Dan Eckman
Encyclopedia
Dan Eckman is an American
director, writer, and producer. Eckman first came to attention for his work in the sketch group Derrick Comedy
.
. He has been writing, producing, directing, and editing short films since the age of 15, and his work has been screened at numerous film festivals across the country. He graduated from New York University
with a B.F.A.
in Film and TV Production in 2005.
group along with fellow members Donald Glover
, Dominic Dierkes
, DC Pierson
, and Meggie McFadden. His NYU undergraduate thesis film, CHECKOUT, won several awards, including Best College Short at the 2006 HBO US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen
.
In 2009, Derrick Comedy released the film Mystery Team
, Derrick's first endeavor into the feature film
world. The film premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival
.
Before making Mystery Team, Eckman was the Video Production Director for Blue Man Group
, where his work was seen on the 57th Primetime Emmy Award
s, the 2005 Billboard Music Award
s, on PBS
, at Universal Orlando
and in the Boston Children's Museum
, among others.
Eckman, along with his other Derrick partners with the exception of Glover, made a guest appearance on Community
as Pierce's joke writers.
In 2011, Eckman directed the MTV
film Worst. Prom. Ever. which starred Daryl Sabara and was produced by DC Pierson
and Meggie McFadden.
In 2011, Eckman directed the very first Childish Gambino music video, Freaks and Geeks and the video for his single "Bonfire".
On August 24, 2011, it was announced that Eckman would direct the thirteenth episode of the third season
of Community. It was also announced that Eckman's next directorial project would be an adaptation of friend and Derrick partner DC Pierson
's book, The Boy Who Couldn't Sleep and Never Had To. Eckman co-wrote the script with Pierson and Meggie McFadden.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
director, writer, and producer. Eckman first came to attention for his work in the sketch group Derrick Comedy
Derrick Comedy
Derrick Comedy is an Internet sketch comedy group from New York University. The group has a large YouTube following and was mentioned in Rolling Stone in July 2007. Their video "Bro Rape" has garnered over 8 million views...
.
Early life
Eckman was born on January 27, 1984 in Manchester, New HampshireManchester, New Hampshire
Manchester is the largest city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, the tenth largest city in New England, and the largest city in northern New England, an area comprising the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. It is in Hillsborough County along the banks of the Merrimack River, which...
. He has been writing, producing, directing, and editing short films since the age of 15, and his work has been screened at numerous film festivals across the country. He graduated from New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
with a B.F.A.
Bachelor of Fine Arts
In the United States and Canada, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, usually abbreviated BFA, is the standard undergraduate degree for students seeking a professional education in the visual or performing arts. In some countries such a degree is called a Bachelor of Creative Arts or BCA...
in Film and TV Production in 2005.
Career
Eckman's career began when he started making sketch videos for the Derrick ComedyDerrick Comedy
Derrick Comedy is an Internet sketch comedy group from New York University. The group has a large YouTube following and was mentioned in Rolling Stone in July 2007. Their video "Bro Rape" has garnered over 8 million views...
group along with fellow members Donald Glover
Donald Glover
Donald McKinley Glover is an American actor, writer, comedian, and musician. Glover first came to attention for his work in the sketch group Derrick Comedy, and is best known for his role as community college student Troy Barnes on the NBC comedy series Community...
, Dominic Dierkes
Dominic Dierkes
Dominic Dierkes is an American actor, comedian and writer best known for his involvement in the sketch comedy group Derrick Comedy.-Life and career:...
, DC Pierson
DC Pierson
DC Pierson is an American comedian, author, rapper and actor. He is best known for his involvement in the sketch and improvisational comedy group Derrick Comedy....
, and Meggie McFadden. His NYU undergraduate thesis film, CHECKOUT, won several awards, including Best College Short at the 2006 HBO US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen
Aspen, Colorado
The City of Aspen is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the city population was 5,804 in 2005...
.
In 2009, Derrick Comedy released the film Mystery Team
Mystery Team
Mystery Team is a 2009 film created by the comedy group Derrick Comedy. The story was written by Donald Glover, DC Pierson, Dominic Dierkes, Dan Eckman, and Meggie McFadden. It stars Donald Glover, DC Pierson, and Dominic Dierkes...
, Derrick's first endeavor into the feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
world. The film premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival
2009 Sundance Film Festival
The 2009 Sundance Film Festival ran from January 15, 2009 until January 25 in Park City, Utah. It was the 25th iteration of the Sundance Film Festival.-Award winners:*Grand Jury Prize: Documentary - We Live in Public...
.
Before making Mystery Team, Eckman was the Video Production Director for Blue Man Group
Blue Man Group
Blue Man Group is an organization founded by Chris Wink, Matt Goldman and Phil Stanton. The organization produces theatrical shows and concerts featuring popular music, comedy and multimedia; recorded music and scores for film and television; television appearances for shows such as The Tonight...
, where his work was seen on the 57th Primetime Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
s, the 2005 Billboard Music Award
Billboard Music Award
The Billboard Music Award is an honor given by Billboard magazine, the preeminent publication covering the music business. The Billboard Music Awards show had been held annually in December until it went dormant in 2007, but it returned in May 2011...
s, on PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
, at Universal Orlando
Universal Orlando Resort
Universal Orlando Resort is a theme park resort in Orlando, Florida. It is wholly owned by NBCUniversal and its affiliates. The resort consists of two theme parks , Universal CityWalk , and three Loews Hotels...
and in the Boston Children's Museum
Boston Children's Museum
Boston Children's Museum is a children's museum in Boston, Massachusetts, dedicated to the education of children. Located on Children's Wharf along the Fort Point Channel, Boston Children's Museum is the second oldest children's museum in the United States...
, among others.
Eckman, along with his other Derrick partners with the exception of Glover, made a guest appearance on Community
Community (TV series)
Community is an American television comedy series created by Dan Harmon that airs on NBC. The series is about a group of students at a community college in the fictional locale of Greendale, Colorado. The series heavily uses meta-humor and pop culture references, often parodying film and television...
as Pierce's joke writers.
In 2011, Eckman directed the MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
film Worst. Prom. Ever. which starred Daryl Sabara and was produced by DC Pierson
DC Pierson
DC Pierson is an American comedian, author, rapper and actor. He is best known for his involvement in the sketch and improvisational comedy group Derrick Comedy....
and Meggie McFadden.
In 2011, Eckman directed the very first Childish Gambino music video, Freaks and Geeks and the video for his single "Bonfire".
On August 24, 2011, it was announced that Eckman would direct the thirteenth episode of the third season
Community (season 3)
The third season of the television comedy series Community premiered on September 22, 2011, and airs on NBC Thursdays at 8:00 pm ET as part of the network's "Comedy Night Done Right" programming block.-Starring:*Joel McHale as Jeff Winger...
of Community. It was also announced that Eckman's next directorial project would be an adaptation of friend and Derrick partner DC Pierson
DC Pierson
DC Pierson is an American comedian, author, rapper and actor. He is best known for his involvement in the sketch and improvisational comedy group Derrick Comedy....
's book, The Boy Who Couldn't Sleep and Never Had To. Eckman co-wrote the script with Pierson and Meggie McFadden.
Filmography
| Filmography | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2005 2005 in television The year 2005 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 2005.For the American TV schedule, see: 2005–06 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-Miniseries:... |
57th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards | segment director | |
| 2006 2006 in film - Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2006... |
Channel 101 Channel 101 Channel 101 is a non-profit short film festival in Los Angeles, which also has a sister festival in NYC, Channel 101: NY. Channel 101 is a creation of Dan Harmon and Rob Schrab in which participants submit a short film in the format of a pilot under five minutes in length... |
Various | TV Movie |
| Keyboard Kid | director | video short | |
| Bro Rape: A Newsline Investigative Report | director | video short | |
| National Spelling Bee | director | video short | |
| Celebrity | director | video short | |
| Self Defense | director | video short | |
| Girls Are Not to Be Trusted | director | video short | |
| 2007 2007 in film This is a list of major films released in 2007.-Top grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2007... |
Jerry | director | video short |
| Emo Song | director | video short | |
| Blowjob Girl | director | video short | |
| Memory Loss | director | video short | |
| 2009 2009 in film The year 2009 saw the release of many films. Seven made the top 50 list of highest-grossing films, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that as of this year, their Best Picture category would consist of ten nominees, rather than five .- Highest-grossing films :Please note... |
Mystery Team Mystery Team Mystery Team is a 2009 film created by the comedy group Derrick Comedy. The story was written by Donald Glover, DC Pierson, Dominic Dierkes, Dan Eckman, and Meggie McFadden. It stars Donald Glover, DC Pierson, and Dominic Dierkes... |
Bread Squeezer | Also director, producer, editor and writer |
| 2012 2012 in film The following tables list films that are in production or have completed production and will be released in the United States and Canada at some point in 2012... |
The Boy Who Couldn't Sleep and Never Had To | director | |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Billboard Music Awards | segment director | |
| 2009–present | Community Community (TV series) Community is an American television comedy series created by Dan Harmon that airs on NBC. The series is about a group of students at a community college in the fictional locale of Greendale, Colorado. The series heavily uses meta-humor and pop culture references, often parodying film and television... |
director | 1 episode |