Kevin S. Bright (born November 15, 1954) is an American television executive producer and director. He is best known as the showrunner of the sitcoms Dream On and Friends.[1]
Kevin S. Bright | |
|---|---|
 Bright in 2016 | |
| Born | November 15, 1954 New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Television producer and director |
| Notable work | Dream On Friends |
Early life
editBorn to a Jewish-American family[2][3] in New York City, Bright attended the East Side Hebrew Institute on the Lower East Side of Manhattan and graduated magna cum laude from Emerson College.
Career
editBright started his professional career under the tutelage of his father, Jackie Bright.[citation needed] After graduation, he worked in New York with Joseph Cates, where he produced specials for George Burns, Johnny Cash, David Copperfield, and Dolly Parton. After moving to Los Angeles in 1982, he started work in comedy programming such as The History of White People in America and comedy specials starring Robin Williams, Martin Mull, Harry Shearer, Paul Shaffer, and Merrill Markoe.
In 1993, Bright entered a partnership with Marta Kauffman and David Crane to form Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions and began a development deal with Warner Bros. Television to produce the comedy series Friends. He also directed 60 episodes of the series, including the series finale. After Friends, he went on to executive-produce the spin-off series Joey with Friends producers Shana Goldberg-Meehan and Scott Silveri. Joey starred Friends actor Matt LeBlanc as the title character and featured Jennifer Coolidge, also an Emerson College attendee. Joey was cancelled on May 15, 2006, during its second season after a major ratings slump.
After Joey, Bright moved back to Boston where he began working at his alma mater, Emerson College. Over the last four years at Emerson, he executive produced three-sketch comedy shows, Zebro: A Laugh Show and Chocolate Cake City, four original half-hour situation comedies, Browne At Midnight, Saturdays, Ground Floor, and Record Cellar, and a live multi-cam stand-up comedy special, Die Laughing. He also serves as an advisor to The EVVY Awards.
Bright then went on to teach a series of television production classes in the Visual Media Arts department, and helped develop the program for Emerson's new LA Center, which opened in 2013. Kevin ran a diversity workshop for high school students through Emerson College, and worked with Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, Massachusetts, to develop a method of teaching television production to the blind.
Bright moved back to Los Angeles in 2013, when he was appointed as Founding Director of the Emerson Los Angeles program. There, he has focused on building new programs that take full advantage of the opportunities Emerson's expanded presence in Los Angeles provides. He directed a documentary in 2007 with Linda Feferman called Who Ordered Tax? about his father, Jackie, who was an actor and vaudevillian performer.
In 2016, Bright served as the executive producer of the documentary Best and Most Beautiful Things about Michelle Smith, a woman from Bangor, Maine who is both legally blind and autistic. Bright also directed on CBS comedy Man with a Plan in 2019 for one episode, reuniting with Friends alum Matt LeBlanc.
In 2024, Bright served as an executive producer of the documentary My Own Normal about Alexander Freeman, a filmmaker from Newton, Massachusetts who has cerebral palsy, following his journey of becoming a partner and father and confronting the pain of his parent's reaction. The documentary premiered at Independent Film Festival Boston. [4]
Personal life
editBright lives with his wife, Claudia Wilsey Bright in Saratoga Springs, New York.[5]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Contribution | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Portrait of a White Marriage | Producer | Feature film |
| 2007 | Who Ordered Tax? | Executive Producer/Director | Short film |
| 2016 | Best and Most Beautiful Things | Executive Producer | Documentary |
| 2016 | Jack Krash: Slave to Rock | Executive Producer | Short film |
| 2017 | The Lion | Executive Producer/Director | Feature film |
| 2024 | My Own Normal | Executive Producer | Documentary |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Contribution | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | The Magic of David Copperfield II | Associate Producer | Television Special |
| 1979 | Johnny Cash Christmas | Associate Producer | Television Movie |
| 1980 | The Magic of David Copperfield III: Levitating Ferrari | Associate Producer | Television Special |
| 1981 | Johnny Cash and the Country Girls | Associate Producer | Television Movie |
| 1982 | Magic with the Stars | Associate Producer | Television Movie |
| 1982 | Madame's Place | Associate Producer | Associate Producer of 51 episodes |
| 1983 | Movie Blockbusters: The 15 Greatest Hits of All Time | Associate Producer | Television Documentary |
| 1984 | The Magic of David Copperfield VI: Floating Over the Grand Canyond | Producer | Television Special |
| 1985 | The Magic of David Copperfield VII: Familiares | Producer | Television Special |
| 1985 | FTV | Producer | Episode: "11.23.85" |
| 1985 | The Star Games | Producer | unknown episode |
| 1986 | George Burns' 90th Birthday Party: A Very Special Special | Associate Producer | Television Special |
| 1986 | FTV | Producer | Episode: "2.7.86" |
| 1986 | The Magic of David Copperfield: China | Producer | Television Special |
| 1986 | The Young Comedians All-Star Reunion | Producer | Television Special |
| 1986 | Viva Shaf Vegas | Producer | Television Movie |
| 1987 | This Week Indoors | Producer | Television Movie |
| 1987 | Martin Mull Live from North Ridgeville, Ohio | Producer | Television Special |
| 1988 | The Magic of David Copperfield 10: The Bermuda Triangle | Producer | Television Special |
| 1988 | Harry Shearer...The Magic of Love | Producer/Executive Producer | Television Special |
| 1988 | Merrill Markoe's Guide to Glamorous Living | Producer/Executive Producer | Television Movie |
| 1990 | The American Film Institute Presents: TV or Not TV? | Producer | Television Movie |
| 1990 | In Living Color | Supervising Producer | Supervising Producer of 11 episodes Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series (1990) |
| 1990 | The Late Mr. Pete Show | Executive Producer/Writer | unknown episode |
| 1990–1991 | Haywire | Co-Executive Producer | Co-Executive Producer of 2 episodes |
| 1990–1992 | Totally Hidden Video | Co-Executive Producer | Co-Executive Producer of 9 episodes |
| 1990–1996 | Dream On | Executive Producer/Director | Executive Producer of 105 episodes Writer of 3 episodes CableACE Award for Comedy Series (1992) Nominated - CableACE Award for Comedy Series (1991, 1993–1995) |
| 1991 | The Ron Reagan Show | Executive Producer | Executive Producer of 2 episodes |
| 1993 | Family Album | Executive Producer/Writer | Executive Producer of 6 episodes Writer of 6 episodes |
| 1994 | Couples | Executive Producer | Television Movie |
| 1994 | The Adventures of Brisco Country Jr. | Writer | Episode: "And Baby Makes Three" |
| 1994–2004 | Friends | Executive Producer/Director | Executive Producer of 236 episodes Director of 54 episodes Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series (2002) Nominated - Gold Derby Award for Episode of the Year for episode "The Last One (Part 1 & 2)" (2004) Nominated - Online Film & Television Association Award for Best Direction in a Comedy Series (2002) Nominated - Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series (1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2003) |
| 1995 | The News Hole | Executive Producer | unknown episode |
| 1997–2000 | Veronica's Closet | Executive Producer/Director | Executive Producer of 66 episodes Writer of 2 episodes |
| 1998–2000 | Jesse | Executive Producer/Director | Executive Producer of 34 episodes Writer of 5 episodes |
| 2001 | DAG | Director | Episode: "The Triangle Report" |
| 2002 | Romeo Fire | Executive Producer | Television Movie |
| 2003 | The Tracy Morgan Show | Director | Episode: "Haircut Night" |
| 2004–2006 | Joey | Executive Producer/Director | Executive Producer of 46 episodes Writer of 19 episodes |
| 2006 | Chabad Telethon | Consulting Producer | Television Movie |
| 2006 | Love, Inc. | Director | Episode: "Fired Up" |
| 2007 | Chabad Telethon | Consulting Producer | Television Movie |
| 2017 | Independent Lens | Executive Producer | Episode: "Best and Most Beautiful Things" |
| 2017 | Long Day's Journey Into Night: Live | Executive Producer | Television Movie |
| 2019 | Man with a Plan | Director | Episode: "Adam Acts His Age" |
| 2021 | Friends: The Reunion | Producer | Television special |
References
edit- ^ Zeitchik, Steven (December 19, 2016). "'Friends' producer Kevin Bright's very non-Central Perk post-show journey". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
- ^ "Larry King & Kevin Bright (Friends)". Retrieved April 29, 2012.
- ^ "The One with the Holiday Armadillo [Audio Commentary]". Friends. 06:36 minutes in.
- ^ Ertischek, David (30 April 2024). "Emerson-Directed Films Aplenty at IFFBoston". Emerson Today. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
- ^ Levith, Will (April 12, 2020). "Kevin Bright, Emmy-Winning Executive Producer/Director Of 'Friends', And His Wife, Claudia, Welcome You Into Their Saratoga Home". Saratoga Living. Retrieved January 24, 2023.