FRANK J. MERWALD - Biography

Omaha Film Works
10200 Mason Avenue
Suite # 218
Chatsworth, CA 91311


Frank Merwald has been working in the entertainment business for over 25 years, and has worked on more than 500 hours of television dramas, sitcoms and TV Variety Show Specials. He has a BA degree from the University of Detroit in Radio & Television and a MFA degree in Cinema & Writing from the University of Southern California. He has just finished working on five pilots for the Fall 2005/2006 television season. They are IF YOU LIVED HERE YOU'D BE HOME NOW, A CBS Paramount Television Production for the FOX Network; THE MIKES for the F/X Channel; BREADWINNERS for the ABC Family Channel; THE SHOW WITH AJ CALLOWAY for Sony Pictures Television and UPN; and NEIGHBORS for Touchstone Television and the ABC Network. He has also been working on the first season of JUST FOR KICKS for the Nickelodeon Cable Channel. That series is currently on the air. Before that Mr. Merwald was the associate producer on TWO AND A HALF MEN, and he did a pilot for CBS-TV called TWO FAMILIES. He was the associate producer on GROUNDED FOR LIFE. The Carsey-Werner Company produced that series for the FOX Television Network. Prior to that he was the Co-Producer on SHASTA McNASTY, a half-hour sitcom for Columbia-TriStar Television and the UPN Network. He also was the Co-Producer on THE TONY DANZA SHOW for NBC-TV. He has worked as the associate producer on: LIFE WITH ROGER for the WB Network; THE NEW DAVY CROCKETT, GUYS NEXT DOOR and a pilot called TWIN CITIES for the NBC-TV Television; HUDSON STREET, ELLEN (Season One & Two), LAURIE HILL, and BENSON for the ABC-TV Network; He was also the associate producer on the original FAME for four years while it was in first run syndication and two one hour specials for The Disney Channel called THE UNKNOWN MARX BROTHERS. He was the Creator and Executive Producer of RHYTHM AND NEWS, a comedy pilot for first run syndication. He also directed five one-hour documentaries called CREATING FAMILY for Franciscan Communications on marriage, sexuality and family relationships. His first two jobs in the entertainment business were on film clip shows for 20th Century Fox Television Syndication called THAT’S HOLLYWOOOD and THE JACKIE GLEASON SHOW. Mr. Merwald was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska. His interests include the preservation of classic motion pictures and television shows. He is a member of the Directors Guild of America, The Producers Guild of America, and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. As a young man he saw many films at the Indian Hills Cinerama Theater in Omaha. He is one of the founding members of the Indian Hills Theater Preservation Society. The following is a complete list of the television shows that he has worked on: BREADWINNERS Associate Producer Valhalla Motion Pictures Pilot for ABC Family Channel Executive Producers: Gale Anne Hurd, Stephen Tao & Julie Sherman Wolfe Single Camera: 24p Avid: Posted in HD and SD THE SHOW WITH AJ CALLOWAY Associate Producer Sony Pictures Television Pilot for UPN Executive Producer/Creator: David Goetsch Single Camera Hybrid: 24p and 60-I Avid: Posted in HD and SD NEIGHBORS Associate Producer Touchstone Television Pilot for ABC-TV Executive Producers: Michael Caleo, Courtney Conte, Matthew Gross & David Richardson Single and Multi-Camera: 24p Avid: Post in HD and SD JUST FOR KICKS (aka HEAD TO TOE) Co-Producer Executive Producers: Whoopi Goldberg, Sean McNamara & David Brookwell Single Camera 16mm Film Avid: Posted in Standard Definition for The Nickelodeon Channel TWO AND A HALF MEN Associate Producer: Warner Bros. Television Executive Producers: Chuck Lorre, Eric & Kim Tannenbaum Multi-camera 35 mm Film Avid: Posted in HD 24 Episodes PHIL AT THE GATE (aka “The Phil Hendrie Pilot”) Associate Producer: NBC Studios Executive Producer: Peter Tolan 24p Multi-Camera Avid: Posted in HD TWO FAMILIES Pilot for CBS-TV Associate Producer: Warner Bros. Television Executive Producer: Chuck Lorre Single & Multi-Camera 35mm Film Avid: Posted in HD GROUNDED FOR LIFE Season One & Two Associate Producer: Carsey-Werner-Mandabach, LLC Executive Producers: Bill Martin & Mike Schiff Hybrid Show: 4 Days of Single Camera & 1 Day Multi-Camera Avid: 35MM Single Perf SHASTA McNASTY Co-Producer: Columbia-Tristar Television Pilot for UPN. Executive Producers: Neal Moritz & Jeff Eastin Single Camera 16mm Film: Avid 22 Episodes BROTHER’S KEEEPER Associate Producer: Studios USA Series for ABC-TV. Executive Producer: Jonathan Axelrod, James Widdoes & Donald Todd. 4 Camera 16mm Film: Avid: 23 Episodes CARSON’S VERTICAL SUBURBIA Co-Producer: Columbia-Tristar Television Pilot for ABC-TV. Executive Producers: Barry Sonnenfeld, Barry Josephson and Dan Palladino 4 Camera 35mm Film: Avid THE TONY DANZA SHOW Co-Producer: Columbia-Tristar Television for NBC-TV. Executive Producers: Tony Danza and Ian Gurvitz. 4 Camera 35mm Film: Avid: 14 Episodes LIFE WITH ROGER Associate Producer: Warner Bros. Television for The WB Network. Executive Producers: Howard Adler & Bob Griffard. 4 Camera 35mm Film: Avid: 20 Episodes HUDSON STREET Associate Producer: Katie Face Productions & Tristar Television for ABC-TV. Executive Producers: Tony Danza; Susan Beavers, Mitch Katlin, Nat Bernstein & Randi Singer 4 Camera 35mm Film: AVID: 22 Episodes TWIN CITIES aka MAX Associate Producer: DreamWorks Television for NBC-TV. Executive Producer: David Rosenthal. 4 Camera 35mm Film: Heavyworks; Pilot for Fall 1996 ELLEN Associate Producer: The Black/Marlens Co. & Touchstone Television for ABC-TV. Executive Producers: Warren Bell & David Rosenthal. 4 Camera 35mm Film: EPIX: 24 Episodes THESE FRIENDS OF MINE Associate Producer: The Black/Marlens Co. & Touchstone Television for ABC-TV. Executive Producers: Neal Marlens, Carol Black, David Rosenthal & Warren Bell. 4 Camera 35mm Film: Laser System: 13 Episodes THE UNKNOWN MARX BROTHERS Associate Producer: The Disney Channel & Crew Neck Productions Executive Producers: Courtney Conte & John Scheinfeld; Single Camera: AVID: 2 One-Hour Specials LAURIE HILL Associate Producer: The Black/Marlens Co. & Touchstone Television for ABC-TV; Executive Producers: Neal Marlens & Carol Black; 4 Camera 35mm Film: Laser System: 10 Episodes RHYTHM & NEWS Executive Producer/Creator: CINRATEL Productions for Syndication; Film & Tape: Half-Hour Pilot YOU ASKED FOR IT AGAIN Associate Director: Comedy-Variety Series for The Family Channel Executive Producer: James Ackerman; Tape: 22 Episodes GUYS NEXT DOOR Associate Producer: NBC Productions Executive Producer: Vince Manze; Tape: 14 Episodes THE NEW LASSIE Post Production Supervisor: Universal Television: Syndication Executive Producer: Al Burton; Single Camera 35mm Film: 24 Episodes DAVY CROCKETT Associate Producer: Walt Disney Television: NBC-TV Executive Producer: Bill Blinn; Single Camera 35mm Film: Ediflex: 5 One-Hour Episodes FAME Associate Producer: MGM/UA Television: Syndication 97 One-Hour Episodes Executive Producers: Bill Blinn; Donald Rieker & Patricia Jones; Harry & Renee Longstreet FAME Editor/Post Production Supervisor: MGM/UA Telecommunications: 65 Half-Hours for Syndication Production Executive: George Paris MADAME’S PLACE Associate Producer: Paramount Television: Syndication: 75 Episodes Producer: Don Van Atta CREATING FAMILY Director/Editor: Grand Island Productions & Franciscan Communications: 5 One-Hour Episodes LEWIS AND CLARK Associate Director: Carson Productions and NBC-TV: 13 Episodes BENSON Editorial Supervisor: Witt-Thomas-Harris Productions: ABC-TV: 22 Episodes Executive Producers: Paul Witt, Tony Thomas and Susan Harris THAT’S HOLLYWOOD and THE JACKIE GLEASON SHOW Co-Producer/ Post Production Supervisor: 20th Century Fox Television: Syndication: 148 Episodes WRITING BACKGROUND Four feature length screenplays and two half-hour TV Pilots. Please feel free to contact me at the following address: FJMERWALD@att.net
E-mail:fjmerwald@worldnet.att.net
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