Matt Selman (born 9 September 1971)[1] is an American writer and producer.

Matt Selman
Selman at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2010
Born9 September 1971 (age 52)
Occupation(s)Writer, Producer
Known forThe Simpsons
SpouseRenee Ridgeley
Children2
Websitehttps://twitter.com/mattselman

Early life

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Selman is a native of Watertown, Massachusetts.[1] He graduated from Beaver Country Day School in 1989 and the University of Pennsylvania in 1993.[1][2][3]

Career

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After considering a career in journalism, he decided to try to become a television writer. After two years of failed spec scripts he was eventually hired to write an episode of Seinfeld in 1996.

The Simpsons

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In 1997, Selman joined the writing staff of The Simpsons, where he has remained, rising to the position of executive producer.[4] He has written or co-written 28 episodes of the show, including "Natural Born Kissers" which the show's creator Matt Groening listed as his eighth favorite episode in 2000.,[5] "Behind the Laughter", "Trilogy of Error", "Sky Police" and "The Food Wife". He also co-wrote the 2007 film adaptation of the show, as well as co-writing the video games The Simpsons: Road Rage, The Simpsons Hit and Run and The Simpsons Game.

Selman has won six Primetime Emmy Awards for his work on the show, sharing them with the other producers.[6] Selman received an Annie Award in 1999 for writing "Simpsons Bible Stories".[7] He also won a Writers Guild of America Award in 2004 for writing the episode "The Dad Who Knew Too Little".[8] In the episode, Homer's e-mail was said to be chunkylover53@aol.com. Selman registered the e-mail and received thousands of messages after the episode aired.[9] He responded to some of them in the character of Homer, but gave up when he forgot the password.[10]

Of his writing of The Simpsons, Selman said: "The hardest thing is we have to try and make each episode as good as everything that's come before it. We have a legacy of greatness, and you don't want to be the person that ruins The Simpsons."[11]

As of 2020, he is joint showrunner with Al Jean.

Other journalistic endeavors

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Selman formerly wrote for Time.com's Techland "Nerd World" blog alongside Lev Grossman,[12] and is also the creator and writer of the Icebox.com webtoon "Superhero Roommate."[13] Selman also has written jokes for many animated movies. He appeared alongside Groening and voice actor Hank Azaria to judge on a The Simpsons-themed challenge on an episode of Top Chef: Masters in 2010.[14][15]

Personal life

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Selman is married to Renee Ridgeley[16] and they have two daughters.

Credits

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Kahn, Joseph P. (June 10, 2008). "Names". The Boston Globe. p. 7B. Watertown native Matt Selman, 36...
  2. ^ Gross, Dan (February 28, 2008). "'Geator' takes a heart break". Philadelphia Daily News. p. 39.
  3. ^ Haralson, Jessica (April 25, 2008). "Meeting Marge at the Button: Revisionism Rules!". The Pennsylvania Gazette.
  4. ^ Kennedy, Gerrick D. (July 24, 2010). "Comic-Con 2010: 'The Simpsons' get 'Glee'-ful for upcoming season". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
  5. ^ Snierson, Dan (January 14, 2000). "Springfield of Dreams". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 26, 2007.
  6. ^ "Primetime Emmy Awards Advanced Search". Emmys.org. Archived from the original on April 3, 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2009.
  7. ^ "Arts Beat". Dallas Morning News. November 8, 1999. p. 23A.
  8. ^ "'Translation,' 'Splendor' Honored". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. February 23, 2004. p. D-8.
  9. ^ "Simpsons fans get e-mails from Homer". BBC News. January 30, 2003. Retrieved September 10, 2008.
  10. ^ Leyden, John (July 14, 2008). "Homer Simpson's email address hacked". The Register. Retrieved September 10, 2008.
  11. ^ Dudley, Jennifer (May 15, 2003). "Hands Down". The Courier Mail. p. What's On 007.
  12. ^ "About Matt Selman". Techland.com. Retrieved February 6, 2010.
  13. ^ Botwin, Michele (June 16, 2000). "These Days, Web Sites Are Becoming Fairly Animated". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
  14. ^ Ramirez, Elva (May 13, 2010). "'Top Chef Masters,' Season 2, Episode 6: TV Recap". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
  15. ^ Walker, Tim (April 30, 2009). "A good day at the office for Gervais". The Daily Telegraph. p. 007.
  16. ^ "Matt Selman". IMDB. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
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