Glen Mazzara

Glen Mazzara is a television Writer/Creator/Showrunner who is currently Showrunner for Beacon 23, starring Lena Headey and Stephan James. In 2022 he was hired as a Consulting Producer for Beacon 23, but was elevated to Showrunner. He is also a Consulting Producer for The Rookie, starring Nathan Fillion. He is currently developing several projects based on major IP. Mazzara developed and created Damien, the A&E’s series based on the classic horror film, The Omen.

Before that, Mazzara was Executive Producer and Showrunner for AMC's record-breaking series,The Walking Dead, which earned him two Saturn awards and was listed as one of AFI’s Top Ten TV Programs of 2012. In 2010, Mazzara was asked to join the original writing staff of The Walking Dead season one. He wasn’t available because he was shooting Hawthorne with Jada Pinkett Smith. However, Glen Mazzara contributed to season one writing episode 5, Wildfire,[1] as a freelance writer. Frank Darabont[2] so enjoyed the script that he asked Mazzara to join the season two writing staff and serve as his number two Writer-Producer. Mazzara was then elevated to Showrunner for seasons two and three. It was during these seasons that the show made history with record ratings including beating the NFL in Sunday night viewership. The Walking Dead was the number 1 rated Sunday night show downgrading the NFL to the number 2 spot leading AMC president Charlie Collier to state that, “For fans of The Walking Dead, the show is like their favorite team playing a home game on national TV every week."[3] According to the Hollywood Reporter, The Walking Dead in its first season premiered to 5.35 million viewers. As Showrunner, Mazzara took the show to new heights in season two where viewership grew by 32 percent to 6.91 million viewers. Mazzara’s vision for the show led to even greater popularity when in season three viewership rose to 10.75 million viewers.[4] Under his watch, viewership grew every single episode and never dipped while he was Showrunner.

Mazzara was awarded the 2013 Bram Stoker award for Superior Achievement in a Screenplay. He also earned a Peabody for his work on the Golden Globe-winning television series, The Shield, FX’s first drama. He ran season two of TNT's medical drama Hawthorne and worked on NBC's Life. He created the series Crash, the first scripted drama on STARZ and developed Stephen King’s “Dark Tower” novels as a series for Amazon. He writes in multiple genres including horror, crime, suspense thriller, sci-fi and fantasy.

Mazzara is co-chair of the WGA’s Inclusion & Equity Group and has been working to improve television employment opportunities for writers of diverse backgrounds. He is a co-founder of the WGA Staff Writer Bootcamp. Mazzara is a frequent speaker at the WGA, the Writers Guild Foundation, the WGA Showrunner Training Program, and the WGA Writers Access Project. He is on the Board of Trustees for Humanitas. He is a member of ReFrame, which works to improve opportunities for women in the entertainment industry. He has taught classes and seminars at colleges across the country and is a frequent speaker at professional conferences both in the U.S. and overseas. He is a proud member of NYU’s Mentoring Network and received their inaugural Mentor of the Year Award. He has served as an advisor for the Sundance Institute’s Episodic Story Lab.

• Glen Mazzara at IMDb
• Master Class with Glen Mazzara at 2012 Banff World Media Festival
• Q&A with Glen Mazzara at 2012 Banff World Media Festival