Jason Katims Biography

Jason Katims (born November 30, 1960) is an American television writer, producer, and playwright. He is best known for Relativity, which he created and wrote for; Roswell, which he developed, produced and wrote for; Boston Public, which he co-wrote; Pepper Dennis, a short-lived dramedy starring Rebecca Romijn on The WB; the 1996 movie The Pallbearer, starring David Schwimmer and Gwyneth Paltrow. He was the head writer and executive producer of Friday Night Lights for which he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series in 2011 for his work on the series finale. He also has two children, Phoebe and Sawyer Katims.

Early life

Jason Katims was born in Brooklyn, New York. He has an older brother and sister. He attended Queens College in New York.

Career

Katims was a playwright in New York until director and producer Ed Zwick asked him if he wanted to write for television and films.

In 1994, he wrote three episodes for the ABC teen drama My So-Called Life. He created Relativity in 1996 but the TV series was cancelled after 17 episodes. He then was involved in Roswell and in Boston Public.

He worked on the NBC series Friday Night Lights as head writer and executive producer. Katims was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award for Best New Series at the February 2007 ceremony for his work on the first season of Friday Night Lights. He was nominated for the WGA Award for Best Dramatic Series the following year at the February 2008 ceremony for his work on the second season of Friday Night Lights. Katims was nominated for Best Dramatic Series a second time at the February 2009 ceremony for his work on the third season of Friday Night Lights. He was nominated for the WGA Award for Best Drama Series for the third consecutive year at the February 2010 ceremony for his work on the fourth season. In 2011, he was honored by an award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series in Friday Night Lights.

Katims is also the creator of and executive producer for Parenthood, another NBC series which debuted in 2010. Katims based that series' Max Braverman character on his life with his own son, who has Asperger syndrome.

He also wrote a play titled The Man Who Couldn't Dance. Katims is a former member of Stagewrights, a playwriting collective in New York City.

Filmography

• The Pallbearer (1996)
• The Vow (2012)

Television

• My So-Called Life (1994) " story editor
• Relativity (1996) " creator, pilot writer
• Roswell (1999"2002) " developer, executive producer, writer
• DeMarco Affairs (2004) " creator, executive producer
• Boston Public (2001"2004) " writer, executive producer
• Fertille Ground (2005) " executive producer
• Pepper Dennis (2006) " executive producer
• The Wedding Bells (2007) " executive producer, creator
• Friday Night Lights (2006"2011) " executive producer, writer, director
• Parenthood (2010"present) " creator, executive producer, writer, director