Greg Berlanti

Quite a few of the characters on Everwood (2002) (especially minor ones) have the names of his friends and/or ex-teachers. In the episode "We Hold these Truths", the orchestra conductor is named "Mr. Mendick" after his English/drama teacher in high school.

I love telling stories. Creating a character, a world, a whole universe out of nothing. That part I can't get enough of. I think about myself and storytelling the way Bill Clinton described himself and the Presidency, and I'm paraphrasing here: 'There are guy who have done it better, but there's no one who's enjoyed it more'.