Behind the scenes of success
By Clark Meyer
Oct. 8, 2003 9:00 p.m.
Dan Angel, a UCLA alumnus, is a man whose accolades in the
entertainment industry are only surpassed by his modesty and good
nature. As an Emmy award-winning producer, Angel should make anyone
proud to be a Bruin.
At this year’s Emmy Awards, “Door to Door,”
which Angel helped produce, won six Emmys, including one for Angel.
The made-for-TV movie starred William H. Macy and chronicled the
true life story of a door-to-door salesman who supported himself
even though he had cerebral palsy. The film also won a Peabody
Award.
Angel grew up in Orange County and graduated from UCLA’s
film school in 1990. He was taught by two-time Oscar-winning
documentary filmmaker Terry Sanders. According to Angel, the
teachings of Sanders ignited his creativity and allowed him to
excel quickly. In one class, Angel had to write, produce and direct
a film in just 10 weeks.
“(Sanders) had a very practical and hands-on way of
teaching,” Angel said. “Having to deal with the
pressure in the class helped me to fully understand how demanding
the business would be as a career.”
Following graduation, Angel did not attend graduate school, as
he was already selling packaged TV movies.
“I couldn’t afford to intern because I had to get
paid while I was taking classes,” Angel said.
Angel’s first success came from co-writing and producing
“Body Bags,” a film directed by John Carpenter. When
Angel was in his late 20s he was already receiving considerable
amounts of money for his producing projects. He was also the story
editor for many episodes of “The X-Files” in 1993.
He recently shared an award with Billy Brown from The Writers
Guild of America for Best Children’s Script on the
“Goosebumps” episode, “The Cuckoo Clock of
Doom.”
Angel advises any student interested in working in entertainment
to fully understand how the industry works before stepping forward
with a creative project.
“One must have an understanding of the business and a deep
passion for one’s project to be successful,” Angel
said.
Angel also suggests people not to be timid or diffident in
seeking opportunities. After guest speaking at a high school, Angel
tried to give students a chance to learn from his experiences.
“After I had provided them with a number that they could
contact me at in case they had any questions, I received not one
phone call,” Angel said.
He was disappointed that nobody used him as a resource.
Angel believes in his projects and in himself, and thus has
become successful on his own. His past implies that someone
interested in the entertainment business does not necessarily have
to be connected, but simply aware of potential opportunities.
He’s now glad to offer that opportunity to others.
