Harvey Levin: Difference between revisions
→Early law career and academia: minor clarif |
Anomalous+0 (talk | contribs) →Early law career and academia: tweaks of wording re law school career |
||
Line 26: | Line 26: | ||
In the mid-1970s, Levin taught law at the [[University of Miami School of Law]] under [[Soia Mentschikoff]].<ref name='uchilaw1'/><ref name='pubopin'>{{cite journal |last=Klein |first=Asher |date=September–October 2013 |title=In the court of public opinion |
In the mid-1970s, Levin taught law at the [[University of Miami School of Law]] under [[Soia Mentschikoff]].<ref name='uchilaw1'/><ref name='pubopin'>{{cite journal |last=Klein |first=Asher |date=September–October 2013 |title=In the court of public opinion |
||
|url=http://mag.uchicago.edu/law-policy-society/court-public-opinion |
|url=http://mag.uchicago.edu/law-policy-society/court-public-opinion |
||
|journal=The University of Chicago Magazine |location=[[Chicago]] |access-date=August 25, 2015}}</ref> He |
|journal=The University of Chicago Magazine |location=[[Chicago]] |access-date=August 25, 2015}}</ref> He practiced law briefly in Los Angeles before taking a position at [[Whittier Law School|Whittier College School of Law]].<ref name='pubopin'/><ref name='guardian1'/><ref name='mediabistro'>{{cite web |
||
|url = https://www.mediabistro.com/So-What-Do-You-Do-Harvey-Levin-Executive-Producer-and-Host-TMZ-a10577.html |
|url = https://www.mediabistro.com/So-What-Do-You-Do-Harvey-Levin-Executive-Producer-and-Host-TMZ-a10577.html |
||
|title = So What Do You Do, Harvey Levin, Executive Producer and Host, TMZ? |
|title = So What Do You Do, Harvey Levin, Executive Producer and Host, TMZ? |
Revision as of 07:58, 20 March 2023
Harvey Levin | |
---|---|
Born | Harvey Robert Levin September 2, 1950 |
Education | University of California, Santa Barbara (BA) University of Chicago (JD) |
Occupations |
|
Known for | Founder of TMZ |
Style | Paparazzi |
Partner | Andy Mauer |
Harvey Robert Levin[1] (born September 2, 1950) is an American television producer, legal analyst, celebrity reporter, and former lawyer.[2] He is the founder of celebrity news website TMZ, and the former host of OBJECTified, which aired on the Fox News Channel.
Early life and education
Levin was born September 2, 1950, in Los Angeles County, California to a Jewish family.[3][4][5] He attended high school at Grover Cleveland High School in Reseda, Los Angeles and graduated in 1968 with honors.[6][7] Levin attended the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he graduated with a B.A. in political science in 1972.[8] He later attended the University of Chicago Law School and graduated with a J.D. in 1975.[9]
Career
Early law career and academia
Levin was an active attorney in the state of California for two decades, from December 18, 1975, until January 1, 1996.[1]
In the mid-1970s, Levin taught law at the University of Miami School of Law under Soia Mentschikoff.[9][10] He practiced law briefly in Los Angeles before taking a position at Whittier College School of Law.[10][5][11]
In 1978, the introduction and debate surrounding California Proposition 13 pushed Levin into the public eye, following his performances in a number of public debates.[10][5][11]
With his newfound fame, Levin began to contribute legal advice on a radio show, where he was nicknamed "Doctor Law", as well as to write columns for the Los Angeles Times.[11][10][5] His columnist career with the Times spanned seven years.[11]
Transition to entertainment
Levin covered legal issues for KNBC-TV in 1982.[11] He subsequently joined KCBS-TV and spent a decade doing investigative reporting and legal analysis,[11][10][5] most notably covering the O. J. Simpson murder case.[11][10][5]
In 1997 he was named co-executive producer and on-air legal anchor for The People's Court.[10][12][11] He created Celebrity Justice, which ran from 2002 to 2005.[10][5]
Levin produced Beyond Twisted, which aired in 2009 for one season before being cancelled.[13] He created Famous in 12 (2014), an experiment in exploiting a family for quick fame,[14] but the show was cancelled after less than one season, with only five of the scheduled twelve episodes having aired.[15]
Since 2016, Levin has hosted the weekly prerecorded show OBJECTified on the Fox News Channel.[citation needed]
TMZ
This is not television. It's rawer, it's urgent, it's less produced. I really think this is the future. People want to get what they can get on-demand, and they have as much access to a computer as they do a TV set.
In 2005, AOL and Telepictures Productions launched TMZ with Levin as the founder and managing editor.[11][17][18] The website quickly rose to prominence when it broke the story of Mel Gibson's DUI arrest and subsequent antisemitic rant.[11][10][5][17] It continued to break a number of high-profile stories including the abuse of Rihanna by Chris Brown, the deaths of Heath Ledger, Brittany Murphy, Kobe Bryant, and Michael Jackson.[5] The Los Angeles Times named TMZ's coverage of the Jackson death as the biggest story the website had covered to date.[19]
Levin became increasingly supportive of Donald Trump in the run-up to the 2016 United States presidential election.[20] After Trump's victory, he met with President Donald Trump on March 7, 2017 in the Oval Office and chatted for an hour.[21]
Other ventures
Harvey Levin Productions has produced Levin's media projects since he joined The People's Court in 1983 as the show's legal consultant.[10] In 1985, Levin wrote The People's Court: How to Tell It to the Judge, reviewing and providing commentary on several cases from the show.[22] The Library Journal "recommended [the book] for public libraries."[22]
Personal life
Levin appeared as an event speaker for the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association in April 2010 in which he publicly confirmed his self-identification as gay.[23] He discussed his fear of losing his career if someone were to find out, which led to Levin compartmentalizing his personal and professional lives.[23][24]
Levin's longtime partner is Andy Mauer, a chiropractor in southern California.[25][26][27] The two own multiple properties together, sharing joint-deed listings since the late 1990s and early 2000s.[25][26]
Levin has been named to Out magazine's "Power 50" list as one of the most influential voices in LGBT America since 2012 when he was named #15.[28] He has since been named #25 in 2013, #34 in 2014, #48 in 2015, and #40 in 2016.[29][30][31][32]
Filmography
- Volcano (1997) – Reporter[33]
- Celebrity Justice – Host[16]
- TMZ - Himself - (2005 to Present)
- Family Guy - Himself - S-8 Ep-14 - "Peter-assment" (2010)
Books
- The People's Court: How to Tell it to the Judge (1985)
Awards and honors
For his broadcast work, Levin has been nominated for nine Emmys.[17]
References
- ^ a b "State Bar of CA, Harvey Robert Levin". members.calbar.ca.gov. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- ^ Beale, Lauren (February 24, 2015). "Exclusive details: Harvey Levin of TMZ hunts for a renter". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- ^ "Harvey Levin." Biography in Context. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Gale Biography In Context. Web. April 17, 2011.
- ^ "Harvey Levin." Newsmakers. Vol. 4. Detroit: Gale, 2011. Gale Biography In Context. Web. April 17, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Harris, Paul (October 24, 2009). "How TMZ's high prince of sleaze became the King of Hollywood". The Guardian. London. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- ^ "FAMOUS AND INFAMOUS CAVALIERS". www.clevelandhs.org. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- ^ Burch, Tina (February 20, 2009). "Cleveland High School 50th". dailynews.mycapture.com. Retrieved August 25, 2015.[permanent dead link ]
- ^ Wu, Gwendolyn (April 29, 2015). "UCSB Alum Harvey Levin Speaks on Changes in Media". The Bottom Line. Santa Barbara, California. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- ^ a b Safranek, Lynn (October 18, 2010). "Harvey Levin, '75, of TMZ Tells Students Why His JD Matters". www.law.uchicago.edu/. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Klein, Asher (September–October 2013). "In the court of public opinion". The University of Chicago Magazine. Chicago. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Clehane, Diane (July 8, 2009). "So What Do You Do, Harvey Levin, Executive Producer and Host, TMZ?". mediabistro.com. Archived from the original on 2012-11-04. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- ^ "Levin to preside in 'Court'". Electronic Media. 16 (13): 22. March 24, 1997.
- ^ "TMZ's Beyond Twisted Replaced By New Reality Show". www.anorak.co.uk. July 22, 2009. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- ^ Ryan, Patrick (June 2, 2014). "'Famous in 12' pushes the insta-celeb envelope". USA Today. Tysons Corner, Virginia. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- ^ "'Famous In 12' Announces Its Own Cancellation On Air After TMZ Unable To Make Family Stars In 5". deadline.com. July 3, 2014. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- ^ a b Lafayette, Jon (December 12, 2005). "TMZ Targets TV Newsmagazines". Television Week. 24 (50): 6–26.
- ^ a b c Ray, Rachel (November 10, 2011). "Harvey Levin, founder of celebrity news website TMZ: 'We would never hack phones'". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- ^ Shields, Mike (December 8, 2005). "AOL Launches TMZ.com". www.mediaweek.com. Archived from the original on February 19, 2006. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- ^ Collins, Scott; James, Meg (June 28, 2009). "Michael Jackson may be turning point for TMZ". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- ^ Cartwright, Lachlan (14 July 2019). "TMZ Goes MAGA: How Harvey Levin's Gossip Empire Became Trump's Best Friend". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
- ^ Grynbaum, Michael M. (8 March 2017). "Trump Grants Oval Office Meeting to TMZ Founder". The New York Times.
- ^ a b Twitchell, Anne (February 1, 1985). "The People's Court". Library Journal. 110 (2): 109.
- ^ a b Hernandez, Greg (April 23, 2010). "TMZ's Harvey Levin talks about being gay in the news business: "I was so terrified that somebody would find out."". greginhollywood.com. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- ^ gosset-bernheim, hadrien. "Hollywood veut sa peau" (PDF). Hollywood Veut Sa Peau (in French): 110–115. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
- ^ a b David, Mark (March 2, 2013). "TMZ Boss Harvey Levin Lists Sunset Strip Digs". Variety. Los Angeles. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- ^ a b Gupta, Rapti (March 2, 2013). "TMZ's Harvey Levin Lists Sunset Strip Home for $5.3 Million". www.realtytoday.com. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- ^ Denton, Nick (February 9, 2008). "Harvey Levin's Muscular Masseur". gawker.com. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- ^ "The Power List: HARVEY LEVIN". Out. April 17, 2012. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- ^ "Power List 2013: HARVEY LEVIN". Out. April 10, 2013. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- ^ "Power List 2014: HARVEY LEVIN". Out. April 15, 2014. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- ^ "Power 50: Harvey Levin". Out. April 15, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- ^ "The 10th Annual Power List". 14 April 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
- ^ Kilday, Gregg (May 2, 1997). "To live and fry in L.A.". Entertainment Weekly. No. 377. p. 41.
Further reading
- Schmidle, Nicholas (February 22, 2016). "The digital dirt : how TMZ gets the videos and photos that celebrities want to hide". Letter from Los Angeles. The New Yorker. Vol. 92, no. 2. pp. 36–49.[a]
———————
- Notes
- ^ Title in the online table of contents is "TMZ redefines celebrity dirt".
External links
- 1950 births
- Living people
- American infotainers
- American businesspeople in the online media industry
- Television producers from California
- Fox News people
- Lawyers from Los Angeles
- University of California, Santa Barbara alumni
- University of Chicago Law School alumni
- Whittier College faculty
- Jewish American attorneys
- LGBT Jews
- LGBT producers
- LGBT lawyers
- American LGBT broadcasters
- American gay writers
- American gay actors
- LGBT people from California
- California lawyers
- 21st-century American Jews