Glenn Rockowitz Explained

Glenn Rockowitz
Birth Date:27 May 1970
Birth Place:Plainview, New York
Alma Mater:University of Arizona
Notable Works:Rodeo in Joliet (book) and Hacks (film)
Television:Saturday Night Live (writer)

Glenn Rockowitz (born May 27, 1970) is an American writer, filmmaker, comedian and voice actor. He lives in Seattle, Washington.

Education and early career

Rockowitz was born in Plainview, New York. Rockowitz spent the first eight years of his life in New York City (NYC). He left NYC to move to Phoenix, Arizona, where he graduated from Arcadia High School in 1988. During high school, he served as class president. He then attended the University of Arizona, in Tucson, and then performed with the Second City in Chicago. After Second City, Rockowitz worked as a stand-up comedian based in Boston and New York, traveling across the US.[1] In 1994 he became a writer for NBC's Saturday Night Live.[2]

The Best Medicine Group

In 1995, he founded a nonprofit AIDS and cancer charity in NYC, known as The Best Medicine Group—an organization that brought live comedy shows into the homes of terminally-ill patients throughout the metropolitan New York area.[3] In 2000, NY1 named Rockowitz the New Yorker of the Week for his efforts, five years after the organization was founded.[4]

Filmmaking

Rockowitz wrote and directed the cult independent film Hacks in 2002. The film garnered many festival awards including Best Comedy at the New York Film Festival, Best Picture at the Chicago Digital Film Festival, and Best Picture at the Orinda Film Festival outside of San Francisco. The film is a "tale, told mockumentary-style, of a handful of stand-up comedians plying their craft for a talent-poor talent agency ... [the film] points out the grim realities of the stand-up world when you're not quite ready for primetime, daytime or even remedial playtime".[5] Comedians featured in the film include Jim Gaffigan, Michael Rispoli, and Victor Varnado.[6]

Books

Rodeo in Joliet, a memoir of his battle with a very aggressive late-stage cancer, was released nationally on April 11, 2009. By early 2010, the book became a national bestseller and was subsequently optioned by director Matt Aselton to become a major motion picture, written by Ryan Knighton for release in 2021.[7] [8] The story follows his diagnosis in 1998, when he was given three months to live at the age of 28, and the experimental treatment that led to his recovery.[9]

Cotton Teeth, his newest book and companion memoir to Rodeo in Joliet, was released on December 14, 2021, and was named to Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2021.[10]

Acting

Rockowitz has been the brand voice for Xbox since 2007, T-Mobile (for which he also wrote the ad copy)[11] and Alaska Airlines.[12] In addition, he has been the voice actor on commercials for WeatherTech, Expedia, BlackBerry, Quiznos, Scion, PetSmart, and the Seattle Seahawks.[13] [14]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Glenn Rockowitz . https://web.archive.org/web/20130620090726/http://bennetthastings.com/author.php?author_id=58 . Jun 20, 2013 . October 29, 2014 . Bennett & Hastings Publishing.
  2. Web site: Glenn Rockowitz . October 29, 2014 . IMDB . May 1, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150501110946/http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1032308/ . live .
  3. News: Seattle author finds the horror and the humor in a cancer diagnosis . October 29, 2014 . Jennifer Morris . May 18, 2010 . North Kitsap Herald . October 31, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141031202551/http://www.northkitsapherald.com/entertainment/94204949.html . live .
  4. News: Glenn Rockowitz - Healing With Comedy . October 29, 2014 . NY1 News . June 19, 2000 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141030070702/http://www.ny1.com/content/news/6394/glenn-rockowitz---healing-with-comedy . October 30, 2014 . dead .
  5. Web site: Bell. Mark. August 4, 2005. A tribute to "hacks" everywhere: an interview with Glenn Rockowitz. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20141029223052/http://www.filmthreat.com/interviews/979/. 29 October 2014. October 29, 2014. Film Threat.
  6. Web site: Nusair . David . July 3, 2004 . Hacks (2002) - A Review . October 29, 2014 . Reel Film Reviews . October 30, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141030023836/http://www.reelfilm.com/hacks.htm . live .
  7. Web site: Pair in biz with 'Bank Robbers' . Gregg Goldstein . May 5, 2011 . October 29, 2014 . Variety . December 28, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141228173754/http://variety.com/2011/film/news/pair-in-biz-with-bank-robbers-1118036428/#u=https://variety.com/2011/film/news/pair-in-biz-with-bank-robbers-1118036428;k=pmc-adi-31bb2464aad8b905af7a81e1d57b77ae . live .
  8. Web site: Night of Humor and Healing at Second City . https://web.archive.org/web/20141030014749/http://cancer.northwestern.edu/humor/ . October 30, 2014 . October 29, 2014 . Lurie Cancer Center - Northwestern University .
  9. News: Fefer . Mark D. . April 13, 2010 . The Man Who Manufactures Cancer . Seattle Weekly . October 29, 2014 . September 24, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150924115057/http://www.seattleweekly.com/2010-04-14/arts/the-man-who-manufactures-cancer/ . live .
  10. Web site: June 18, 2021 . Cotton Teeth . March 15, 2023 . Kirkus Reviews . March 16, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230316010127/https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/glenn-rockowitz/cotton-teeth/ . live .
  11. Web site: Randi Schmelzer . November 14, 2005 . Publicis Talks Up T-Mobile's Minutes . subscription . October 29, 2014 . AdWeek . October 29, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141029232852/http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising/publicis-talks-t-mobiles-minutes-82618 . live .
  12. Web site: April 30, 2009 . World Famous Explores the Lighter Side of Air Travel with Alaska Airlines . https://web.archive.org/web/20141030021928/http://www.creativeplanetnetwork.com/thewire/world-famous-explores-lighter-side-air-travel-alaska-airlines/592047 . October 30, 2014 . October 29, 2014 . Creative Planet Network.
  13. Web site: Glenn Rockowitz Voiceover . October 29, 2014 . Lomez Inc. . October 30, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141030005949/http://mybuddylomez.com/ . live .
  14. Web site: May 14, 2014 . TV Commercial (Under $5K) . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141030000815/http://www.marketingnwawards.com/2014/05/14/advertising-winners-2013/ . October 30, 2014 . October 29, 2014 . The Marketing Awards.

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