Joel Gallen

Early life and education

Gallen was born in Detroit, Michigan and raised in Rockville Centre, New York. He attended the University of Rhode Island where he, as a member of the school's entertainment committee, booked on-campus concerts by artists including Charlie Daniels, The J. Geils Band and Andy Kaufman. He also DJ'd on the school's radio station, WRIU. He graduated with a BS in marketing.

Career

New York

After working in the mailroom at ICM, Gallen was hired by a television syndication company, George Back and Associates (later known as All-American Television). Over the next four years, Gallen marketed, syndicated and produced television shows, including the Uncle Floyd Show, a Newark New Jersey UHF program that Back and Gallen syndicated to NBC affiliates. Gallen's first job in production, his role included booking musical guests such as the Ramones, Paul Simon and Blue Öyster Cult.

Gallen believed there was a substantial audience for music videos by artists from the 60s and 70s, and as MTV (and the videos by new artists it programmed) became increasingly popular, he created and produced Deja View, two one-hour specials composed of original music videos for older hit songs, often featuring the original artists. The video for Sly and the Family Stone's Everyday People" starred Sly Stone; "Good Lovin'" starred Felix Cavaliere; "Bus Stop featured Graham Nash; and the Beach Boys hit "Don't Worry Baby" starred Brian Wilson. Actors also appeared in Deja View videos -- "A Whiter Shade of Pale" featured Harry Dean Stanton (as well as Bernie Taupin), and She's Not There starred Teri Garr. Hosted by John Sebastian of The Lovin' Spoonful, the specials were sponsored by Lincoln-Mercury.

Gallen subsequently produced A Soul Session: James Brown and Friends; a Cinemax special taped at a small club in Detroit, it featured Brown and Aretha Franklin. He also produced the American version of the long-running UK music show, Top of the Pops. Unlike the British program, where bands lip-synced to their music, he had the artists play live. Among others, David Bowie, Bryan Adams, Sting, INXS, Belinda Carlisle and Depeche Mode performed on the show, which aired on CBS for 26 weeks.

In 1989 Gallen was named head of production for MTV. During his first year at the network, he served as the producer of the Video Music Awards and the executive producer of MTV Unplugged, which he helped to develop. Gallen said: "The real big win for Unplugged (was) we got the big arena acts to strip down and go acoustic." Among others, Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Pearl Jam, R.E.M., Elton John and LL Cool J performed. McCartney released an Unplugged album, as did Clapton, whose Unplugged album went 26x platinum and became the best-selling live album of all time.

Gallen produced the VMAs from 1990-1993. Approaching the broadcast as "a rock n' roll show first and a television show second," the 1992 VMAs featured Nirvana, Guns N' Roses, Pearl Jam, The Black Crowes, and Def Leppard, among others. In his book Your Favorite Band is Killing Me, Steven Hyden wrote: "The 1992 VMAs were the fulcrum between the ’80s and ’90s, a show where you could actually watch one era end and another begin in real time."

Los Angeles

Tenth Planet Productions

Mainly interested in directing and producing, Gallen's management role at MTV kept him from working in the trenches of production. In December 1993, he left MTV and moved from New York to Los Angeles, where he founded Tenth Planet Productions. At the time, he had two series in development—one for HBO and one for ABC—and a special in development at Fox. He continued to work in association with MTV, executive producing and directing the Movie Awards from 1995 through 2006 and in 2018. He also executive produced and directed the VH1 Fashion Awards from 1996-1998. Gallen and head writer Drake Sather created the "professionally good-looking supermodel Derek Zoolander" for Ben Stiller for a Fashion Awards short film.

Four days after the September 11 attacks Gallen was enlisted by the heads of the four major television networks to produce and direct America: A Tribute to Heroes, a benefit to raise money for victims of the 9/11 attacks. 22 artists performed on candle-lit soundstages in New York, Los Angeles and London, and 20 actors spoke briefly from the stage. Other actors and celebrities—organized by George Clooney—manned phone banks to collect donations. Put together in six days, the telethon aired live on September 21, 2001. Gallen said: "I did not want the show to feel celebratory. I did not want a live audience...no introductions, no applause, no fanfare." A Tribute to Heroes was simulcast commercial-free by more than 35 broadcast and cable networks and 8000 radio stations. Seen in 120 countries, it raised an estimated $150 million in two hours. Gallen won an Emmy (Outstanding Producing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program), a Peabody Award, and a Director's Guild Award. He also won the first Producers Guild Visionary Award.

On September 9, 2005—again enlisted by the heads of several broadcast networks—Gallen produced and directed Shelter from the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast. A benefit for victims of Hurricane Katrina, the tone of the concert was similar to that of A Tribute to Heroes: solemn. The one-hour show aired live and commercial-free on 30 broadcast and cable networks and raised $30 million for Red Cross and Salvation Army relief efforts.

In 2010, in association with MTV, he executive produced and directed Hope for Haiti Now, a concert telethon that raised money for victims of the January 12 earthquake in Haiti. Developed by Gallen, Clooney, and Wyclef Jean, the show was broadcast live from stages in New York, Los Angeles, and London. Anderson Cooper reported live from Port-au-Prince. Airing on 60 broadcast, cable, and online outlets, it was then the most widely distributed telethon in history. The telethon raised $61 million for Haitian relief through seven non-profit organizations. An album that included all of the live performances from the event debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts.

Selected awards

2001 Emmy Award nomination (with Ellen DeGeneres), outstanding variety, music, or comedy special (for Ellen DeGeneres: The Beginning)

2002 Peabody Award (with others) (for America: A Tribute to Heroes)

2002 Visionary Award, Producers Guild of America (for America: A Tribute to Heroes)

2002 Emmy Award, outstanding variety, music, or comedy special (for America: A Tribute to Heroes)

2002 Emmy Award nomination (with Beth McCarthy-Miller), outstanding directing for a variety, music, or comedy program (for America: A Tribute to Heroes)

2004 Emmy Award nomination (with Ellen DeGeneres), outstanding variety, music, or comedy special (for Ellen DeGeneres: Here and Now)

2004 Emmy Award nomination (with Chris Rock and Michael Rotenberg), outstanding variety, music, or comedy special (for Chris Rock: Never Scared)

2010 Emmy Award nomination for outstanding variety, music or comedy special (for the 25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concert)

2010 Emmy Award nomination for outstanding directing for a variety, music or comedy special (for the 25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concert)

2023 Emmy Award nomination for outstanding directing for a variety special (for Chris Rock: Selective Outrage)

2023 Emmy Award nomination (with Chris Rock) for outstanding comedy special, live (for Chris Rock: Selective Outrage)