Hogan Sheffer
Encyclopedia
Hogan Sheffer is an American
Daytime Emmy-winning screenwriter
. During the WGA strike, he chose financial core status with the WGA and continued working.
, who thought he looked like pianist/composer Hoagy Carmichael
.
at her production company. From 1997 to 2000, he was employed by Dreamworks
as the Director of Screenplay Development under producers
Mark Johnson
and Elizabeth Cantillon. He was in charge of developing screenplays for films like My Dog Skip
, Galaxy Quest
, Home Fries
, and What Lies Beneath
.
of the CBS Daytime
drama As the World Turns
from 2000 to 2005.
When Procter & Gamble
, the company that produces As the World Turns, hired Sheffer, it came as a surprise to both industry figures and viewers. Some fans became concerned when, in an interview, he admitted he had never seen As the World Turns
or sister soap Guiding Light
before he was asked to watch them. P&G gave Sheffer a choice of which show he'd like to write for, and although he commented that ATWT had been "boring as hell", he saw potential at the show.
As the World Turns has perhaps the largest group of veterans still active in the cast; there are over a dozen actors currently on contract to the show (or are recurring in their roles) who have been with the show for 20 or more years. Some of the veteran actors on the show (most notably Eileen Fulton
who plays longtime heroine Lisa Grimaldi
) also complained that their characters' airtime diminished dramatically during Sheffer's tenure.
, Christopher Whitesell
, and Jean Passanante
took over. P&G initially indicated that he would return at the end of his sabbatical, but announced a few weeks later that Sheffer would not be returning to his position as Head Writer; the company promoted Jean Passanante
to the position permanently.
Reasons for his leave and subsequent firing are unclear. There had been suggestions that Sheffer was ill; there were also suggestions that he had taken a leave to undergo gastric bypass surgery. However, no statements confirming the reason for his leave have been made. It is unclear whether Sheffer was fired from ATWT or left of his own volition, although it is known that Sheffer had been very unhappy after a planned two-year storyline was cut short by higher-ups and were replaced by rather unpopular storylines.
When he won his fourth Daytime Emmy for ATWT in 2005, he did not attend the ceremony; Jean Passanante accepted the award. Passanante thanked Sheffer for "his big heart and brilliant imagination" and said the entire writing staff at the show would "miss him".
In 2002 when Richard Culliton
was fired from the ABC Daytime
soap opera
All My Children
, it was speculated that Sheffer would leave ATWT to take over that soap. When interviewed, Sheffer has often praised the quality of production and acting on the rival network. After Sheffer was fired in 2005, speculation again circulated that Sheffer would head to One Life to Live
to join Dena Higley
as Head Writer, or to help out the low-rated Guiding Light
as an Executive Consultant
.
ATWT fans were shocked when in the summer of 2005, Sheffer was asked to return as Head Writer
. He declined, but agreed to take a lesser position on the writing staff, much like Leah Laiman
did in early 2005 when she returned to writing for the show. In October 2005, Sheffer returned to ATWT as a breakdown writer. Sheffer has stated that his favorite serials on ABC Daytime
and CBS Daytime
are General Hospital
and As the World Turns, respectively.
as the new Head Writer with Meg Kelly
Sheffer's stories began airing in October 2006. Sheffer's last episode aired January 24, 2008.
Sheffer has appeared with DAYS star Mary Beth Evans
on the SOAPnet
show I Wanna Be a Soap Star
in 2007.
as co-Head Writer. He works closely with Maria Arena Bell
and Scott Hamner
. His episodes began airing July 15, 2008
Days of our Lives
The Young and the Restless
Writers Guild of America Award
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Daytime Emmy-winning screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
. During the WGA strike, he chose financial core status with the WGA and continued working.
Personal life
Sheffer's full birth name is Mark Wayne Sheffer; he received his nickname of Hogan from younger brother CraigCraig Sheffer
Craig Eric Sheffer is an American film and television actor. He is known for his leading role as Norman Maclean in the film A River Runs Through It and of Keith Scott on the television series One Tree Hill.-Early life:...
, who thought he looked like pianist/composer Hoagy Carmichael
Hoagy Carmichael
Howard Hoagland "Hoagy" Carmichael was an American composer, pianist, singer, actor, and bandleader. He is best known for writing "Stardust", "Georgia On My Mind", "The Nearness of You", and "Heart and Soul", four of the most-recorded American songs of all time.Alec Wilder, in his study of the...
.
Film career
From 1986 to 1994, he worked as a freelancer and did script analysis for various production companies. He also worked for Mary Stuart MastersonMary Stuart Masterson
Mary Stuart Masterson is an American film, stage and television actress and director.-Early life:Masterson was born in New York City to writer/director Peter Masterson and actress Carlin Glynn. She has two siblings: Peter Masterson Jr., and Alexandra Masterson, who are both involved in the...
at her production company. From 1997 to 2000, he was employed by Dreamworks
DreamWorks
DreamWorks Pictures, also known as DreamWorks, LLC, DreamWorks SKG, DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC, DreamWorks Studios or DW Studios, LLC, is an American film studio which develops, produces, and distributes films, video games and television programming...
as the Director of Screenplay Development under producers
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
Mark Johnson
Mark Johnson (producer)
Mark Johnson is an American film producer. Johnson won the Best Picture Academy Award for producing the 1988 drama movie Rain Man, starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise...
and Elizabeth Cantillon. He was in charge of developing screenplays for films like My Dog Skip
My Dog Skip (film)
My Dog Skip is a 2000 film, directed by Jay Russell. It is based on the autobiographical book My Dog Skip by Willie Morris. The movie was released January 14, 2000....
, Galaxy Quest
Galaxy Quest
Galaxy Quest is a 1999 science-fiction comedy parody about a troupe of human actors who defend a group of aliens against an alien warlord. It was directed by Dean Parisot and written by David Howard and Robert Gordon. Mark Johnson and Charles Newirth produced the film for DreamWorks, and David...
, Home Fries
Home Fries
Home Fries is a 1998 film directed by Dean Parisot, starring Drew Barrymore, Luke Wilson and Jake Busey. The script was originally penned by writer Vince Gilligan for a film class at New York University...
, and What Lies Beneath
What Lies Beneath
What Lies Beneath is a 2000 American supernatural horror-thriller film directed by Robert Zemeckis. It stars veteran actors Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer as a well-to-do couple who experience a strange haunting that uncovers secrets about their past....
.
As the World Turns
Sheffer is perhaps best known for his stint as Head WriterHead writer
A head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera genre, as well as with sketch comedies and talk shows that feature monologues and comedy skits, but in prime time series this function is generally performed by an...
of the CBS Daytime
CBS Daytime
CBS Daytime is a television programming block on CBS. It's the branding for the CBS Television Network's late morning and early afternoon programming. The block has historically encompassed soap operas, game shows, and talk shows...
drama As the World Turns
As the World Turns
As the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from April 2, 1956 to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created As the World Turns as a sister show to her other soap opera Guiding Light...
from 2000 to 2005.
When Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble is a Fortune 500 American multinational corporation headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio and manufactures a wide range of consumer goods....
, the company that produces As the World Turns, hired Sheffer, it came as a surprise to both industry figures and viewers. Some fans became concerned when, in an interview, he admitted he had never seen As the World Turns
As the World Turns
As the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from April 2, 1956 to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created As the World Turns as a sister show to her other soap opera Guiding Light...
or sister soap Guiding Light
Guiding Light
Guiding Light is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running drama in television and radio history, running from 1937 until 2009...
before he was asked to watch them. P&G gave Sheffer a choice of which show he'd like to write for, and although he commented that ATWT had been "boring as hell", he saw potential at the show.
Praise
Sheffer's take on As the World Turns, an aging show in one of the oldest genres in television, was seen by some as reinvigorating the program. During Sheffer's writing regime, the show won many Daytime Emmy Awards; Sheffer and his team received four Emmys for Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team in 2001, 2002, 2004, and 2005. ATWT 's loss in 2003 was blamed on technical difficulties with their Emmy reel, as the clips judges watched had either bad or no sound and were tinted green. Also, Sheffer became a favorite of reporters for his comical one-liners.Criticism
Sheffer's writing style alienated a number of longtime fans of ATWT, who complained that he rewrote characters to suit the purposes of a given storyline. In particular, he and his team were criticized for departing from history and/or established character motivation and behavior. While some storylines for veteran characters worked well (turning Barbara Ryan into a villainess), others seemed inappropriate for the character, like Margo's flirtation with misogynistic football player Doc.As the World Turns has perhaps the largest group of veterans still active in the cast; there are over a dozen actors currently on contract to the show (or are recurring in their roles) who have been with the show for 20 or more years. Some of the veteran actors on the show (most notably Eileen Fulton
Eileen Fulton
Eileen Fulton is an American actress.Fulton is known for her role as Lisa Grimaldi on the CBS soap opera As the World Turns, a role that she played almost continuously for 50 years from May 18, 1960 until the show's cancellation on September 17, 2010.-As the...
who plays longtime heroine Lisa Grimaldi
Lisa Grimaldi
Lisa Grimaldi is a fictional character on the CBS soap opera As the World Turns. The daughter of Henry and Alma Miller, Lisa grew up in Rockford, Illinois, USA before moving to Oakdale...
) also complained that their characters' airtime diminished dramatically during Sheffer's tenure.
Departure from ATWT
In March 2005, Sheffer took what was referred to a "17-week sabbatical" from ATWT, at which time other writers like Leah LaimanLeah Laiman
Leah Laiman is an American soap opera writer and romance novelist.- Background :This Emmy Award winning writer got her start on daytime television during the early 1980s when General Hospital's Head Writer, Pat Falken Smith, quit the show with the entire writing team...
, Christopher Whitesell
Christopher Whitesell
Christopher Whitesell is an American television soap opera writer. He has served as either co-head writer, associate head writer, or a breakdown writer on the shows he's worked on.-Positions held:Another World...
, and Jean Passanante
Jean Passanante
Jean Passanante is an American television screenwriter best known for her work in daytime soap operas.Passanante got her start as an actress doing bit parts in the 1980s, including John Sayles's Return of the Secaucus 7. In 1985 she married writer Jack Shannon...
took over. P&G initially indicated that he would return at the end of his sabbatical, but announced a few weeks later that Sheffer would not be returning to his position as Head Writer; the company promoted Jean Passanante
Jean Passanante
Jean Passanante is an American television screenwriter best known for her work in daytime soap operas.Passanante got her start as an actress doing bit parts in the 1980s, including John Sayles's Return of the Secaucus 7. In 1985 she married writer Jack Shannon...
to the position permanently.
Reasons for his leave and subsequent firing are unclear. There had been suggestions that Sheffer was ill; there were also suggestions that he had taken a leave to undergo gastric bypass surgery. However, no statements confirming the reason for his leave have been made. It is unclear whether Sheffer was fired from ATWT or left of his own volition, although it is known that Sheffer had been very unhappy after a planned two-year storyline was cut short by higher-ups and were replaced by rather unpopular storylines.
When he won his fourth Daytime Emmy for ATWT in 2005, he did not attend the ceremony; Jean Passanante accepted the award. Passanante thanked Sheffer for "his big heart and brilliant imagination" and said the entire writing staff at the show would "miss him".
In 2002 when Richard Culliton
Richard Culliton
Richard Culliton is an American television writer known for his work on soap operas. He has won four Writers Guild of America Awards, including one as a Head Writer, and two Daytime Emmy Awards. He is an alumnus of Northwestern University...
was fired from the ABC Daytime
ABC Daytime
ABC Daytime is a programming block on the ABC Network which has historically encompassed soap operas, game shows and talk shows.-Schedule:...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
, it was speculated that Sheffer would leave ATWT to take over that soap. When interviewed, Sheffer has often praised the quality of production and acting on the rival network. After Sheffer was fired in 2005, speculation again circulated that Sheffer would head to One Life to Live
One Life to Live
One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...
to join Dena Higley
Dena Higley
Dena Higley is an American television soap opera writer who lives in Los Angeles, California. She was head writer of Days of our Lives...
as Head Writer, or to help out the low-rated Guiding Light
Guiding Light
Guiding Light is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running drama in television and radio history, running from 1937 until 2009...
as an Executive Consultant
Creative consultant
Creative consultant is a credit that has - particularly in the past - been given to screenwriters who have “doctored” a movie screenplay. It is often given by producers in lieu of official credit. Those given this credit in the television field work closely with an Executive Producer, Head...
.
ATWT fans were shocked when in the summer of 2005, Sheffer was asked to return as Head Writer
Head writer
A head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera genre, as well as with sketch comedies and talk shows that feature monologues and comedy skits, but in prime time series this function is generally performed by an...
. He declined, but agreed to take a lesser position on the writing staff, much like Leah Laiman
Leah Laiman
Leah Laiman is an American soap opera writer and romance novelist.- Background :This Emmy Award winning writer got her start on daytime television during the early 1980s when General Hospital's Head Writer, Pat Falken Smith, quit the show with the entire writing team...
did in early 2005 when she returned to writing for the show. In October 2005, Sheffer returned to ATWT as a breakdown writer. Sheffer has stated that his favorite serials on ABC Daytime
ABC Daytime
ABC Daytime is a programming block on the ABC Network which has historically encompassed soap operas, game shows and talk shows.-Schedule:...
and CBS Daytime
CBS Daytime
CBS Daytime is a television programming block on CBS. It's the branding for the CBS Television Network's late morning and early afternoon programming. The block has historically encompassed soap operas, game shows, and talk shows...
are General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
and As the World Turns, respectively.
Days of our Lives
On June 12, 2006, (Sheffer's 48th birthday) Sheffer confirmed he was joining Days of our LivesDays of our Lives
Days of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...
as the new Head Writer with Meg Kelly
Meg Kelly
Meg Kelly is an American television soap opera screenwriter who co-wrote Days of our Lives with Hogan Sheffer from October 2006 to January 2008. She has a son Named Thomas whose godfather is Hogan Sheffer. Meg, Tony, Tommy , and his sister sally live in Washington D.C...
Sheffer's stories began airing in October 2006. Sheffer's last episode aired January 24, 2008.
Sheffer has appeared with DAYS star Mary Beth Evans
Mary Beth Evans
Mary Beth Evans is an American actress. She was born in Pasadena, California.-Career:Evans is most famous for her role as Kayla Brady Johnson in the soap opera Days of our Lives from 1986 to 1992, 2006 to 2009, and 2010 to present. Her character became half of the supercouple Steve and Kayla...
on the SOAPnet
SOAPnet
SOAPnet is an American cable television channel that broadcasts current and past soap operas and primetime dramas, along with some original programming. The channel launched on January 20, 2000, and is owned by Disney-ABC Television Group, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
show I Wanna Be a Soap Star
I Wanna Be a Soap Star
I Wanna Be a Soap Star is a reality television series which debuted on the cable channel SOAPnet in 2004. The show is hosted by All My Children star and ex-Dancing with the Stars participant, Cameron Mathison. It is based on the British reality series Soapstars.-I Wanna Be a Soap Star:The first...
in 2007.
The Young and The Restless
On May 21, 2008, it was announced that Sheffer had joined The Young and the RestlessThe Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...
as co-Head Writer. He works closely with Maria Arena Bell
Maria Arena Bell
Maria Arena Bell is an American novelist, television and freelance writer. She is currently the Head Writer and Executive Producer of CBS Daytime's The Young and the Restless.-Personal:...
and Scott Hamner
Scott Hamner
Scott Hamner, son of Earl Hamner, is an American television writer. He was nominated for a WGA Award in 2006 for his work on CBSThe Young and the Restless.-Positions held:The Young and the Restless*Story Consultant: July 2006 - September 2006...
. His episodes began airing July 15, 2008
Positions held
As the World TurnsAs the World Turns
As the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from April 2, 1956 to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created As the World Turns as a sister show to her other soap opera Guiding Light...
- Associate Head Writer: October 25, 2005 - August 9, 2006
- Head Writer: August 2000 - May 24, 2005
Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...
- Head Writer: October 5, 2006 - January 24, 2008
The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...
- Co-Head Writer: July 15, 2008 to present
Awards and nominations
- Daytime Emmy: 6 nominations (2001-2006; Best Writing; As The World Turns); 4 wins (2001, 2002, 2004, 2005; Best Writing; As the World Turns)
Writers Guild of America Award
Writers Guild of America Award
The Writers Guild of America Award for outstanding achievements in film, television, and radio has been presented annually by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America, West since 1949...
- Nomination (For 2005 season; As the World Turns)