Alan Goodman

2025-04-19T18:36:05Z

173.56.84.78: Fixed typo

{{short description|American writer}}
{{for|the biological anthropologist|Alan H. Goodman}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Alan Goodman
| birth_place = [[Flemington, New Jersey]], US
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1953|02|21}}
| birth_name = Alan Eliot Goodman
| occupation = {{hlist|Media marketer|television writer|director|producer}}
| years_active = 1974–present
| education = [[Columbia College, Columbia University]]
}}
'''Alan Eliot Goodman''' is an American actor and media marketer.<ref>https://www.floridatheateronstage.com/reviews/the-gloves-come-off-in-the-long-weekend-at-pigs-do-fly/</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://fredalan.org/post/165050268321/the-fredalan-chronology-we-were-in-business-for|title=Fred/Alan Chronology|website=fredalan.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://fredseibert.com/post/650652416/ten-years-after-the-mtv-logo-examined|title=Ten years after: The MTV logo examined.|website=Fred Seibert dot com}}</ref> He is one of the founders of TESTD Inc, a health and data management products company.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theorg.com/org/testd/org-chart/alan-goodman|title=Alan Goodman|website=TheOrg.com}}</ref> He was formerly a television writer and producer who has worked in media since 1981.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://fredseibert.com/post/654265086591074304/photograph-of-alan-goodman-left-and-fred-seibert|title=Alan.|website=Fred Seibert Dot Com}}</ref>

==Early life and education==
Goodman began his media career while still in high school as a reporter at [[The Hunterdon County Democrat]] in [[Flemington, New Jersey]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://fredseibert.com/post/654265086591074304/photograph-of-alan-goodman-left-and-fred-seibert|title=Alan.|website=Fred Seibert Dot Com}}</ref> When entering [[Columbia University]] in 1970, he joined the college radio station, [[WKCR-FM]] where he first encountered his future collaborators, [[Albie Hecht]] and [[Fred Seibert]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://fredseibert.com/post/725652165431050240/photograph-by-elena-seibert-1989-albie-hecht|title=Albie Hecht|website=Fred Seibert dot com}}</ref><ref name="WKCR-FM, Columbia University">{{Cite web|url=https://fredseibert.com/post/151305585766/wkcr-fm-899-columbia-university-new-york-city|title=Fred Seibert dot com|website=Fred Seibert dot com}}</ref>

==Cable television==
In 1981, Goodman was part of the team that launched [[MTV]] alongside his college radio alum [[Fred Seibert]].<ref name="WKCR-FM, Columbia University"/> Goodman supervised hundreds of animations and their accompanying soundtracks depicting the MTV trademark designed by [[Manhattan Design]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://fredseibert.com/post/650652416/ten-years-after-the-mtv-logo-examined|title=Ten years after: The MTV logo examined.|website=Fred Seibert dot com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://fredseibert.com/post/68726321/the-mtv-network-ids|title=The MTV Network IDs.|website=Fred Seibert dot com}}</ref>

Seibert and Goodman resigned from MTV and started their own company Fred/Alan in New York. Together, they consulted with MTV's sister channel, [[Nickelodeon]], which was having challenges finding audiences for their quality kids programming. They led the efforts to rebrand the network as "The First Kids' Network"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://fredalan.org/post/635344119407001600/part-22-how-nickelodeon-became-nickelodeon|title=The Fred/Alan Archive|website=The Fred/Alan Archive}}</ref> and help build its new vocabulary, promotional strategies and execution.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://fredalan.org/post/69174412/the-nickelodeon-brand-developed-by-fredalan-and|title=The Nickelodeon brand, developed by Fred/Alan, and logo, designed by Tom Corey & Scott Nash|website=The Fred/Alan Archive}}</ref>

Fred/Alan were MTV Networks' advertising agency, conceiving and creating [[Nick-at-Nite]] and launching [[VH-1]].<ref>[http://www.dorkly.com/post/81652/why-one-guy-named-fred-is-responsible-for-your-entire-childhood "This Guy's Name is Fred" December 26, 2016 Dorkly]</ref> Goodman worked with [[MTV Networks]], the parent company of both [[MTV]] and [[Nickelodeon]], for over 30 years.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://fredseibert.com/post/168065436926/catching-up-with-alan-my-former-partner-alan|title=Fred Seibert dot com|website=Fred Seibert dot com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://macaulay.cuny.edu/community/now/files/2015/08/AlanGoodmanBio.pdf|title=Macaulay Honors College, City University of New York 2014}}</ref>

==Writing and production==
Goodman co-created the television series ''[[Kids' Court]]'', ''[[The Movie Masters]]'' (both with [[Albie Hecht]]) ''[[Hey Dude]]'', ''[[The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo]]'', among others. He also co-created the [[Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards]].<ref name=":0"/> Goodman also wrote scripts for several television shows including ''[[Hey Dude]]'', ''[[Clarissa Explains It All]]'', ''[[Clifford's Puppy Days]]'' and ''[[JoJo's Circus]]''. He was the co-producer and show runner for two seasons of ''Clarissa Explains It All''.<ref name=":0" />

Since 1984 Goodman has been the primary writer and creative director for the brochure and website essays<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/12/style/IHT-passion-and-smarts-rule-mosaic-records-when-small-is-beautiful.html | title=Passion and Smarts Rule Mosaic Records : When Small Is Beautiful |work=[[The New York Times]] | author=Mike Zwerin | date=May 12, 1999| accessdate=September 30, 2021}}</ref> of [[Mosaic Records]]' jazz boxes.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://fredalan.org/post/69289947/mosaic-records-1984-1992| title=Mosaic Records 1984-1992| publisher=FredAlan.org| year=2005| access-date=September 2, 2021}}</ref> This work is in addition to his liner note writing for various independent jazz recording labels.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://fredseibert.com/post/636352926470766592/hank-jones-bop-redux-muse-records-mr-5123| title=Hank Jones 'Bop Redux' Muse Records| publisher=FredSeibert.com| year=2009| access-date=September 2, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.mosaicrecords.com/ |title=Mosaic Records- Jazz artists & Jazz music. Expert insights and analysis | publisher=MosaicRecords.com (Official site)| year=2021| access-date=Sep 30, 2021}}</ref>

During his consulting engagement at BBC America, Goodman wrote and produced entertainment news content and specials for the network. He was also one of the developers and first creative director at COZI-TV, a free-to-air television network owned by the NBC Owned Television Stations division of NBCUniversal. At COZI-TV he also wrote, directed, and produced original content, including the first ever fully auto-tuned TV program, ''Autotune The Munsters''. <ref>{{cite web |last1=Goodman |first1=Alan |title=Creative Director |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOViCQfCYSs&t=119s |website=Alan Goodman, COZI TV - Creative Shorts at Advertising Week}}</ref> <ref>{{cite web |last1=Goodman |first1=Alan |title=Auto-Tune THE MUNSTERS Makes History with First Fully Auto-Tuned Episode for TV -- Party with the Munsters Marathon on COZI-TV and the First Television Rock Opera |url=https://www.prweb.com/releases/auto_tune_the_munsters_makes_history_with_first_fully_auto_tuned_episode_for_tv_party_with_the_munsters_marathon_on_cozi_tv_and_the_first_television_rock_opera/prweb13034627.htm}}</ref>

Goodman has written three books -- ''A Slash in the Night'', the first in a series of novels based on characters in Goodman's Nickelodeon series ''The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo'', [https://www.thriftbooks.com/series/the-mystery-files-of-shelby-woo/54272/] and ''The Big Help Book'', and ''Fred/Alan: A Decade in Media History 1983-1992'', a chronicle of his time running the world's first branding agency with his partner [[Fred Seibert]].<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.amazon.com/Fred-Alan-1983-1992-Annotated-Illustrated/dp/B0DYF67RCN| title=Fred/Alan: A Decade in Media History 1983-1992| publisher=Amazon.com| year=2025| access-date=March 4, 2025}}</ref> He also was a contributor to ''The Rolling Stone Record Guide''. Goodman was a co-creator of the Virgin Comics (now Liquid Comics) title ''The Econauts''.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070228121100/http://web.mac.com/fredseibert/iWeb/Site%20157/MTV%3A%20Music%20Television%20Logo%20Article.html The MTV Logo]

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Goodman, Alan}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American advertising executives]]
[[Category:American television producers]]
[[Category:American television writers]]
[[Category:American male voice actors]]
[[Category:American male television writers]]
[[Category:MTV executives]]
[[Category:Nickelodeon executives]]
[[Category:American voice directors]]
[[Category:1953 births]]
[[Category:Columbia College (New York) alumni]]

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Alan Goodman