Greg Berlanti facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Greg Berlanti
Greg Berlanti in 2010
Born	Gregory Berlanti (1972-05-24) May 24, 1972 (age 53) Suffern, New York, U.S.
Alma mater	Northwestern University (BS)
Occupation	Screenwriter producer director
Years active	1998–present
Spouse(s)	Robbie Rogers ​ (m. 2017)​
Children	2

Greg Berlanti (born May 24, 1972) is a very successful American writer, producer, and director. He is famous for creating and working on many popular TV shows. These include Dawson's Creek, Riverdale, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, and You.

Greg Berlanti is also a key person behind many DC Comics movies and TV shows. He helped create the Arrowverse on The CW, which includes shows like Arrow and The Flash. He also worked on Titans and Doom Patrol. In 2000, he started his own company, Berlanti Productions.

He holds a record for having the most live-action TV shows airing at the same time. In the 2018–19 TV season, he had 14 shows on different networks. By the 2019–20 season, this number grew to 18 shows! He also directed the popular 2018 movie Love, Simon, which was a romantic comedy-drama. In 2020, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Greg Berlanti's Career in Television and Film

Early Career and Dawson's Creek

Greg Berlanti began his writing career in 1998. He was just 26 years old when he got his first job on The WB's TV show Dawson's Creek. He quickly moved up from a staff writer to an executive producer. By 2000, at age 28, he became the main person in charge of the show, known as the showrunner.

Berlanti believed it was important to show diverse characters on TV. He helped feature the first same-sex kiss between two men on U.S. network television on Dawson's Creek. He was ready to leave the show if the network didn't allow this important moment.

Creating More Hit Shows

After Dawson's Creek, Berlanti created two more drama series for Warner Bros. These were Everwood and Jack & Bobby. By the time he was 32, he had also directed his first movie, The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy.

In 2006, he produced and wrote Brothers & Sisters for ABC. This show ran for five seasons. It also made history by showing the first same-sex legal marriage on network television.

He continued to create and produce many other shows. In 2008, he worked on the legal drama Eli Stone. In 2012, he created the miniseries Political Animals. He also produced The Mysteries of Laura and Blindspot for NBC.

Directing Movies and New TV Series

Berlanti directed the 2010 film Life as We Know It. He also produced the movie Pan in 2015.

In 2016, The CW ordered a pilot for Riverdale, a show based on Archie Comics characters. The show became very popular. Later, he developed Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, which moved to Netflix.

He also developed the thriller series You. This show first aired on Lifetime and then moved to Netflix. It became a huge hit.

More recently, Berlanti Productions produced the film Red, White & Royal Blue for Amazon Prime Video. He also executive produced the TV series All American: Homecoming for The CW. In 2022, he directed the film Fly Me to the Moon.

DC Comics Projects

DC Films

Greg Berlanti co-wrote and co-produced the DC Comics movie Green Lantern in 2011. He was also involved in developing a Booster Gold movie.

The Arrowverse Shows

In 2012, Berlanti helped create the TV series Arrow for The CW. This show was based on the Green Arrow comic book character. It premiered in October 2012 and was very successful.

Following Arrows success, Berlanti and his team introduced Barry Allen, also known as The Flash, in Arrows second season. This led to his own spin-off series, The Flash, which premiered in 2014.

In 2015, they created another spin-off called Legends of Tomorrow. This show featured a team of heroes and villains who travel through time. It premiered in 2016.

Supergirl and Other DC Shows

Berlanti also executive-produced a new version of the Supergirl story. The show Supergirl premiered on CBS in 2014. After its first season, it moved to The CW, bringing all the live-action Arrowverse shows to one network. This show also made history by featuring the first live-action transgender superhero.

He worked on other DC shows like Black Lightning for The CW. He also produced Titans, Doom Patrol, and Stargirl. In 2017, Berlanti wrote and executive-produced Freedom Fighters: The Ray, which featured the first openly gay superhero to lead a series.

Greg Berlanti's Personal Life

Greg Berlanti was born in Suffern, New York. He grew up in Rye, New York, and graduated from Rye High School in 1989. He has one sister, Dina. He is of Italian and Irish background.

He attended Northwestern University in Illinois and graduated in 1994. The logo for his company, Berlanti Productions, shows a family looking away from the audience. You can hear someone say, "Greg, move your head!" This is a tribute to his father, who used to say that when Greg blocked the TV screen.

Greg Berlanti is married to former soccer player Robbie Rogers. They got engaged on December 31, 2016, and married on December 2, 2017. They have two children, a son born in 2016 and a daughter born in 2019.

Awards and Special Recognitions

Greg Berlanti has received many important awards for his work in television and film.

• In 2024, he received the Governors Award at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. This award honors someone who has made a huge and lasting impact on television.
• In 2022, he received the Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television from the Producers Guild of America. This award recognized his amazing influence on TV.
• In 2019, he won the Television Showman of the Year Award. He also received the Outstanding Film – Wide Release Award for Love, Simon at the GLAAD Media Awards.
• In 2018, he won a Teen Choice Award for The Flash, Riverdale, and Love, Simon.
• He also won a Teen Choice Award in 2017 for Riverdale. In 2016, he won People's Choice Awards for Supergirl and The Flash.
• In 2021, his show The Flight Attendant was nominated for nine Emmy Awards.

Giving Back: Philanthropy

Supporting Northwestern University

In 2020, Greg Berlanti's family foundation, the Berlanti Family Foundation, gave $2 million to his old university, Northwestern University. This money created a new teaching position for dramatic writing. The professorship was named the Barbara Berlanti Professorship in Writing for the Screen and Stage, in honor of his late mother.

This donation helps the university offer more writing courses. Berlanti hopes to help Northwestern continue to train the next generation of diverse and brave storytellers.

Annual Barbara Berlanti Gala

Berlanti also helps organize the Annual Barbara Berlanti Gala. This event raises money for a good cause. Berlanti Productions also sponsors the event.

He said that his mother, Barbara, was the most giving person he knew. He felt there was no better way to honor her than by having a fun night that also gives back to the community.

Filmography

Film

Producer

• Green Lantern: Emerald Knights (2011)
• Green Lantern (2011)
• Haunted (2013)
• Pan (2015)
• Deathstroke: Knights & Dragons: The Movie (2020) (Executive producer)
• Unpregnant (2020)
• Free Guy (2021)
• Moonshot (2022)
• My Policeman (2022)
• Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed (2023)
• Red, White & Royal Blue (2023)
• Atlas (2024)

Television

Executive producer only

See also

In Spanish: Greg Berlanti para niños