Karin Gist

Writer/producer Karin Gist may be best known for her contribution to the creation of the kid-friendly musical comedy "Camp Rock," but Gist began her career penning episodes of the adult-aimed urban buddy sitcom "Girlfriends." Gist received a degree in English literature from Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, before earning her law degree from the prestigious Georgetown University Law Center. She practiced law for three years, but ultimately her love of writing pried her away from life as a lawyer. Despite her change of career, Gist's law experience came in handy when she joined the writing staff of UPN's "Girlfriends" in 2002, as several of the sitcom's characters work at a law firm. By 2003, Gist began making her way up the producer's ladder and was finally promoted to producer in 2006. Her work on "Girlfriends" ultimately garnered her one Image Award nomination and a BET Comedy Award. When the series wrapped in 2008, Gist worked on the script for Disney's Jonas Brothers vehicle, "Camp Rock," a TV movie that launched the career of burgeoning starlet Demi Lovato. After this dip into tween TV, Gist upgraded to teen dramas, writing and producing on the long-running North Carolina-set saga "One Tree Hill." After two years, she left the series to write and produce on the action/thriller "Undercovers," a new series created by heralded writer/producer/director J.J. Abrams.