{{Short description|American journalist}} '''Brandon Scott Schantz''' (July 26, 1980 - December 6, 2007) was a broadcaster, sports director and television producer. He was best known as an on-camera host for Movies.com and for producing music videos for the rock band Rooney.<ref name=rmt>{{cite news |first=Diane |last=Hollaway|title=Farewell to UT grad on MTV's 'Real World' |url=http://www.austin360.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/tvblog/entries/2008/06/25/farewell_to_ut_grad_on_mtvs_real_world.html|work= Austin American-Statesman |date=2008-06-23 |access-date=2008-07-09}}</ref> Schantz previously become the youngest local news station sports director in the history of the CBS network and its affiliates.<ref name=cc/>
==Biography==
===Early life=== Schantz was a native of San Francisco and graduated from San Ramon Valley High School in the East Bay neighborhood of Danville, California.<ref name=cc/>
He graduated the University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism in 2002. He worked as a production intern with KEYE-TV, an Austin, Texas, CBS affiliate from 2000 until 2002 while attending the University of Texas. As an undergraduate, he interned in the sports department at KXAN.<ref name=rmt/>
===Career=== Upon his graduation from college at 22, Schantz was hired as the sports director at KGWN-TV, a CBS affiliate in Cheyenne, Wyoming,<ref name=rmt/> making him the youngest local news station sports director in the history of the CBS network.<ref name=cc>{{cite news|title=Brandon Schantz Memorial Endowment Fund |url=http://communication.utexas.edu/support/giving/scholarships/PROD75_013453.html |work=University of Texas College of Communication |access-date=2008-07-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090418170050/http://communication.utexas.edu/support/giving/scholarships/PROD75_013453.html |archive-date=April 18, 2009 }}</ref> He also appeared on camera at KGWN as a sports reporter and Sportscaster.
Schantz departed KGWN in the mid-2000s and moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a producer and television host. He established a production company at the age of 25 named Brandon Schantz Productions, and established a production headquarters with partners Kevin Dobski at Santa Monica Studios in Santa Monica, CA. Collectively Schantz and Dobski produced music videos, short form digital web content and live television events from 2006 and 2007, including a music video, "I Should've Been After You", for Rooney, a Southern California based rock band.<ref name=rmt/>
Schantz was also hired as an on-camera host and producer for Movies.com, which was acquired by the Walt Disney Company.<ref name=rmt/>
===Death=== Schantz was diagnosed with lymphoma in the Spring of 2007 and underwent surgery for in October 2007.<ref name=rmt/> During treatment, he continued working at his production company and at Movies.com.<ref name=rmt/> He also made a brief appearance in the seventh episode of ''The Real World: Hollywood'', which was filmed in 2007, and aired June 25, 2008.<ref name=cc/> Schantz, gave internships to three ''Real World'' cast members -- Kimberly Alexander, Nick Brown and Sarah Ralston -- who aspirecd to become on-air hosts. He died on December 6, 2007 at the age of 27.<ref name=rmt/><ref name=cc/> Brown's reaction to Schantz's death, was chronicled on-camera.<ref name=rmt/><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080919221741/http://www.mtv.com/ontv/dyn/realworld-season20/episode/episode.jhtml?episodeId=134983 Summary page] for ''The Real World: Hollywood'', Episode 11 ("Making It") at mtv.com</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080828074230/http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?id=1589611&vid=252363 Video of ''The Real World: Hollywood'', Episode 11 at mtv.com]</ref> Schantz was survived by his parents, Sean and Kim Schantz, his siblings, Ryan and Kaylee, and his grandparents.<ref name="cc" />
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links == *[https://web.archive.org/web/20081007091721/http://www.realworlddailies.com/Post/Brandon-Schantz-Inspires/0115FEF0000EF5F110008009AAE46 Brandon Schantz on the Real World] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20090418170050/http://communication.utexas.edu/support/giving/scholarships/PROD75_013453.html Brandon Schantz Memorial Endowment Fund] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20100117082844/http://www.brandonschantzproductions.com/ Brandon Schantz Productions] * [http://media.www.dailytexanonline.com/media/storage/paper410/news/2008/06/25/TopStories/Ut.Alum.Left.Mark.On.Tv.Producing-3385071.shtml The Daily Texan: UT alum left mark on TV, producing]{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Schantz, Brandon}} Category:1980 births Category:2007 deaths Category:American television journalists Category:Moody College of Communication alumni Category:Businesspeople from San Francisco Category:Television producers from California Category:American television news producers Category:American sports commentators Category:20th-century American businesspeople Category:21st-century American male journalists Category:21st-century American journalists