Meredith Stiehm | |
|---|---|
 | |
| President of theWriters Guild of America West | |
| Assumed office 2021 | |
| Preceded by | David A. Goodman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1968 (age 57–58) Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Education | University of Pennsylvania (BA) |
Meredith Stiehm (/stiːm/STEEM;[1] born 1968) is an American television producer, writer, and trade union leader who has served as president of theWriters Guild of America West since 2021. She is the creator of the hit crime dramaCold Case and theFX thriller dramaThe Bridge.
Stiehm grew up inSanta Monica, California and graduated fromSanta Monica High School. She went on to attend theUniversity of Pennsylvania (UPenn), graduating in 1990 with a degree in English and playwriting. Her experiences in urbanPhiladelphia at UPenn and as a young woman in the entertainment industry provided much of the inspiration forCold Case.[2][3]
Stiehm got her start in the entertainment industry writing forNorthern Exposure and laterBeverly Hills, 90210. She went on to write forNYPD Blue for four seasons, for which she earned anEmmy nomination for "Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series". OnNYPD Blue Stiehm was one of very few women in the writer's room.[3][4] After leavingNYPD Blue, Stiehm wrote forER for two seasons.
In 2003, Stiehm developed the seriesCold Case, aCBS crime drama following a female homicide detective specializing in "cold cases", or unsolved murders, ranging from the early 2000s all the way back to the 1910s. The show explored many issues related to 20th century American history, including sexism, racism, homophobia, anti-war activism and police brutality. In 2004, Stiehm was one of five female showrunners at CBS and, at 35, was the youngest among them. Stiehm remarked that she was mistaken for the stand-in for the lead actress on the first day of shooting.[2] In 2005, Stiehm said that the show had more women in senior positions than any other television show. In 2010,Cold Case was cancelled after seven seasons.
In 2011, Stiehm joined theShowtimethrillerHomeland as a writer and executive producer, writing several episodes in thefirst two seasons. Stiehm was the show's sole female writer. She won an Emmy Award for Best Series forHomeland.
Stiehm leftHomeland after two seasons to develop – together withElwood Reid – theFX seriesThe Bridge, based on the Danish/Swedish seriesThe Bridge. Set on the border betweenEl Paso andJuárez, the show followed two detectives – one from the U.S., Detective Sonya Cross (Diane Kruger), and one from Mexico, Marco Ruiz (Demián Bichir) – who worked together to hunt down a serial killer operating on both sides of the U.S.-Mexican border. Due to creative differences with her co-producer, Stiehm left the series after one season and returned toHomeland.The Bridge was cancelled after its second season. Stiehm remained withHomeland for Season 3, 4 and 5.
In September 2018, it was announced that Stiehm was adapting the bestselling novelThe Banker's Wife for television; the series was ultimately scrapped due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.
In 2019, as WGA Agency Campaign Co-chair, Stiehm joined otherWGA members in firing her agents as part ofthe Guild's stand against theATA and the practice ofpackaging.[5]
Writing
Producer
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