Tisch Talk: Showrunners of HBO Max's 'Love Life'

Join NYU Tisch Alumni Relations for a Tisch Talk with the Showrunners of HBO Max's Love Life, featuring Bridget Bedard '01 (MFA, Kanbar Institute, Graduate Film), Sam Boyd '12 (BFA, Kanbar Institute, Film & TV), and Rachelle Williams. 

Please note: The number of allotted spaces to receive a screener for the first three episodes has been reached. If you have not yet registered, you can still do so to watch the conversation.

Bridget, Sam, and Rachelle will discuss the upcoming season of Love Life, and Bridget and Sam's time at NYU Tisch, with Professor Susan Sandler.

Season 2 of Love Life will debut on HBO Max on Thursday, October 28. RSVP today to get a link to watch the first three episodes, and join us on Wednesday, November 3rd at 5 pm PT/8 PM ET for the Showrunners conversation.

*This event is limited to Tisch alumni and students. Your status will be verified before receiving the Zoom link and invitation to screen the episodes. Thank you!*

BRIDGET BEDARD '01 (MFA, KANBAR INSTITUTE, GRADUATE FILM)

Bridget Bedard is a triple-Peabody award winning television writer and producer who has also garnered a Golden Globe, both Writers’ and Producers’ Guild awards, as well as multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. Her career in film and television began with NYU’s prestigious MFA directing program, which culminated with her short film premiering at the Sundance Film Festival. She then transitioned to television writing with season one of Matthew Weiner’s Mad Men, followed by Ray Romano’s Men of a Certain Age. In 2014 Bridget teamed up with Joey Soloway as the head writer on the first season of the acclaimed series, TRANSPARENT, whose success is often credited with the launch of Amazon Studios. There she won a Golden Globe and a Producer’s Guild Award. She became an Executive Producer going into Season Three and took on the role of Showrunner for Season Four. TRANSPARENT is the winner of eight Emmy Awards, two Golden Globes, a Peabody, a BAFTA, a Critics Choice Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Producers Guild of America Award. In 2018, after four seasons of Transparent, Bridget signed an overall deal with Hulu where she was the showrunner on season one of A24’s RAMY. The show was awarded the Audience award at SXSW in addition to being nominated for Breakthrough series at the Gotham Independent Film Awards and for three Golden Globes for its first season, winning one. She went on to sign an overall deal at Warner Media where she co-showran LOVE LIFE for two seasons. She is currently in an overall with HBOMax.

SAM BOYD '12 (BFA, KANBAR INSTITUTE, FILM & TV)

Writer, producer, and director Sam Boyd continues to expand his repertoire with dynamic projects that showcase his abilities as an honest and modern storyteller. 
 
Boyd is the creator, co-showrunner, and executive producer of the anthology series LOVE LIFE, produced by Lionsgate Television and Paul Feig’s Feigco Entertainment. Each season of the show follows a different protagonist over the course of many years, with each half-hour episode chronicling a new interpersonal relationship.  The second installment will star Emmy-nominee William Jackson Harper and Jessica Williams in the lead roles, and will also feature Arian Moayed, Leslie Bibb and Blair Underwood in recurring roles. Boyd will return as co-writer for the premiere episode, and director of the premiere and finale episodes for the sophomore season, which will debut in October 2021 on HBO Max. The first installment, which premiered on HBO Max on May 27, 2020 as part of the streaming platform’s official launch, starred Anna Kendrick in the leading role, as well as Zoe Chao, Peter Vack and Sasha Compère. Boyd wrote and directed multiple episodes for the inaugural season, including the pilot and finale episodes. Following a strong audience response to the premiere, HBO Max accelerated the release of the remaining episodes, and shortly thereafter, the platform picked up the series for a second season. Previously, Boyd made his feature directorial debut with the romantic dramedy IN A RELATIONSHIP, which he also wrote and produced. Starring Emma Roberts and Michael Angarano, the film follows the contrasting relationships of two couples over one summer. Shortly after making its world premiere at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival, IN A RELATIONSHIP was picked up by Vertical Entertainment for a limited theatrical release. The film is a feature-length adaptation of Boyd’s 2015 short film of the same name, starring Dakota Johnson and Nicholas Braun. 
 
He currently resides in Los Angeles.

RACHELLE WILLIAMS

A native of Atlanta, GA (though most of her childhood was spent in Stone Mountain, GA if we're being official), Rachelle was raised by her school teacher, single mom and TV. She started writing some terrible fanfic and scripts during her emo pre-teen years and decided this was what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. Rachelle graduated from Boston University’s College of Communication in 2007 with a degree in Film and Television, set on being a screenwriter. After 2 weeks in LA, she switched to TV writing because it “seemed easier.” Then, the 2007 writers strike happened and Rachelle ended up in docu-reality television, first working as an office and set PA, then as a Production Coordinator/Clearance Coordinator for various reality TV shows. She was also a ghost writer, web series maker, babysitter and punch up writer. In 2015, Rachelle got her "first" big break on the STARZ series SURVIVOR'S REMORSE. Since then, Rachelle has staffed on multiple series. Currently she is the showrunner/executive producer for season two of the STARZ hit RUN THE WORLD and is also a Co-Showrunner/executive producer for the HBO Max anthology series LOVE LIFE. Previously, she worked on a wide range of series, including the BLACKish spinoff MIXEDish, the animated series TUCA AND BERTIE, Tracy Oliver's FIRST WIVES CLUB on BET+ and TACOMA FD on TruTV. She is married to her other half Ben and they have a two year old son, Zisha, who is the manifestation of all of their wildest dreams. One day, Rachelle hopes to live in a chateau in Switzerland, near or around Tina Turner.

MODERATED BY

PROFESSOR SUSAN SANDLER (KANBAR INSTITUTE, FILM & TV)

Susan Sandler’s screenplays and teleplays include the Golden Globe nominated Crossing Delancey (based on her original play) and Friends At Last, as well as projects for Sony, Twentieth Century Studios, Disney, TNT, and Columbia. Most recently, she directed and produced the feature documentary film Julia Scotti: Funny That Way currently in relase from 1091 Pictures on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV and other major digital platforms. Shot over five years, the film follows the triumphant comeback of transgender comedian Julia Scotti (last seen decades ago as Rick Scotti performing with Chris Rock and Jerry Seinfeld) as she comes out on America’s Got Talent, her children return after a fifteen year estrangement, and she makes her return to Standup comedy. Sandler’s work for the stage has been produced at major theatres across the country, and around the world. Along with Crossing Delancey, her plays include Under the Bed, The Renovation, The Moaner, If I Were A Train, The Find, and The Burial Society. She is a full time professor at NYU Tisch School of the Arts Kanbar Institute of Film & Television where she also guides the Fusion Film Festival, celebrating women in film, TV, and new media.