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Creating a Successful Story
Acclaimed producer and hit TV writer MARTA KAUFFMAN has a talent for creating great stories – leading to culturally iconic series such as Friends and Grace and Frankie. Marta’s expertise in collaboration, empathy, and human stories makes for an engaging talk with insights that resonate in organizations of all kinds.
Famed TV writer Marta Kauffman – who created iconic series like Friends and Grace and Frankie – makes an impact beyond the screen
Powerful and successful Hollywood writer and producer MARTA KAUFFMAN is telling beloved stories that make an impact. Her talent for creating great stories led to Friends, one of the most popular series in television history, which she co-created with David Crane. In response to the cultural conversation about the lack of diversity in the beloved show, Marta pledged $4 million to endow a professorship in African and African American Studies at Brandeis University, her alma mater.
Marta co-founded the female-led production company Okay Goodnight, and went on to create, write, and produce the critically acclaimed Netflix series Grace and Frankie, which stars Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin and has earned 13 Emmy nominations. Her impact on television and pop culture is undeniable – Marta shares insights on creativity, collaboration, and storytelling in engaging talks.
Watch Marta Kauffman’s motivational commencement at Brandeis >>
Marta recently finished the Netflix comedy Grace and Frankie starring Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. She may be best known for creating NBC’s long-running hit Friends with David Crane. The iconic series ran for 10 seasons and earned 63 Emmy nominations, winning Outstanding Comedy Series in 2002. Reruns continue to delight with Friends: The Reunion being a ratings juggernaut. She and David Crane also created HBO's Dream On recognized with CableAce Awards and additional Emmy nominations. The Writers Guild of America, West awarded Kauffman and Crane the 2016 Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for lifetime achievement in television writing. She also earned the 2016 Outstanding Television Writer award at the 23rd annual Austin Film Festival & Screenwriters Conference as well as the Kieser Humanitas Award. She recently received an Honorary Doctorate from Brandeis University.
Marta's other credits include Georgia, Five, Veronica's Closet, The Powers That Be, Call Me Crazy: A Five Film and the documentary Seeing Allred.
Marta has served on several Boards of Trustees including CalArts, Oakwood School, The Lung Cancer Foundation of America, Big Sunday and IKAR.
Marta has three children, two grandchildren, two dogs and a toothless cat.
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