37: Brett Baer
From the Episode
About Brett
Brett Baer is an Emmy Award-winning producer and writer that has worked on shows like New Girl, 30 Rock, United States of Tara, Joey, and more.
Growing up in Deerfield, IL, Brett was so captivated by television, he converted his parents’ basement into the Hollywood of the Midwest, deconstructing cardboard boxes to recreate the swamp from MASH, the studio set from Letterman, and other classics of the day… and, while other kids played with legos, he bribed his sister and neighbors with twizzlers to be his on-air talent.
Fast forward to the early 90s, when Brett decided that the entertainment industry was finally ready, moving to LA to attend the University of South California’s School of Cinema-Television. After dazzling his classmates at the Groundlings Sunday company, he joined ACME Comedy Theatre, the legendary sketch group where he would meet his writing partner Dave Finkel.
Moving on to take the world of animation by storm, Brett wrote for the Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain, earning him a Daytime Emmy nomination for some of the wittiest dialogue this side of Family Guy.
Brett knew that he was destined for Primetime, however, and soon made his move to Norm, joining the ABC sitcom as a story editor. Stints on Just Shoot Me and Happy Family followed and in 2007, finally vindicated, Brett won the Outstanding Comedy Series Emmy for 30 Rock, which he co-executive produced. Not satisfied with just one award, he took home another Emmy for his work on the United States of Tara. Finally, that mere nomination for Pinky and the Brain was a scar healed.
Along with his partner Dave, Brett went on to create the hit series New Girl and, more recently, Bad Sisters, a binge-watchable show now streaming on Apple TV+.
Brett isn’t just a writer, mind you. An avid reader with a seemingly effortless understanding of world events, Brett enjoys a healthy discourse on the intricacies and nuances of geopolitical relationships, and offers a balanced view to those who seek it.
A fanatical White Sox fan, Brett has an iron grip on all team stats and trivia, and when it comes to playing, he prefers pickleball, crushing his opponents, likely while regaling them with the news of the day.
But if you think he’s a boring, middle-aged suburban dad with a proclivity for watching baseball from the living room lazy boy, just tell him you’re in a hurry to get to the other side of LA. With an intimate knowledge of every artery leading into and out of the city, Brett will proceed to transform into Mad Max and get you to your destination on time, even if you soil yourself in the process.