# Colleen McGuinness

Colleen McGuinness is an American director, screenwriter, and producer who has worked as a writer and producer on shows including 30 Rock, Life & Beth, and Ramy. After joining 30 Rock in 2011, she shared in its 2013 Emmy nomination for best series as well as in its 2013 and 2014 WGA nominations and 2014 PGA nomination. McGuinness directed the 2024 short film Loser which is being adapted into a feature film with the same name and will be produced by Radio Silence.

## Early life and education

McGuinness, who is half-Korean and half-Irish, was born in Killeen, Texas, and was raised on Long Island in Islip, New York. McGuinness was a tennis champion in high school.
At Harvard University, McGuinness studied directing with Professor Marcus Stern and directed productions of A Doll's House and Guys and Dolls while also producing a version of Hamlet. The production of Guys and Dolls that McGuinness directed was the first undergraduate co-ed production at the Hasty Pudding Theater in over 10 years. Upon graduating, McGuinness was awarded the Louise Donovan award for directing.

## Career

McGuinness began her career at Castle Rock Entertainment and later became a development assistant at New Line Cinema. While at New Line, McGuinness wrote and directed her first short film, For Mature Audiences Only.
After Darren Starr saw her short film, he hired McGuinness for her first series writing job on Miss Match, starring Alicia Silverstone. Since then, McGuinness has written on shows including Mercy, 30 Rock, About a Boy, Friends from College, Forever (2018 TV series), Ramy, Stargirl, and Life & Beth, where she was also an executive producer. She joined the staff of 30 Rock in 2011, which ultimately led her to share in the series' Emmy, WGA, and PGA nominations.
In 2013, when Tina Fey started her new production company Little Stranger productions, her company's first sale was an untitled comedy to be written by McGuinness and executive-produced by Fey and by former 30 Rock showrunner Robert Carlock. In 2014, McGuinness developed a script with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck for Fox.
In 2016, together with Game of Thrones executive producer Carolyn Strauss, McGuinness worked with HBO to develop a comedy series based on the novel Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld.
McGuinness later wrote, produced, and directed the 2024 short film Loser which has played in over 25 film festivals, including the Oscar-qualifying Hamptons International Film Festival and the Palm Springs International ShortFest. Loser won multiple awards, including "Best International Short", "Best Director" (Colleen McGuinness), and "Best Performance in a Lead Role" (Angourie Rice) at the Oxford International Film Festival, "Best Short" and "Best Screenplay" (Colleen McGuinness) at the LA Indie Film Festival, "Best Film" and "Best Actress" (Angourie Rice) at DOC LA, "International: Best Film" at the Canberra Short Film Festival, "Best Short Film" at the Byron Bay International Film Festival, "Best Short Drama" at the New Hampshire Film Festival, and the "Audience Award" at the Charlotte Film Festival.
McGuinness is currently developing Loser into a feature film, which is to be produced by Radio Silence.

## Filmography

| Years | Title | Writer | Director | Producer | Notes |
| 2002 | For Mature Audiences Only | Yes | Yes | Yes | Short Film |
| 2003 | Miss Match | Yes | No | No | |
| 2004 | North Shore (TV series) | Yes | No | No | |
| 2009-2010 | Mercy (TV series) | Yes | No | No | |
| 2011 | Love Bites (TV series) | Yes | No | Co-Producer | |
| 2011-2013 | 30 Rock (TV series) | Yes | No | Producer, Co-Producer | |
| 2014 | About a Boy (TV series) | Yes | No | Supervising Producer | |
| 2017 | Friends from College | Yes | No | Co-Executive | |
| 2018 | Forever | Yes | No | Consulting Producer | |
| 2020 | Ramy (TV series) | Yes | No | Co-Executive | |
| 2020-2022 | Stargirl (TV series) | Yes | No | Co-Executive, Consulting Producer | |
| 2022 | Life & Beth | Yes | No | Executive | |
| 2024 | Loser (short film) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Short film |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Awards | Category | Project | Result |
| 2013 | Producers Guild of America | Best Writing in a Comedy Series | 30 Rock | Nominated |
| 2013 | Writers Guild of America | Best Writing in a Comedy Series | 30 Rock | Nominated |
| 2014 | Emmy Awards | Outstanding Comedy Series | 30 Rock | Nominated |
| 2014 | Producers Guild of America | Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Comedy | 30 Rock | Nominated |
| 2014 | Writers Guild of America | Comedy Series | 30 Rock | Nominated |
| 2024 | Arizona Underground Film Festival | Best Narrative Short | Loser (short film) | Won |
| 2024 | Byron Bay International Film Festival | Best Short Film | Loser (short film) | Won |
| 2024 | Canberra Short Film Festival | Best Film | Loser (short film) | Won |
| 2024 | Charlotte Film Festival | Audience Award | Loser (short film) | Won |
| 2024 | DOC LA | Best Film | Loser (short film) | Won |
| 2024 | New Hampshire Film Festival | Best Short Drama | Loser (short film) | Won |
| 2024 | LA Indie Film Festival | Best Short | Loser (short film) | Won |
| 2024 | LA Indie Film Festival | Best Screenplay | Loser (short film) | Won |
| 2024 | Oxford International Film Festival | Best Director | Loser (short film) | Won |
| 2024 | Oxford International Film Festival | Best International Short | Loser (short film) | Won |