Steven Canals (born September 14, 1980)[1][2] is an American screenwriter and producer. He is best known for co-creating and executive-producing the FX television show Pose.[2]
Steven Canals | |
|---|---|
 Canals in 2019 | |
| Born | September 14, 1980 |
| Education | Binghamton University (BA, MA) University of California, Los Angeles (MFA) |
| Occupation(s) | Screenwriter, Producer |
| Years active | 2016–present |
| Notable work | Pose |
Early life and education
editCanals grew up in the Housing Projects in Castle Hill, Bronx.[3] He began practicing filmmaking at the Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice after school program. He co-produced his first documentary about gang violence with other classmates when he was 15.[2][3][4]
Canals graduated with a BA in cinema and MA in student affairs from Binghamton University in 2005 and 2008 respectively.[5] Canals received his MFA in screenwriting from UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television in 2015.[3][5]
Career
editPrior to working in entertainment, Canals worked in university administration. He worked as an LGBT resource coordinator at SUNY-Cortland while completing his master's degree part time, where he was also residence hall director of Shea Hall and advisor to the university's gay-straight alliance for six years.[2][6][7] Allegheny College appointed Canals as associate director for gender and sexual orientation initiatives in June 2011.[6]
Entertainment
editCanals was a staff writer on Freeform's Dead of Summer in 2016. His short film Afuera premiered at the LA Film Festival that same year.[8]
Canals developed the pilot script for television show Pose while studying at UCLA in 2014.[2][3] He was initially inspired by the story in Paris Is Burning.[9] He however found it difficult to get the script developed as industry executives found the subject matter about LGBT people of color and ball culture to be "too niche".[3][9][10] Ryan Murphy, co-creator of Glee and American Horror Story, would later come on as a producer in 2016, along with his producing partner Brad Falchuk.[3][11] The first season premiered in June 2018 on FX.[10] The show is noted to have the largest transgender cast in television history.[10][11]
He was named a "writer to watch" by Variety in 2018.[4]
Canals signed an overall deal with 20th Century Fox Television in January 2020.[12]
Personal life
editHe is of African American and Puerto Rican heritage.[3]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Credited as | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Writer | Producer | |||
| 2016 | Dead of Summer | No | Yes | No | Co-wrote "The Devil Inside" with Richard Naing |
| 2018–21 | Pose | Yes | Yes | Executive | Co-creator, directed 5 episodes and wrote 15 |
| 2022 | Love, Victor | Yes | No | No | "The Setup" |
| 2023 | Class of '09 | Yes | No | No | "The Problem Is People" and "Hogan's Alley" |
| Neon | Yes | No | No | "Isanti" and "The Reality" | |
| 2024 | American Sports Story | Yes | No | No | "Dirty Pain" and "Odin"[13] |
| The Sex Lives of College Girls | Yes | No | No | [14] | |
References
edit- ^ Canals, Steven (2019-09-14). "My sister knows me so well!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!! Thanks @michelle_canals for my @DonutFriend pic.twitter.com/5BqStY81j7". @StevenCanals. Retrieved 2020-02-23.
- ^ a b c d e Kaplan, Ilana (26 June 2019). "'Pose' Co-Creator Steven Canals Spent Years Hiding. Now Everyone Can See Him". GQ. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Canals, Steven (2018-05-24). "FX's 'Pose' Creator on His Difficult Journey Bringing the Groundbreaking Trans Series to TV". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
- ^ a b Freund, Kelley. "Steven Canals says idea for Pose began at Binghamton - Binghamton News". News - Binghamton University. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
- ^ a b Gilroy, Maggie. "Steven Canals, co-creator of Emmy nominated 'Pose,' is a Binghamton University alum". Pressconnects. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
- ^ a b "Allegheny College Appoints Three Individuals to Positions Focusing on Diversity and Inclusive Excellence". Allegheny.edu. 30 June 2011. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
- ^ "Cortland in the news - SUNY Cortland". www2.cortland.edu. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
- ^ "Steven Canals's schedule for 2019 Austin Film Festival & Conference". 2019austinfilmfestivalconfe.sched.com. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
- ^ a b "Steven Canals Created 'Pose.' Still, He's Hollywood's Best-Kept Secret". www.out.com. 2019-01-10. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
- ^ a b c "Steven Canals on How Growing Up as a Queer Afro-Latino in 1980s Bronx Prepared Him to Write 'Pose'". Remezcla. 2019-06-18. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
- ^ a b "With the largest cast of trans actors in history, Ryan Murphy's Pose is a strut in the right direction". The Independent. 2019-03-21. Archived from the original on 2022-05-25. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
- ^ Thorne, Will (2020-01-21). "'Pose' Co-Creator Steven Canals Inks Overall Deal With 20th Century Fox TV". Variety. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
- ^ Canals, Steven [@stevencanals] (July 10, 2024). "Earlier this year I directed two episodes (#7 & #8) of American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez. I can't wait for ya'll to see it. • Watch the 2 episode premiere Sept 17 on FX & stream it on Hulu" – via Instagram.
- ^ Canals, Steven [@StevenCanals] (April 12, 2024). "Heading back to college!! 😉 @SexLivesOnMax #TheSexLivesofCollegeGirls" (Tweet). Archived from the original on April 13, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024 – via Twitter.