Jane Espenson is a 20-year television veteran, best known for her work in the area of writing science fiction television. Espenson was born and raised in Ames, Iowa, where she decided early on that she wanted to write for television. Inspired by “M*A*S*H,” “Barney Miller,” “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “The Odd Couple” and other classic shows, she hoped for a career as a comedy writer, but it didn’t seem to be an attainable goal, and so she set it aside to pursue more practical pursuits.
She attended UC Berkeley as an undergrad and as a graduate student, studying Computer Science and Linguistics and ultimately earning a Master’s Degree in Cognitive Science. Her work, with pioneering linguist George Lakoff, focused primarily on the ways in which the use of metaphor reveals the underpinnings of how we process the world around us.
During this time she worked part-time with a Northern California company that developed trade names and she contributed to the naming of a number of widely-used products.
She also wrote a number of spec scripts (writing samples) that she submitted to “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” resulting in a series of trips to Paramount Studios where she was able to pitch stories to the show’s writing staff. Next, she participated in the ABC/Disney Writing Fellowship, and then to begin working as a paid writer.
Her early work was primarily in comedy and included stints at “Dinosaurs” and “Ellen.” She later moved to the hour-long format where she wrote episodes for shows including “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Angel,” “Firefly,” “The O.C.,” “Gilmore Girls,” “The Inside, Dollhouse,” “Battlestar Galactica,” “Caprica,” “A Game of Thrones,” “Torchwood: Miracle Day,” and co-created Syfy’s “Warehouse 13.” Science fiction and fantasy are well-represented among these titles, cementing her reputation as a genre writer.
She also co-wrote and executive-produced the Emmy-nominated “Battlestar” webisodes, The Face of the Enemy, and has written comic books, short stories and edited books of essays. She is currently proud be Consulting Producer on ABC’s upcoming “Once Upon a Time,” and has executive produced (along with co-writer Brad Bell and director Jeff Greenstein) her own web series called Husbands, a marriage equality comedy.
Rex Sikes’ Movie Beat chats with writer producer Jane Espenson, Part 1
Rex Sikes’ Movie Beat chats with writer producer Jane Espenson, Part 2
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