David Simon: Genius
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Writer David Simon, creator of 'The Wire' and 'Homicide,' wins 2010 MacArthur 'genius' award
I'd be interested to see Simon use the money to fund a passion project, hopefully the grant will make something cool happen.
Baltimorean David Simon, whose groundbreaking television series "The Wire" examined the institutions of his hometown with a passionate and unsparing eye, today won a 2010 MacArthur "genius" award.
The 50-year-old Simon is one of only a few people ever to receive one of the prestigious fellowships for work in television. The MacArthur carries a $500,000, no-strings-attached grant parceled out over five years.
"The great value of this award is that it will make it easier for all of us to argue for stories that might not otherwise be perceived as popular television," Simon said.
"I can't wave around Nielsen ratings and I can't wave around Emmy awards when I want to get these stories told. An award like this gives us more gravitas. It gives us a little more currency. And it indicates that this medium of television is capable of much more social good than has been demonstrated to this point."
Simon hasn't decided yet what to do with his financial windfall, but hinted that he might donate all or a large chunk of it to charity.
"The entertainment industry pays quite well, so my first inclination is to pass it through and do something charitable," he said.
But Daniel Socolow, who directs the fellows program, recommended that Simon postpone his decision. In the future, Socolow told Simon, the money could come in handy to fund a project that is artistically worthy but non-commercial.
"He's been at this longer than I have, and I'm hearing what he's saying," Simon said. "But frankly, I'm still feeling some sort of impulse to pass it through in some way."
I'd be interested to see Simon use the money to fund a passion project, hopefully the grant will make something cool happen.
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