Allen Estrin

Allen Estrin (born June 20, 1954)[3] is an American screenwriter, producer, director, and author. He is known for screenwriting with his late brother Mark Estrin,[4] co-writing a novel with Joseph Telushkin,[5] and his current work with Dennis Prager. With Prager he co-founded PragerU and serves as the executive producer of the Dennis Prager Show.[1][6]

Allen Estrin
Born (1954-06-20) June 20, 1954
Occupation(s)Screenwriter, producer, director, author
Known for
Works
SpouseSusan
WebsiteAllen Estrin, PragerU

Career

Estrin co-founded the digital media website PragerU, short for "Prager University", with Dennis Prager and is currently the executive producer of The Dennis Prager Show.[1]

When Estrin originally conceptualized PragerU, he had planned for it to be a brick-and-mortar university, but later proposed instead creating short educational videos online.[2][7] Estrin credits a copyright lawsuit with forcing PragerU videos to stop using photographs,[6] and Jeremy Boreing with helping to develop its current animation style.[8] Estrin represented PragerU at President Donald Trump's "Social Media Summit" in July 2019.[9][10] He predicts that leftists will eventually create their equivalent of PragerU.[1]

Estrin was a screenwriter for several television shows including Boston Public, Touched by an Angel, and The Practice. [11][12]

He also co-wrote Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World.[13] And with his brother Mark Estrin (1947-2005)[14] he wrote Bare Essentials,[15] and Warm Hearts, Cold Feet.[4][16] He was also a co-producer for Bare Essentials. With Prager, David Zucker, and Susan Silverberg Grossand he wrote For Goodness Sake.[17] He and Prager wrote a sequel, For Goodness Sake II.[18] Estrin is a lecturer in screenwriting at the American Film Institute. He directed "Israel in a Time of Terror".[19]

Books

Estrin wrote The Hollywood Professionals, Volume 6: Capra, Cukor and Brown,[20] published in 1980, about directors Frank Capra, George Cukor, and Clarence Brown.[21]

With Joseph Telushkin, Estrin also co-wrote the novel Heaven's Witness, published in 2004. Publishers Weekly offered a mostly positive review, saying "Detailed backstories, plus numerous psychoanalytical and New Age tidbits, slow the plot in places, but the past-life angle sustains interest."[5] The Washington Examiner praised the book as "the most interesting of this year's religious mysteries."[22] Kirkus Reviews said it was "especially good at balancing belief and skepticism about reincarnation."[23] And the Jewish Journal called the book "a page-turning whodunit" that "raises some lofty questions about the nature of the afterlife and what happens to us after we die."[24] CBS optioned this book for a 2005 TV movie,[24] paid both authors to write the script, but then stopped making such movies.[25]

Personal life

Estrin married Susan Chamberlain in 1985.[26] He is the son of Donald and Mildred Estrin, with brothers Joel and Mark, and a sister Amy.[14]

In 2002, Estrin was denied life insurance because he traveled to Israel, one of the countries subject to U.S. State Department travel advisories. Because of this, he sued 14 insurance companies. This led to some insurers changing such policies,[27] and to a bill in California to outlaw such travel restrictions on policies.[28]

References
  1. Oppenheimer, Mark. "Inside the Right-Wing YouTube Empire That's Quietly Turning Millennials Into Conservatives – Mother Jones". Motherjones.com. Archived from the original on 2018-05-25. Retrieved 2019-12-11.
  2. Bowles, Nellie (2020-01-04). "Right-Wing Views for Generation Z, Five Minutes at a Time". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-01-12.
  3. "Allen Estrin". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  4. "Mark Estrin, 57; Co-Founder of Winery Known for Prose, Pinots". Los Angeles Times. May 12, 2005.
  5. "Fiction Book Review: Heaven's Witness by Allen Estrin, Author, Joseph Telushkin, Author. (467p) ISBN 978-1-59264-091-1". Publishersweekly.com. 2004-08-16. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  6. Donnelly, Madaline (2015-11-04). "How Dennis Prager's Online University Reaches Millions". Dailysignal.com. Archived from the original on 2018-08-20. Retrieved 2019-12-11.
  7. "Fireside Chat Ep. 100 – The Founding of PragerU With Allen Estrin" – via open.spotify.com.
  8. Nguyen, Tina (2018-12-09). ""Let Me Make You Famous": How Hollywood Invented Ben Shapiro". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  9. "White House social media summit not a 'one-and-done,' Trump's allies say". The Washington Post. 2019-07-12. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  10. Overly, Steven. "Social media gadflies gather for airing of grievances with Trump". Politico. Retrieved 2020-01-12.
  11. "Biography | Allen Estrin". The Kairos Company. Retrieved 2020-01-12.
  12. "How PragerU Is Winning The Right-Wing Culture War Without Donald Trump". Buzzfeednews.com. 2018-03-03. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  13. Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World (1998), retrieved 2020-02-11
  14. "Estrin, Mark". Chicago Tribune. 2005-05-11.
  15. "TV Reviews : Clothing-Thin Plot in 'Bare Essentials'". Los Angeles Times. January 8, 1991.
  16. "Warm Hearts, Cold Feet UPI Arts & Entertainment -- Television". UPI.
  17. "A look inside Hollywood and the movie: Grand Experiments: Maybe if They Put Dennis Prager on an 'Airplane!' It'll Get off the Ground". Los Angeles Times. 1992-05-31.
  18. For Goodness Sake II at IMDb
  19. "Israel in a Time of Terror - 7thart Releasing". www.7thart.com.
  20. Poague, Leland (1981). "Reviewed work: The Hollywood Professionals Volume 6: Capra, Cukor, Brown, Allen Estrin". Film Criticism. 5 (2): 70–74. JSTOR 44019009.
  21. Callenbach, Ernest; Fell, John (1980). "Director Studies". Film Quarterly. 33 (4): 49–51. doi:10.2307/1212019. JSTOR 1212019.
  22. "The Year in Books". Washington Examiner. 2004-12-13. Retrieved 2020-01-12.
  23. "Heaven's Witness". Kirkus. 2010-05-10.
  24. "'Heaven's' Mysterious Spirits". 2004-12-23.
  25. "Joseph Telushkin Kibbitzes About His New Book". The New York Observer. 2014-07-21.
  26. "Estrin, Allen | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com.
  27. "Allstate won't blacklist Israel travelers". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 2004-07-02. Retrieved 2020-01-12.
  28. "Panel OKs Bill on Travel Bias in Insurance". Los Angeles Times. 2005-07-07. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
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