J. J. Philbin
Encyclopedia
Jennifer Joy "J. J." Philbin (born August 30, 1974) is an American
television producer
and writer best known for her work on the drama series The O.C.
and as the daughter of television star Regis Philbin
and his wife Joy Philbin
.
in 1995, and then joined the script department of Saturday Night Live
until 1999. In 2002 she moved onto That Was Then
, an ABC
drama series, as a writer, and in 2003 began work on the comedy-drama series Dead Like Me
, for which she served as both writer and script supervisor for several episodes. She had a meeting with the executive producers of The O.C.
in late 2003 and was keen for a job, but another job came up and so she worked shortly as story editor for the sitcom Coupling. In 2004 she joined the O.C. crew after Coupling was canceled and The O.C.'s producers offered her a writing position. For 2004, she served as story editor, but was promoted to executive story editor for the remainder of the show's duration, from 2005 to 2007, and during that time wrote twelve episodes and co-produced another four. Following The O.C.' s end, she became a co-executive producer and writer on the first season of the science fiction drama Heroes
.
She and the other Saturday Night Live writers were nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award
in 2001 in the category of "Comedy/Variety Series".
, New York
to Regis Philbin
and Joy Philbin
. She attended the University of Notre Dame
in South Bend, Indiana. She says that, growing up, she always wanted to be a writer of some sort, but she particularly enjoyed writing scripts for amateur short films she made with her friends. While working on Saturday Night Live
in January 1998, she met The Office
writer Michael Schur
, who had been hired also to write for the show. The couple married in October 2005 in New York, and announced in August 2007 that they were expecting their first child. Their son, William Xavier Schur, was born on February 18, 2008, weighing 6 lbs. 5 oz. and 19 inches long. He is named for Philbin's father, whose confirmation name is Xavier. At 7:54 p.m., on July 14, 2010, J.J. gave birth to a daughter, Ivy Elizabeth, in California.
crashed into another driver's Saab
when she was driving down Wilshire Boulevard
in Los Angeles
in heavy traffic in September 2005. While passing the remnants of a previous accident, she drove into the Saab in front of her. Although the damage seemed minimal, the driver claimed a crease in his bumper would cost $836.96 to fix. Michael Schur
, Philbin's fiancé at the time, stepped in to demand digital photographs of the damage. When the driver insisted the damage could not be shown in a photograph, Schur suggested that instead of paying for the bumper, he could donate $836.96 in the driver's name to the Red Cross
foundation which would go towards relief for Hurricane Katrina
victims. The driver was not interested, but Schur continued his campaign to raise money for the "Mike Schur Saab Guy Katrina Fund", and told the driver that with his agreement, the money raised would be donated in his name; otherwise, it would be donated as "Saab Guy Is an Asshole". After considering the ethical ramifications of their actions, Philbin and Schur decided to end the campaign in good faith. Schur made an agreement with the driver that part of the money raised would be used to pay for the bumper, and that the remaining funds would be donated to the Red Cross. The total sum of money raised by Philbin and Schur's campaign was $26,000.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
and writer best known for her work on the drama series The O.C.
The O.C.
The O.C. is an American teen drama television series that originally aired on the Fox television network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 21, 2007, running a total of four seasons...
and as the daughter of television star Regis Philbin
Regis Philbin
Regis Francis Xavier Philbin is an American media personality, actor and singer, known for hosting talk and game shows since the 1960s. Philbin is often called "the hardest working man in show business" and holds the Guinness World Record for the most time spent in front of a television camera...
and his wife Joy Philbin
Joy Philbin
Bette Joy Senese Philbin is an American television personality and is the wife of television personality Regis Philbin.-Career:She hosted HGTV's At Home With... and the syndicated home show, Haven...
.
Career
Philbin's career began soon after she graduated from university when she became a writer for MADtvMADtv
MADtv is an American sketch comedy television series. It licensed the name and logo of Mad, but otherwise had no connection with the humor magazine outside the animated Spy vs. Spy and Don Martin cartoon shorts and images of Alfred E. Neuman that the show featured during the late 1990s. Its first...
in 1995, and then joined the script department of Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
until 1999. In 2002 she moved onto That Was Then
That Was Then
That Was Then is an American drama series that was broadcast on ABC in 2002.-Synopsis:The series starred James Bulliard as Travis Glass, a 30-year-old who finds his life in a rut. Still living at home with his mother he works as a door-to-door salesman. The girl of his dreams, played by Kiele...
, an ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
drama series, as a writer, and in 2003 began work on the comedy-drama series Dead Like Me
Dead Like Me
Dead Like Me was an American-Canadian comedy-drama television series starring Ellen Muth and Mandy Patinkin as grim reapers who reside and work in Seattle, Washington. Filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, the show was created by Bryan Fuller for the Showtime network, where it ran for two seasons...
, for which she served as both writer and script supervisor for several episodes. She had a meeting with the executive producers of The O.C.
The O.C.
The O.C. is an American teen drama television series that originally aired on the Fox television network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 21, 2007, running a total of four seasons...
in late 2003 and was keen for a job, but another job came up and so she worked shortly as story editor for the sitcom Coupling. In 2004 she joined the O.C. crew after Coupling was canceled and The O.C.
Heroes (TV series)
Heroes is an American science fiction television drama series created by Tim Kring that appeared on NBC for four seasons from September 25, 2006 through February 8, 2010. The series tells the stories of ordinary people who discover superhuman abilities, and how these abilities take effect in the...
.
She and the other Saturday Night Live writers were nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award
Writers Guild of America Award
The Writers Guild of America Award for outstanding achievements in film, television, and radio has been presented annually by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America, West since 1949...
in 2001 in the category of "Comedy/Variety Series".
Personal life
Philbin was born in ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to Regis Philbin
Regis Philbin
Regis Francis Xavier Philbin is an American media personality, actor and singer, known for hosting talk and game shows since the 1960s. Philbin is often called "the hardest working man in show business" and holds the Guinness World Record for the most time spent in front of a television camera...
and Joy Philbin
Joy Philbin
Bette Joy Senese Philbin is an American television personality and is the wife of television personality Regis Philbin.-Career:She hosted HGTV's At Home With... and the syndicated home show, Haven...
. She attended the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
in South Bend, Indiana. She says that, growing up, she always wanted to be a writer of some sort, but she particularly enjoyed writing scripts for amateur short films she made with her friends. While working on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
in January 1998, she met The Office
The Office (US TV series)
The Office is an American comedy television series broadcast by NBC. An adaptation of the original BBC series of the same name, it depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania, branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company...
writer Michael Schur
Michael Schur
Michael Herbert Schur is an American television producer and writer, best known for his work on the NBC comedy series The Office and Parks and Recreation, the latter of which he co-created along with Greg Daniels...
, who had been hired also to write for the show. The couple married in October 2005 in New York, and announced in August 2007 that they were expecting their first child. Their son, William Xavier Schur, was born on February 18, 2008, weighing 6 lbs. 5 oz. and 19 inches long. He is named for Philbin's father, whose confirmation name is Xavier. At 7:54 p.m., on July 14, 2010, J.J. gave birth to a daughter, Ivy Elizabeth, in California.
2005 Wilshire Boulevard accident
Philbin's BMWBMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
crashed into another driver's Saab
Saab
Saab AB is a Swedish aerospace and defence company, founded in 1937. From 1947 to 1990 it was the parent company of automobile manufacturer Saab Automobile, and between 1968 and 1995 the company was in a merger with commercial vehicle manufacturer Scania, known as Saab-Scania.-History:"Svenska...
when she was driving down Wilshire Boulevard
Wilshire Boulevard
Wilshire Boulevard is one of the principal east-west arterial roads in Los Angeles, California, United States. It was named for Henry Gaylord Wilshire , an Ohio native who made and lost fortunes in real estate, farming, and gold mining. Henry Wilshire initiated what was to become Wilshire...
in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
in heavy traffic in September 2005. While passing the remnants of a previous accident, she drove into the Saab in front of her. Although the damage seemed minimal, the driver claimed a crease in his bumper would cost $836.96 to fix. Michael Schur
Michael Schur
Michael Herbert Schur is an American television producer and writer, best known for his work on the NBC comedy series The Office and Parks and Recreation, the latter of which he co-created along with Greg Daniels...
, Philbin's fiancé at the time, stepped in to demand digital photographs of the damage. When the driver insisted the damage could not be shown in a photograph, Schur suggested that instead of paying for the bumper, he could donate $836.96 in the driver's name to the Red Cross
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross , also known as the American National Red Cross, is a volunteer-led, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States. It is the designated U.S...
foundation which would go towards relief for Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
victims. The driver was not interested, but Schur continued his campaign to raise money for the "Mike Schur Saab Guy Katrina Fund", and told the driver that with his agreement, the money raised would be donated in his name; otherwise, it would be donated as "Saab Guy Is an Asshole". After considering the ethical ramifications of their actions, Philbin and Schur decided to end the campaign in good faith. Schur made an agreement with the driver that part of the money raised would be used to pay for the bumper, and that the remaining funds would be donated to the Red Cross. The total sum of money raised by Philbin and Schur's campaign was $26,000.