Lauren Lazin facts for kids
Lauren Lazin is an American filmmaker known for creating many documentaries and TV shows. Her work has been nominated for prestigious awards like the Emmys and the Oscars multiple times. She directed and produced the 2005 Oscar-nominated documentary film Tupac: Resurrection.
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Lauren Lazin's Film Directing Work
Lauren Lazin has directed many films that tell interesting stories. Her first big film, Tupac: Resurrection, was nominated for an Oscar in 2005. This film was about the famous musician Tupac Shakur.
She also directed I'm Still Here: Real Diaries of Young People Who Lived During the Holocaust. This film was nominated for two Emmys in 2006 and was recognized as a top documentary. Another film she directed was The Last Days of Left Eye, which explored the life of Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes from the music group TLC. This film was very popular and received great reviews.
Lauren Lazin also worked on Soul Train: The Hippest Trip in America, which was nominated for an Emmy in 2012. It became a very popular music documentary. She directed concert scenes for Can't Stand Losing You, a film about the rock band The Police. In 2014, she directed a documentary for Showtime called L Word Mississippi: Hate the Sin, which also won an award.
Her very first film, The Flapper Story (1985), won a Student Academy Award. She also directed Journey of Dr. Dre, which was nominated for two Emmys in 2001. More recently, in 2023, she directed a three-part series called Sometimes When We Touch: The Reign, Ruin and Resurrection of Soft Rock. She is currently working on a film about the band The Bangles.
Creating and Producing TV Shows
Lauren Lazin has also played a big role in creating and producing many TV shows. She helped create and produce Newlyweds: The First Year for Bravo, a show that followed couples in their first year of marriage. This show was very successful and ran for three seasons.
She also helped create Extreme Guide to Parenting for Bravo. In 2020, she returned to Bravo with For Real: The Story of Reality TV, which explored the history of reality television and featured many famous reality TV stars.
Most recently, Lauren Lazin was the showrunner for a four-part series called Biography: Bobby Brown in 2022. This series included special interviews with Bobby Brown and other musicians.
Leading Production Teams and Executive Producing
Lauren Lazin has held important leadership roles in television. As a Vice President at WE tv/AMC Networks, she helped produce many non-fiction series. One of her biggest successes was Mama June: From Hot to Not, which became the most-watched series on the network in 2017. She also executive produced Hustle and Soul and Untold Stories of Hip-Hop, which featured famous artists like Cardi B and Snoop Dogg. She also produced a true crime series called Hip Hop Mysteries: The Death of Eazy-E.
Before that, she was a Senior Vice President at MTV News and Documentaries. In this role, she directed, produced, and wrote many documentaries and oversaw hundreds of hours of TV. She created the MTV Rockumentary series, which featured famous bands, and also oversaw popular shows like MTV Cribs, Diary, and My Super Sweet 16. She also produced award-winning MTV News specials on important topics.
Lauren Lazin also created True Life, a documentary series about social issues affecting young people. Her work on MTV's anti-violence campaign, Fight For Your Rights, received a special award in 2001.
In 2009, she directed and produced Get Schooled: You Have The Right, which aired on many TV networks and featured famous people like LeBron James and President Barack Obama. She also produced a special with the White House called President Obama's Race to the Top Commencement Challenge, which was nominated for an Emmy.
She also produced shows for other networks. Her series Rags to Riches for VH1 profiled musicians like Snoop Dogg and Macy Gray. She also produced the annual Teen Nick HALO Awards, which featured stars like Justin Timberlake and Lady Gaga. This show won several awards for being a great youth program.
Outside of MTV, Lauren Lazin has directed films for organizations like the National Organization for Women and created pieces for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum.
Branded Content Projects
Lauren Lazin has also directed and produced special series and films for brands. These include Rising Icons for BET, This Movie is Me for MTV, and Where Does Happiness Live? for Coca-Cola. She also worked on Imagination Unleashed: An Artisan's Journey and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Behind the Action for Paramount Films.
Awards and Special Recognitions
Lauren Lazin's films have won many awards, including Ace Awards, Monitor Awards, and Cine Golden Eagles. She has been honored for her directing and editing skills. Organizations like the National Association of Minorities in Communications and the NAACP have recognized her work. She also received the Ryan White Youth Service Award and the Ribbon of Hope Award for her efforts in helping young people.
Her work is featured in books like The Art of Documentary Film and The Documentary Filmmakers Handbook. She has also taught film classes at Stanford and Duke Universities. Ithaca College recently held a special film festival to celebrate her work.
Lauren Lazin graduated with high honors from Smith College in 1982 and earned a master's degree in documentary film production from Stanford University in 1985. She has also received an honorary doctorate from Smith College. In 1996, she was named a "Role Model" by the Women's College Coalition for promoting women's education.
Filmography
- The Flapper Story (1985)
- Journey of Dr. Dre (2000)
- Tupac: Resurrection (2003)
- I'm Still Here: Real Diaries of Young People Who Lived During the Holocaust (2005)
- The Last Days of Left Eye (2007)
- One Train Later (2009)
- Soul Train: The Hippest Trip in America (2010)
- Summit on the Summit (2010)
- Get Schooled: White House Race to the Top Commencement Challenge (2010)
- The 2010 TeenNick HALO Awards (2010)
- President Obama's Race to the Top Commencement Challenge (2011)
- The 2011 TeenNick HALO Awards (2011)
- Vh1 Rock Docs: The TRL Decade (2012)
- Vh1 Rock Docs: Yo! The Story of Yo! MTV Raps (2012)
- Imagination Unleashed: An Artisan's Journey (2013)
- Newlyweds: The First Year (series) (2013)
- Extreme Guide to Parenting (series) (2014)
- L Word Mississippi: Hate the Sin (2014)
- Newlyweds The First Year: Where Are They Now? (2015)
- Neighbors With Benefits (series) (2015)
Awards Won
- 1985: Student Academy Award for The Flapper Story
- 2012 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Children's Program for The 2012 Teen Nick HALO Awards
- 2011 BANFF World Television Festival Award for Best Youth Program – Non Fiction for The 2011 Teen Nick HALO Awards
- 2010 BANFF World Television Festival Award for Best Youth Program – Non Fiction for The 2010 Teen Nick HALO Awards
Nominations
- 2011 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Special, President Obama's 2011 Race to the Top Commencement Challenge
- 2011 News & Docs Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Special, Soul Train: The Hippest Trip in America
- 2005 Academy Award for Best Documentary, Features for Tupac: Resurrection (shared nomination with Karolyn Ali)
- 2000 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Special, MTV Uncensored
- 2001 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Special, 2000 MTV Movie Awards
- 2003 IDA Award for Feature Documentaries, Tupac: Resurrection
- 1999 News & Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Coverage of a Breaking News Story – Programs, "True Life"
See also
