Biography
That simple need transformed his life and steered him down a path toward series television, feature films and the chairmanship of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Without the switch, Zabel may well have bounced from anchor chair to anchor chair in places like Buffalo or Indianapolis. Instead, he decided to write spec scripts for pilot television-a decision that spawned a long-running Hollywood career.
Zabel was born in Newport, …
Latest Tv Credits
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Career Milestones
2007 | Won the WGA Award (TV) in Long Form Original category for the Hallmark Channel movie "Pandemic" | |
2005 | Wrote four-part miniseries "The Poseidon Adventure" (NBC), a remake of the 1972 famed disaster film | |
2001 | Elected Chairman/CEO of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (ATAS) | |
2001 | Co-wrote the animated Disney adventure "Atlantis: The Lost Empire" | |
1997 | Penned first feature film "Mortal Kombat: The Annihilation" | |
1996 | Created sci-fi thriller "Dark Skies" (NBC) | |
1994 | Developed the short-lived sci-fi adventure "M.A.N.T.I.S." (Fox) | |
1993 | Wrote for "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman" (ABC) | |
1990 | Wrote several episodes for the popular legal drama "L.A. Law" (NBC) | |
1989 | Began writting and producing for the series "Life Goes On" (ABC) | |
1989 | Wrote first spec pilot for the drama "E.N.G." (CTV-Lifetime) | |
1986 | Wrote and produced the short-lived medical drama "Kay O'Brien" (CBS) | |
1980 | Moved to Los Angeles, CA to work as a correspondent for CNN | |
| Reported news for KVAL-13 and KEZI-9 in Eugene, OR | ||
Awards
2008 | Writers Guild of America Award for Long Form – Original in Pandemic |
1998 | Writers Guild of America Award for Long Form – Original in Dark Skies |
1991 | Writers Guild of America Award for Episodic Drama in L.A. Law |