We were lucky to catch up with Heather Zuhlke recently and have shared our conversation below.
Heather , appreciate you joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
I had always excelled in creative writing and had teachers in middle school that recognized and fostered my talent. When I was in tenth grade, I had the opportunity to attend a rehearsal for the 65th Annual Academy Awards. My dad’s cousin, Anna Hart, was friends with one of the producers that year and we were extended an invite to see it all come together. It was the year some of the songs from the “Bodyguard” soundtrack were nominated for “Best Song” and Natalie Cole performed an incredible medley. Then, as Placido Domingo was performing a song from the “Mambo Kings,” Debbie Allen was working with the dancers on the choreography. I remember sitting in the theatre and seeing the lights illuminate the stage… and that’s when I started to dream big about becoming a screenwriter.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
As a television Showrunner, I am both a writer and an Executive Producer on Starz hit family/crime drama, “BMF.” Our fourth season premieres on June 6th 2025 and I’m really proud of the work our team did. My dear friend and “BMF” creator, Randy Huggins, had a massive stroke after we wrapped Season Two, and I’ve had the great honor of carrying on his legacy as the Showrunner. Our series is a labor of love in honor of Randy, so there’s great purpose in what we get to do as storytellers.
As the Showrunner, I wear multiple hats from running the writers room, doing final rewrites on drafts and interfacing with the studio and network. After the writers room wraps, I assist in producing the episodes on set and collaborate with our cast, crew and directors to make sure the vision we have for every script is executed. I empower our writers to be on set to produce their episodes as well. After we wrap production, I participate in the editing and post-production process to get our episodes ready to air.
I’ve been in the business now for 25 years and majored in TV/Film Communications at Cal State Fullerton. I began my career twenty-five years ago, with an internship for school credit at Marc Platt productions on the Universal lot. At the time, Marc had just optioned the book “Wicked” and was working on turning it into a musical. His assistant, Joey Levey, shared an industry job list with me that led to my first “foot-in-the-door” job as a Production Assistant at John Wells Productions. I didn’t have any connections and I got hired for being just “me.” At the time, John was producing three hit series, “ER,” “The West Wing” and “Third Watch.” After being a Production Assistant for six months, I worked my way up to being John’s Second Assistant and a year later, I became his First Assistant. After assisting John for five years, I told him I wanted to be a writer and that year he had a pilot that was ordered to series and staffed me on it. I’ve now been working in writer’s rooms for twenty-years and have been on ten shows. I have always aspired to follow in John’s footsteps and become a Showrunner, so it’s amazing to finally be in that position. I’m also involved in hiring decisions and am able to elevate talented people who normally wouldn’t be given a shot.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
Professionally, I love mentoring and giving people opportunities to promote. In a town full filled with “no’s,” you need to find people who will say “yes” to your dreams, so getting to share in some of those “yes” moments with colleagues has been very powerful. I had some wonderful mentors, John Wells, Reeva Hunter Mandelbaum, Andrew Stearn and Joy Ann Daffern, so it’s always nice to pay it forward. My goal is to help raise the next generation of showrunners and I believe there’s a slice of the pie for everyone. I’m currently developing and co-creating series with four other writers who are less experienced than me and I hand picked them because they have amazing talent and drive. It’s also really fulfilling to be able to create your own work culture. I tell my staff the work will always be there and if someone needs to take a day off, that’s okay. I encourage them to go to their kids performances, get to their doctor’s appointments and if someone needs a mental health day, take it. For me personally, it’s incredibly rewarding to set an example for my own children to dream big and that hard work pays off. The other fun part of my job is there’s always a new a new idea and a new dream. There are so many amazing stories to tell.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
After being in the business for twenty-five years, I am inspired to create my own series. Writers use two magical words “what if” to unlock stories and the other two words that drive me are “Created By.” With the “Created By” credit, it gives me the power to create jobs for others during a time when so many folks are out of work. We are in the midst of the great Hollywood “contraction” so it inspires me to push my projects across the finish line to create jobs for others.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: heather_zuhlke
