Megan Amram

Megan Amram
Amram in 2012
Born (1987-09-03) September 3, 1987 (age 37)
Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Medium
  • Television
  • internet
Alma materHarvard University
Genres
Notable works and roles
Websiteanemmyformegan.com

Megan Amram (born September 3, 1987) is an American comedy writer, producer, and performer. She is most known for her work as co-writer and producer for the NBC series The Good Place.[1] Amram created and starred in the comedy web series, An Emmy for Megan, which depicts Amram's quest to win an Emmy.

Early life and education

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Amram was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, and is Jewish.[2][3] She was educated at Catlin Gabel School and Harvard University where she graduated in 2010.[4] While at Harvard, Amram wrote two of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals' comedy drag shows with her roommate and writing partner Alexandra Petri.[5] She studied violin for twenty years, and appeared as a violinist in an October 2018 episode of The Good Place, a sitcom on which she was a staff writer.[6]

Career

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Previously, Amram was a writer on the Amazon series Transparent, HBO's Silicon Valley, and the final three seasons of the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation. Her other past credits include writing for Adult Swim's Childrens Hospital, Fox's The Simpsons, Comedy Central's Kroll Show, the 83rd and 90th Academy Awards, the 2012 MTV Movie Awards, the Disney Channel and contributing to Funny Or Die and the Comedy Central Roasts. Her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, McSweeney's, Vulture, Vice Magazine and The Awl, among others, and her first book Science... For Her! was published in November 2015 by Simon & Schuster.

Along with her work as a writer, Amram has occasionally ventured into acting, with a 2011 appearance on RuPaul's Drag U, and on The CW musical comedy series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend in an episode titled "I Need Some Balance" in January 2019.[7]

In 2018, Amram created, directed, wrote, and starred in the comedy web series, An Emmy for Megan, which depicts Amram's quest to win an Emmy Award by meeting the minimum standards to qualify for an Emmy nomination in the Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series category.[8] The first series was nominated for two Emmy Awards, one in the Outstanding Short Form Comedy or Drama Series category and one in the Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series category for Amram. The second series was released in May 2019 and was nominated for two Emmy Awards: one in the Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series category and one, for Patton Oswalt, in the Outstanding Actor in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series category.[9]

Controversy

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In June 2020, tweets resurfaced of Amram making anti-Semitic, homophobic, and anti-Asian American jokes. In one tweet, she wrote "It's not politically correct to say 'retarded' anymore, you have to call them 'Asian-Americans'." In another, she said "If I had a time machine, I'd go back in time and kill Hitler and all of the Jews and gypsies and gay people."

Amram later apologized in a statement saying: "... I am speaking from the heart and trying my best to communicate my sincere regret. I am deeply embarrassed and more apologetic than you can ever know."[10]

Personal life

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Amram currently resides in Los Angeles. In 2019, Amram joined other WGA writers in firing their agents as part of the WGA's stand against the ATA and the practice of packaging.[11]

Filmography

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Television

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Year Title Writer Producer Actor Notes
2011 83rd Academy Awards Yes No No
RuPaul's Drag U No No Yes Episode: "Like a Virgin" as contestant Smokey St. James (Episode Winner)
2011–2012 A.N.T. Farm Yes No No Writer – 1 episode
Staff writer – 6 episodes
2012 2012 MTV Movie Awards Yes No No
2012–2015 Parks and Recreation Yes No Yes Writer – 5 episodes
Actor – Episode: "The Cones of Dunshire" as Viv
2013 Kroll Show Yes No No 8 episodes
Sketchy Yes No No Episode: "Birth Control on the Bottom"
2015–2016 Childrens Hospital Yes No No 3 episodes
The Adventures of OG Sherlock Kush No No Yes Episode: "The Deadly Brothel" as Jaclyn Ripper
Episode: "The Mystery of the Royal Flasher" as The Queen
2016 Silicon Valley Yes Yes No Writer – Episode: "The Empty Chair"
Co-producer – 10 episodes
2016–2020 The Good Place Yes Yes Yes Producer – 13 episodes
Supervising producer – 12 episodes
Writer – 7 episodes
Actor – Episode: "Jeremy Bearimy" as Violinist
2018 90th Academy Awards Yes No No
2018–present An Emmy for Megan Yes Executive Yes Creator
Director – 12 episodes
2018-2022 The Simpsons Yes Consulting No Writer – Episodes: "Bart vs. Itchy & Scratchy", "Crystal Blue-Haired Persuasion" and "Marge the Meanie"
Consulting producer – 17 episodes
2019 Crazy Ex-Girlfriend No No Yes Episode: "I Need Some Balance" as Nostalgia Cat

Awards and nominations

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Year Association Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2013 Writers Guild of America Awards Comedy Series Parks and Recreation Nominated
2014 Nominated
2016 Writers Guild of America Awards Comedy Series Silicon Valley Nominated
2018 The Good Place Nominated
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Short Form Comedy or Drama Series An Emmy for Megan Nominated [12]
Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series Nominated [13]
2019 Golden Globe Awards Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy The Good Place Nominated
Hugo Award Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation Nominated
Gold Derby Award Outstanding Comedy Series Nominated
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Short Form Comedy or Drama Series An Emmy for Megan Nominated [14]
Outstanding Comedy Series The Good Place Nominated [15]
2020 Nominated [16]

Bibliography

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  • Amram, Megan (November 7, 2016). "Trump's American Girl Dolls". Shouts & Murmurs. The New Yorker. 92 (36): 27.
  • — (May 25, 2017). "Eulogy for America". Daily Shouts. The New Yorker.
  • — (September 11, 2017). "Jared Kushner's Harvard Admissions Essay". Shouts & Murmurs. The New Yorker.
  • — (April 30, 2018). "Captain's Log". Shouts & Murmurs. The New Yorker.
  • — (November 2, 2020). "Goop Coronavirus Guide". Shouts & Murmurs. The New Yorker.
  • — (August 22, 2022). "The Tesla Body". Shouts & Murmurs. The New Yorker. 98 (25): 23.[a]

———————

Notes
  1. ^ Title in the online table of contents is "Elon Musk's new frontier : your body".

References

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  1. ^ Megan Amram at IMDb
  2. ^ "How the Good Place Gets Its Weird, Magical Food". 25 October 2017.
  3. ^ "Portland-Born Comedy Writer Megan Amram is (Literally) Dying to Win an Emmy Award. Could This Finally be Her Year?". Willamette Week. 10 September 2019. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
  4. ^ "July 2015, Megan Amram '10". Harvardwood. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  5. ^ "Pudding Caught Red-Handed with Plans for New Show | Arts | The Harvard Crimson". www.thecrimson.com. Retrieved 2018-12-16.
  6. ^ "Megan Amram Wants to Win a Grammy After Her Good Place Cameo". Vulture. 18 October 2018. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  7. ^ Shoemaker, Allison (January 11, 2018). "A perfect Crazy Ex-Girlfriend both disrupts and strikes a delicate balance". The A.V. Club. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  8. ^ Keeley, Pete (30 April 2018). "'The Good Place' Writer Megan Amram on Her New Web Series 'An Emmy for Megan'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  9. ^ Wright, Megh (July 16, 2019). "Megan Amram's Emmy for Megan Gets Nominated for Some Emmys (Again)". Vulture.com. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  10. ^ Petski, Denise (June 18, 2020). "'The Good Place' Producer Megan Amram Apologizes For Past Racist Tweets". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 20, 2020. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  11. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (13 April 2019). "Writers Share Signed Termination Letters As Mass Firing Of Agents Begins After WGA-ATA Talks Fail". Deadline.
  12. ^ "Nominees/Winners". Television Academy. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  13. ^ "Nominees/Winners". Television Academy. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  14. ^ "Nominees/Winners". Television Academy. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  15. ^ "Nominees/Winners". Television Academy. Retrieved 2019-09-15.
  16. ^ "Megan Amram". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
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