Oz Scott is an accomplished and award-winning television, theatrical and motion picture director. In his two decades plus years of experience, Scott has directed hundreds of television episodes along with dozens of stage productions, made-for-TV movies and motion pictures.
He has had a great year doing episodes of UNFORGETTABLE, and CSI NY. And he has returned to the sitcom world by directing episodes of ARE WE THERE YET.
This summer Oz’s film HOME RUN SHOWDOWN starring Matthew Lillard, Dean Cain, Barry Bostwick and Annabeth Gish will be released in the Detroit area.
Oz Scott is a seasoned entertainment industry veteran and a highly sought after director whose notable work throughout the past decade can be seen on dozens of highly-rated network and cable series. One of the best in his field, Scott has directed multiple episodes for ABC’s Boston Legal,The Practice and Wonderland, NBC’s Medium, American Dreams and Ed; CBS’ CSI NY, C.S.I., Num3ers, The Unit, The Guardian, Family Law, The District, JAG, and American Gothic; and FOX’s Ally McBeal and Party of Five. Oz’s magical touch extends into the cable universe as well, having helmed several episodes of Soul Food (Showtime), Any Day Now (Lifetime), and the extremely popular movie on The Disney Channel, The Cheetah Girls.
Mr. Scott has stayed busy doing theater in some of our most prestigious regional theaters. He did The Ballad of Emmett Till at the Goodman in Chicago. He did Resurrection at Arena Stage in Washington, DC, then took that production to Hartford Stage in Hartford Connecticut. He then restaged Resurrection for the Philadelphia Theater Company. Daniel Beaty, the writer, performed in a one man production of Resurrection that Oz directed. He has directed Saundra McClain in her one woman play BARBARA JORDAN: A RENDEZVOUS WITH DESTINY. And directed Ralph Harris in his one man play MANNISH BOY.
In 2002, Scott directed one of VH1’s highest-rated programs, the original motion picture, Play’d – A Hip Hop Story. Directing Play’d added to Oz’s list of motion picture credits, which include Tears and Laughter: The Joan and Melissa Rivers Story (1994), Spanish Judges (1999) featuring Vincent D’Onofrio and Matthew Lillard, and the renowned comedy smash hit, Bustin’ Loose (1981) starring Richard Pryor and Cicely Tyson.
This wizard of directing is no stranger to success. Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Oz’s directorial talents enhanced the success of popular prime-time skeins such as The Cosby Show, Northern Exposure, Chicago Hope, Picket Fences, LA Law, Diagnosis Murder, Hill Street Blues, Fame, Dirty Dancing, 227, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Gimme A Break, and many others. In the 1970’s the director’s writing talents positively impacted such notable series as Archie Bunker’s Place, Alice and The Jeffersons.
Mr. Scott believes being well rounded is essential to achieving longevity. His versatility has allowed him to maintain his presence in the theater where he has participated in The Eugene O’Neill Playwrights Conference for the past dozen years. Traveling to Russia with The Old Settler for the O’Neill, Scott directed both an American cast as well as a Russian cast in a Russian translation. At the O’Neill Oz had the pleasure of working on close to two dozen new plays, working with some of the most talented writers in the theater.
Oz Scott started the Eugene O’Neill Film and Television Screenwriting Conference which Mr. Scott was named Artistic Director. The focus of this new conference was on writers in transition, playwrights, novelists, poets, and songwriters moving from one medium into the film and TV..
Mr. Scott began his professional theatrical career at Washington, D.C.’s Arena Stage, where he managed The Living Stage, an improvisational touring company. Soon afterwards, Scott found himself working in New York for Joseph Papp, where he stage managed Edgar White’s “La Gente” and “Crucificado,” Ed Bullins’ “Merry Wives of Windsor” and “Taking of Miss Janie,” Miguel Pinero’s “The Sun Always Shines for the Cool,” and Ruby Dee’s “Twin Bit Gardens.” Scott’s New York stage career then moved into the director’s realm. He eventually staged and took to Broadway the widely acclaimed, for colored girls who considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf by Ntozake Shange. In addition, he directed Sonya Sanchez’s “Sister Sonji,” Richard Wesley’s “The Past Is The Past” and “The Talented Tenth,” Reginald Veljohnson’s “Section D.” Also, Scott directed the highly successful productions of “From the Mississippi Delta” at the Cincinnati Playhouse and “Fences” by August Wilson at the Asolo Theater.
Recognized for his contributions to the community, Oz has received an NAACP Image Award, the Drama Desk Award, a Village Voice OBIE Awards for Off Broadway, Genesis Award, and the Nancy Susan Reynolds Award. Mr. Scott also served on the Board of Directors for the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, a community-oriented medical school based in Los Angeles, CA. He has served on the Dean’s Council for California State University at Northridge’s (CSUN) College of Arts, Media and Communication. And his impact at the world-leader level has been felt as well, as Oz directed both the video that introduced Jesse Jackson to the 1988 Democratic Convention and the Nelson Mandela Rally for Freedom at the Los Angeles Coliseum in 1990.
A graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts (M.F.A.), Mr. Scott currently resides in Sherman Oaks, California with his wife, Lynne, and three children: Robert, a graduate of the University of Washington, Ozzie, a graduate of Morehouse College, and Brittany, a graduate of Spelman College.