Interview with Emmy winner Jeff Greenstein
As the credits roll on some of the most critically acclaimed and groundbreaking television shows, including Friends, Will and Grace, Desperate Housewives, and Parenthood — writer, producer, showrunner, and Emmy award winner Jeff Greenstein’s name is seen prominently.
In his own words, here’s Jeff’s biographical background: “Jeff Greenstein grew up in Atlanta, Georgia and attended Tufts University in Boston, where he started as a computer science major and careened through the art history department, and ended up with a degree in film and dance. This proved the ideal prelude to a glorious career in television comedy.” His first job was on HBO’s Dream On, where he stayed for five seasons, rising from staff writer to showrunner and garnering several industry awards, including the coveted and sadly defunct CableACE. He then signed on for the first year of NBC’s Friends, earning Emmy nominations as both a producer of the series and as co-writer of the show’s first Thanksgiving episode. That same year he co-created Fox’s Partners, starring Jon Cryer and Tate Donovan, which won plenty of critical plaudits but, alas, no second season.