- This article is about the writer Rob Thomas. For other people with this name see Rob Thomas (disambiguation).
Rob Thomas (born August 15, 1965 in
Sunnyside, WashingtonSunnyside is a city in Yakima County, Washington, United States. The population was 13,905 at the 2000 census.-History:On September 16 1902, residents voted 42 to one to incorporate as the town of Sunnyside. By state law a town needed to have 300 citizens in order to legally incorporate...
) is an American author, producer, and
screenwriterScreenwriters or scenarists or scriptwriters are people in a film crew who write/create the screenplays from which films and television programs are made....
, best known as the author of the 1996 novel
Rats Saw GodRats Saw God is a novel written by Rob Thomas, published in 1996. It follows the main character Steve York, the son of an astronaut. Steve is a high school student who has had issues with marijuana and has found himself in the counselors office. The counselor tells him that he is flunking and if he...
and creator of the television program Veronica MarsVeronica Mars is an American television series created by Rob Thomas. The series premiered on September 22, 2004 during UPN's last two years, and ended on May 22, 2007, after a season on UPN's successor, The CW Television Network...
.
Thomas graduated from
San Marcos High SchoolSan Marcos High School is a public high school located near the Southern California city of Santa Barbara, United States. It is under the governance of the Santa Barbara School Districts, and has an enrollment of approximately 2200 students in Grades 9-12.San Marcos High School was founded in 1959...
in 1983, and from the
University of Texas at AustinThe University of Texas at Austin is a public research university located in Austin, Texas, United States, and is the flagship institution of The University of Texas System. The main campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol...
in 1987 with a BA in History.
Before he began writing novels for young adults, Thomas taught high-school
journalismJournalism is the craft of conveying news, descriptive material and comment via a widening spectrum of media. These include newspapers, magazines, radio and television, the internet and even, more recently, the mobile phone...
at John Marshall High School in
San AntonioSan Antonio is the second-largest city in the state of Texas and the seventh-largest city in the United States. The city is characteristic of other Southwest urban centers in which there are sparsely populated areas and a low density rate outside of the city. It was the fourth-fastest growing...
,
TexasTexas is the second-largest U.S. state in both area and population, and the largest state in the contiguous United States.The name had wide usage among native Americans, meaning "friends" or "allies"...
, and advised the University of Texas at Austin student magazine.
- This article is about the writer Rob Thomas. For other people with this name see Rob Thomas (disambiguation).
Rob Thomas (born August 15, 1965 in
Sunnyside, WashingtonSunnyside is a city in Yakima County, Washington, United States. The population was 13,905 at the 2000 census.-History:On September 16 1902, residents voted 42 to one to incorporate as the town of Sunnyside. By state law a town needed to have 300 citizens in order to legally incorporate...
) is an American author, producer, and
screenwriterScreenwriters or scenarists or scriptwriters are people in a film crew who write/create the screenplays from which films and television programs are made....
, best known as the author of the 1996 novel
Rats Saw GodRats Saw God is a novel written by Rob Thomas, published in 1996. It follows the main character Steve York, the son of an astronaut. Steve is a high school student who has had issues with marijuana and has found himself in the counselors office. The counselor tells him that he is flunking and if he...
and creator of the television program Veronica MarsVeronica Mars is an American television series created by Rob Thomas. The series premiered on September 22, 2004 during UPN's last two years, and ended on May 22, 2007, after a season on UPN's successor, The CW Television Network...
.
Education and early career
Thomas graduated from
San Marcos High SchoolSan Marcos High School is a public high school located near the Southern California city of Santa Barbara, United States. It is under the governance of the Santa Barbara School Districts, and has an enrollment of approximately 2200 students in Grades 9-12.San Marcos High School was founded in 1959...
in 1983, and from the
University of Texas at AustinThe University of Texas at Austin is a public research university located in Austin, Texas, United States, and is the flagship institution of The University of Texas System. The main campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol...
in 1987 with a BA in History.
Before he began writing novels for young adults, Thomas taught high-school
journalismJournalism is the craft of conveying news, descriptive material and comment via a widening spectrum of media. These include newspapers, magazines, radio and television, the internet and even, more recently, the mobile phone...
at John Marshall High School in
San AntonioSan Antonio is the second-largest city in the state of Texas and the seventh-largest city in the United States. The city is characteristic of other Southwest urban centers in which there are sparsely populated areas and a low density rate outside of the city. It was the fourth-fastest growing...
,
TexasTexas is the second-largest U.S. state in both area and population, and the largest state in the contiguous United States.The name had wide usage among native Americans, meaning "friends" or "allies"...
, and advised the University of Texas at Austin student magazine. From August 1993 to June 1995 he worked for
Channel One NewsChannel One News is a 12 minute news program for teens broadcast via satellite to middle schools and high schools across the United States.Channel One is owned by Alloy Media + Marketing and based in New York City.-Program History:...
, an experience which informed his novel 1998 Satellite Down
. Thomas was a member of three Austin, TexasAustin is the capital of the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 15th-largest in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in the nation...
bands — Public Bulletin, Hey Zeus, and Black Irish — from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s.
Entertainment career
Thomas's first television writing credit came on a 1996 episode of Cartoon Network's Space Ghost Coast to CoastSpace Ghost Coast to Coast is an animated spoof talk show. The show centers on numerous characters from the 60s Hanna-Barbera cartoon series Space Ghost, in which they return to host a humorous talk show purportedly shot and broadcast from Space Ghost's studio on the Ghost Planet in outer space...
. He next wrote the script that would eventually become the 1999 film Fortune Cookie
. Based on the script, he was offered a job on the writing staff of Dawson's CreekDawson's Creek is an American primetime television drama which initially aired from January 20, 1998, to May 14, 2003, on The WB Television Network. The lead production company was Sony Pictures Television. The show was set in the fictional town of Capeside, Massachusetts and in Boston,...
during the show's first season. After reading the same script, then-president of Sony Entertainment Jeff Sagansky suggested Thomas create a romantic comedy pilot. That show soon developed into Cupid
, a critically-acclaimed 1998 dramedy series canceled after 14 episodes in 1999. This led to Thomas being asked to run ABCThe American Broadcasting Company is an American television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. It first broadcast on television in 1948...
's 1999 series SnoopsSnoops is a short-lived American comedy-drama television series that aired on ABC. The series, which aired from September 26, 1999 to December 19, 1999, was created by David E. Kelley...
, although he left due to creative differences with David E. KelleyDavid Edward Kelley is an American screenwriter and television producer, best known as the creator of Picket Fences, Chicago Hope, The Practice, Ally McBeal, Boston Public and Boston Legal, as well as several films...
before the show aired. After Snoops
, Thomas got pilot orders for his US adaptation of the British Metropolis
and original script The Sticks
, but neither went to series.
Thomas got his second show picked up in 2004 — the critically successful but again low-rated Veronica MarsVeronica Mars is an American television series created by Rob Thomas. The series premiered on September 22, 2004 during UPN's last two years, and ended on May 22, 2007, after a season on UPN's successor, The CW Television Network...
, which battled low ratings until it was canceled after the third season in 2007. He was offered the showrunner position on NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices in Burbank,California...
's Friday Night LightsFriday Night Lights is an American television series adapted by Peter Berg, Brian Grazer and David Nevins from a book and film of the same name. The series details events surrounding the Dillon Panthers, a high school football team based in fictional Dillon, Texas, with particular focus given to...
in 2006, which he declined in favor of the possibility (and eventual reality) of a third season of Veronica Mars
. Thomas was also offered and declined CBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, one of television's original "big three", which also include NBC and ABC. Like NBC, CBS started out as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System...
's Viva LaughlinViva Laughlin is an American television musical-dramedy adapted by Bob Lowry and Peter Bowker from the popular BBC British serial, Blackpool. They also served as executive producers alongside Hugh Jackman, John Palermo, Paul Telegdy and Gabriele Muccino. The latter also directed the pilot...
in 2007; he joined ABC's Miss/Guided
in May 2007 before leaving in July of the same year, again due to creative differences.
Thomas worked as a writer on ABC's short-lived primetime series Big ShotsBig Shots is an American television drama created and executive produced by Jon Harmon Feldman. The pilot was directed by Charles McDougall.-History:...
from 2007 to 2008, co-wrote and shot the comedy pilot Party DownParty Down is an American comedy television series created by John Enbom, Rob Thomas, Dan Etheridge, and Paul Rudd that airs on the Starz network in the US and Super Channel in Canada....
(picked up by Starz to air in 2009), and had three pilots ordered for the 2008-2009 television season: a remake of CupidCupid is a television series that premiered on ABC on Tuesday, March 31, 2009 at 10:02 PM Eastern/9:02 PM Central. The series is a revival of sorts of the network's 1998 series of the same name, changing its primary setting from Chicago to New York City....
for ABC, since picked up to air midseason; Good Behavior
, a US adaptation of New Zealand series Outrageous FortuneOutrageous Fortune is a New Zealand comedy/drama television series, which was created by James Griffin and Rachel Lang and is produced by South Pacific Pictures. The show is broadcast on TV3 on Tuesday nights at 9:30pm. It began airing its fifth season in New Zealand starting on June 2, 2009,...
also for ABC, and a modern spinoff90210 is a teen drama developed by Rob Thomas, Jeff Judah and Gabe Sachs, and the fourth series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise created by Darren Star. 90210 is the first series produced by CBS Productions under the company's re-launch, but now produced by CBS Television Studios...
of Beverly Hills, 90210Beverly Hills, 90210 is a prime time television drama series that aired from October 4, 1990 to May 17, 2000 on Fox in the United States, and subsequently on various networks around the world. It is the first series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise...
for The CW, which he departed early in favor of his other projects. As of February 2009, according to Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books and popular culture. Unlike celebrity-focused publications US Weekly, People, and In Touch Weekly, EWs primary concentration is on entertainment...
, Thomas has fueled rumors of a possible Veronica MarsVeronica Mars is an American television series created by Rob Thomas. The series premiered on September 22, 2004 during UPN's last two years, and ended on May 22, 2007, after a season on UPN's successor, The CW Television Network...
film.
He has also adapted the screenplay for Drive Me CrazyDrive Me Crazy is a teen-oriented romantic comedy based on the novel How I Created My Perfect Prom Date by Todd Strasser. Originally entitled Next to You, the movie's title was changed to "Drive Me Crazy" after the song from its soundtrack, Britney Spears's song, Crazy...
, and directed On Air,
a twenty-minute film adaptation of a story from Doing Time
.
Books
Green ThumbGreen Thumb is a young-adult novel by Rob Thomas, creator of the television series Veronica Mars. It was published in 1999-Plot summary:...
(1999) (ISBN 0-689-82886-1)
Satellite Down
(1998) (ISBN 0-689-83052-1)
Doing Time: Notes from the Undergrad
(1997) (ISBN 0-689-82414-9)
Slave Day
(1997) (ISBN 0-689-82193-X)
Rats Saw GodRats Saw God is a novel written by Rob Thomas, published in 1996. It follows the main character Steve York, the son of an astronaut. Steve is a high school student who has had issues with marijuana and has found himself in the counselors office. The counselor tells him that he is flunking and if he...
(1996) (ISBN 0-689-80777-5)
Television programs
Good Behavior
(writer, executive producer)
Space Ghost Coast to CoastSpace Ghost Coast to Coast is an animated spoof talk show. The show centers on numerous characters from the 60s Hanna-Barbera cartoon series Space Ghost, in which they return to host a humorous talk show purportedly shot and broadcast from Space Ghost's studio on the Ghost Planet in outer space...
(1996) (writer, episode Explode
)
Dawson's CreekDawson's Creek is an American primetime television drama which initially aired from January 20, 1998, to May 14, 2003, on The WB Television Network. The lead production company was Sony Pictures Television. The show was set in the fictional town of Capeside, Massachusetts and in Boston,...
(1998) (writer, season one, episodes Prelude to a Kiss
aka Kiss
and In the Company of Men
aka Roadtrip
)
CupidCupid is a 1998–1999 American comedy-drama series created by Rob Thomas, which featured Paula Marshall as Dr. Claire Allen, a Chicago psychologist who is given charge of a man named Trevor Hale . Hale believes he is Cupid, sent down from Mt...
(1998) (creator, writer, executive producer)
Veronica MarsVeronica Mars is an American television series created by Rob Thomas. The series premiered on September 22, 2004 during UPN's last two years, and ended on May 22, 2007, after a season on UPN's successor, The CW Television Network...
(2004) (creator, writer, executive producer)
90210 (TV series)90210 is a teen drama developed by Rob Thomas, Jeff Judah and Gabe Sachs, and the fourth series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise created by Darren Star. 90210 is the first series produced by CBS Productions under the company's re-launch, but now produced by CBS Television Studios...
(2008) (creator, writer)
Party DownParty Down is an American comedy television series created by John Enbom, Rob Thomas, Dan Etheridge, and Paul Rudd that airs on the Starz network in the US and Super Channel in Canada....
(2009) (creator, writer, executive producer)
Plymouth Rock
(2010) (creator, writer, executive producer)
Films
Fortune Cookie
(1999) (Writer)
Drive Me CrazyDrive Me Crazy is a teen-oriented romantic comedy based on the novel How I Created My Perfect Prom Date by Todd Strasser. Originally entitled Next to You, the movie's title was changed to "Drive Me Crazy" after the song from its soundtrack, Britney Spears's song, Crazy...
(1999) (Screenwriter)
Veronica Mars: The Movie (Unreleased) (Writer)
External links