Scott Ellis

Emmy-nominated for his direction of "30 Rock"'s first season episode "The Break Up," Scott Ellis is one of television's leading creative visionaries. The well-read Kelsey Grammer-led sitcom "Frasier" gave Ellis a running start; he directed nine episodes between 2000 and 2004. Subsequent gigs included the short-lived Pamela Anderson sitcom "Stacked," about a vapid party girl working at a mom and pop bookstore, and the ABC sibling comedy "Hope & Faith," starring Kelly Ripa as a soap star wreaking havoc on her sister's life. In 2008, Ellis joined "Weeds," a Golden Globe-winning dark comedy about a middle class mom with an unlikely revenue stream. Credited as director and supervising producer during his first two years with the series, Ellis had worked his way up to co-executive producer by 2010. Elsewhere, the director contributed to the sordid saga of Wisteria Lane on "Desperate Housewives," and collaborated with Kyra Sedgwick and J.K. Simmons on their long-running TNT police procedural, "The Closer." In 2009, he made the leap to premium cable with HBO's well-endowed comedy "Hung" and Showtime's hospital dramedy, "Nurse Jackie." Ellis has also directed three episodes of Emmy favorite "Modern Family," and another three of "2 Broke Girls," which was nominated for a 2012 People's Choice Award for Favorite New TV Comedy.