Seth Gordon
Encyclopedia
Seth Gordon is an American film director, producer, and film editor. He has produced and directed both film and TV for various film and television studios, including PBS
, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
, and the United Nations 1% For Development Fund. His films have been featured at the Sundance Film Festival
and Slamdance Film Festival
.
, Illinois, and has lived in New York, London and Seattle. In Seattle, Seth attended and graduated from Lakeside School, the alma mater of Bill Gates, Paul Allen, Craig Mccaw, and Daniel Wu. He then attended Yale University
where he studied architecture. While in school he spent six months in Kenya
to help develop the school and infrastructure for the small village of Shimanyiro in Kenya
. In one instance, Gordon's having securing funding for a local school led to a crisis involving "an imbalance of need and greed", which itself provided the basis for an early film project. When he returned to Yale, Gordon taught himself how to edit his footage on an Avid editing machine. Gordon also attended Harvard Graduate School of Design
. He has said some of his influences are Christopher Guest
, Alexander Payne
, and Alejandro González Iñárritu
.
directed by Barbara Kopple
and Cecilia Peck
. He produced and edited the documentary, New York Doll
, which was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize in documentary at Sundance Film Festival in 2005. He produced and edited Cry Wolf for Universal Studios
. Gordon made his feature directing debut with the film The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
. The film was accepted to Slamdance and bought for distribution by Picturehouse. New Line Cinema
bought the film's remake rights and plans to turn it in to a fiction film with Gordon directing. Gordon's first studio feature film was Four Christmases
for New Line, starring Vince Vaughn
and Reese Witherspoon
, released in 2008. He followed this up with Horrible Bosses
in 2011.
Gordon's future projects include directing New Regency's Mr. Romance, Sony's The Only Living Boy in New York, and Working Title's Suicide Squad. He is also set to produce an adaptation of the best selling book, Freakonomics
.
In 2009, Gordon developed and directed a video series focusing on the threat posed by cybercrime to Internet users, H*Commerce: The Business of Hacking You, sponsored by antivirus software company McAfee
. Gordon has also directed various music videos and commercials, as well as an episode each of Modern Family
and Community
, two episodes of The Office, and multiple episodes of Parks and Recreation
.
Gordon is co-creator and an executive producer for the Fox
television series Breaking In
.
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....
, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest transparently operated private foundation in the world, founded by Bill and Melinda Gates. It is "driven by the interests and passions of the Gates family"...
, and the United Nations 1% For Development Fund. His films have been featured at the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
and Slamdance Film Festival
Slamdance Film Festival
As a year-round organization, Slamdance serves as a showcase for the discovery of new and emerging talent in the film industry; it is also the only major film festival fully programmed by filmmakers. Slamdance counts among its alumni many notable writers and directors who first gained notice at the...
.
Life and career
Gordon was born in EvanstonEvanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
, Illinois, and has lived in New York, London and Seattle. In Seattle, Seth attended and graduated from Lakeside School, the alma mater of Bill Gates, Paul Allen, Craig Mccaw, and Daniel Wu. He then attended Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
where he studied architecture. While in school he spent six months in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
to help develop the school and infrastructure for the small village of Shimanyiro in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
. In one instance, Gordon's having securing funding for a local school led to a crisis involving "an imbalance of need and greed", which itself provided the basis for an early film project. When he returned to Yale, Gordon taught himself how to edit his footage on an Avid editing machine. Gordon also attended Harvard Graduate School of Design
Harvard Graduate School of Design
The Harvard Graduate School of Design is a graduate school at Harvard University offering degrees in Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Planning and Design.-History:...
. He has said some of his influences are Christopher Guest
Christopher Guest
Christopher Haden-Guest, 5th Baron Haden-Guest , better known as Christopher Guest, is an American screenwriter, composer, musician, director, actor and comedian. He is most widely known in Hollywood for having written, directed and starred in several improvisational "mockumentary" films that...
, Alexander Payne
Alexander Payne
Alexander Payne, born Alexander Constantine Papadopoulos is an American film director and screenwriter. His films are noted for their dark humor and satirical depictions of contemporary American society.- Early life :...
, and Alejandro González Iñárritu
Alejandro González Iñárritu
Alejandro González Iñárritu is a Mexican film director.González Iñárritu is the first Mexican director to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director and by the DGA of America for Best Director. He is also the first and only Mexican born director to have won the Prix de la mise en scene...
.
Filmography
Gordon was a cameraman for the documentary, Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and SingDixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing
Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing is a 2006 documentary film produced and directed by Academy Award-winning director Barbara Kopple and Cecilia Peck ....
directed by Barbara Kopple
Barbara Kopple
Barbara Kopple is an American film director, primarily known for her work in documentary film.-Biography:She grew up in Scarsdale, New York, the daughter of a textile executive and studied psychology at Northeastern University, after which she worked with the Maysles Brothers.Kopple has won two...
and Cecilia Peck
Cecilia Peck
Cecilia Peck is a film producer, director, and actress. Cecilia is the daughter of actor Gregory Peck and his second wife Veronique Passani.-Personal life:...
. He produced and edited the documentary, New York Doll
New York Doll
New York Doll is a documentary film based on the life of former New York Dolls member Arthur Kane. The film was nominated for both a Satellite Award and a Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, where it premiered in 2005...
, which was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize in documentary at Sundance Film Festival in 2005. He produced and edited Cry Wolf for Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
. Gordon made his feature directing debut with the film The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters is a 2007 American documentary film that follows Steve Wiebe as he tries to take the world high score for the arcade game Donkey Kong from reigning champion Billy Mitchell...
. The film was accepted to Slamdance and bought for distribution by Picturehouse. New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema, often simply referred to as New Line, is an American film studio. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne as a film distributor, later becoming an independent film studio. It became a subsidiary of Time Warner in 1996 and was merged with larger sister studio Warner...
bought the film's remake rights and plans to turn it in to a fiction film with Gordon directing. Gordon's first studio feature film was Four Christmases
Four Christmases
Four Christmases is a Christmas-themed romantic comedy film about a couple who go to see their divorced parents in one day...
for New Line, starring Vince Vaughn
Vince Vaughn
Vincent Anthony "Vince" Vaughn is an American film actor, screenwriter, producer and comedian. He began acting in the late 1980s, appearing in minor television roles before attaining wider recognition with the 1996 movie Swingers...
and Reese Witherspoon
Reese Witherspoon
Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon , better known as Reese Witherspoon, is an American actress and film producer. Witherspoon landed her first feature role as the female lead in the film The Man in the Moon in 1991; later that year she made her television acting debut, in the cable movie Wildflower...
, released in 2008. He followed this up with Horrible Bosses
Horrible Bosses
Horrible Bosses is a 2011 black comedy film directed by Seth Gordon, written by Michael Markowitz, John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, based on a story by Markowitz. It stars Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston, Colin Farrell, Kevin Spacey and Jamie Foxx...
in 2011.
Gordon's future projects include directing New Regency's Mr. Romance, Sony's The Only Living Boy in New York, and Working Title's Suicide Squad. He is also set to produce an adaptation of the best selling book, Freakonomics
Freakonomics
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything is a 2005 non-fiction book by University of Chicago economist Steven Levitt and New York Times journalist Stephen J. Dubner. The book has been described as melding pop culture with economics, but has also been described as...
.
In 2009, Gordon developed and directed a video series focusing on the threat posed by cybercrime to Internet users, H*Commerce: The Business of Hacking You, sponsored by antivirus software company McAfee
McAfee
McAfee, Inc. is a computer security company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, USA. It markets software and services to home users, businesses and the public sector. On August 19, 2010, electronics company Intel agreed to purchase McAfee for $7.68 billion...
. Gordon has also directed various music videos and commercials, as well as an episode each of Modern Family
Modern Family
Modern Family is an American television comedy series created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan, which debuted on ABC on September 23, 2009. Lloyd and Levitan serve as showrunner and executive producers, under their Levitan-Lloyd Productions label...
and 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...
, two episodes of The Office, and multiple episodes of Parks and Recreation
Parks and Recreation
Parks and Recreation is an American comedy television series on NBC that focuses on Leslie Knope , a mid-level bureaucrat in the parks department of Pawnee, a fictional town in Indiana. Created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, the series debuted on April 9, 2009; it has run for three seasons and...
.
Gordon is co-creator and an executive producer for the Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
television series Breaking In
Breaking In (TV series)
Breaking In is an American television series which premiered on Fox on April 6, 2011. The series aired at 9:30 pm as a midseason replacement following American Idol. The half-hour workplace comedy stars Christian Slater, Michael Rosenbaum, Odette Annable, Trevor Moore, Alphonso McAuley and Bret...
.