Glienna grew up in the
Park Ridge suburb of Chicago and took an interest in filmmaking from an early age, often working alongside his childhood friend James Vincent, who later produced the original
Meet the Parents. He attended
Columbia College Chicago before dropping out to study improvisational comedy at
The Second City while continuing to make short films. He conceived of the core idea for the original
Meet the Parents after acting out a scene with a friend wherein he portrayed a man meeting his girlfriend's father, turning it into a short film entitled
The Vase, in which he played a man meeting both of his girlfriend's parents who breaks their prized vase. Hoping to make this concept into a full-length feature, Glienna wrote the 80-page screenplay for
Meet the Parents alongside Mary Ruth Clarke in one month, to the approval of comedian
Emo Philips, who signed on as a producer, wrote the film's title theme, and cameoed as a video store employee. ==Filmography==