MFA Programs in Writing alumnus wins big with Game of Thrones
Office of the Dean
January 5, 2016
David Benioff, co-creator of HBO's "Game of Thrones" and alumnus of UCI's Programs in Writing (Fiction), took home 12 Emmys in 2015
David Benioff, alumnus of UCI’s MFA Programs in Writing (Fiction) ’99, can now add “Emmy award-winner” to his list of accolades. As co-creator of HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” Benioff had a vital part to play in the below listed Emmys received in 2015:
1. Outstanding Special Visual Effects – 2015 – for "The Dance Of Dragons"
2. Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (One Hour) - 2015 for "Hardhome"
3. Outstanding Directing For A Drama Series – 2015 for "Mother's Mercy"
4. Outstanding Sound Editing For A Series – 2015 for “Hardhome”
5. Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing For A Drama Series - 2015 for “The Dance of Dragons”
6. Outstanding Writing For A Drama Series – 2015 for “Mother’s Mercy”
7. Outstanding Production Design For A Narrative Contemporary Or Fantasy Program (One Hour Or More) - 2015 for “High Sparrow”
8. Outstanding Makeup For A Single-Camera Series (Non-Prosthetic) - 2015 for “Mother’s Mercy”
9. Outstanding Casting For A Drama Series – 2015
10. Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series - 2015 went to Peter Dinklage, as Tyrion Lannister
11. Outstanding Stunt Coordination For A Drama Series, Limited Series Or Movie – 2015
12. Outstanding Drama Series – 2015
“David is a rare creature, seemingly born a writer and storyteller. This, in my experience, is uncommon,” says Geoffrey Wolff, UCI professor emeritus of English and past director of the M.F.A. fiction program, who was one of Benioff’s mentors. “Novelists typically develop very slowly. Unlike bravura sprints of poetry by youngsters, long-form prose is long-haul trucking. David put in the long hours, but he was far down the road [to mastering the novel]when he set out.”
While at UCI, Benioff completed The 25th Hour, his thesis and first published novel. It later became a feature film, for which he wrote the screenplay.
Benioff credits UCI’s MFA Programs in Writing for giving him time to hone his craft: “What the M.F.A. program did was give me time to focus on nothing but writing. And while I know there are people out there who can handle a job and keep writing (Khaled Hosseini is one rare example who kept writing while practicing medicine), that’s not easy for most of us,” he said.
Congratulations, David!
References:
• http://www.emmys.com/shows/game-thrones
• http://news.uci.edu/feature/crowning-achievement/