23 Facts About Joel Gallen

Joel Gallen is the founder of Tenth Planet Productions, a Los Angeles-based production company.

Joel Gallen created the MTV Movie Awards and the comedic short films that became their signature.

Joel Gallen produced and directed stand-up shows and comedy specials for Comedy Central and HBO, directed Not Another Teen Movie, and executive produced the film Zoolander, which was based on a VH-1 Fashion Awards short film.

Joel Gallen has been nominated for 14 Emmy awards, from a 2001 nomination for Ellen DeGeneres' HBO special, The Beginning, to two 2023 nominations for Chris Rock's livestreamed Netflix special, Selective Outrage.

Joel Gallen was born in Detroit, Michigan and raised in Rockville Centre, New York.

Joel Gallen attended the University of Rhode Island where he, as a member of the school's entertainment committee, booked on-campus concerts by artists including Charlie Daniels, The J Geils Band and Andy Kaufman.

Joel Gallen believed there was a substantial audience for music videos by artists from the 60s and 70s, and as MTV became increasingly popular, he created and produced Deja View, two one-hour specials composed of original music videos for older hit songs, often featuring the original artists.

Joel Gallen subsequently produced A Soul Session: James Brown and Friends; a Cinemax special taped at a small club in Detroit, it featured Brown and Aretha Franklin.

Joel Gallen produced the American version of the long-running UK music show, Top of the Pops.

In 1989 Joel Gallen was named head of production for MTV.

Irreverent in tone, Joel Gallen said it was the opposite of the Oscars.

Joel Gallen continued to work in association with MTV, executive producing and directing the Movie Awards from 1995 through 2006 and in 2018.

Joel Gallen won an Emmy, a Peabody Award, and a Director's Guild Award.

Joel Gallen produced and directed the Stand Up to Cancer telethons in 2012 and 2014.

Joel Gallen directed and executive produced the 2022 London and Los Angeles concerts in honor of Taylor Hawkins following his death.

Joel Gallen signed on to executive produce and direct FireAid two days after the 2025 California wildfires began.

Joel Gallen directed and produced three Ellen DeGeneres stand-up specials: The Beginning, Here and Now and Relatable.

Joel Gallen directed DeGeneres 2024 special, For Your Approval.

Joel Gallen was Emmy-nominated for Outstanding Variety, Music, or Comedy Specials for The Beginning and Here and Now.

Joel Gallen received two Emmy nominations for his work on the special, including Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special.

Joel Gallen executive produced and directed several one-offs and series for Comedy Central, including Last Laugh, Roast Battle, Pete Davidson's stand-up special, SMD and The Comedy Jam.

In February 2014 Joel Gallen directed Howard Stern's 60th Birthday Bash.

Joel Gallen executive produced and directed the live music series Pepsi Smash for The WB during the summers of 2004 and 2005.