Showrunners Alumni

 

Carol Mendelsohn
Carol Mendelsohn has been the Show Runner/Executive Producer on "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" since the pilot episode. This fall, the show began its seventh season as the number-one scripted drama series on television. She is also a Co-Creator/Executive Producer of "CSI: Miami" and "CSI: NY". Mendelsohn began her career writing for Stephen Cannell on the drama series "Stingray" and "Wiseguy". She was promoted to producer on "Tour of Duty" and later "Gabriel’s Fire". She earned her Executive Producer stripes during a five-year stint on "Melrose Place". As a producer, she has been nominated for multiple Emmys; WGA Awards; Golden Globes; Producers Guild Awards and the prestigious Edgar Allen Poe Award. Additionally, she is a three-time People’s Choice Award winner.
 

David Shore
Since his first staff writing position on cult favorite “Due South,” David Shore has quickly made his way up the ladder on many of television’s most respected shows.  He wrote episodes of "NYPD Blue" and "EZ Streets", served as head writer and supervising producer on "Traders," which he developed for Canadian television, and was part of the writing team of the Emmy Award-winning first season of “The Practice.”  From there, Shore was twice nominated for an Emmy as a producer on "Law & Order."  He executive-produced both “Family Law” and “Hack” before creating HOUSE.  Shore recently won an Emmy in the Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series category for his HOUSE episode “Three Stories.”
 

Greg Daniels
Emmy Award-winning producer-writer Greg Daniels developed “The Office” for American audiences and is the creative force behind the series, writing and directing many episodes and serving as Showrunner of the critically acclaimed NBC hit series. As a writer on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” for three years, Daniels won his first Emmy in 1989. He went on to receive a Writers Guild Award nomination for his episode of “Seinfeld”, titled “The Parking Space”. As co-executive producer of “The Simpsons”, he received a second writing Emmy for his episode, “Lisa’s Wedding”. Additionally, he wrote three of the Top-10 most popular episodes of “The Simpsons”, according to a TV Guide poll published on the occasion of the 300th episode of “The Simpsons”. In 1997, Daniels co-created and is executive producer of “King of the Hill”, which was recently picked up through its 10th season.
 

Hart Hanson
Hart Hanson’s early career included stints writing Canadian "The Black Stallion," "Neon Rider," "Northwood," "The Odyssey," "The Outer Limits," "Poltergeist," "Road to Avonlea" and the series "Ready or Not," followed by writing the pilot for "Traders," for which he won a Best Writing Gemini award for Hanson. Moving to LA, Hanson worked on the series "Judging Amy" for three seasons, rising to executive producer, then helped launch "Joan of Arcadia." Hanson wrote the pilot for BONES, which found a home on FOX and he is currently writing another pilot for Fox called "Promises and Lies" based on the Myron Bolitar series of books by author Harlan Coben.
 

Jack Bender
Jack Bender has been working in the entertainment industry for over 3O years.  He began his career as an actor on such notable shows as All in the Family and The Mary Tyler Moore Show.  Bender has directed over ten made for television movies, multiple miniseries, and episodes of at least 17 different television programs for various networks.  He is a winner of the Emmy and the Golden Globe, and has been nominated for the D.G.A. award and the BAFTA award for directing.  Currently he is the Executive Producer and Director of ABC’s dramatic television series LOST.
 

Jason Katims
Jason Katims is the Executive Producer and Showrunner of “Friday Night Lights”. Katims started his career in television as a story editor on My So-Called Life. Following that Katims was the writer-showrunner and executive prodcuer of "Relativity" (which he also created), “Roswell” (which he also developed for television), and “Boston Public” (seasons three and four). He also co-wrote the 1996 movie The Pallbearer, starring David Schwimmer and Gwyneth Paltrow. Katims began his career as a playwright. His plays include, "The Man Who Couldn’t Dance" and "Who Made Robert DeNiro King of America?"
 

Michael Poryes
Michael Poryes is co-creator and executive producer on Disney Channel’s Emmy nominated series "Hannah Montana." Poryes is co-creator and served as executive producer of another Disney Channel Emmy nominated series "That's So Raven." He also served as co-executive producer on "Veronica's Closet" as well as co-executive producer on "Cybill." Poryes first started out in the entertainment business as a stand up comedian, then became a writer for the television series "The Facts of Life," "Who's the Boss?" and "Saved by the Bell," among others. Poryes attended the University of California Berkley. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife Diane and son Ethan.
  Pam Wilson
Pam Wilson has worked in the entertainment business for nearly twenty years. Wilson launched Ink Media Corporation, a boutique PR firm, offering entertainment clients a more personalized alternative to larger public relations and marketing organizations, in July 2004.
Before starting her own company, Wilson was Senior Vice President, Worldwide Publicity for the Entertainment Group of Alliance Atlantis Communications, where she was responsible for the strategic planning and execution of all aspects of Alliance Atlantis' domestic and international publicity and media relations operations. Wilson was instrumental in growing and branding Alliance Atlantis as a worldwide supplier of first class feature films, series and "event' movies & miniseries. Wilson joined Alliance Atlantis in the company's European offices in 1988 before moving to the company's Los Angeles office in 1992 where she remained until 2004.
 

Richard Lewis
For the past six seasons, Mr. Lewis has directed, written and produced "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" for CBS and Alliance/Atlantis. He received an Emmy nomination for his episode “Fight Night” and has garnered 3 People’s Choice Awards and a Golden Globe nomination as Producer. Among Mr. Lewis’s other TV credits are "The District", "Family Law", "Falcone", "Michael Hayes", The Chris Isaak Show", and "Beggars and Choosers".  Mr. Lewis has just completed the CBS/Warner Bros. pilot entitled, "Waterfront", starring Joey Pantoliano, Billy Baldwin, and Mary Stuart Masterson.  Mr. Lewis’s first feature film, "Whale Music" received nine Genie nominations. In 2001, Mr. Lewis directed "K-9: P.I." for Universal Pictures starring James Belushi.