Greg Berlanti

Gregory Berlanti (born May 24, 1972) is an American writer, producer and film director. He is known for his work on the television series Dawson's Creek, Brothers & Sisters, Everwood, Political Animals, Riverdale, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and You, in addition to his contributions to DC Comics on film and television, including The CW's Arrowverse.

In the 2017–2018 television season, Berlanti tied Jerry Bruckheimer's 2005–2006 record in having 10 different live-action scripted television series airing on various networks and digital platforms, and took sole possession of the record with 14 airing in the 2018–19 television season, having signed the most expensive producer deal to that date (June 2018) with Warner Bros. In the 2019–20 television season, with one cancellation and two new series, Berlanti increased the record to 18. Berlanti also directed the 2018 film Love, Simon, a gay romantic comedy-drama which grossed $66 million worldwide.

In 1998 at the age of 26, Berlanti landed his first writing job on The WB's Dawson's Creek, where he quickly rose through the producing ranks from Staff Writer to Executive Producer. When creator and then showrunner Kevin Williamson decided to step away from the show, 28 year-old Berlanti was promoted to showrunner.

Berlanti has spoken in many interviews about the importance of introducing a gay character into his primetime television show and featuring the first same-sex kiss between two men on network television on Dawson's Creek. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, he stated, “In the beginning, there was resistance. When we did the Jack kiss on Dawson's Creek, everyone was tentative. But I took over the show and that was an important thing to me. If we were going to bring the character out, it seemed silly to me that he couldn't kiss”. When asked what he would have done if they said no to the kiss, Berlanti added, “I was prepared to quit. I really was”.

Berlanti subsequently created two drama series for Warner Brothers, Everwood and Jack & Bobby. By the age of 32, he had also already directed his first feature film, The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy, which starred Timothy Olyphant, Zach Braff, Justin Theroux and Dean Cain.

In 2006, Berlanti produced and wrote Brothers & Sisters for ABC, which aired for five seasons and featured the first same-sex legal marriage on network television.

In 2007, Berlanti executive produced Dirty Sexy Money for ABC, which aired for two seasons and featured the first recurring transgender character on primetime television.

In 2008, Berlanti created and produced the ABC legal drama Eli Stone and in 2012 the USA miniseries Political Animals. For NBC, he has produced The Mysteries of Laura, an American adaptation of the Spanish television series, that premiered on September 17, 2014, and Blindspot which premiered on September 21, 2015.

Berlanti directed the 2010 film Life as We Know It, starring Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel. He produced the film Pan for Warner Brothers under his Berlanti Productions banner; the film was released October 9, 2015.

In January 2016, The CW orderedthe Berlanti-produced television pilot Riverdale, based on the characters from Archie Comics. The pilot was picked up to series in May 2016. Riverdale premiered on January 26, 2017 and was renewed for a second season on March 7, 2017. In September 2017, it was reported that a live-action television series based on the comic book Chilling Adventures of Sabrina was being developed for The CW by Warner Bros. Television and Berlanti Productions. In December 2017, the project had moved to Netflix and the first season of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina was released on October 26, 2018. On December 18, 2018, Netflix renewed the series for a second season.

In February 2015, it was announced that Berlanti and Sera Gamble would develop a series for Showtime based on the Caroline Kepnes's thriller novel titled You. Two years later, it was announced that the series was purchased by Lifetime and put on fast-track development. You premiered on September 9, 2018. On July 26, 2018, ahead of the series premiere, Lifetime announced that the series had been renewed for a second season. On December 3, 2018, it was confirmed that Lifetime had passed on the series and that Netflix picked up the series ahead of the release of the second season. The second season was released on December 26, 2019. On January 14, 2020, You was renewed for a third season by Netflix. The third season is scheduled for release sometime in 2021.

DC Comics

Film

Berlanti co-wrote and co-produced the DC Comics film Green Lantern, starring Ryan Reynolds as the titular character. As the film was neither critically nor financially successful, further planned releases were cancelled.

In May 2016, Berlanti discussed his involvement in a Booster Gold feature film that was currently in development, as producer and possibly as director as well. Zack Stentz was signed to the project as screenwriter. It is still in movie limbo.

Arrowverse

In January 2012, it was announced that, along with Andrew Kreisberg and Marc Guggenheim, Berlanti would create, write, and produce a series for The CW based on Green Arrow, called Arrow. The series premiered on October 10, 2012 and was picked up to full series in the same month. On July 30, 2013, it was announced at the summer TCA tour that Berlanti, Kreisberg, and DC Comics CCO Geoff Johns would be introducing Barry Allen in the second season of Arrow, with the possibility of the character being spun off to his own series. Actor Grant Gustin was cast and made his debut in episode 8, "The Scientist". In November 2013, The CW officially ordered a pilot for The Flash, and in May 2014 the network picked the project up to series with a premiere scheduled for autumn of that year.

On February 26, 2015, it was announced that Berlanti, along with Guggenheim and Kreisberg, would write and executive produce a spin-off series featuring The Atom (Brandon Routh), Captain Cold (Wentworth Miller), Martin Stein (Victor Garber), and The White Canary (Caity Lotz), for a potential 2016 premiere. The series was ultimately titled Legends of Tomorrow, and it follows the ragtag team of heroes and villains as they travel through time and space on a mission to stop the devious immortal Vandal Savage. The series premiered on January 21, 2016, and was renewed for a second season on March 11, 2016.

Supergirl

On September 4, 2014, it was reported that Berlanti would executive produce a re-imagining of the origin of Supergirl, to be written by The New Normal and Chuck alum Ali Adler. Flash co-creator Johns was also involved with development. On September 19, 2014, it was reported that CBS had made a series commitment to Supergirl. It was also announced that Berlanti would co-write the first episode.

After its first season, the show moved from CBS to The CW, bringing all live-action Arrowverse shows together on one network. The show made history in 2018 for featuring the first live action transgender superhero when Nicole Maines was cast in a recurring role.

Other DC shows

Berlanti worked with Mara Brock Akil and her husband Salim Akil to develop Black Lightning which also aired on the CW.

For DC Universe, Berlanti produces Titans, starring Brenton Thwaites, with Akiva Goldsman, Geoff Johns, and Sarah Schechter, Doom Patrol, starring Matt Bomer and Brendan Fraser, with Jeremy Carver, Geoff Johns and Sarah Schechter, and Stargirl starring Brec Bassinger, with Greg Beeman, Melissa Carter, Geoff Johns, Sarah Schechter, and Glen Winter.

In 2017, Berlanti wrote and executive produced Freedom Fighters: The Ray for The CW's streaming platform. The show was praised for its depiction of the first openly gay superhero to headline a series.

In 2019, it was announced that Berlanti would be producing shows based on Green Lantern and Strange Adventures for HBO Max.

He was born in Rye, New York. His parents are Barbara Moller Berlanti and Eugene Berlanti. Greg has one sister, Dina and two nieces. He has Italian and Irish ancestry. He described his early life in an August 2004 interview with Entertainment Weekly: "We were Italians in a town of WASPs" and his family was not "doing as well as 90% of the community." The Berlanti Productions production logo, which follows each episode of shows he produces, features a family with their backs to the audience and the spoken quote, "Greg, move your head!" This is an homage to Berlanti's father, Gene, who would yell at Greg when he was blocking the television screen. Berlanti, a Delta Tau Delta Alumni graduated from Northwestern University in 1994.

Berlanti has been in a relationship with ex-LA Galaxy soccer player Robbie Rogers since mid-2013. On December 31, 2016, Rogers and Berlanti announced they had become engaged. Their wedding occurred on December 2, 2017. They have two children born via surrogacy, a son in 2016 and a daughter in 2019.

In 2019, Berlanti received the Television Showman of the Year Awardat the 56th Annual ICG Publicists Awards, the Patron of the Artists Awardat the SAG-AFTRA Foundation 45th Annual Patron of the Artists Awards, the Kieser Awardat the 45th Annual Humanitas Prize Awards and the Outstanding Film - Wide Release Awardfor "Love, Simon" at the 30th Annual GLAAD Media Awards.

Additional honors include: Los Angeles LGBT Center's 49th Anniversary Gala Vanguard Awards Honoree ; Friends of the Saban Community Clinic’s 43rd Annual Gala Honoree ; Variety Hall of Fame Inductee ; Northwestern University School of Communication Graduation Convocation Address.

In 2018, Berlanti was selected for the Vanguard Awardby the Los Angeles LGBT Center, The Founders Awardby the International Emmy Awards, The Hero Awardby the Trevor Project, 500 Most Powerful People Working in the Global Media Business Today by Variety, in addition to winning a Teen Choice Award for The Flash, Riverdale and Love, Simon.

Additional wins include; 2017 for Teen Choice Award for Choice Drama TV Show for Riverdaleand 2016 People's Choice Award wins for Supergirl and The Flash.

Past honors include; a 2012 Directors Guild of America nomination forOutstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television and Miniseries in recognition for Direction of Political Animals Pilot, a 2013 Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Miniseries or Movie for Political Animals, a 2014 Saturn Award for Best Superhero Adaptation Television Series for The Flash as well as The Christopher Award for The Flash, a Leo Award Best Dramatic Series nomination for Arrow in 2013 as well as a Fan Favorite Awards and Fan Favorite New Show by TV Guide for Arrow, the Honors Writer Award by The Caucus in 2010, the Alumni Merit Award by the Northwestern Alumni Association in 2006, a 2005 a Gracie Award Presented by the Foundation of American Women in Radio and Television,the Religion Communicators Council Wilbur Award for the “A Man of Faith” episode of Jack & Bobby in 2005, the Turner Prize at the Environmental Media Awards in 2003 for Everwood, a GLAAD Media Award in 2001 for The Broken Hearts Club and a 2000 SHINE Award for his writing work on Dawson's Creek. Berlanti was also recognized by Variety in 2000 for their Watchable Helmers issue, as well as their 2018 Inclusion Impact Report and by The Hollywood Reporter in their 'Power 100 List'and 'Power Showrunners List' in 2018. In 2017, Berlanti was selected for the Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award.

Northwestern Endowment

In 2020, Berlanti gifted $2 millionthrough his organization, the Berlanti Family Foundation, to his alma mater, the Northwestern University School of Communication, to establish a new dramatic writing professorship. The new professorship was named the Barbara Berlanti Professorship in Writing for the Screen and Stage after Berlanti’s late mother, who he described as a “lifelong champion of the arts.”

The professorship helped to increase the teaching capacity and number of courses offered in the school’s Department of Radio/Television/Film (RTVF). Berlanti also previously gave an endowment to Northwestern’s playwriting program.

Berlanti’s latest endowment to Northwestern marks the Berlanti Family Foundation’s largest charitable contribution for a single organization to date. Berlanti said he “aims to help Northwestern continue its great legacy of fostering the next generation of humane, diverse, courageous and bold storytellers.”

Fuck Cancer

Berlanti is a board memberof Fuck Cancer, a health organization working for early detection and prevention of cancer. Launched in 2009, Fuck Cancer aims to engage millennials through social media to have a conversation about early detection and acute awareness of cancer.

Annual Barbara Berlanti Gala

In 2018, Berlanti and husband Robbie Rogers chaired Fuck Cancer’s inaugural Barbara Berlanti Heroes Gala, named in honor of his late mother. Berlanti Productions was also a sponsor of the event.

Kristin Chenoweth headlined the event, while co-founder Yael Cohen Braun and board member Stephen Amell were the headline honorees at the event.

Berlanti said that his mother Barbara was the most charitable person he ever knew and that there was no better way to honor her than a night of fun and giving back to this incredible organization.