David Manson (producer)


David Manson is an American film and television producer, screenwriter and director.
He is perhaps best known for having executive-produced and co-created, the Peabody Award-winning drama Nothing Sacred, and more recently, having been an executive producer/writer on the second season of Netflix's House of Cards, which garnered thirteen Emmy nominations.

Early life

Manson was born in New York City to two musicians who had met as students at the Juilliard School. His father, Eddy Manson '', a harmonica virtuoso, moved the family to Los Angeles in 1965 to pursue his career as a film composer.
Manson attended the University of California at Santa Cruz on full scholarship before transferring to the University of California at Irvine, where he graduated magna cum laude.

Career

Manson began his career in the theater and worked in various capacities for such venues as the Mark Taper Forum, Playwrights Horizon and the Manhattan Theater Club.
He started in the film business at Dick Berg's Stonehenge Productions where he produced his first film, The Spell, for NBC, at the age of twenty-four. As Senior Vice President of Stonehenge, he produced several movies and miniseries including the first major television miniseries about Vietnam, A Rumor of War, which the New York Times called 'unusually ambitious and admirable' and the Washington Post referred to ‘as true as a movie is going to get’.
In 1980, Manson formed his own company, Sarabande Productions, aimed at creating a platform for prestigious writers. He has since worked with Pulitzer Prize winners including Michael Chabon, Donald Margulies and Jules Feiffer, and acclaimed screenwriters such as Joan Tewkesbury, Barbara Turner, John Sacret Young, and National Book Award recipient Denis Johnson.
In features, he executive-produced and developed the Cannes Film Festival Special Jury Prize Winner Birdy starring Matthew Modine and Nicolas Cage. He then produced the Sting documentary, Bring on the Night, directed by Michael Apted, which earned a Grammy Award for best long form video; he also executive-produced The Cemetery Club, starring Ellen Burstyn, and produced the Drew Barrymore film, Mad Love, both for Touchstone Pictures where his company was housed for several years.
In addition to its overall feature deal with Touchstone, Sarabande has also inked television deals with Disney, MGM/UA, New Line, Sony, 20th Century Fox, and FX Productions.
Through the 1980s and 90s, Manson, through Sarabande, executive-produced a number of television movies, including starring Matt Damon in his first major role, the Christopher Award-winning NBC film, Eye on the Sparrow, and Nightjohn, directed by Charles Burnett, which was the recipient of a Special Citation Award from the National Society of Film Critics and which The New Yorker named the best American movie of the year.
Manson entered into the series business as co-creator/executive producer of Against the Law for FOX and made his directorial debut with Those Secrets for ABC, which he also executive-produced.
He then co-created, produced, and directed the controversial drama, Nothing Sacred, about an irreverent Catholic priest, which was the subject of an advertiser boycott instituted by the conservative pressure group, The Catholic League. The series won not only the Peabody Award, but also a Humanitas Award, the Writers Guild Award, and the Viewers for Quality Television Founders Award.
Later in the 90s, Manson also produced several films with his wife, writer/producer Arla Sorkin Manson, including the CBS telefilm, The Wedding Dress. He also executive-produced two films for TNT: Thicker Than Blood with Mickey Rourke, based on Bill Cain's award-winning play, Stand-Up Tragedy; and Baby, starring Farrah Fawcett and Keith Carradine, for which Manson received a Writers Guild nomination for his adaptation.
After 2000, Manson focused more on writing and executive-producing television series. He served as a consulting producer/writer on the hit HBO series, Big Love, was the show-runner on the FX series, Thief, starring the Emmy Award-winning Andre Braugher, and created, wrote, directed and executive produced the EMT drama, Saved, for TNT.
Manson was the show-runner and wrote several episodes of the FOX series New Amsterdam, was a consulting producer/writer on the NBC series, Life, and directed multiple episodes of . He then executive-produced a pilot for FX, Outlaw Country, starring Mary Steenburgen and John Hawkes, and in 2012, executive produced and co-wrote the pilot for the series The Divide; originally produced for AMC, it became the first scripted series for WeTV.
In 2013, Manson executive produced and wrote on the acclaimed Netflix original series, House of Cards, starring Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright, for which he received Golden Globe, Writer's Guild, and Emmy nominations. This began an association with Netflix which included executive producing and writing on both the acclaimed Kyle Chandler series, Bloodline, and the hit series, Ozark, starring Jason Bateman and Laura Linney.
Most recently, Manson and Sarabande have entered into an overall deal with Paramount Television.
NameTV/FilmYearPositionAwardsNotes
OzarkTV2017-2018Executive Producer/Writer
BloodlineTV2015-2017Executive Producer/Writer/Director
HokeTV2014Executive Producer
House of CardsTV2013Executive Producer/WriterEmmy Nomination: Outstanding Drama Series, Golden Globe Nomination: Best Television Series, Drama, Producer's Guild Nomination: Best Drama, Writer's Guild Nomination: Best Drama
The DivideTV2012Executive Producer/Writer
Outlaw CountryTV2011Executive Producer
DamagesTV2011Consulting Producer
Law & Order: Criminal IntentTV2009Director
LifeTV2009Consulting Producer/Writer
New AmsterdamTV2008Executive Producer/Writer
SavedTV2006Creator/Executive Producer/Writer/Director
ThiefTV2006Executive Producer/Writer
Big LoveTV2006Consulting Producer/WriterGolden Globe Nomination: Best Television Series, Drama
John DoeTV2003Consulting Producer/Writer
The Wedding DressFilm2001Executive Producer
BabyFilm2000Executive Producer/WriterWriters Guild Nomination, Christopher Award
Mind GamesFilm1998Executive Producer
Thicker Than BloodFilm1998Executive ProducerALMA Award
Nothing SacredTV1997–1998Co-Creator/Executive Producer/Writer/DirectorPeabody Award, Humanitas Award, Producers Guild Nomination, Viewers for Quality Television: Founders Award
NightjohnFilm1997Executive ProducerNational Society of Film Critics: Special Citation
Mad LoveFilm1995Producer
Original SinsFilm1995Executive Producer
The Cemetery ClubFilm1993Executive Producer
Those SecretsFilm1992Executive Producer/Director
Against The LawTV1990–1991Co-Creator/Executive Producer/Writer
Rising SonFilm1990Executive Producer
Eye on the SparrowFilm1987Executive ProducerChristopher Award
The King of LoveFilm1987Executive Producer
Bring on the NightFilm1985ProducerGrammy Award: Best Long Form Video
BirdyFilm1984Executive ProducerCannes Film Festival: Special Jury Prize
Best Kept SecretsFilm1984Producer
SessionsFilm1983Producer
A Rumor of WarTV1980Producer
The WordTV1978Producer
A Love Affair: The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig StoryFilm1978Producer
Night CriesFilm1978Producer
The SpellFilm1977Producer