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He wrote the book on directing great TV… literally! This week, host Gray Jones interviews veteran TV director Dan Attias, who has worked on such hit shows as “The Boys,” “The Walking Dead,” “Homeland,” “House,” “Lost,” “The Sopranos,” and dozens more. 

Dan Attias has worked as a director in the film and television industry for 37 years. As a director of series television he has received the Directors Guild of America award for outstanding direction of dramatic television and has been nominated for multiple Emmy awards for his comedy directing.

Dan continues to work on some of the most celebrated and critically acclaimed American television shows, including “Homeland,” “The Americans,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “Billions,” and “The Boys.” Previously he has directed “The Sopranos,” “The Wire,” “Six Feet Under,” “True Blood,” “Entourage,” “The Killing,” “The Walking Dead,” “True Detective,” “Ray Donovan,” “Bloodline,” “Friday Night Lights,” “Northern Exposure,” “House,” “Lost,” “Alias,” among many others.

Dan’s first professional directing assignment was the feature film, Stephen King’s “Silver Bullet,” produced by Dino DeLaurentiis. He started his career studying acting, then worked as an assistant director on “E.T. The Extraterrestrial,” “Airplane!,” “One From the Heart” and several other feature films.

Dan has taught acting and directing workshops in the United States, and has appeared as a guest speaker at festivals in Italy, Brazil, Greece,  Mexico and Canada. Before working in the film and television industry, Dan was enrolled in a Ph.D. program in English literature at U.C.L.A., then transferred to the Theater Arts Department where he earned an M.F.A. in film production.

Gray gives a high recommendation to his new book, Directing Great Television. CLICK HERE to buy it and support the podcast (currently $5 off on Amazon).

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Didn’t get your questions asked? Make sure you follow Gray on Twitter (@GrayJones) so you can get the scoop on who is being interviewed and how to get your questions in. Also check out our TV Writer Twitter Database to find Twitter addresses for over 1,200 TV writers. Find previous episodes and other resources at www.tvwriterpodcast.com.

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Author: Gray Jones

Graham “Gray” Jones is a seasoned TV editor/writer located in Valencia, California (on the northern outskirts of LA). He has an honors Screenwriting BFA from York University, where he graduated with distinction in 1994.

He hosted one of the world’s leading TV-themed podcasts, "Chuck vs. the Podcast," about NBC’s Chuck, and currently hosts the "TV Writer Podcast," in partnership with Script Magazine.

He runs several companies, including http://archive2digital.com, http://avgearguy.com, and http://drivingfootage.com. Check them out!