Simon Rich

Simon Rich (born June 5, 1984) is an American humorist, novelist, and screenwriter. He has published two novels and three collections of humor pieces, several of which appeared in The New Yorker. His novels and short stories have been translated into over a dozen languages. Rich was one of the youngest writers ever hired on Saturday Night Live, and served as a staff writer for Pixar.[1] On January 14, 2015, Man Seeking Woman, a television comedy series created by Rich (and based upon his novel The Last Girlfriend on Earth) premiered on the cable channel FXX.[2]

Simon Rich
Rich in 2009
Born (1984-06-05) June 5, 1984
New York City, New York, U.S.
Occupation
  • Screenwriter
  • author
ResidenceLos Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma materHarvard University
Years active2007–present
Spouse
Kathleen Hale (m. 2015)
ParentsFrank Rich
RelativesNathaniel Rich (brother)

Early life and education

Rich was born and raised in New York City. He attended The Town School, and then went on to attend Dalton School. After graduating, he enrolled at Harvard University where he became president of the Harvard Lampoon. His older brother is the novelist and essayist Nathaniel Rich, and his parents are Gail Winston and the essayist and columnist Frank Rich. His step-mother, Alex Witchel, is a reporter for The New York Times.

Career

After graduating from Harvard, Rich wrote for Saturday Night Live for four years where the staff was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Variety, Music or Comedy Series in 2008, 2009, and 2010 and won the Writers Guild of America Award for Comedy/Variety Series in 2009 and 2010. Rich then departed to work as a staff writer for Pixar.[1] In 2013 and 2014, Rich was named to Forbes' 30 Under 30 List.[3]

Magazine work

Rich has written for McSweeney's, The Believer,[4] GQ,[5] The Observer magazine,[6] Mad magazine,[7] Vanity Fair,[8] UK Glamour, Italian GQ, Italian Granta,[9] NPR.com,[10] NPR's "Selected Shorts,"[11] and the Barcelona Review,[12] among other publications.

His writing has also been selected for numerous anthologies including The Best of McSweeney's,[13] and I Found This Funny, edited by Judd Apatow.[14]

Upcoming projects

In 2013, Sony Pictures acquired the film rights to Rich's four-part novella Sell Out, which was originally published by the New Yorker that same year.[15] The film, An American Pickle, is set to premiere in 2020. Seth Rogen stars in the dual lead roles and is attached as producer.[16] Rich is slated to write the script based on the illustrated book Unicorn Executions, to be produced by Universal Studios.[17]

Bibliography

Short stories

As an undergraduate at Harvard University in 2007, Rich received a two-book contract from Random House.[18] Rich's first book, a collection of short humor pieces entitled Ant Farm: And Other Desperate Situations was published in 2007 and was nominated for the Thurber Prize for American Humor. His second collection, Free Range Chickens, was published in 2008. Rich released his third collection of stories, The Last Girlfriend on Earth in 2013. Reception was favorable, with The Washington Post praising the book as "hilarious," declaring, "it just might be the best one-night stand you'll ever have."[19]

Rich's fourth story collection, Spoiled Brats, was published in 2014. The Guardian described it as "simply the funniest book of the year," adding "there are sometimes three laugh-out-loud moments within the same paragraph."[20] The Evening Standard also praised the book, calling Rich "a Thurber, even a Wodehouse, for today. Who could ask for more? You can give his books to people and just watch them laugh."[21]

A fifth collection, Hits and Misses, was published in July 2018. NPR said that "with this book, Rich has come into his own as one of the most talented writers of comedic fiction working today."[22]

Novels

Rich's third book and first novel, Elliot Allagash, was released in May 2010.[23] In June that year, Jason Reitman optioned the movie rights to the novel.[24] In 2012, Rich published his second novel, What in God's Name, which The New York Times Book Review compared to Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.[25] In 2019, the novel was made into a TV series Miracle Workers.

Personal life

Rich lives in Los Angeles with his wife, author Kathleen Hale,[26][27] and has one daughter.[28]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role
2015Inside OutAdditional story material
2016The Secret Life of PetsAdditional characters
2020An American PickleWriter and producer

Television
Year Title Role Notes
2007–2011Saturday Night LiveWriter, actor78 episodes
2009CH Live: NYCHimself
2014Late Night with Seth MeyersHimselfEpisode: "Episode 121"
2015–2017Man Seeking WomanCreator, writer, executive producer30 episodes
2017The SimpsonsWriterEpisode: "A Father's Watch"
2019–presentMiracle WorkersCreator, writer, executive producer9 episodes

References
  1. "The Last Girlfriend on Earth". The Guardian. July 16, 2013.
  2. "FX and FXX Set January Premiere Dates for New and Returning Series". The Futon Critic. November 21, 2014. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
  3. "Simon Rich". Forbes.
  4. "Believermag.com".
  5. Rich, Simon (2010-08-05). Elliot Allagash. Google Books. ISBN 978-1847653147.
  6. "Rich pickings | From the Observer". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  7. "Simon Rich". Mad Magazine.
  8. "Simon Rich". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  9. "Simon Rich". Grantaitalia.it.
  10. "One Airplane And Two Brawling, Bawling Babies". NPR.org. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  11. "WNYC.org". Archived from the original on 2014-04-04. Retrieved 2014-06-23.
  12. "SIMON RICH: SCARED STRAIGHT (short Story)". www.barcelonareview.com. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  13. "The Best of McSweeney's". McSweeneys.net.
  14. "I Found This Funny". McSweenys.net. Archived from the original on 2013-11-05.
  15. Rich, Simon. "Sell Out: Part One". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
  16. "Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg to 'Sell Out' for Sony (Exclusive)". TheWrap. 2013-05-29. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  17. "Universal Wins Bidding War for 'Unicorn Executions' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  18. "Rich '06-'07 Scores a Home Run in Debut". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved 2007-08-07.
  19. "The Last Girlfriend on Earth". The Washington Post. February 5, 2013.
  20. "Spoiled Brats". The Guardian. August 20, 2014.
  21. "Rich pickings that will make you laugh out loud". Evening Standard. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  22. Schaub, Michael (July 24, 2018). "'Hits And Misses' Doesn't Miss A Beat". NPR.org. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
  23. De Haven, Tom (2010-05-20). "Mean Boys". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-06-01.
  24. Kit, Borys (2010-10-14). "Jason Reitman books rights to 'Allagash'". The Hollywood Reporter.
  25. Cassels, Patrick. "'What in God's Name,' by Simon Rich". Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  26. "Simon Rich: By the Book". The New York Times. July 26, 2018. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
  27. "Kathleen Hale".
  28. "Simon Rich: By the Book". The New York Times. 2018-07-26. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
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