Nancy Oliver

Writer-producer-director Nancy Oliver made a name for herself with acclaimed work on cable drama series and in independent films. After years of stuggle, Oliver was hired as a staff writer by her friend Alan Ball for his acclaimed drama "Six Feet Under" (HBO, 2001-05) during the show's third season. Once that critical darling wrapped, Oliver signed on to produce the short-lived lottery drama "Windfall" (NBC, 2006). That project failed to find an audience, leading the writer-producer to turn her attentions to a script she had written years earlier about a delusional young man involved in a committed, romantic relationship with a lifelike sex mannequin. Quirky and unconventional, yet charming and bittersweet at the same time, "Lars and the Real Girl" (2007), starring Ryan Gosling in the title role, earned several award nominations as one of the more critically successful indie films of the year. When Ball was gearing up for his next project, he immediately invited Oliver to join his team on the modern-day vampire gothic, "True Blood" (HBO, 2008-14). Despite a soft start, "True Blood" went on to become one of the cable network's most watched shows ever, while Oliver's writing duties quickly expanded to include the role of co-executive producer. A gifted writer with a keen insight into the human condition, Oliver continued to delve into what made humans tick in ways both unexpected and relatable.