Craig E. Serling is an American film director, film producer,
screenwriter, and television editor known for multiple Primetime Emmy
nominations for 'Outstanding Picture Editing for Non-Fiction
Programming' and for his 2006 directorial debut feature film
Jam.Serling is a native of Syracuse, New York and was raised in
Rochester, New York. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Film and
Photographic Arts at the Rochester Institute of Technology, and moved
to New York City to begin working in broadcast news and advertising.
In 1989 he was accepted to the American Film Institute’s Center for
Advanced Film and Television Studies and moved to Los Angeles. He
currently resides in Santa Monica.In 1994, Serling and his partner,
Roland Seeman, developed and shot a half-hour series pilot in
Yugoslavia. The purpose of the shoot was to shoot a pilot episode for
a show concept profiling the lives and actions of Americans working
for aid organizations around the world, and their prime goal was to
profile American Red Cross volunteer Diane Paul based out of Zagreb,
Croatia. During the shoot they met and included footage of Toby Wolf
of the International Organization for Migration and Sonya Thompson, a
representative of the US military whose job was to coordinate daily
medevac.In 1995, after a year in post production, the project was
completed and titled "American Heroes". Described as "nothing fancy,
but a worthy, professional one with good production values and moving,
inspirational human interest tales free of schmaltz", both the Simon
Wiesenthal Center and the Museum of Tolerance offered to host West
Coast premieres. However, in making the rounds to networks, production
companies and distributors with their pilot, they received cool
receptions. One development executive wrote a rejection letter stating
"We do not feel the marketplace can support a show about heroes at the
current time", and others in 1995 responded, "We want sex and action",
and "We are looking for the next People's Court, and "It sounds
boring," and "Hero shows just don't work". The rejection of a worthy
concept caused Serling a bit of consternation, and he grudgingly
quipped "Perhaps next time I'll produce a show called "Fallen American
Heroes". In 1998, Los Angeles Times columnist and critic Howard
Rosenberg shared that the pilot had aired on KCET and in praise of it
wrote it was "a terrific concept for a weekly series" which "remains
just a gleam in Serling's eye and an enriching series waiting to
happen".
screenwriter, and television editor known for multiple Primetime Emmy
nominations for 'Outstanding Picture Editing for Non-Fiction
Programming' and for his 2006 directorial debut feature film
Jam.Serling is a native of Syracuse, New York and was raised in
Rochester, New York. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Film and
Photographic Arts at the Rochester Institute of Technology, and moved
to New York City to begin working in broadcast news and advertising.
In 1989 he was accepted to the American Film Institute’s Center for
Advanced Film and Television Studies and moved to Los Angeles. He
currently resides in Santa Monica.In 1994, Serling and his partner,
Roland Seeman, developed and shot a half-hour series pilot in
Yugoslavia. The purpose of the shoot was to shoot a pilot episode for
a show concept profiling the lives and actions of Americans working
for aid organizations around the world, and their prime goal was to
profile American Red Cross volunteer Diane Paul based out of Zagreb,
Croatia. During the shoot they met and included footage of Toby Wolf
of the International Organization for Migration and Sonya Thompson, a
representative of the US military whose job was to coordinate daily
medevac.In 1995, after a year in post production, the project was
completed and titled "American Heroes". Described as "nothing fancy,
but a worthy, professional one with good production values and moving,
inspirational human interest tales free of schmaltz", both the Simon
Wiesenthal Center and the Museum of Tolerance offered to host West
Coast premieres. However, in making the rounds to networks, production
companies and distributors with their pilot, they received cool
receptions. One development executive wrote a rejection letter stating
"We do not feel the marketplace can support a show about heroes at the
current time", and others in 1995 responded, "We want sex and action",
and "We are looking for the next People's Court, and "It sounds
boring," and "Hero shows just don't work". The rejection of a worthy
concept caused Serling a bit of consternation, and he grudgingly
quipped "Perhaps next time I'll produce a show called "Fallen American
Heroes". In 1998, Los Angeles Times columnist and critic Howard
Rosenberg shared that the pilot had aired on KCET and in praise of it
wrote it was "a terrific concept for a weekly series" which "remains
just a gleam in Serling's eye and an enriching series waiting to
happen".
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