Brenda Hampton (Executive Producer)

BRENDA HAMPTON is creator, writer and executive producer of the critically-acclaimed WB series "7th Heaven." Now entering its ninth season, "7th Heaven" has been lauded as one of the few family-oriented gems in prime time television and it has consistently been the WB's highest-rated show for the past seven years, as well as the first WB series to break into the weekly top 50.

TV Guide says "in the garish world of television dramas, 7th Heaven' stands out as an oasis of normalcy, a celebration of a healthy, loving family" and critics have given credit to Hampton for the show's success. TV Guide also says "the unique flavor of '7th Heaven' - sweet and yet surprisingly subtle, moral without being righteous - is attributable to the abiding influence of series creator Brenda Hampton."

Hampton's idea, when she pitched the series to television legend Aaron Spelling (whose company produces the show) was to write a series about a functional family. Spelling was interested and since its premiere in 1996, issues such as teen sex, drugs, alcoholism, gun play, homelessness and racism have been covered. Hampton and the show have received scores of awards, including honors from the Parents Television Council, the Kids Choice Awards, the Teen's Choice Awards for favorite drama series, Viewers Voice, the Anti-Defamation League, Film Advisory Board and the Academy of Religious Broadcasting.

A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Hampton grew up in a television family - her father was a TV repairman and her family had the first color TV in the neighborhood. Inspired by such childhood favorites including "Father Knows Best," "The Donna Reed Show" and "The Andy Griffith Show," Hampton studied journalism at the University of Georgia and has been a writer throughout her professional life. Beginning with a stint as a technical writer for the U.S. Navy, then writing corporate newsletters, speeches and technical manuals, she moved to Los Angeles in the early 1980's and quickly landed an agent and a writing job on the NBC sitcom "Sister Kate," followed by a story editor position on CBS' "Baghdad Café" with Whoopi Goldberg and Jean Stapleton.

From there, she was hired by noted Hollywood writer/producer Don Reo to work on CBS's "Lenny" then the highly-rated NBC series "Blossom." She then teamed with David Landsburg to develop and executive produce the Dudley Moore vehicle "Daddy's Girls" for CBS where she cast Keri Russell in her first television role. Hampton then landed a supervising producer role on the hit NBC series "Mad About You," and went on to create "7th Heaven."

Hampton has numerous projects in development, including a high-profile project with cultural icon Fannie Flagg ("Fried Green Tomatoes"). She resides in the Los Angeles area with her husband, Tim Bui, and daughter Zoe.