clinical trials. It was nominated for an Emmy in the Outstanding Informational Series or Special category in 2013 and raised $100 million for clinical trials in 2014. Gallen executive produced the live broadcasts with Gwyneth Paltrow.[38][39] In 2014, he directed and produced The Concert for Valor. Created to raise awareness and money for veteran's charities, HBO broadcast the concert live from the National Mall in Washington DC on Veterans Day.[40]

Gallen also produced and directed Eric Clapton and Friends In Concert: A Benefit for the Crossroads Centre at Antigua;[41] Paul McCartney and Friends Live: PETA's Millennium Concert; [42] The Concert of the Century: A Benefit for VH-1 Save the Music; [43] and produced and directed CNN Heroes from 2007-2010.[44]

Gallen directed and executive produced the 2022 London and Los Angeles concerts in honor of Taylor Hawkins following his death. Produced in partnership with the Hawkins family and the Foo Fighters, it was "one of the most emotional, eclectic and joyous celebrations of rock music in recent memory: a fitting tribute for one of rock's most beautiful souls."[45] The London concert, which was broadcast live worldwide, featured Foo Fighters, Paul McCartney, Queen, Rush, Pretenders, and Wolfgang Van Halen, among others. In 2019, he produced I Am the Highway: A Tribute to Chris Cornell. Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, it featured performances by artists including Metallica, Miley Cyrus, Miguel, Brandi Carlile and Chris Stapleton in addition to Cornell's daughter, Toni, and his bandmates from Temple of the Dog, Audioslave, and Soundgarden.[46][47]

Gallen executive produced and directed the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's Induction Ceremony from 1993-1997—when it aired on MTV and VH1—and from 2003-2014, when it aired on HBO.[48] The 25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concert took place over two nights at Madison Square Garden in October 2009 with performances by artists including Simon & Garfunkel, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Stevie Wonder, Jerry Lee Lewis, B.B. King, Bonnie Raitt, U2, Metallica, Aretha Franklin, Annie Lennox,Jeff Beck and Mick Jagger.[49] Broadcast as a four-hour special on HBO in November, Gallen was nominated for Emmy awards in both the Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special and Outstanding Directing For A Variety, Music Or Comedy Special categories. He returned to executive produce and direct the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies from 2020-2023, with the 2023 ceremony airing as a three-hour primetime special on ABC. [50]

George Harrison was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. In planning that year's induction ceremony, Gallen wrote a letter to Prince—also a 2004 inductee—asking him to play the guitar solo during a performance of Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". Gallen said it was his dream to "get everybody up onstage at the end of the night to do 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' and have Prince come out and do the guitar solo." [51] Gallen met with Prince several times before he agreed to join the ensemble, which also included Tom Petty, Steve Winwood, Jeff Lynne, and Dhani Harrison. "A legendary moment in rock history," [52] Prince's solo closed the 2004 induction ceremony. Gallen re-edited the original footage in 2021, releasing a director's cut of the performance that was "subtly transformed...to illuminate the solo that shook the hall."[53]

In addition to the VMAs, the MTV Movie Awards, and the VH1 Fashion Awards, Gallen executive produced and directed the IHeartRadio Music Awards (2019-2023) and the Film Independent Spirit Awards (2015-2022).[54] He produced the Academy Awards pre-show in 2000 and 2004 [55] and in 2002 directed the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show, which he produced in partnership with Jimmy Iovine.[56]

Gallen directed and produced three Ellen DeGeneres stand-up specials: The Beginning (2000; HBO), Here and Now (2001, HBO) and Relatable (2018, Netflix). He was Emmy-nominated for Outstanding Variety, Music, or Comedy Specials for The Beginning and Here and Now. DeGeneres was nominated for her performances. Relatable—which Gallen co-directed with Tig Notaro—marked DeGeneres' return to stand-up after a 15-year break.[57] He EP'd and directed Chris Rock's HBO special, Never Scared, receiving a second 2004 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special. In 2023, he executive produced and directed Rock's Selective Outrage, which was the first livestream on Netflix. Gallen received two Emmy nominations for his work on the special, including Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special.[58][39]

Gallen executive produced and directed several one-offs and series for Comedy Central, including Last Laugh (2004-2007), Roast Battle (2016-2018),[59] Pete Davidson's stand-up special, SMD (2016) and The Comedy Jam (2017). He EP'd and directed the Comedy Central Roasts from 2005 through 2019, receiving an Emmy nomination for the William Shatner roast in 2007.[60][39] In 2013, he directed and produced The Big Live Comedy Show, a special that kicked off the first YouTube Comedy Week. Livestreamed globally from Culver Studios, the show featured comics including Norm Macdonald, Sarah Silverman and Seth Rogen.[61][62]

In February 2014 Gallen directed Howard Stern's 60th Birthday Bash. "Pretty much a Stern broadcast with a roster of stars as big as an awards show," it aired live from the Hammerstein Ballroom on Sirius XM.[63]

In 2001, based in part on the success of the character created for the VH1 Fashion Awards short,Paramount Pictures released the feature film Zoolander. Gallen executive produced the film. In a 20-years-later story in Vanity Fair, Andrew Buss wrote that it was "one of those rare films that manages to unite all kinds of audiences for the simplest and best reason: Zoolander sends everyone home happy."[64] Gallen also directed the 2001 comedy Not Another Teen Movie, a parody of films targeted to teenagers. It received mixed reviews, with Richard Roeper writing: "It's stupid, it's obvious, it's scatological and violent -- but it made me laugh and I'm giving it thumbs up, God help me." [65]

Gallen executive produced and directed the live music series Pepsi Smash for The WB during the summers of 2004 and 2005.[66] He executive produced The Sing-Off, an a cappella competition series for NBC from 2009-2011,[67] and MTV's America's Best Dance Crew, a dance competition series, for 7 seasons (2008-2012).[68]