Rob Thomas

An enormously gifted writer-producer, Rob Thomas began his career penning young adult novels before landing an impressive gig on "Dawson's Creek" (The WB, 1998-2003). He went on to create the acclaimed "Cupid" (ABC, 1998-99), which proved short-lived but so adored by critics that ABC revived it for one season in 2009 with a different cast and a tweaked concept. After penning the screenplay for the teen hit "Drive Me Crazy" (1999), Thomas created "Veronica Mars" (UPN, 2004-06; The CW, 2006-07), the story of a teen gumshoe (Kristen Bell) out to solve the murder of her best friend (Amanda Seyfried) in the small town of Neptune. Beloved by critics and its small but passionate audience, the series ended much too soon, freeing Thomas up to help develop the reimaged "90210" (The CW, 2008-2013) and, more importantly, to co-create another acclaimed but little-seen gem, the Hollywood-skewering catering comedy "Party Down" (Starz, 2009-2010), which earned him an AFI Award. As rumors swirled that "Veronica Mars" and "Party Down" might receive feature films, the former possibility happened when Thomas raised $2 million on Kickstarter with the help of fans, ensuring "Veronica" would finally get the big-screen treatment. A sensitive and smart writer, Rob Thomas put so much heart into his greatest creations that they remained vibrant and alive even when no longer on the air.