- Wrote Rounders, the most popular poker movie ever made
- Created the ESPN series Tilt
- Wrote Runaway Jury, Walking Tall, and Ocean's Thirteen
Brian Koppelman plays online at Full Tilt Poker.
"Write what you know," is the first advice most writers receive. For Brian Koppelman it was also the best. In the early 90s, Brian walked into an underground card room in New York City and was cleaned out to the lint in his pockets. An avid poker player his whole life, Brian felt burned having to leave the table empty handed, but the idea he now had in his head made him feel a little better. His first screenplay (written with David Levien) was Rounders, and it would go on to be one of the foremost poker films ever made.
As the son of a music industry titan, it isn't surprising that Brian's first job was in the same business. As an A&R representative, his job was to discover new talent and help develop careers. In 1987, he found Tracy Chapman playing in a Cambridge, Massachusetts coffee house. He signed her to Electra Records and went on to executive produce her multi-platinum debut album. He did all of that while earning a law degree from Fordham University at night.
After the success of Rounders, Brian was able to focus on writing movies full time. His next film (which he also co-directed) was Knockaround Guys about the son of a mob boss trying to make his own bones. Again, real life paved the way because the film was inspired by actual wiseguy wannabees he and Levien knew growing up.
Poker, mobsters and the law are subjects Brian would return to again and again. He and Levien have co-written Runaway Jury, Walking Tall, and they were the creators/executive producers of the ESPN series Tilt. Their upcoming projects include Ocean's Thirteen, The Untouchables: Capone Rising, and The Winter of Frankie Machine starring Robert De Niro.
One of the unexpected benefits from Rounders was Brian's friendship with Team Full Tilt member Erik Seidel. Erik caught a lot of good-natured abuse from fellow poker players because his humbling defeat at the 1988 WSOP Main Event at the hands of Johnny Chan featured prominently in the film. Subsequently, Erik and Brian have become close friends, and Erik was a consultant for Tilt. In 2006, Brian and Erik played in a bounty tournament together, and Brian was made a red pro on Full Tilt Poker for the day. He approached being a red pro much like his job in the movie business: after his initial celebrity, it was important not to lose sight on the fact he had a job to do.
When Brian Koppelman's not on his day job, you can find him working the tables at Full Tilt Poker.