Jon Lovett
| Jon Lovett | |
|---|---|
_@_SXSW_2017_(33505879416).jpg) |
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| Born | Woodbury, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Speechwriter, screenwriter, producer, comedian |
| Alma mater | Williams College |
| Years active | 2004–present |
Jon Lovett is an American screenwriter, speechwriter, television producer, and podcaster. After working as a speech and joke writer for President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, Lovett co-created the NBC White House sitcom 1600 Penn, and served as a writer and producer on the third season of HBO's The Newsroom. He is a founder of Crooked Media and currently hosts the podcasts Pod Save America and Lovett or Leave It.
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Early life and education[edit]
Lovett was born to a Reform Jewish family in Woodbury, Long Island[1] that operated a box factory started by his grandfather.[2] He attended Syosset High School. Lovett graduated from Williams College in 2004 with a degree in math.[3] His senior thesis, Rotating Linkages in a Normed Plane,[4] led to a publication in American Mathematical Monthly.[5] Lovett was also the 2004 Williams College Class Speaker at his commencement.[6] After graduation, Lovett spent a year working as a stand-up comic in New York.[3]
Political speechwriter[edit]
In 2004, Lovett volunteered for John Kerry's presidential campaign. He was asked to write a statement for the candidate, and his work led to an offer of a writing internship.[7] He then briefly worked in Jon Corzine's Senate office.[4]
He was hired in 2005 to assist Sarah Hurwitz as a speechwriter for then-Senator Hillary Clinton,[4] and he continued to write speeches for her through her 2008 presidential campaign.[7]
When Clinton lost the 2008 Democratic primary contest, Lovett won an anonymous contest to write speeches for President Barack Obama in the White House.[7] Lovett wrote speeches in the Obama administration for three years, working closely with Jon Favreau and David Axelrod.[2] Prominent speeches that he wrote include policy speeches on financial reform and don't ask, don't tell,[4] as well as remarks at the White House Correspondents' Dinner.[8]
Lovett officiated the first same-sex marriage in the White House, secretly and counter to the policy of the Obama administration.[8]
Subsequent career[edit]
Before Barack Obama ran for re-election, Lovett moved to California to become a screenwriter.[9] There Lovett collaborated with Josh Gad and Jason Winer on 1600 Penn, of which Lovett was a co-creator, executive producer, and writer from 2012 until 2013.[10] Lovett then worked as a writer, producer and advisor on season three of HBO's The Newsroom.[8]
Starting in March 2016, Lovett co-hosted The Ringer's political podcast Keepin' it 1600 with former fellow Obama staffers Jon Favreau, Dan Pfeiffer, and Tommy Vietor.[11]
Shortly after the November 2016 election, Lovett, Favreau and Vietor founded their own company, Crooked Media, and launched a new podcast, Pod Save America.[12] In March 2017, Lovett began hosting Lovett or Leave It, a panel show podcast from Crooked Media, recorded in front of a live audience in Los Angeles.[13] Lovett and Crooked Media have embarked on national and international tours featuring live versions of Pod Save America and Lovett or Leave It.[14]
References[edit]
- ^ "Dysfunctional first family". Jewish Journal. 2013-02-06. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
- ^ a b "Talking Trump Transition With President Obama Speechwriter Jon Lovett". Hugh Hewitt. 2016-11-22. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
- ^ a b "Creative Artists Agency Bio". Creative Artists Agency. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
- ^ a b c d "Jon Lovett's written for the president, but will that get him to Hollywood?". The Washington Post. 2011-09-02. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
- ^ "American Mathematical Monthly August-September 2007". Mathematical Association of America. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
- ^ "Commencement 2004". Williams College. 2004-06-06. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
- ^ a b c "Jon Lovett speaks on politics, election season". The Tufts Daily. 2012-10-15. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
- ^ a b c "Aspen Ideas Festival Bio". Aspen Ideas Festival. 2015. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
- ^ "Q&A: Jon Lovett, Former Obama Speechwriter, on His NBC Comedy 1600 Penn". Time Magazine. 2013-01-10. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
- ^ "Jon Lovett Filmography". IMDb. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
- ^ "'Obama bros' learn to love Hillary". Politico. 2016-10-06. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
- ^ Rutenberg, Jim, Opposition and a Shave: Former Obama Aides Counter Trump, Media, The New York Times, March 20, 2017
- ^ "Obama's former speechwriter launches new podcast". iNews. 2017-03-22. Retrieved 2018-01-02.
- ^ "Pod Save America announces nationwide tour". Consequence of Sound. 2017-08-16. Retrieved 2018-01-02.
External links[edit]
- 1982 births
- 21st-century American writers
- American podcasters
- American Reform Jews
- American speechwriters
- American television producers
- American television writers
- Gay writers
- Jewish American writers
- LGBT Jews
- LGBT people from New York (state)
- LGBT writers from the United States
- Living people
- Obama administration personnel
- People from Woodbury, Nassau County, New York
- Television producers from New York (state)
- Williams College alumni
- Writers from California
- Writers from New York (state)
- Syosset High School alumni
