Pitch-A-Thon! Roadshow

With a four-decade career spanning Hollywood studios, bestselling novels, cutting-edge digital storytelling, and educational innovation, Jeffrey Stepakoff is a rare creative force who has taken bold creative risks at every stage of his journey, and transformed entire industries in the process.
Raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Stepakoff graduated from Woodward Academy before earning a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication and a Master of Fine Arts in Playwriting from Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama. After completing his education, he moved to Hollywood and launched a career that would take him to the highest levels of the entertainment industry.
He began writing and producing for iconic television series like The Wonder Years and Dawson’s Creek, where he served as co-executive producer. Over the years, he earned “written by” or “story by” credits on 37 television episodes, wrote for 15 different series, and worked as a writer and producer on eight primetime or first-run cable staffs. He has been credited on more than 200 episodes of popular television. In addition to his work in series television, he wrote pilots for every major broadcast network and co-wrote the animated blockbusters Tarzan and Brother Bear for Disney.
A natural innovator, Stepakoff expanded his storytelling into digital and interactive media well before the streaming era. He held key creative roles at HarperCollins Interactive, Inscape (HBO/Time Warner), and Universal Studios. He also wrote the popular video game Quarterback Attack with Mike Ditka and helped pioneer internet-based storytelling with Perspectives, one of the earliest “webisodic” series developed for Paramount Studios’ digital division.
One of his most profound creative risks came not in Hollywood, but in returning home.
Back in Georgia, Stepakoff became a tenured professor at Kennesaw State University, where he built the school’s first film and television writing program. He has also taught at Carnegie Mellon, UNC-Chapel Hill, Clemson, Notre Dame, City College of New York, and Emory University. In 2015, Governor Nathan Deal recruited him to serve as the founding Executive Director of the Georgia Film Academy, a statewide workforce program that trained more than 16,000 students and helped double the state’s production economy to over $4 billion.
Today, as President and CEO of the Trilith Institute, Stepakoff is helping to shape the future of storytelling through an innovative educational model that trains, empowers, and retains writers, directors, and story artists within Georgia’s growing entertainment industry.
He is also an internationally bestselling novelist, with more than one million copies of his books in print across 20 languages. His nonfiction title, Billion-Dollar Kiss, is widely regarded as a definitive guide to the business of television writing.
A highly sought-after speaker, Stepakoff regularly presents to media organizations, business groups, and academic institutions. He speaks on topics including the state of Georgia’s entertainment industry, education and workforce development, and the emerging creative economy.
Honored by the Georgia General Assembly and named one of Atlanta’s Most Admired CEOs by the Atlanta Business Chronicle, Jeffrey Stepakoff’s career is a masterclass in creative risk. From the writers’ room to the classroom to the boardroom, he proves that betting on bold ideas and on yourself doesn’t just move stories forward. It moves culture.