Emily V. Gordon Explained

Emily Gordon
Birth Date:3 May 1979
Birth Place:Winston-Salem, North Carolina, U.S.
Occupation:Writer, producer
Education:East Carolina University (BA)
University of North Carolina, Greensboro (MS, EdS)

Emily V. Gordon (born May 3, 1979)[1] is an American writer, producer and podcast host. She co-wrote the 2017 romantic comedy film The Big Sick, based on her relationship with her husband and frequent collaborator, comic Kumail Nanjiani. Gordon and Nanjiani won an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay for The Big Sick; they were also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, among many other nominations.

Gordon began her career as a family and couples therapist before becoming a writer and comedy producer. She co-created the live show The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail and its television counterpart for Comedy Central, and has written for television (The Carmichael Show), a book (Super You), and for several online and print publications.

Early life

Gordon was born and raised in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.[2] She received a BA in psychology from the East Carolina University and an MS/EdS in couples and family counseling from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Career

Counseling career

Gordon was a practicing therapist from 2004 to 2009, working in North Carolina; Chicago, Illinois (where she moved in 2005); and Brooklyn, New York (where she moved in 2007).

Writing and comedy

Gordon began her comedy career in New York, where she worked at Comix comedy club and produced a live show with Pete Holmes.[3] By the time she moved to Los Angeles in 2010, Gordon was pursuing comedy and freelance writing full-time.

Gordon has written two webseries aimed at teenagers, called Power Up and ExploreD, at Disney.com. She wrote for the second season of The Carmichael Show on NBC, writing an episode called "New Neighbors". In addition to writing, Gordon also produces comedy. In 2010, she created a weekly live show co-hosted by Jonah Ray and Kumail Nanjiani called The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail, located in the back of comic bookstore Meltdown Comics; Gordon served as producer and booker.[4] In 2011, she was asked by Chris Hardwick, who wanted to turn the space into a curated comedy venue, to act as program director. She served as program director of the Nerdist Showroom at Meltdown Comics from 2011 to 2012. In 2013, Comedy Central ordered a pilot for The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail, which was made a series in 2014; Gordon was an executive producer.[5]

From 2011 to 2015, Gordon and Nanjiani co-hosted a Nerdist network podcast called The Indoor Kids,[6] which "isn't just about video games, but it isn't not about video games."[7] In 2020, Gordon and Nanjiani co-hosted a podcast called Staying In with Emily and Kumail, about the quarantine due to COVID-19.

Gordon was signed to adapt Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney's 2016 novel The Nest for Amazon's film studio. Joey Soloway and Andrea Sperling will produce the feature film.[8]

Super You

Gordon's first book, Super You: Release Your Inner Superhero, a tongue-in-cheek self-improvement guide, was released in 2015.[9] [10]

The Big Sick

See main article: The Big Sick. Gordon also co-wrote the screenplay of and co-executive produced the 2017 film The Big Sick, with her husband Kumail Nanjiani. The critically acclaimed film is based on the beginning of their relationship, with Nanjiani playing himself, and Gordon (renamed Emily Gardner) played by Zoe Kazan. The Big Sick was directed by Michael Showalter and produced by Judd Apatow.[11]

Gordon and Nanjiani's script won the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay.[12] It was also nominated for a 2018 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay,[13] as well as screenwriting awards from the Writers Guild of America, the Gotham Awards, and a dozen critics' associations.

Personal life

Gordon has been married to actor and comedian Kumail Nanjiani since 2007. It is her second marriage.[14] She met Nanjiani at a comedy show in Chicago where he was performing and she lightly heckled him, an encounter depicted in The Big Sick. In the ensuing months, they began dating but Gordon fell seriously ill and was put into a medically induced coma before being diagnosed with Still's disease. She recovered three months later,[15] and a year after first meeting, they married.[16] They lived in Chicago and New York before moving to Los Angeles.

Filmography

Selected credits

YearTitleCredited asNotes
2014–16The Meltdown with Jonah and KumailCo-creator; 24 episodes
2017The Big SickFilm
2015–19CrashingStaff writer; season 2 (8 episodes)
2020–22Little AmericaCo-creator; 16 episodes
2022Welcome to Chippendales6 episodes

Awards and nominations

Date of ceremonyAwardCategoryNominated workResult
March 4, 2018Academy AwardsBest Original ScreenplayThe Big Sick[17]
January 8, 2018Austin Film Critics AssociationBest Original Screenplay[18]
December 12, 2017Chicago Film Critics AssociationBest Original Screenplay[19]
[20]
January 11, 2018Critics' Choice Movie AwardsBest Original Screenplay[21]
December 7, 2017Detroit Film Critics SocietyBest Screenplay[22]
December 23, 2017Florida Film Critics CircleBest Original Screenplay[23]
[24]
January 12, 2018Georgia Film Critics AssociationBest Original Screenplay[25]
November 27, 2017Gotham AwardsBest Screenplay[26]
January 6, 2018Houston Film Critics SocietyBest Screenplay[27]
March 3, 2018Independent Spirit AwardsBest First Screenplay
December 11, 2017San Diego Film Critics SocietyBest Original Screenplay[28]
[29]
December 10, 2017San Francisco Film Critics CircleBest Original Screenplay[30]
December 18, 2017Seattle Film Critics SocietyBest Screenplay[31]
December 17, 2017St. Louis Film Critics AssociationBest Original Screenplay[32]
December 8, 2017Washington D.C. Area Film Critics AssociationBest Original Screenplay[33]
February 11, 2018Writers Guild of AmericaBest Original Screenplay[34]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Gordon. Emily V.. Wanna celebrate my birthday? Donate blood or time/money to @ghettorescue @SowMuchGood @TheSiweProject @PatriotsandPaws @Translifeline !. Twitter. February 16, 2018. May 3, 2017.
  2. News: Love and Laughs: Movie follows relationship between Winston-Salem native and comic. Clodfelter. Tim. July 12, 2017. Winston-Salem Journal. January 24, 2018. en.
  3. News: The Inside Story of The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail. Pitchel. Samantha. July 22, 2014. Splitsider. January 24, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180118233056/http://splitsider.com/2014/07/the-inside-story-of-the-meltdown-with-jonah-and-kumail/. January 18, 2018. dead. en-US.
  4. News: Talking The Meltdown With Jonah Ray and Emily Gordon. Martin. Garrett. June 30, 2015. Paste. January 24, 2018. en.
  5. News: Comedy Central to Have a 'Meltdown'. Marechal. AJ. June 20, 2013. Variety. January 24, 2018. en-US.
  6. News: Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon on turning crisis into comedy for The Big Sick. Dowd. A.A.. June 23, 2017. The A.V. Club. January 25, 2018. en-US.
  7. Web site: The Indoor Kids. nerdist.com. en. January 24, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180125074553/https://nerdist.com/podcasts/the-indoor-kids-channel/. January 25, 2018. dead.
  8. News: 'The Big Sick' Co-Scribe Emily V. Gordon To Adapt 'The Nest' For Amazon. Hipes. Patrick. January 24, 2018. Deadline. January 25, 2018. en-US.
  9. Lane, Carly (October 1, 2015). "Interview: Author Emily V. Gordon on Finding Your Super You and Taking Control of Who You Are". The Mary Sue.
  10. News: 5 Ways To Embrace Your Inner Superhero - Without A Cape. Galentine. Kellie. Bust. January 24, 2018. en-gb. January 24, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180124135727/https://bust.com/books/14942-5-ways-to-embrace-your-inner-superhero-without-a-cape.html. dead.
  11. Web site: Amazon Wins 'The Big Sick' Bidding War $12 Million Buy Sundance 2017. Winfrey. Graham. January 22, 2017. IndieWire. May 8, 2017.
  12. News: Kumail Nanjiani & Emily V. Gordon Win Best First Screenplay for 'The Big Sick' 2018 Film Independent Spirit Awards. THR Staff. March 3, 2018. The Hollywood Reporter. March 5, 2018. en.
  13. News: Kumail Nanjiani Congratulated Emily V. Gordon On Her Oscar Nomination With A Sweet New Nickname. Ernsberger. Parry. January 23, 2018. Bustle. January 24, 2018. en.
  14. Kumail Nanjiani's Culture-Clash Comedy. Marantz. Andrew. May 1, 2017. The New Yorker. January 24, 2018. en. 0028-792X.
  15. News: How A Medically Induced Coma Led To Love, Marriage And 'The Big Sick'. Gross. Terry. July 12, 2017. Fresh Air. January 25, 2018. NPR. en.
  16. Web site: The Secret Life of Marrieds: Why We Kept Our Marriage Secret for Years. Marie. Jane. May 20, 2014. Cosmopolitan. May 5, 2017.
  17. News: List of nominees for the 90th annual Academy Awards. https://web.archive.org/web/20180124135822/https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/list-of-nominees-for-the-90th-annual-academy-awards/2018/01/23/9e11f1f2-004a-11e8-86b9-8908743c79dd_story.html. dead. January 24, 2018. Associated Press. January 23, 2018. The Washington Post. January 24, 2018. en-US. 0190-8286.
  18. News: The 2017 Austin Film Critics Association (AFCA) Nominations. Neglia. Matt. December 30, 2017. nextbestpicture.com. December 30, 2017.
  19. Web site: 'Call Me By Your Name' and 'The Shape of Water' lead 2017 Chicago Film Critics Association Nominees. Chicago Film Critics Association. Erik. Childress. December 10, 2017. December 10, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171213092421/https://chicagofilmcritics.org/blog/2017/12/10/call-me-by-your-name-and-the-shape-of-water-lead-chicago-film-critics-association-nominees. December 13, 2017.
  20. Web site: 'Lady Bird,' 'Call Me By Your Name' win big for Chicago film critics. Chicago Film Critics Association. Erik. Childress. December 12, 2017. December 12, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171213092421/https://chicagofilmcritics.org/blog/2017/12/13/lady-bird-call-me-by-your-name-win-big-for-the-chicago-film-critics-association. December 13, 2017.
  21. 'Shape of Water' Leads Critics' Choice Film Nominations . Kristopher . Tapley . . December 6, 2017 . December 6, 2017.
  22. Web site: The 2017 Detroit Film Critics Society Awards Nominations . . December 4, 2017 . December 15, 2017.
  23. News: 'The Shape of Water' Leads 2017 Florida Film Critics Awards Nominations. Florida Film Critics Circle. December 21, 2017.
  24. News: 2017 FFCC Winners . . December 23, 2017.
  25. Web site: 2017 Awards. Georgia Film Critics Association. January 8, 2018. January 8, 2018.
  26. 'Get Out' Leads 2017 Gotham Awards Nominations . Erbland . Kate . . October 19, 2017 . October 19, 2017.
  27. Web site: 'The Shape of Water' inundates Houston critics' film awards nominations. Houston Chronicle. December 12, 2017. December 12, 2017. Cary . Darling.
  28. Web site: 2017 San Diego Film Critics Society's Award Nominations. San Diego Film Critics Society. December 9, 2017. December 9, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171210072120/http://www.sdfcs.org/2017-award-nominations/. December 10, 2017.
  29. Web site: 2017 San Diego Film Critics Society Award Winners. San Diego Film Critics Society. December 11, 2017. December 11, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171212155617/http://www.sdfcs.org/2017-award-winners/. December 12, 2017.
  30. Web site: 2017 San Francisco Film Critics Circle Awards. San Francisco Film Critics Circle. December 10, 2017. December 10, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171211082551/http://sffcc.org/2017/12/2017-san-francisco-film-critics-circle-awards/. December 11, 2017. live.
  31. Web site: 'Blade Runner 2049' Leads the 2017 Seattle Film Critics Society Nominations. Seattle Film Critics Society. December 12, 2017. December 11, 2017. Press release. Seattle, WA. https://web.archive.org/web/20171212163705/http://seattlefilmcritics.com/2017/12/11/blade-runner-2049-leads-the-2017-seattle-film-critics-society-nominations/. December 12, 2017. live.
  32. Web site: 2017 StLFCA Annual Award Nominees. St. Louis Film Critics Association. December 12, 2017. December 11, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171212162611/http://www.stlfilmcritics.org/awards. December 12, 2017. live.
  33. Web site: The 2017 WAFCA Awards: 'Get Out' Is In with D.C. Film Critics . . December 8, 2017 . December 8, 2017 . Press release . Washington, D.C. . https://web.archive.org/web/20171208185356/http://www.wafca.com/awards/ . December 8, 2017.
  34. Web site: Writers Guild Awards: 'Get Out,' 'Call Me by Your Name,' 'Lady Bird' Nab Nominations. McNary. Dave. Variety. January 4, 2018. January 4, 2018.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Emily V. Gordon".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.