Mike Reiss
Emmy-Winning Producer for The Simpsons & Co-Creator of The Critic
Mike Reiss has won four Emmy Awards for his work on The Simpsons, the wacky animated series that has kept America laughing for over 20 years and earned TIME Magazine’s vote as “the greatest TV show of the twentieth century.” During his 15 seasons on the show, Reiss penned a dozen scripts and produced over…
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Full Bio
Mike Reiss has won four Emmy Awards for his work on The Simpsons, the wacky animated series that has kept America laughing for over 20 years and earned TIME Magazine’s vote as “the greatest TV show of the twentieth century.” During his 15 seasons on the show, Reiss penned a dozen scripts and produced over 300 episodes. His other television credits include The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, Alf, Eddie Murphy’s The PJs and It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, where he earned an ACE award for writing and producing.
Reiss is the co-creator of The Critic, a well-received animated series that starred Jon Lovitz as a lovable movie critic. Reiss also created Queer Duck, the animated adventures of a gay duck. An internet hit with rave reviews in the U.S. and Europe, the show made the BBC’s list of “100 Greatest Cartoons of All Time.” A feature film version of Queer Duck was released in 2006. These toons combined together concentrate on a Jewish theme and becomes filled with Jewish-related plot lines. Jews in Toons (otherwise known as The Simpsons and Other Jewish Families) is richly illustrated with Jewish-themed clips that are also represented in The Critic and Queer Duck.
Culled from more than two decades of creating the funniest and most outrageous shows on television, Reiss’ presentation is a unique glimpse inside the cutting edge of entertainment, including rare video clips from The Simpsons and The Critic. He takes audiences inside the lives of Springfield’s first family, revealing how The Simpsons was almost canceled before it hit the air, secret trivia of the show, insane dealings with network censors and lots of juicy gossip about celebrity guest stars. Reiss also delves into the current state of television programming, describing with his characteristic wit how TV has changed and where it’s going.
A former editor of both The Harvard Lampoon and The National Lampoon, Reiss continues as a consulting producer on The Simpsons. In addition, he is a frequent contributor to Esquire and Games magazines and is an award winning mystery writer.
Reiss eventually found himself in a business that he thought was considerably crazier and sleazier than Hollywood ever was, and thus left a writing career with The Simpsons to pursue writing children’s books. He has since published 10 children’s books, including the best-seller How Murray Saved Christmas, a Christmas story for Jewish kids, and his latest work, The Boy Who Wouldn’t Share. He has lectured on comedy and animation in 36 states in the country and is looking to visit even more.
Mike Reiss holds a B.A. from Harvard University.
He currently lives in New York City with his wife Denise.
Testimonials
Ernie was perfect for our Elders Conference at Little River Casino Resort in Manistee, Michigan. We will definitely be using PDA again!
LITTLE RIVER BAND OF OTTAWA INDIANS
Our speaker was great and the crowd enjoyed her! She was very engaging. Thank you again PDA for the great list of suggestions!
MEDTRONIC
Everything went great! and our speaker was wonderful! Thank you so much for all your help PDA! Looking forward to the next one.
UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI – KANSAS CITY
I hope that this message finds you well. We had a phenomenal time with Atsuko this past Thursday. We wanted to just let you know how amazing she was. All those that were in attendance thoroughly enjoyed her and had nothing but amazing things to say about her. Thank you for working with us to make sure this happened!
BAYLOR UNIVERSITY CAMPUS
We had a fantastic day with Inge! She was very engaging with all those that attended. Her personal stories about the holocaust were very special and we were moved that she was willing to share them with everyone. Thank you again, PDA for all your hard work and dedication to make this program such a success!
SALT LAKE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Dear PDA Group, Thank you so much for your hard work in scheduling our speaker! From the moment we reached out to you the first time, you worked with us on all details and logistics and kept us up-to-date on the progress. Thank you for all your hard work on making our event such a success! We couldn't have done it without you and your team!
SAP COMPANY
Thank you again, Dr. Kimbrough, for a great presentation, our attendees are still talking about it!
CAMPUS LABS
Dr. Henry Lee's presentation was entertaining, insightful and wise. I, and everyone at Pfizer, especially appreciate the remarks you directed about following your passion and preparing yourself to excel. Thank you, everyone, at PDA for helping to make this happen!
PFIZER
The event was successful! I received many messages expressing how awesome, outstanding and inspiring Ms. Webb-Christburg's speech was."
DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. MEMORIAL BREAKFAST, BOSTON, MLK SPEAKER
Everything went well. Atsuko was very easy to work with and the students enjoyed her performance! Thank you again for your recommendation and I hope to work with you again in the future!
CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
Dr. Novello left this morning after a very successful event on our campus! Thank you PDA Group for your help from the first phone to the last you were with us every step of the way.
GRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY
Jordan Carlos was very very entertaining! A majority of students who answered the event survey indicated they really enjoyed Jordan and definitely will bring him back!
WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY
On behalf of myself and my organization Entertainment Unlimited the Campus Programming Board of Ferris State University, we thank you PDA and Dan for a successful event!! Dan was magnificent! Students really enjoyed the presentation. I know I did. Can't wait to bring in more programs with PDA Group.
FERRIS STATE UNIVERSITY
It was a great pleasure to work with PDA Group! The communication was always prompt, friendly and helpful. We loved the speakers and events we booked through Mr. Peter Walker (PDA Group).
WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
Thank you, Peter, for all your help, you'll be happy to know that the event went incredibly well! Aneesa Ferreira was by far one of the best speakers we've ever had!
FURMAN UNIVERSITY
Topics
The Simpsons Backstage Tour
This presentation offers an intriguing personal account of both the inner workings of one of the world’s most beloved shows and of Reiss’ mind, where real life experiences often translate into Simpsons animation.
The Simpsons and Other Jewish Families
A hilarious evening featuring rare clips and inside stories from one of the longest running shows in TV history. A former editor of The Harvard Lampoon and The National Lampoon, Reiss wrote for “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson”, “The Garry Shandling Show” and “Alf” before he was hired in 1989 for what he thought was going to be a six-week summer job for a new animated show.
The Simpsons, Religion & Me
Mike Reiss has been writing for Fox’s The Simpsons for 25 years. Once condemned by the National Council of Churches, The Simpsons has since become a staple in mainstream American culture (and has even praised by the Pope!). Reiss will discuss how religion is handled on the show, and why God is the only character with five fingers.
The Dirty Ugly World of Children’s Books
Mike has penned 18 children’s books. In this presentation he offers an inside look at this segment of the publishing industry.
Videos
Simpsons inside story by Mike Reiss
Simpsons Writer Mike Reiss at Harvard
News
Testimonials
He was amazing. It was a great experience and Mike was incredible.
Virginia Tech Union
Mike was an amazing speaker and the crowd loved him!”
UJA Federation of Greater Toronto
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