Matt Weiner

Matthew Hoffman Weiner was born on June 29, 1965, in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. He attended The Park School of Baltimore and later the Harvard School for Boys in Los Angeles. His early academic pursuits at Wesleyan University focused on literature, philosophy, and history, culminating in a Bachelor of Arts degree. He furthered his education at the University of Southern California School of Cinema and Television, earning a Master of Fine Arts degree. Weiner’s career in television began in the mid-1990s as a writer for various sitcoms, including the short-lived Fox series “Party Girl” (1996) and “The Naked Truth” (1997–1998). He also worked on “Becker” as a writer and producer from 1999 to 2002, and as a supervising producer for “Andy Richter Controls the Universe” from 2002 to 2003.

A significant turning point in Weiner’s career came when he wrote the pilot episode of “Mad Men” as a spec script in 1999. This script caught the attention of David Chase, creator and executive producer of “The Sopranos,” who offered Weiner a writing position on the critically acclaimed HBO series. Weiner served as a supervising producer for the fifth season of “The Sopranos” (2004), co-executive producer for the first part of the sixth season (2006), and executive producer for the second part of the sixth season (2007). During his tenure on “The Sopranos,” he garnered two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Drama Series, in 2004 and 2007, recognizing his contributions to the show’s success. His work on “The Sopranos” extended to writing or co-writing 12 episodes, demonstrating his talent for intricate storytelling. He also made cameo appearances in two episodes as the fictional mafia expert Manny Safier.

Following his success on “The Sopranos,” Weiner brought “Mad Men” to fruition. After being passed on by several networks, AMC decided to pick up the series, marking their first original dramatic television production. “Mad Men” premiered on July 19, 2007, with Weiner as its showrunner, executive producer, and head writer throughout its seven-season run (2007-2015). Under his leadership, “Mad Men” received widespread critical acclaim, winning the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series for four consecutive years (2008-2011). Weiner himself earned three Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for his work on the show. His directorial credits include all seven season finales, the season seven midseason finale, and the penultimate episode of the series. Beyond television, Weiner also wrote, directed, and produced the comedy-drama film “Are You Here” (2013), published his debut novel “Heather, the Totality” (2017), and created the Amazon Video anthology series “The Romanoffs” (2018).