Rob Nelson
Born (1964-10-09) October 9, 1964
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
Occupation(s)Filmmaker, television personality, author, radio host, political activist

Rob Nelson (born October 9, 1964, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is an American television personality, author, radio host, political activist and filmmaker.

Career

Films

In 2014, Nelson was the executive producer of the short film Wish Wizard featuring Morgan Freeman.[1] The film was made in conjunction with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to fulfill the wishes of 4 children with terminal diseases who wanted to be part of making a movie.[2]

In December 2015, Nelson completed directing and producing his first documentary feature film, Magnificent Burden, which tells the story of a woman's quest to save her adopted son from a rare and deadly disease, Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).[3]

Television

After graduating from Stanford Law School and holding an externship in the Clinton White House,[4] Nelson went on to become a television and radio show host.[5] Nelson has been the host of a number of television programs including The Full Nelson on Fox News,[6][4] which TV Guide called “a new breed of late night talk show,”[7] The Rob Nelson Show and ABC's The Scholar.[8][9][10] Nelson also hosted one of the first Internet political talk shows, In Bed with Rob Nelson, on now defunct Television.com, an early web based content network launched by E! Entertainment Television founder Larry Namer.[11]

Political activism

Nelson first became nationally known for being one of the founders of Lead or Leave a political action group that focused on reducing the deficit and fighting for generational equity. Lead or Leave garnered national attention with an accountability pledge that asked the President and all members of Congress to pledge to cut the federal deficit in half in four years or leave office.[12] Led by Nelson and Jonathan Cowan, the "mini-movement" became so prominent it was featured on 60 Minutes, Nightline, Good Morning America and The Today Show, creating a stir in "MTV-DC" during the Clinton years.[13][12][14]

They mobilized thousands of young Americans, and in the process gained the support of numerous national political and business leaders, including billionaire and former independent presidential candidate Ross Perot,[13] prominent investment banker Peter G. Peterson, Chicago commodity broker Richard Dennis,[15] and former Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Paul Tsongas.[16] In February, 1993, Cowan and Nelson were featured on the cover of U.S. News & World Report with the headline, “The Twentysomething Rebellion - How It Will Change America.”[17] Nelson was once described by The New York Times as “one of the original Generation X spokesmen.” The Times also noted "Mr. Nelson's patron is Roger Ailes, the former Republican political strategist who is now chairman and chief executive of Fox News Channel."[18]

Books

  • Nelson, Rob., Cowan, Jonathan (1994). Revolution X: A Survival Guide for Our Generation. Penguin Books. ISBN 0140235329.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  • Nelson, Rob (2000). Last Call: Ten Commonsense Solutions to America's Biggest Problems. Random House. ISBN 0440509033.

References

  1. ↑ "Wish Wizard" – via IMDb.
  2. ↑ Schutte, Chris Godley,Lauren; Godley, Chris; Schutte, Lauren (December 22, 2010). "EXCLUSIVE: Behind the Scenes of Make-A-Wish Foundation's 'Wish Wizard'". The Hollywood Reporter.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ↑ "Magnificent Burden".
  4. 1 2 Clark, John (August 20, 1999). "New 'Full Nelson' Talk Show Gives Format a Gen-X Twist". Los Angeles Times.
  5. ↑ "Wchstv.com".
  6. ↑ "SOME SMART TALK FROM 'FULL NELSON'". New York Daily News. 19 August 1999.
  7. ↑ "The Full Nelson". TVGuide.com.
  8. ↑ Lowry, Brian (June 2, 2005). "The Scholar".
  9. ↑ "Rob Nelson, in the buff. (Syndie Insider).(host is conducting his show in the nude )(Brief Article) - Broadcasting & Cable | HighBeam Research". November 5, 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-11-05.
  10. ↑ "News from California, the nation and world". Los Angeles Times.
  11. ↑ "PRNewswire".
  12. 1 2 Barringer, Felicity (March 14, 1993). "THE NATION; 'Lead . . . or Leave' Asks: Who's Spending Our Inheritance?". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
  13. 1 2 Online
  14. ↑ NBC Universal
  15. ↑ "'Cross My Heart And Hope To Die, I'll Cut The Deficit'". Bloomberg. September 28, 1992 – via www.bloomberg.com.
  16. ↑ "Tsongas, Rudman back plan to force candidates to sign anti-deficit pledge". Baltimore Sun. 6 August 1992.
  17. ↑ Brant, Martha (May 21, 1995). "Politics: Gen X's Dynamic Duo Flames Out". Newsweek.
  18. ↑ Mifflin, Lawrie (August 18, 1999). "TV NOTES; Talk for Young Viewers". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
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