Emily Kapnek (born March 27, 1972) is an American television creator, writer and producer. Kapnek is best known for creating the animated program As Told by Ginger as well as the television series Suburgatory and Selfie. She was a consulting producer on the television series Parks and Recreation and has written the theme songs for several shows.[1]

Emily Kapnek
Born (1972-03-27) March 27, 1972 (age 52)
Occupation(s)Writer, actress, television producer
Years active1996–present
Known forCreator of As Told by Ginger, Suburgatory, and Selfie
Spouse
(m. 2008)
Children2 sons

Career

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In 1999, Kapnek created the Nickelodeon series As Told by Ginger which was produced by Eryk Casemiro, Gábor Csupó, and Arlene Klasky. Kapnek also voiced the character of Noelle Sussman. In 2005, Kapnek had two pilots produced. "Wiener Park" starred Donal Logue and Fred Willard [2] for FOX and Emily's Reasons Why Not for ABC, which starred Heather Graham and was based on a novel of the same name. The latter was picked up to series and premiered on 9 January 2006, but was cancelled after the first episode.

In 2007, Kapnek wrote and was a consulting producer for Aliens in America, which aired on The CW.[3] In 2008, Kapnek wrote a pilot for Fox titled The Emancipation of Ernesto, which starred Wilmer Valderrama.[4]

In 2009, Kapnek served as a co-executive producer and wrote two episodes for the HBO show Hung which premiered on 28 June 2009, and ran for three seasons. From 2010 to 2011, Kapnek was a consulting producer on the third season of the NBC series Parks and Recreation, which starred Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman. Kapnek penned the episode "Ron and Tammy Part Two." In January 2011, it was announced ABC had picked up the pilot for Suburgatory, a show which Kapnek created.[5] The series starred Jeremy Sisto and Jane Levy. Suburgatory premiered on 28 September 2011 [6] and ran for three seasons. She had a Warner Bros. Television-affiliated production company called Piece of Pie Productions.[7] In the same year Kapnek created Selfie, which starred Karen Gillan and John Cho. Selfie ran for just one season but developed a cult following after its cancellation.[8] In 2015, Kapnek was given a pilot commitment for Front Man, a new FOX series created by Kapnek, which would have been produced by Elizabeth Banks, and Max Handelman.[9] However, the pilot did not move to production.[10] In 2018, Kapnek wrote and produced the ABC pilot Splitting Up Together, starring Jenna Fischer and Oliver Hudson which was picked up to series and ran for two seasons on ABC.

Kapnek's new banner "Specifica Productions" (specificaproductions.com) launched in 2019 as part of her deal with ABC Studios, a three-year contract. Her former production company which worked with Warner Brothers Television was Piece of Pie Productions.[11][12] In February 2020, an ABC pilot order was signed for a show starring Quintessa Swindell for Wild Child,[13] but there were no further developments on the project. In November 2021, it was reported that Kapnek is working again with Selfie star Gillan and Danny Elfman on a musical animation for Disney+ called Rhona Who Lives by the River.[14]

Personal life

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In December 2008, Emily Kapnek married Dan Lagana. They have two children, Oszkar Nosek and Guy Lagana.

Filmography

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Year Title Credited as Notes
Creator Writer Executive
producer
1998–1999 Hercules No Yes No 2 episodes
1999 Rocket Power No Yes No 2 episodes
2000 Psyko Ferret No Teleplay No Television short
The Wild Thornberrys No Yes No 1 episode ("Monkey See, Monkey Don't")
Noah Knows Best No Yes No 3 episodes
2000–2006 As Told by Ginger Yes Yes Yes As writer (14 episodes)
As co-executive producer (22 episodes)
As executive producer (12 episodes)
Also consulting producer (23 episodes)
Also voiced Noelle Sussman (6 episodes)
2001 The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald No Yes No 1 episode ("Have Time, Will Travel")
Additional material by ("Birthday World")
2005 The Legend of Frosty the Snowman No Yes No Direct-to-video
Also creative producer
Wiener Park No Yes Yes Pilot
2006 Emily's Reasons Why Not Developed
by
Yes Yes As writer (2 episodes)
As executive producer (6 episodes)
2007–2008 Aliens in America No Yes No As writer (3 episodes)
Also consulting producer (17 episodes)
2008 The Emancipation of Ernesto Yes Yes Yes Pilot
2009 Hung No Yes Co-executive As writer (2 episodes)
As co-executive producer (9 episodes)
2010–2011 Parks and Recreation No Yes No 1 episode ("Ron & Tammy: Part Two")
Also consulting producer (23 episodes)
2011–2014 Suburgatory Yes Yes Yes Also director ("Stray Dogs")
As writer (10 episodes)
As executive producer (11 episodes)
2014 Selfie Yes Yes Yes As writer (2 episodes)
As executive producer (13 episodes)
2018–2019 Splitting Up Together Developed
by
Yes Yes Based on the Danish series Bedre skilt end aldrig
As writer (3 episodes)
As executive producer (26 episodes)
TBA Rhona Who Lives by the River Yes Yes Yes Post-production

References

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  1. ^ "Alih Jey Sings Theme Song for ABC Show "Suburgatory"". Entertainmentaffair.com. December 7, 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  2. ^ "Wiener Park". IMDb. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  3. ^ Rueben (December 11, 2013). "Women Behind the Scenes Spotlight: Emily Kapnek". NiceGirlsTV.com. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  4. ^ Hibbe & Nordyke, James & Kimberly (January 19, 2008). "Fox pilots the epic quest of 'Ernesto'". TheHollywoodReporter.com. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  5. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (January 14, 2011). "ABC Picks Up Suburban Comedy Pilot". Deadline. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  6. ^ "ABC 2011–12 Primetime Schedule Announced". Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com. May 17, 2011. Archived from the original on May 20, 2011. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  7. ^ Marich, Robert (December 10, 2013). "Showbiz Strategists: Variety's Dealmakers Impact Report". Variety. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  8. ^ "Projects". Specifica Productions. Archived from the original on April 10, 2023. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  9. ^ Wagmeister, Elizabeth (September 17, 2015). "Fox Sets Up Comedy from Elizabeth Banks & 'Suburgatory' Creator Emily Kapnek". Variety. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  10. ^ Dead Pilots Society (August 31, 2017). "Episode 15: Front Man, Written by Emily Kapnek". Maximum Fun. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  11. ^ ""Suburgatory" Creator, Elizabeth Banks Sell Family Comedy to Fox)". The Hollywood Reporter. September 17, 2015. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
  12. ^ Otterson, Joe (January 23, 2019). "'Splitting Up Together' Creator Emily Kapnek Inks Overall Deal at ABC Studios (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  13. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 20, 2020). "Quintessa Swindell To Headline ABC Comedy Pilot From Emily Kapnek & Dean Holland". Deadline. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  14. ^ Petski, Nellie Andreeva,Denise; Andreeva, Nellie; Petski, Denise (November 16, 2021). "Karen Gillan To Star In Emily Kapnek's 'Rhona Who Lives By The River' Animated Musical Series With Danny Elfman In Works At Disney+". Deadline. Retrieved December 29, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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