Endicott Native Wins Emmy Award for Work With Weird Al

Eric Appel was born in Endicott on August 13, 1980, and has made his community proud by representing the Southern Tier in Hollywood and earning a spot on the red carpet.

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Eric's passion for filmmaking began when he was just a kid who started tinkering with video cameras and drawing cartoons. After graduating from Union Endicott in 1998, Eric went to college and it was there that he realized his true calling.

Comedic Roots

While attending the Art Institute of Pittsburgh where majored in computer animation, Eric fell in love with the magic of creating videos. He was introduced to the world of improv comedy and the next thing he knew he was volunteering himself to perform improv games with the audience. This is where Eric discovered that he loved comedy and that love took him to New York City, where started taking classes at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater.

Writing for Television

Eric decided to try writing for television. His first job was on The Andy Milonakis Show and he eventually moved to Los Angeles for the show's third season. Eric continued to make waves in the industry writing for shows like Crank Yankers and Human Giant. But it was when he was working for the comedy website called Funny or Die where he not only wrote but started to direct too. Eric discovered that he was great at directing and was even better at it than he was at writing.

Directing Television Shows

Since his days at Funny or Die, Eric has directed a bunch of different TV series including Eagleheart, The Office, New Girl, Selfie, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Son of Zorn, Die Hart, and The Afterparty. He's worked with some of the biggest names in the industry and now his name shines right along with them thanks to his directorial debut with Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, a film based on a Funny or Die short that he directed twelve years ago. Talk about coming full circle!

Winning an Emmy Award

Eric Appel just won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie, for Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. Weird: The Al Yankovic Story also won an Emmy for Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special.