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Jeffrey Stepakoff is an American television writer, producer, and author.

Education

After graduating from Woodward Academy in College Park, Georgia in 1981, Stepakoff earned a degree in journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After graduation, he began working at an advertising agency. He graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a Master of Fine Arts in playwriting in 1988. He teaches at Kennesaw State University as Associate Professor of Screenwriting since 2006.

Career

Stepakoff's ticket to television writing came through a Carnegie Mellon contact who was involved with ER. The contact helped introduce him to an agent and David Milch, creator of " Deadwood" and NYPD Blue. The 1988 Writers Guild of America strike prevented Stepakoff from working right away. Although he was offered a job as a scab writer for CBS's Charles in Charge, produced by Universal Television, he turned it down. When the strike ended, he was offered another job by Universal to write for Simon & Simon. [1] [2] [3] In 2015 Jeffrey Stepakoff was appointed the Executive Director of the Georgia Film Academy. [4]

Credits

His credits include Zoe Busiek: Wild Card (hired by Lynn Marie Latham), Major Dad, Dawson's Creek, Tarzan, Hyperion Bay, " C-16: FBI", " Flipper", " Sisters ( Creative Consultant), " The Wonder Years", " Major Dad", and " Simon & Simon". [5] Stepakoff also created pilots for 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, MTM, Fox and ABC. He developed and wrote major motion pictures, including Disney's Tarzan and Brother Bear.

Awards/Nominations/Publications

Books

His book BILLION-DOLLAR KISS: The Kiss That Saved Dawson’s Creek and Other Adventures in TV Writing, a revealing account of his experiences in the television industry, is a critically acclaimed one. [3] [6] [7]

Fiction

  • Fireworks Over Toccoa, St. Martin's Press, 2010
  • The Orchard, St. Martin's Press, 2011
  • The Melody of Secrets, St. Martin's Press, 2013

Membership

Stepakoff is a member of the Writers Guild of America, the Writers Guild of Canada, the Screen Actors Guild, and IATSE, and is a voting member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. He currently resides with his wife and children in Dunwoody, Georgia. [8] [9]

References

  1. ^ Bernstein, David. "Cast Away". August 2007. Chicago Magazine. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
  2. ^ "TV viewership still down in wake of 100-day writers strike". 11 May 2008. Associated Press. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
  3. ^ a b Long, Rob (11 May 2007). "TV's Go-Go Years Get a Closeup". 11 May 2007. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
  4. ^ GFA Team Georgia Film Academy
  5. ^ Owen, Rob (11 May 2007). "Tuned In: CMU grad's book tells why prime-time TV is what it is". 11 May 2011. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
  6. ^ Pentler, Chad. "Jeffrey Stepakoff Works with Graduate Writers". Carnegie Mellon University. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
  7. ^ "The Life & Craft of the TV Writer with Jeffrey Stepakoff". July 2007. Storylink. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
  8. ^ Mullen, Maureen (14 February 2008). "Hollywood writer, producer to give lecture". 14 February 2008. Notre Dame News. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
  9. ^ "Writers Guild, Studios in Contract Talks". 19 September 2011. NPR. Retrieved 1 March 2011.

External links

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