Greg Daniels met Young Global Citizens on March 1st, 2022
Genevieve Borne welcomed Greg:
Greg Daniels your credits and achievements in the comedy world and in television are almost too many to mention. You are a screenwriter, television producer, and director. You have worked on several television series, including Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons for which you wrote wrote several classic episodes including "Lisa's Wedding", "Bart Sells His Soul", and "22 Short Films About Springfield". You adapted The Office for the United States, and you co-created Parks and Recreation and King of the Hill. You started writing comedy with Conan O' Brien while you were attending Harvard.
The series King of the Hill which you co-wrote with Mike Judge ran for thirteen years. In 2016, you were executive producer on the TBS series People of Earth. You co-created, with The Office star Steve Carell, the Netflix comedy series Space Force, and you also created the Amazon science fiction comedy series Upload. You have been nominated for twenty Emmys and you won four. You worked with some of the funniest people in America and dare we say the world. The feedback you have received over your career is overwhelmingly positive and full of love.
You are a father of four, so that may explain in part why you accepted to take part in our little educational project with teachers and students everywhere. On behalf of Young Global Citizens thank you for meeting us and answering our questions today.
Questions that were asked of Greg Daniels:
Mr. Daniels, can you tell us about your early life, how did your family set you on your current path? What are you grateful for growing up?
What was Conan O'Brien like in Harvard? Do you maintain a friendship until now?
Can you tell us more about your role and your responsibilities when putting together a show like The Office or Parks and Rec?
You work on a lot of animated projects. Did you find inspiration in cartoons growing up? Are there some advantages in doing animation over live acting and vice-versa?
What makes a good character? How do you create them? What are some of your favorite characters you came up with over the years?
Who are your role models? Who inspires you?
What worries you about our future? What makes you hopeful?
Do you think comedy can help us deal with some of the serious, painful and scary things we deal with individually and as a species?
What would you put in a time capsule to be opened by Youth 30 years from now?
Final words: As a father and as someone who's done a lot of thinking and writing, do you have a final piece of advice for young people who will one be in charge of the planet?
Genevieve thanked Greg Daniels:
Greg Daniels, we can't thank you enough for joining us today. We will be sharing this interview to hundreds of schools around the world and we are certain many of them will feel inspired and motivated to let their creativity shine and to see the world in a different light.
We hereby recognize you as a Young Global Citizen. Take care and all the VERY best of success for years and years to come. Thank you! Merci! Au revoir!