Chris Nee
{{short description|Irish-American children's television screenwriter and producer}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Chris Nee
| image = Chris Nee US Childrens TV.png
| caption = Nee pictured accepting the Peabody for Doc McStuffins
| birth_name = Christine Nee
| birth_date = {{birth based on age as of date|52|2021|07|20}}
| nationality = American
| occupation = {{hlist|Screenwriter|producer}}
| years_active = 1996–present
| children = 1
| notable_works = Doc McStuffins
Vampirina
}}
Christine Nee (born {{birth based on age as of date|52|2021|07|20|noage=yes}}{{cite web|last=Rose|first=Lacey|title='Doc McStuffins' Creator on Gender Pressure and Enforcing Pay Parity in Children's Television|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/chris-nee-doc-mcstuffins-disney-netflix-1234982298/|website=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=September 22, 2024|date=July 20, 2021}}) is an American children's television screenwriter and producer.{{cite web |url=https://www.msnbc.com/melissa-harris-perry/meet-chris-nee-creator-disneys-doc |title=Meet Chris Nee, creator of Disney's 'Doc McStuffins' |date=October 2013 |first=Lorena |last=Ruiz |access-date=July 4, 2021 |website=MSNBC |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200219182237/https://www.msnbc.com/melissa-harris-perry/meet-chris-nee-creator-disneys-doc |archive-date=February 19, 2020 |url-status=live}}{{Cite web |title='Doc McStuffins' Creator Chris Nee: From 'Deadliest Catch' to Disney Junior |url=https://www.yahoo.com/tv/doc-mcstuffins-creator-chris-nee-interview-123023243645.html |date=July 2, 2015 |accessdate=July 4, 2021 |first=Mandi |last=Bierly |website=Yahoo! News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401070251/https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/doc-mcstuffins-creator-chris-nee-interview-123023243645.html|archive-date=April 1, 2019|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|title=Doc McStuffins|url=http://www.peabodyawards.com/award-profile/doc-mcstuffins|access-date=July 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210622005029/https://peabodyawards.com/award-profile/doc-mcstuffins/|website=Peabody Awards|archive-date=June 22, 2021|url-status=live}} Nee is best known as the creator of Doc McStuffins, which she conceived as Cheers for preschoolers.{{Cite web|last=Karpel|first=Ari|title=How The Creator Of "Doc McStuffins" Bucked The Norm And Made "Cheers" For Preschoolers|url=https://www.fastcompany.com/1680182/how-the-creator-of-doc-mcstuffins-bucked-the-norm-and-made-cheers-for-preschoolers|website=Fast Company|date=March 20, 2012|accessdate=July 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128063917/https://www.fastcompany.com/1680182/how-the-creator-of-doc-mcstuffins-bucked-the-norm-and-made-cheers-for-preschoolers|archive-date=January 28, 2021|url-status=live}}{{cite podcast|authorlink=Jarlath Regan|author=Jarlath Regan|edition=134|work=An Irishman Abroad|title=Chris Nee |publisher=SoundCloud|date=April 9, 2016|url=https://soundcloud.com/an-irishman-abroad/chris-nee-episode-134|accessdate=July 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170111020755/https://soundcloud.com/an-irishman-abroad/chris-nee-episode-134|archive-date=January 11, 2017|url-status=live}} She has previously worked as an associate producer on several international versions of Sesame Street.
Career
Nee said that while she did not originally connect with any shows because she did not see herself "represented onscreen," she first tried to be an actor. Realizing she could not fit in, she worked on scripts for Blue's Clues in 2001 and Wonder Pets, continuing to work as a producer, the latter on Deadliest Catch for two episodes.
Nee conceived of her award-winning series, Doc McStuffins while in the shower after her son had visited the doctor for asthma a few days before. It was her idea to make the lead character female and she readily agreed when Nancy Kanter, the creative head of Disney Junior, suggested that she should be African-American. Although some at Disney were hesitant originally that a show with a female lead "might not have mass appeal," this did not deter Kanter, and within a year of the series' premiere in 2012, "merchandise generated about $500 million in sales." Nee said she was very pleased that her character had unusual background for a TV character, and hoped this would influence the next generation.
Nee was the executive producer and developer of the Disney Junior series, Vampirina, based on the children's picture book Vampirina Ballerina.{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2016/tv/news/2016-tv-upfront-disney-junior-lion-guard-vampirina-1201722712/|title=Disney Junior Renews 'Lion Guard,' Orders 'Vampirina,' 'Puppy Dog Tails'|first1=Brian|last1=Steinberg|date=March 4, 2016|website=Variety|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308031040/https://variety.com/2016/tv/news/2016-tv-upfront-disney-junior-lion-guard-vampirina-1201722712/|archive-date=March 8, 2021|url-status=live|access-date=July 4, 2021}} The series, which featured many of the same staff who worked on Doc McStuffins, premiered on October 1, 2017, and ended on June 28, 2021 after 3 seasons and 75 episodes during its 4-year run.
In April 2019, Nee joined other WGA writers in firing their agents as part of the WGA's stand against the ATA and the practice of packaging.{{cite web |last1=Andreeva |first1=Nellie |title=Writers Share Signed Termination Letters As Mass Firing Of Agents Begins After WGA-ATA Talks Fail |url=https://deadline.com/2019/04/writers-form-letters-agencies-mass-firing-of-agents-begins-wga-ata-talks-fail-1202595219/ |publisher=Deadline|date=April 12, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210313050031/https://deadline.com/2019/04/writers-form-letters-agencies-mass-firing-of-agents-begins-wga-ata-talks-fail-1202595219/|archive-date=March 13, 2021|access-date=July 4, 2021|url-status=live}}
On July 4, 2021, a 10-part series of animated music videos, which Nee created, titled We the People, premiered on Netflix. Kenya Barris was also a showrunner and the series was produced by Michelle Obama and Barack Obama.{{cite web|last=Framke|first=Caroline|url=https://variety.com/2021/tv/reviews/we-the-people-review-netflix-obamas-1235009253/|title=Netflix's 'We the People,' From Executive Producers Barack and Michelle Obama, Puts Optimistic Spin on Civic Duty: TV Review|website=Variety|date=July 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210704220210/https://variety.com/2021/tv/reviews/we-the-people-review-netflix-obamas-1235009253/|archive-date=July 4, 2021|access-date=July 4, 2021|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.firstpost.com/art-and-culture/h-e-r-lin-manuel-miranda-among-artists-featured-in-we-the-people-the-obamas-netflix-series-on-civics-9777911.html|title=H.E.R, Lin-Manuel Miranda among artists featured in We the People, the Obamas' Netflix series on civics|website=Firstpost|publisher=Associated Press|date=July 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210704220034/https://www.firstpost.com/art-and-culture/h-e-r-lin-manuel-miranda-among-artists-featured-in-we-the-people-the-obamas-netflix-series-on-civics-9777911.html|archive-date=July 4, 2021|url-status=live|access-date=July 4, 2021}} On July 13, 2021, Ridley Jones, an animated series for children, debuted on the same network. The series was part of a slate of animated preschool series on the streaming service, with others including Spirit Rangers, and Ada Twist, Scientist, of which Nee is the showrunner.{{cite press release |last=Halcombe |first=Daniel |date=October 15, 2020 |title=Chris Nee Unveils First Slate of Netflix Animated Preschool Series for Kids Around the World |url=https://about.netflix.com/en/news/chris-nee-unveils-first-slate-of-netflix-animated-preschool-series-for-kids |location=United States |publisher=Netflix |agency= |access-date=June 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201230002017/https://about.netflix.com/en/news/chris-nee-unveils-first-slate-of-netflix-animated-preschool-series-for-kids |archive-date=December 30, 2020 |url-status=live}} Dino Daycare was originally part of this slate.
On April 29, 2022, it was announced that Dino Daycare was scrapped. However, it might find a new home in a different streaming service.{{Cite web | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/netflix-scraps-2-kids-animated-series-1235138508/ | title=Netflix Shuts Down 2 Animated Kids' Series | website=The Hollywood Reporter | date=30 April 2022 }}
Personal life
Nee is of Irish descent. At age 18, during the 1980s, Nee came out as a lesbian. In June 2021, she described herself as a gay and "relatively butch" woman.{{cite web|last=Gupta|first=Alisha Haridasani |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/20/us/chris-nee-doc-mcstuffins-ridley-jones.html|title=She Never Saw Herself in Children's TV Shows. So She Created Her Own.|website=The New York Times|date=June 20, 2021|access-date=July 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210622005024/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/20/us/chris-nee-doc-mcstuffins-ridley-jones.html|archive-date=June 22, 2021|url-status=live}} She has one child.
Filmography
=Television=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Notes |
|---|
| 1999-2000
| Writer (3 episodes) |
| 2000-2001
| Writer (4 episodes) |
| 2001
| Writer (2 episodes) |
| 2001–2003
| Writer (5 episodes) |
| 2003–2005
| Oobi | Head writer (season 2), staff writer (season 3) |
| 2004
| Writer (3 episodes) |
| rowspan=2 | 2004–2007
| Writer (16 episodes) |
| Higglytown Heroes
| Writer (4 episodes) |
| 2005 |
| 2005–2007
| Writer (6 episodes) |
| 2006–2008
| Writer (3 episodes)'' |
| 2006–2009
| Writer (unknown episodes) |
| 2007
| Teleplay, writer (3 episodes) |
| 2008–2010
| Writer, story editor (12 episodes) |
| rowspan=2 | 2009
| Writer (ep. "Spellbound") |
| Casper's Scare School
| Writer (3 episodes) |
| 2010
| Olivia | Writer (ep. "Olivia Talks Turkey") |
| 2011
| Writer (ep. "The Nest") |
| 2011–2012
| Writer (2 episodes) |
| 2012–2020
| Creator, executive producer, voice of Emmie and Alma's mother |
| 2013–2014
| Writer, lyricist (9 episodes) |
| 2017
| Writer (1 episode) |
| 2017–2021
| Creator, executive producer, writer, lyricist |
= Streaming television =
References
{{commons category}}
{{reflist|2}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|1349008}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nee, Chris}}
Category:21st-century American writers
Category:American writers of Irish descent
Category:American women screenwriters
Category:American television directors
Category:American television producers
Category:American television writers
Category:American lesbian writers
Category:Place of birth missing (living people)
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:American LGBTQ screenwriters
Category:American LGBTQ rights activists
Category:American women television writers
Category:Peabody Award winners
Category:21st-century American women writers
Category:American women television producers