Bill Bleich
Department of Radio/Television/Film
Senior Lecturer
Associate Chair, Department of Radio, TV, Film
Associate Director, MFA in Writing for Screen and Stage
Associate Director, Creative Writing for the Media Program
w-bleich@northwestern.edu
1920 Campus Drive, Room 303
Evanston, IL 60208
Graduate Programs: Writing for Screen and Stage
Bill Bleich is a screenwriter with over a dozen produced network television movies, features, mini-series and pilots to his credit including: Deadly Messages, Good Cops, Bad Cops; Danger Island; The Midnight Hour; Smoky Mountain Christmas; Children of Stepford; Gladiator; The Hearse; When Dreams Come True; and From The Dead of Night. He created the Universal syndicated television series Shades of L.A. and was on staff of the Showtime series Poltergeist: The Legacy. Bill has served in a producing capacity on many of his projects. In addition to screenwriting, his librettos for young people’s symphonies have been performed by numerous major orchestras and he has written stand-up comedy for David Letterman and others. He is a lifetime member of the Writers Guild of America and a member of the California State Bar Association.
Education
| JD | University of California Law School at Berkeley (Boalt Hall) |
| MFA | Screenwriting, UCLA School of Film and Television |
| BGS | Political Philosophy, University of Michigan |
Recent Accomplishments
Screenplay credit on over a dozen produced network television movies, features, mini-series and pilots. Produced credits include: Deadly Messages (nominated for an Edgar Award for Best Mystery); Good Cops, Bad Cops; Danger Island; The Midnight Hour; Smoky Mountain Christmas; Children of Stepford; Gladiator; The Hearse; When Dreams Come True and From The Dead of Night.
Created the Universal syndicated television series “Shades of L.A.” and was on staff of the Showtime series “Poltergeist: The Legacy,” and has served in a producing capacity on many of his projects.
Wrote librettos for young people’s symphonies that have been performed by numerous major orchestras and has written stand-up comedy for David Letterman and others.
Taught screenwriting at the UCLA Extension Writers Program and the NYU Professional School. Guest lectured at the Australian Film Television and Radio School, the University of Melbourne, and the University of Auckland in New Zealand.
Recent Awards and Honors
Nominated for an Edgar Award for Best Mystery for the television movie Deadly Messages.
Lifetime member of the Writers' Guild of America.
Member of the California State Bar Association.
Courses
| RTVF 260-0 | Foundations of Screenwriting |
| RTVF 360-0 | Writing the Feature Film |
| RTVF 360-0 | Writing the Socially Conscious Film |
| RTVF 360-0 | Writing the Suspense Thriller |
| RTVF 360-0 | Writing the Supernatural Film |
| RTVF 360–0 | Writing the Television Script |
| CMN 350-0 | Creative Writing for the Media Program |
| RTVF 561-0 | MFA in Writing for the Screen and Stage |
| RTVF 564-0 | MFA Full Length Project |


