USC School of Cinematic Arts Conversations With... Speakers Series Podcast USC School of Cinematic Arts

Warren Bell is a twenty-year veteran of the sitcom business. His lengthy list of credits as a writer, producer and showrunner includes "Coach," "Ellen," "The PJs" and "According to Jim." He also has written or co-written seventeen network pilots, the most recent being "Home Game" for CBS.

USC Film School graduate Gabe Sachs is part of the Sachs-Judah writing-producing team. From early in his career, he started working with Judd Apatow as writer-producer on Sick In The Head, Freaks & Geeks and Undeclared. He and Judah continued in TV on Just Shoot Me and Life As We Know It, which they also created. After creating the new 90210, Sachs and Judah were asked to come on to write Diary Of A Wimpy Kid. Sachs and Judah are currently working on four features, including Diary Of A Wimpy Kid 2.

Melissa Rosenberg is one of the most successful female screenwriters of all time. Her screenplays for Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse have helped the franchise to grosses of over $1b. A trained dancer, Rosenberg launched her screenwriting career with Step Up. In TV, Rosenberg has written for The O.C, Ally McBeal, Party of Five, Boston Public, The Outer Limits & Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. She has recently completed the fourth season as both head writer and executive producer on Dexter. Rosenberg is a graduate of the USC Peter Stark Producing Program.

James Vanderbilt graduated from USC in 1999, with his first script sale coming two days before graduation. By 2003 three of his screenplays had been made into films: Basic, starring John Travolta and Sam Jackson, The Rundown, starring the Rock, and Darkness Falls. In 2007 his screenplay of Zodiac received widespread critical acclaim. His adaptation of The Losers was released in theatres on April 23. He is currently working on the reboot of the Spider-Man franchise.

Stephen J Cannell is a television producer, writer, novelist and occasional actor. He has scripted more than 450 episodes and produced or executive produced over 1,500 episodes of network TV. Despite suffering from dyslexia, Cannell has created or co-created nearly 40 television series including The Rockford Files, The Greatest American Hero, The A-Team, Wiseguy, 21 Jump Street and The Commish. He is a producer on the 2010 movie The A Team.

Eric Roth has nearly 40 years of screenwriting experience, in which time he has been rewarded with a WGA Award, a Humanitas Prize and an Academy Award.

His extensive credits include Forrest Gump, The Postman, The Horse Whisperer, The Insider, Ali, Munich, The Good Shepherd and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Eric's currently working on Gump & Co, a follow up to Forrest Gump, as well as a reuniting with David Fincher in adapting the BBC TV series, House of Cards.

He is an MFA graduate of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, where he won the prestigious Samuel Goldwyn Screenwriting Award.