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Steve Blackman (writer)

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This article is about the Canadian television writer and producer. For the American professional wrestler, see Steve Blackman.

Steve Blackman
Blackman in 2011
NationalityCanadian, American
Occupation(s)Television writer, television director[citation needed], television producer, showrunner
Years active1999–present
Known forThe Umbrella Academy
Fargo
Altered Carbon

Steve Blackman is a Canadian television screenwriter, and executive producer.[1] He served as the showrunner for The Umbrella Academy, a Netflix series based on the comic series of the same name by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá.[2] In 2016, Blackman won a Writers Guild of America Award for the second season of Fargo along with his fellow writers.[3] In 2017, he was nominated for an Emmy for his work on Fargo along with other producers.[4]

Early and personal life

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Blackman grew up in Edmonton, Canada. As a law student at the University of Alberta in 1996, he founded Law Show, an annual stage production written and performed by law students. As of 2018, it has raised over $300,000 for local charities. He also attended high school in Edmonton, Canada, at Ross Sheppard High School.[5]

After The Umbrella Academy was being accused of antisemitism,.[6][7] Blackman released a statement saying: "“The accusation of anti-Semitism in ‘The Umbrella Academy’ is hurtful and, more importantly, factually incorrect. I wrote these episodes, created the character, and am myself Jewish. While I understand audiences sometimes receive things in a different way than creators intend, The Handler was not created as an anti-Semitic character."[8]

Career

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Blackman passed the bar in 1998 and worked briefly as a divorce lawyer. Unhappy as an attorney, he teamed with Greg Ball, another newly-practicing lawyer, and together they created The Associates, a drama series based on their experiences as recent law school graduates. Ball and Blackman pitched and sold the series to CTV at the Banff Television Festival in 1999.[9] When it aired, The Associates was the most expensive television series ever made in Canada.[10][11] He produced 30 episodes of The Associates, which aired in 2001 and 2002.

In addition to his credits as a writer and producer on television shows, including Bones and Fargo, Blackman served as an executive producer and co-showrunner on Private Practice, Legion, and co-showrunner on Altered Carbon.[12][13][14][15]

On November 9, 2017, Blackman was announced as an executive producer and showrunner of the Netflix series The Umbrella Academy.[16]

In 2020, it was announced Blackman signed a multi-year overall deal with Netflix and would continue to produce The Umbrella Academy in addition to other projects under the company name, Borderline Entertainment.[17] In 2022, Blackman announced his newly renamed company, Irish Cowboy Productions, would be developing two new projects: Horizon Zero Dawn and Orbital.[18]

Controversy

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In June 2024, a report by Rolling Stone accused Blackman of creating a toxic working environment for writers and support staff. An HR complaint against Blackman, dating back to January 2023, detailed his "long history of toxic, bullying, manipulative, and retaliatory behavior."[19] According to Universal Content Productions, Blackman worked with UCP’s HR department to ensure the women’s contracts were concluded “in full compliance with all policies and regulations,” and the decision was “solely based on performance and budget.” Blackman also denied any other allegations of retaliation.[20]

In 2024, actor Elliot Page, who plays a major role in the series and recently announced they had transitioned in 2020, praised Blackman for his support and collaboration, saying "he was the one who was very insistent on me having it be a part of the show and supported me to be able to access the care I was hoping to get at that time."[21]

Filmography

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Year Series Notes
2001–2002 The Associates Co-creator, producer (30 episodes)[10]
2003–2005 Wild Card Writer, supervising producer (36 episodes)[22]
2004 NYPD Blue Writer (1 episode)[23]
2005–2006 Bones Writer (3 episodes), producer (21 episodes)[24]
2007 Hidden Palms Writer (1 episode), producer (8 episodes)[25][26]
2007–2008 Las Vegas Writer (2 episodes), supervising producer (19 episodes)[27]
2008–2012 Private Practice Co-showrunner;[28] writer (10 episodes), executive producer (44 episodes), co-executive producer (45 episodes)
2014–2017 Fargo Writer (2 episodes), Co-executive producer (10 episodes), consulting producer (20 episodes)[29][30][31]
2016 Outsiders Consulting producer (13 episodes)[32]
2017 Legion Executive producer (4 episodes)[14]
2017–2018 Altered Carbon Writer (2 episodes), executive producer (10 episodes)[15]
2019–2024 The Umbrella Academy Creator, showrunner,[33] writer, executive producer[34]
TBA Horizon Zero Dawn Showrunner, video game adaptation[35]
Orbital Showrunner[35]

References

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  1. ^ Marechal, AJ. "A&E Developing Dark Comedy 'Clan' Based on Belgian Series (Exclusive)". Variety.
  2. ^ Wagmeister, Elizabeth (July 11, 2017). "'Umbrella Academy' Series Based on Comic Books Headed to Netflix". Variety. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
  3. ^ "2016 Writers Guild Awards Winners Announced". Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  4. ^ "Nominees/Winners". Television Academy. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
  5. ^ "Law students take the stage to raise funds for Edmonton women's shelter". January 13, 2018.
  6. ^ "'The Umbrella Academy' called out for anti-Semitism". NME. August 6, 2020.
  7. ^ "Critics say Netflix series 'The Umbrella Academy' promotes anti-Semitic stereotype through Yiddish scene". August 5, 2020.
  8. ^ "'Umbrella Academy' co-creator says accusation of anti-Semitism on Netflix show is 'factually incorrect'". August 6, 2020.
  9. ^ "Writers Guild of Canada". www.writersguildofcanada.com.
  10. ^ a b Takach, Geo F. (January 11, 2001). "Perfect pitch". The Globe and Mail.
  11. ^ MacNamara, Kate. "Falling off the dial". www.friends.ca. National Post.
  12. ^ Muir, John Kenneth (May 1, 2007). TV Year: The Prime Time 2005-2006 Season. Applause Theatre & Cinema Books. p. 15. ISBN 978-1557836847. blackman.
  13. ^ Hibberd, James (May 4, 2010). "'Private Practice' names new head writers". The Hollywood Reporter.
  14. ^ a b Ryan, Maureen (February 2017). "TV Review: 'Legion' on FX, Starring Dan Stevens". Variety.
  15. ^ a b Wigler, Josh (February 6, 2018). "'Altered Carbon': How 'Blade Runner' Impacted Netflix's New Science-Fiction Universe". The Hollywood Reporter.
  16. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (November 9, 2017). "'The Umbrella Academy': Ellen Page To Star In Netflix Series Based On Comic". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  17. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 28, 2020). "The Umbrella Academy' Showrunner Steve Blackman Inks Big Overall Deal With Netflix". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  18. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (August 25, 2022). "Steve Blackman Developing 'Horizon Zero Dawn' TV Adaptation, 'Orbital' Series As 'Umbrella Academy' Showrunner Renews Netflix Deal". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  19. ^ Roundtree, Cheyenne (June 30, 2024). "'The Umbrella Academy' Showrunner Accused of 'Toxic, Bullying, Manipulative, and Retaliatory Behavior'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  20. ^ Petski, Denise (July 1, 2024). "The Umbrella Academy Showrunner Steve Blackman Denies Allegations Of Toxic & Retaliatory Behavior". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  21. ^ Adamczeski, Ryan (April 26, 2024). "Elliot Page praises 'Umbrella Academy' showrunner's reaction to him coming out as trans". The Advocate. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  22. ^ McCormack, Kim. "Content Upload" (PDF). iatse411.ca. Iatse Local 411 (Ontario).
  23. ^ Wilson, Amanda. "NYPD Blue Summary/Review, "The 3-H Club"". stwing.upenn.edu. University of Pennsylvania.
  24. ^ Muir, John Kenneth (May 1, 2007). TV Year: The Prime Time 2005-2006 Season. Applause Theatre & Cinema Books. p. 15. ISBN 978-1557836847. blackman.
  25. ^ "Hidden Palms Episode Guide". lionsgatepublicity.com. Lionsgate Publicity.
  26. ^ Lowry, Brian (May 25, 2007). "Hidden Palms Review". Variety.
  27. ^ Ward, Mitch (April 11, 2017). "15 Things You Didn't Know About Fargo (The TV Show)". screenrant.com. Screenrant.
  28. ^ "'Private Practice' names new head writers". The Hollywood Reporter. May 4, 2010.
  29. ^ Mitchell, Gregg; Gordon, Jason. "2016 Writers Guild Awards Winners Announced". wga.org. Writers Guild of America West.
  30. ^ "Steve Blackman Bio". emmys.com. Television Academy.
  31. ^ "Fargo (FX) Award Profile". peabodyawards.com. Grady College of Journalism & Mass Communication, University of Georgia.
  32. ^ Herman, Alison (January 26, 2016). "'Outsiders' Is a Worthwhile Show on a Channel You've Never Heard Of". flavorwire.com. Flavorwire.
  33. ^ Otterson, Joe (November 10, 2017). "Ellen Page Joins 'Umbrella Academy' Series at Netflix". Variety.
  34. ^ "Umbrella Academy adds Mindhunter's Cameron Britton". DenofGeek. October 8, 2018. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  35. ^ a b "'Umbrella Academy' to Power Up for Fourth and Final Season". Netflix. August 25, 2022. Retrieved August 25, 2022.

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