Hogan Sheffer

Hogan Sheffer (born Mark Wayne Sheffer on June 12, 1958 in York, Pennsylvania) is an American Daytime Emmy winning screenwriter. During the WGA strike, he chose financial core status with the WGA and continued working.

Personal life

Sheffer's full birth name is Mark Wayne Sheffer; he received his nickname of Hogan from younger brother Craig, who thought he looked like pianist/composer Hoagy Carmichael. His brother is actor Craig Sheffer.

Film career

From 1986 to 1994, he worked as a freelancer and did script analysis for various production companies. He also worked for Mary Stuart Masterson at her production company. From 1997 to 2000, he was employed by Dreamworks as the Director of Screenplay Development under producers Mark Johnson and Elizabeth Cantillon. He was in charge of developing screenplays for films like "My Dog Skip", "Galaxy Quest", "Home Fries", and "What Lies Beneath".

"As the World Turns"

Sheffer is perhaps best known for his stint as Head Writer of the CBS Daytime drama "As the World Turns" from 2000 to 2005.

When Procter and& Gamble, the company that produces "As the World Turns", hired Sheffer, it came as a surprise to both industry figures and viewers. Some fans became concerned when, in an interview, he admitted he had never seen "As the World Turns" or sister soap "Guiding Light" before he was asked to watch them. P&G gave Sheffer a choice of which show he'd like to write for, and although he commented that "ATWT" had been "boring as hell", he saw potential at the show.

Praise

Sheffer's take on "As the World Turns", an aging show in one of the oldest genres in television, reinvigorated the program. During Sheffer's writing regime, the show won many Daytime Emmy Awards; Sheffer and his team received four Emmys for "Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team" in 2001, 2002, 2004, and 2005. "ATWT" 's loss in 2003 was blamed on technical difficulties with their Emmy reel, as the clips judges watched had either bad or no sound and were tinted green.fact|date=September 2007 Also, Sheffer became a favorite of reporters for his hilarious one-liners.fact|date=September 2007

Criticism

Although his writing regime at "As the World Turns" was a stabilizing force and rejuvenated the momentum of the show, Sheffer's writing style alienated a number of longtime fans of "ATWT", who complained that he rewrote characters to suit the purposes of a given storyline. In particular, he and his team were criticized for departing from history and/or established character motivation and behavior. While some storylines for veteran characters worked well (turning Barbara Ryan into a villainess), others seemed inappropriate for the character, like Margo's flirtation with misogynistic football player Doc.fact|date=September 2007

"As the World Turns" has perhaps the largest group of veterans still active in the cast;fact|date=September 2007 there are over a dozen actors currently on contract to the show (or are recurring in their roles) who have been with the show for 20 or more years. Some of the veteran actors on the show (most notably Eileen Fulton who plays longtime heroine Lisa Grimaldi) also complained that their characters' airtime diminished dramatically during Sheffer's tenure.

Departure from "ATWT"

In March 2005, Sheffer took what was referred to a "17 week sabbatical" from "ATWT", at which time other writers like Leah Laiman, Christopher Whitesell, and Jean Passanante took over. P&G initially indicated that he would return at the end of his sabbatical, but announced a few weeks later that Sheffer would not be returning to his position as Head Writer; the company promoted Jean Passanante to the position permanently.

Reasons for his leave and subsequent firing are unclear. There had been suggestions that Sheffer was ill; there were also suggestions that he had taken a leave to undergo gastric bypass surgery. However, no statements confirming the reason for his leave have been made. It is unclear whether Sheffer was fired from "ATWT" or left of his own volition, although it is known that Sheffer had been very unhappy after a planned two-year storyline was cut short by higher-ups and were replaced by rather unpopular storylines.

When he won his fourth Daytime Emmy for "ATWT" in 2005, he did not attend the ceremony; Jean Passanante accepted the award. Passanante thanked Sheffer for "his big heart and brilliant imagination" and said the entire writing staff at the show would "miss him". [ [http://www.soapcentral.com/soapcentral/news/2005/0520-emmy_coverage4.php 2005 Emmy coverage] ]

In 2002 when Richard Culliton was fired from the ABC Daytime soap opera "All My Children", it was speculated that Sheffer would leave "ATWT" to take over that soap. When interviewed, Sheffer has often praised the quality of production and acting on the rival network. After Sheffer was fired in 2005, speculation again circulated that Sheffer would head to "One Life to Live" to join Dena Higley as Head Writer, or to help out the low-rated Guiding Light as an Executive Consultant.

"ATWT" fans were shocked when in the summer of 2005, Sheffer was asked to return as Head Writer. He declined, but agreed to take a lesser position on the writing staff, much like Leah Laiman did in early 2005 when she returned to writing for the show. I October 2005, Sheffer returned to "ATWT" as a breakdown writer. Sheffer has stated that his favorite serials on ABC Daytime and CBS Daytime are "General Hospital" and "As the World Turns", respectively.

"Days of our Lives"

On June 12 2006, (Sheffer's 48th birthday) Sheffer confirmed he was joining "Days of our Lives" as the new Head Writer with Meg Kelly [ [http://www.soapcentral.com/days/news/2006/0619-renewed.php Hogan Sheffer joins "Days"] ] Sheffer's stories began airing in October 2006. Sheffer's last episode aired January 24 2008. [ [http://members.aol.com/jason47b/castingnews.html Days of Our Lives Casting News and More ] ]

Sheffer has appeared with "DAYS" star Mary Beth Evans on the SOAPnet show "I Wanna Be a Soap Star" in 2007. ["Soap Opera Digest Insider", September 6, 2007]

"The Young and The Restless"

On May 21 2008, it was announced that Sheffer had joined "The Young and the Restless" as co-Head Writer. He will be working closely with Maria Arena Bell and Josh Griffith. His episodes began airing July 15, 2008 [http://boards.soapoperanetwork.com/index.php?showtopic=26277&st=0&start=0]

Positions held

"As the World Turns"
*Breakdown Writer: October 25 2005 - August 9 2006
*Head Writer: August 2000 - May 24 2005

"Days of our Lives"
*Head Writer: October 5 2006 - January 24 2008) [ [http://members.aol.com/jason47b/castingnews.html Days of Our Lives Casting News and More ] ]

Awards and nominations

*Daytime Emmy: 6 nominations (2001-2006; Best Writing; As The World Turns); 4 wins (2001, 2002, 2004, 2005; Best Writing; As the World Turns)

Writers Guild of America Award
*Nomination (For 2005 season; As The World Turns)

References

External links

* [http://www.nbc.com NBC-TV: "Days of Our Lives"]
* [http://soapcentral.com/atwt/news/2005/0418-sheffer.php soap central article about his firing]