Allan Loeb
Encyclopedia
Allan Loeb is an American screenwriter and film and television producer. He wrote the 2007 film Things We Lost in the Fire
and created the 2008 television series New Amsterdam
. He wrote the drama film 21, which also was released in 2008. He wrote and produced The Switch which came out in August 2010. He wrote Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, released in September 2010, The Dilemma (January 2011), and Just Go with It
(February 2011). He also wrote the film So Undercover
starring Miley Cyrus, which is set to come out in October 2011.
, Illinois and attended Ithaca College
in New York from 1988 to 1992, dropping out to work at the Chicago Board of Trade
. He relocated to Los Angeles, California in 1993 to pursue a career in screenwriting, but was unsuccessful for 12 years, without selling any of his spec script
s and without landing a deal with any production companies. In 2004, after graduating from the University of California, Los Angeles
, with money he had received from 20th Century Fox
for a revision of the script of a thriller, Protection, that he had sold to the company several years before but they had never produced, he moved to New York to write what he calls his "Hail Mary
" script The Only Living Boy in New York. The day he started writing the script, however, his agent dismissed him and refused to represent Loeb any longer. He returned to Los Angeles and began to rewrite The Only Living Boy in New York with the help of Little Miss Sunshine
producers Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa, and joined Gamblers Anonymous
to cure his gambling addiction, which he claims changed his writing for the better. He was signed by the Creative Artists Agency and sold The Only Living Boy to Sony Pictures Entertainment
a month later in March 2005.
Loeb then rewrote Peter Steinfeld
's 21
screenplay and wrote Things We Lost in the Fire
, using his own situation as a recovering gambling-addict as inspiration for the latter film's heroin-addicted character Jerry (played by Benicio del Toro
). He and his Scarlet Fire Entertainment producing partner (and former writing partner) Steven Pearl sold pitches for a pair of police procedural
television programs to Fox
and FX in 2007, one of which was New Amsterdam
. In 2009, Loeb wrote the film The Switch
, which premiered in August 2010. He also co-wrote the 2010 film Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. In addition, he wrote three 2011 films, The Dilemma, Just Go With It
, and the upcoming So Undercover
. In production now is Here Comes the Boom starring Kevin James
.
in 2005, claiming: "Literally the minute I quit gambling my writing changed. It was magical. I had been giving so much emotional energy to gambling that only half of myself was out there writing. Gambling was a time suck, an energy suck, a creativity suck. I started going to GA meetings every Thursday night, and the writing flourished. It had so much more energy and passion." He lost up to $30,000 to his gambling addiction in a single weekend and he was eventually left with $150,000 in credit-card debt. Loeb is a keen follower of rock band Grateful Dead
, which he compares to the film industry
in its fanbase.
Things We Lost in the Fire
Things We Lost in the Fire is a 2001 album by Low, their fifth full-length release. In 2006, the album was performed live in its entirety as part of the All Tomorrow's Parties-curated Don't Look Back series.-Track listing:# "Sunflower" – 4:39...
and created the 2008 television series New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam (TV series)
New Amsterdam is an American television drama, which premiered March 4, 2008 on Fox, and ended after its eighth episode.-Premise and plot:...
. He wrote the drama film 21, which also was released in 2008. He wrote and produced The Switch which came out in August 2010. He wrote Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, released in September 2010, The Dilemma (January 2011), and Just Go with It
Just Go With It
Just Go with It is a 2011 romantic comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston. The film was released on , 2011...
(February 2011). He also wrote the film So Undercover
So Undercover
So Undercover is an upcoming action comedy film set to be released in 2012. The movie will star Miley Cyrus, Jeremy Piven, Mike O'Malley and Kelly Osbourne. The film was directed by Tom Vaughan and written by Allan Loeb...
starring Miley Cyrus, which is set to come out in October 2011.
Life and career
Loeb was born in Highland ParkHighland Park, Illinois
Highland Park is a suburban municipality in Lake County, Illinois, United States, about north of downtown Chicago. As of 2009, the population is 33,492. Highland Park is one of several municipalities located on the North Shore of the Chicago Metropolitan Area.-Overview:Highland Park was founded...
, Illinois and attended Ithaca College
Ithaca College
Ithaca College is a private college located on the South Hill of Ithaca, New York. The school was founded by William Egbert in 1892 as a conservatory of music. The college has a strong liberal arts core, but also offers several pre-professional programs and some graduate programs. The college is...
in New York from 1988 to 1992, dropping out to work at the Chicago Board of Trade
Chicago Board of Trade
The Chicago Board of Trade , established in 1848, is the world's oldest futures and options exchange. More than 50 different options and futures contracts are traded by over 3,600 CBOT members through open outcry and eTrading. Volumes at the exchange in 2003 were a record breaking 454 million...
. He relocated to Los Angeles, California in 1993 to pursue a career in screenwriting, but was unsuccessful for 12 years, without selling any of his spec script
Spec script
A spec script, also known as a speculative screenplay, is a non-commissioned unsolicited screenplay. It is usually written by a screenwriter who hopes to have the script optioned and eventually purchased by a producer, production company, or studio....
s and without landing a deal with any production companies. In 2004, after graduating from the University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
, with money he had received from 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
for a revision of the script of a thriller, Protection, that he had sold to the company several years before but they had never produced, he moved to New York to write what he calls his "Hail Mary
Hail Mary pass
A Hail Mary pass or Hail Mary route in American football refers to any very long forward pass made in desperation with only a small chance of success, especially at or near the end of a half....
" script The Only Living Boy in New York. The day he started writing the script, however, his agent dismissed him and refused to represent Loeb any longer. He returned to Los Angeles and began to rewrite The Only Living Boy in New York with the help of Little Miss Sunshine
Little Miss Sunshine
Little Miss Sunshine is a 2006 American comedy-drama film. The road movie's plot follows a family's trip to a children's beauty pageant.Little Miss Sunshine was the directorial film debut of the husband-wife team of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. The screenplay was written by first-time writer...
producers Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa, and joined Gamblers Anonymous
Gamblers Anonymous
Gamblers Anonymous is a twelve-step program for problem gamblers. GA began in Los Angeles on September 13, 1957. As of 2005 there were over 1000 GA meetings in the United States and meetings established in the United Kingdom, Spain, New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, Israel, Kenya, Uganda, Korea and...
to cure his gambling addiction, which he claims changed his writing for the better. He was signed by the Creative Artists Agency and sold The Only Living Boy to Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc. is the television and film production/distribution unit of Japanese multinational technology and media conglomerate Sony...
a month later in March 2005.
Loeb then rewrote Peter Steinfeld
Peter Steinfeld
Peter L. Steinfeld is an American screenwriter and television producer. He is best known for writing mystery film Drowning Mona , comedy film Be Cool and drama film 21 .-Early life:...
's 21
21 (2008 film)
21 is a 2008 drama film directed by Australian director Robert Luketic and stars Jim Sturgess, Kevin Spacey, Laurence Fishburne, Kate Bosworth, Liza Lapira, Jacob Pitts, and Aaron Yoo. The film is inspired by the true story of the MIT Blackjack Team as told in Bringing Down the House, the...
screenplay and wrote Things We Lost in the Fire
Things We Lost in the Fire (film)
Things We Lost in the Fire is a 2007 drama film directed by Susanne Bier and written by Allan Loeb. The film was released in the United States and Canada on October 19, 2007 and in the United Kingdom on February 1, 2008.-Plot:...
, using his own situation as a recovering gambling-addict as inspiration for the latter film's heroin-addicted character Jerry (played by Benicio del Toro
Benicio del Toro
Benicio Monserrate Rafael del Toro Sánchez is a Puerto Rican and Spanish actor and film producer. He won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a BAFTA Award for his role as Javier Rodríguez in Traffic . He is also known for his roles as Fred Fenster in The Usual...
). He and his Scarlet Fire Entertainment producing partner (and former writing partner) Steven Pearl sold pitches for a pair of police procedural
Police procedural
The police procedural is a subgenre of detective fiction which attempts to convincingly depict the activities of a police force as they investigate crimes. While traditional detective novels usually concentrate on a single crime, police procedurals frequently depict investigations into several...
television programs to Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
and FX in 2007, one of which was New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam (TV series)
New Amsterdam is an American television drama, which premiered March 4, 2008 on Fox, and ended after its eighth episode.-Premise and plot:...
. In 2009, Loeb wrote the film The Switch
The Switch
"The Switch" is the 97th episode of NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the 11th episode for the 6th season. It aired on January 5, 1995. This episode is notable for revealing Kramer's first name as Cosmo.-Plot:...
, which premiered in August 2010. He also co-wrote the 2010 film Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. In addition, he wrote three 2011 films, The Dilemma, Just Go With It
Just Go With It
Just Go with It is a 2011 romantic comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston. The film was released on , 2011...
, and the upcoming So Undercover
So Undercover
So Undercover is an upcoming action comedy film set to be released in 2012. The movie will star Miley Cyrus, Jeremy Piven, Mike O'Malley and Kelly Osbourne. The film was directed by Tom Vaughan and written by Allan Loeb...
. In production now is Here Comes the Boom starring Kevin James
Kevin James
Kevin James is an American playwrite, actor, writer, and producer. He is widely known for playing Doug Heffernan on the CBS sitcom The King of Queens. He is also known for his lead roles in the comedy films I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Grown Ups, The Dilemma, and...
.
Personal life
Loeb was a compulsive gambler from the age of ten until he joined Gamblers AnonymousGamblers Anonymous
Gamblers Anonymous is a twelve-step program for problem gamblers. GA began in Los Angeles on September 13, 1957. As of 2005 there were over 1000 GA meetings in the United States and meetings established in the United Kingdom, Spain, New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, Israel, Kenya, Uganda, Korea and...
in 2005, claiming: "Literally the minute I quit gambling my writing changed. It was magical. I had been giving so much emotional energy to gambling that only half of myself was out there writing. Gambling was a time suck, an energy suck, a creativity suck. I started going to GA meetings every Thursday night, and the writing flourished. It had so much more energy and passion." He lost up to $30,000 to his gambling addiction in a single weekend and he was eventually left with $150,000 in credit-card debt. Loeb is a keen follower of rock band Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
, which he compares to the film industry
Film industry
The film industry consists of the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking: i.e. film production companies, film studios, cinematography, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, post production, film festivals, distribution; and actors, film directors and other film crew...
in its fanbase.
Filmography
- Things We Lost in the FireThings We Lost in the FireThings We Lost in the Fire is a 2001 album by Low, their fifth full-length release. In 2006, the album was performed live in its entirety as part of the All Tomorrow's Parties-curated Don't Look Back series.-Track listing:# "Sunflower" – 4:39...
(2007 – screenplay) - 2121 (2008 film)21 is a 2008 drama film directed by Australian director Robert Luketic and stars Jim Sturgess, Kevin Spacey, Laurence Fishburne, Kate Bosworth, Liza Lapira, Jacob Pitts, and Aaron Yoo. The film is inspired by the true story of the MIT Blackjack Team as told in Bringing Down the House, the...
(2008 – co-screenplay) - The Switch (2010 – screenplay)
- Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010 – screenplay)
- The Dilemma (2011 – screenplay)
- Just Go with ItJust Go With ItJust Go with It is a 2011 romantic comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston. The film was released on , 2011...
(2011 – co-screenplay) - So UndercoverSo UndercoverSo Undercover is an upcoming action comedy film set to be released in 2012. The movie will star Miley Cyrus, Jeremy Piven, Mike O'Malley and Kelly Osbourne. The film was directed by Tom Vaughan and written by Allan Loeb...
(2011 – screenplay) - Here Comes the Boom (currently in production)
- The Only Living Boy in New York (2013 – screenplay)