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William H. Macy stars in the Emmy award-winning TNT film “Door to Door," which was produced

Dan Angel, a UCLA alumnus, is a man whose accolades in the entertainment industry are only surpassed by his modesty and good nature. As an Emmy award-winning producer, Angel should make anyone proud to be a Bruin.

At this year’s Emmy Awards, “Door to Door,” which Angel helped produce, won six Emmys, including one for Angel. The made-for-TV movie starred William H. Macy and chronicled the true life story of a door-to-door salesman who supported himself even though he had cerebral palsy. The film also won a Peabody Award.

Angel grew up in Orange County and graduated from UCLA’s film school in 1990. He was taught by two-time Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Terry Sanders. According to Angel, the teachings of Sanders ignited his creativity and allowed him to excel quickly. In one class, Angel had to write, produce and direct a film in just 10 weeks.

“(Sanders) had a very practical and hands-on way of teaching,” Angel said. “Having to deal with the pressure in the class helped me to fully understand how demanding the business would be as a career.”

Following graduation, Angel did not attend graduate school, as he was already selling packaged TV movies.

“I couldn’t afford to intern because I had to get paid while I was taking classes,” Angel said.

Angel’s first success came from co-writing and producing “Body Bags,” a film directed by John Carpenter. When Angel was in his late 20s he was already receiving considerable amounts of money for his producing projects. He was also the story editor for many episodes of “The X-Files” in 1993.

He recently shared an award with Billy Brown from The Writers Guild of America for Best Children’s Script on the “Goosebumps” episode, “The Cuckoo Clock of Doom.”

Angel advises any student interested in working in entertainment to fully understand how the industry works before stepping forward with a creative project.

“One must have an understanding of the business and a deep passion for one’s project to be successful,” Angel said.

Angel also suggests people not to be timid or diffident in seeking opportunities. After guest speaking at a high school, Angel tried to give students a chance to learn from his experiences.

“After I had provided them with a number that they could contact me at in case they had any questions, I received not one phone call,” Angel said.

He was disappointed that nobody used him as a resource.

Angel believes in his projects and in himself, and thus has become successful on his own. His past implies that someone interested in the entertainment business does not necessarily have to be connected, but simply aware of potential opportunities.

He’s now glad to offer that opportunity to others.