Rob Weiss is an American television and film producer, screenwriter, director, and actor. His break came in 1993 when he wrote and directed Amongst Friends. The film was well received, and Weiss was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.
Life and career Weiss, the eldest son of Lydia and Carl Weiss, was born in Baldwin, New York. He studied fashion and film at the Parsons School of Design but never graduated. Unemployed, he ended up living with his father in Lawrence in the Five Towns.Lyall, Sarah. "FILM; 'Amongst Friends' Tops Off a Journey Of Self-Discovery", The New York Times, July 18, 1993. Accessed September 18, 2008. "Born in Baldwin, near the Five Towns, Mr. Weiss dropped out of the Parsons School of Design, where he studied fashion, then film. He found himself out of work and living goallessly back at his divorced father's house in Lawrence, smack in the Five Towns." He worked briefly as a nightclub promoter on Long Island.Amongst Friends (1993) – Trivia
Weiss attended Woodmere Academy with Doug Ellin, creator of the HBO series Entourage, and wrote for the show. He wrote or co-wrote episodes, including "Aquamansion", "The Bat Mitzvah", and "The Sundance Kids". He served as an executive producer or co-executive producer on 67 episodes.
In an August 2007 New York Observer interview with Ellin, he confirms that Weiss was the basis for the character of Billy Walsh, a perfectionist filmmaker who was a recurring character on the series. Ellin even asked Weiss if he'd play Walsh, but Weiss declined. Instead, the role went to Rhys Coiro, who looks similar to Weiss.
Weiss was an executive producer on the HBO series How to Make It in America.
In 2014, Weiss partnered with Davidoff to create the signature cigar line BG Meyer Cigar Co.; its launch was lauded by Cigar Aficionado. Deadline also reported that Weiss was tapped by Sonny Barger and Fox 2000 to write and direct the feature film Hells Angels.
Weiss wrote the story and produced the 2015 film adaptation of Entourage. He also served as an executive producer on 47 episodes of the HBO series Ballers from 2015 to 2019.
Filmography Film YearTitle Credit RoleNotes Amongst Friends Writer, Director, and Executive producer Bobby Jimmy Hollywood Himself American Psycho Co-producer Farce of the Penguins Pissed Penguin Voice role; direct-to-videoEntourage Writer and Producer Television YearTitle CreditEpisodesNotes Hendrix Writer TV movie Punk'd Producer 17 episodes Season 1 and 2 only Entourage Writer: 20 episodesExecutive producer: 44 episodesCo-executive producer: 20 episodesProducer: 15 episodesCo-producer: 7 episodes 96 episodes Role: Audition producer (season 1, episode 8)How to Make It in America Writer: 4 episodesExecutive producer: 13 episodes 16 episodes Ballers Executive producer 47 episodes
References
External links
http://blogs.trb.com/entertainment/tv/cable/blog/2007/08/qa_with_entourage_writerproduc.html