Stacy A. Littlejohn
Encyclopedia
Stacy A. Littlejohn is an American screenwriter, producer and showrunner. She is the creator, writer and executive producer of the VH1
network television series Single Ladies
. The hour-long scripted drama is set in Atlanta, Georgia and stars LisaRaye McCoy (as Keisha Greene), Stacey Dash
(as Valerie “Val” Stokes) and Charity Shea
(as April Goldberg-Jenkins). Littlejohn has worked as a writer on Fox network’s The Wanda Sykes Show
, as a writer and supervising producer on The CW’s All of Us, and as a producer on ABC’s Life with Bonnie.
. She attended the University of California, Berkeley
with initial plans of becoming a criminal defense attorney, but along the way reevaluated her direction and shifted focus to Mass Communications
. In her last year of college, she worked in the writer’s room as an intern on Nickelodeon’s sitcom My Brother and Me
with executive producer Calvin Brown Jr.
where she worked as a PA
on Fox’s The Last Frontier before securing a job as a writer’s assistant to Matt Wickline and John Bowman on The Show. She then worked on the sitcom Moesha
for a brief stint before Wickline offered her a job writing for a show he was creating for D.L. Hughley, ABC’s sitcom The Hughleys
.
Littlejohn next worked on such shows as One on One, Life with Bonnie, Platinum, Cedric the Entertainer Presents and Barbershop. She also lent her talents to an episode of Half & Half before working as a writer and producer on Will Smith’s
All of Us, culminating in Smith flying her out to New York to assist him on rewrites for the big-screen blockbuster Hitch
.
During the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, Littlejohn found herself unemployed for the first time since the age of 16. She took the time to work on a script she had been writing called Modern Love. Producer Maggie Malina of VH1, who was working with Queen Latifah's
Flavor Unit in search of the right project, read the script and asked Littlejohn to create a show. Littlejohn responded with VH1’s first-ever hour-long scripted series Single Ladies, which debuted May 30, 2011. Along with the season 3 premiere of Basketball Wives, Single Ladies posted the network’s highest ratings since October 2009 with its two-hour premiere drawing a 1.2 rating in the key P18-49 demo and 1.8 million total viewers. Combined with its 12am encore, Single Ladies drew in a total of 2.8 million viewers.
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
network television series Single Ladies
Single Ladies (TV series)
Single Ladies is a television series on the VH1 network in the U.S. created by Stacy A. Littlejohn and produced by Queen Latifah's Flavor Unit Entertainment for the MTV network-owned cable channel. The show chronicles three friends, Val, Keisha and April, and their relationships...
. The hour-long scripted drama is set in Atlanta, Georgia and stars LisaRaye McCoy (as Keisha Greene), Stacey Dash
Stacey Dash
Stacey Lauretta Dash is an American film and television actress.-Career:She made her first TV appearance in Farrell for the People starring Valerie Harper and a virtually unknown Ed O'Neill in 1982, which did not make it past its pilot episode...
(as Valerie “Val” Stokes) and Charity Shea
Charity Shea
Charity Shea is an American actress. She is best known for her role as troubled teenager Samantha Best in The Best Years. She has starred in films including Alpha Dog with Justin Timberlake and Bruce Willis...
(as April Goldberg-Jenkins). Littlejohn has worked as a writer on Fox network’s The Wanda Sykes Show
The Wanda Sykes Show
The Wanda Sykes Show was an American talk show hosted by comedian Wanda Sykes on Fox that debuted on November 7, 2009. The show was announced in March 2009 by the president of Fox, Kevin Reilly...
, as a writer and supervising producer on The CW’s All of Us, and as a producer on ABC’s Life with Bonnie.
Early life
Littlejohn was born in the San Francisco Bay AreaSan Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
. She attended the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
with initial plans of becoming a criminal defense attorney, but along the way reevaluated her direction and shifted focus to Mass Communications
Mass communication
Mass communication is the term used to describe the academic study of the various means by which individuals and entities relay information through mass media to large segments of the population at the same time...
. In her last year of college, she worked in the writer’s room as an intern on Nickelodeon’s sitcom My Brother and Me
My Brother and Me
My Brother and Me is a sitcom on Nickelodeon that premiered on October 15, 1994, and ran until February 2, 1995. The show is about a family living in the West Side of Charlotte, North Carolina, who experience the highs and lows of everyday life. Jennifer and Roger Parker have two sons, Alfie and...
with executive producer Calvin Brown Jr.
Career
After college, Littlejohn relocated to Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
where she worked as a PA
Production assistant
A production assistant, also known as a PA, is a job title used in filmmaking and television for a person responsible for various aspects of a production...
on Fox’s The Last Frontier before securing a job as a writer’s assistant to Matt Wickline and John Bowman on The Show. She then worked on the sitcom Moesha
Moesha
Moesha is an American sitcom series that aired on the UPN network from January 23, 1996 to May 14, 2001. The series stars R&B singer Brandy Norwood as Moesha Mitchell, a high school student living with her family in the Leimert Park neighborhood of South Central Los Angeles.-Overview:The show...
for a brief stint before Wickline offered her a job writing for a show he was creating for D.L. Hughley, ABC’s sitcom The Hughleys
The Hughleys
The Hughleys is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from September 22, 1998 to April 28, 2000 and on the UPN network from September 11, 2000 to May 20, 2002. It starred comedian D. L...
.
Littlejohn next worked on such shows as One on One, Life with Bonnie, Platinum, Cedric the Entertainer Presents and Barbershop. She also lent her talents to an episode of Half & Half before working as a writer and producer on Will Smith’s
Will Smith
Willard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. , also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor, producer, and rapper. He has enjoyed success in television, film and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood...
All of Us, culminating in Smith flying her out to New York to assist him on rewrites for the big-screen blockbuster Hitch
Hitch (film)
Hitch is a 2005 romantic comedy film directed by Andy Tennant and starring Will Smith. The film, which was written by Kevin Bisch, co-stars Eva Mendes, Kevin James, and Amber Valletta. Smith plays a professional matchmaker who makes a living teaching men how to woo women...
.
During the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, Littlejohn found herself unemployed for the first time since the age of 16. She took the time to work on a script she had been writing called Modern Love. Producer Maggie Malina of VH1, who was working with Queen Latifah's
Queen Latifah
Dana Elaine Owens , better known by her stage name Queen Latifah, is an American singer, rapper, and actress. Her work in music, film and television has earned her a Golden Globe award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, two Image Awards, a Grammy Award, six additional Grammy nominations, an Emmy...
Flavor Unit in search of the right project, read the script and asked Littlejohn to create a show. Littlejohn responded with VH1’s first-ever hour-long scripted series Single Ladies, which debuted May 30, 2011. Along with the season 3 premiere of Basketball Wives, Single Ladies posted the network’s highest ratings since October 2009 with its two-hour premiere drawing a 1.2 rating in the key P18-49 demo and 1.8 million total viewers. Combined with its 12am encore, Single Ladies drew in a total of 2.8 million viewers.