Jill Davis
Encyclopedia
Jill A. Davis is an American
author and television writer. She is a member of the Writers Guild of America
. She was nominated for 5 Emmy award
s for her 6 years of work as a writer for David Letterman
. Her first novel, Girls' Poker Night (published by Random House
in 2002), ISBN 0375505148, was a New York Times bestseller. It was published in 5 languages, and twelve countries. Her second novel, Ask Again Later, ISBN 9780060875961, was published by Ecco
in February 2007, and is now held by almost 900 libraries.
Prior to working in television, Davis was a newspaper reporter and columnist. After leaving the Late Show with David Letterman
, she created and executive-produced a television show pilot
for Dreamworks
starring Tracy Pollan
, Anna Says. She also wrote and published a number of screenplay
s, teleplay
s, short stories
and magazine articles.
Davis, originally from Berks County, Pennsylvania
, is a graduate of Endicott College
and Emerson College
, majoring in creative writing. She has an honorary Ph.D. in Arts & Letters from Endicott.
She is married and lives in New York City
with her husband and daughter.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author and television writer. She is a member of the Writers Guild of America
Writers Guild of America
The Writers Guild of America is a generic term referring to the joint efforts of two different US labor unions:* The Writers Guild of America, East , representing TV and film writers East of the Mississippi....
. She was nominated for 5 Emmy award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
s for her 6 years of work as a writer for David Letterman
David Letterman
David Michael Letterman is an American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman, broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC...
. Her first novel, Girls' Poker Night (published by Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
in 2002), ISBN 0375505148, was a New York Times bestseller. It was published in 5 languages, and twelve countries. Her second novel, Ask Again Later, ISBN 9780060875961, was published by Ecco
Ecco
Ecco may refer to:* Ecco, an imprint of the multinational publisher HarperCollins* ECCO, a Danish shoe manufacturer* Ecco & Miramont, a packaging and labels company* Ecco Employment Agency, an employment agency...
in February 2007, and is now held by almost 900 libraries.
Prior to working in television, Davis was a newspaper reporter and columnist. After leaving the Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
, she created and executive-produced a television show pilot
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
for Dreamworks
DreamWorks
DreamWorks Pictures, also known as DreamWorks, LLC, DreamWorks SKG, DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC, DreamWorks Studios or DW Studios, LLC, is an American film studio which develops, produces, and distributes films, video games and television programming...
starring Tracy Pollan
Tracy Pollan
Tracy Jo Pollan is an American actress. She is perhaps best-known for her recurring role as Ellen Reed on the sitcom Family Ties in the mid-1980s. It was on this show that she met future husband Michael J. Fox.-Personal life:...
, Anna Says. She also wrote and published a number of screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
s, teleplay
Teleplay
A teleplay is a television play, a comedy or drama written or adapted for television. The term surfaced during the 1950s with wide usage to distinguish a television plays from stage plays for the theater and screenplays written for films...
s, short stories
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
and magazine articles.
Davis, originally from Berks County, Pennsylvania
Berks County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 373,638 people, 141,570 households, and 98,532 families residing in the county. The population density was 435 people per square mile . There were 150,222 housing units at an average density of 175 per square mile...
, is a graduate of Endicott College
Endicott College
- History :Endicott was founded in 1939 by Eleanor Tupper and her husband, George O. Bierkoe, as a two-year women’s college. The college was issued its first charter by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in that year and graduated its first class in 1941. In 1944, it was approved by the state for...
and Emerson College
Emerson College
Emerson College is a private coeducational university located in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1880 by Charles Wesley Emerson as a "school of oratory," Emerson is "the only comprehensive college or university in America dedicated exclusively to communication and the arts in a liberal arts...
, majoring in creative writing. She has an honorary Ph.D. in Arts & Letters from Endicott.
She is married and lives in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
with her husband and daughter.
Novels
- 2007 Ask Again Later ISBN 978-0-06-087596-1, ISBN 978-0-06-087597-8 (hardcover)
- 2002 Girls' Poker Night ISBN 0-375-50514-8 (hardcover)
Collections/humor
- 1996 David Letterman’s New Book of Top Ten Lists and Wedding Dress Patterns for the Husky Brideby David Letterman, Steve O'Donnell, et al. ISBN 0-553-10243-5
- 1995 David Letterman’s Book of Top Ten Lists and Zest Lo-Cal Chicken Recipesby David Letterman, Steve O'Donnell, et al. ISBN 0-553-10222-2
- 1996 Home Cookin’ with Dave’s Momby David Letterman, foreword by David Letterman and Jill Davis. ISBN 0-671-00060-8
Short stories
- 2004 "New York" (in Girls' Night In, ed. Lauren Henderson, Chris Manby, Sarah Mlynowski, ISBN 0-373-25074-6)
- 2004 "Sister Goddess Ruby" (in May Contain Nuts: A Very Loose Canon of American Humor, ed. Michael J. Rosen, ISBN 0-06-051626-7)
Television and film
- 2000 Drinking, Smoking, Fooling Around, a collection of short stories adapted as monologues (HBO Productions) (writer)
- 1999 Mother's Helper, teleplay (Blue Relief, Inc.; Bob Kosberg Productions & Touchstone Pictures) (writer)
- 1999 Anna Says, sitcom pilot (Dreamworks Television and Lottery Hill Entertainment) (creator, writer, executive producer)
- 1998 The Group, sitcom (Blue Relief, Inc.) (creator, writer, executive producer)
- 1996 The Late Show with David Letterman: Video Special II (CBS) (writer)
- 1995 The Late Show with David Letterman: Video Special (CBS) (writer)
- 1993-1996 The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS) (writer)
- 1992 The Late Show with David Letterman: Tenth Anniversary Special (NBC) (writer)
- 1991-1993 The Late Show with David Letterman (NBC) (writer)
- Half Magic, film (Nickelodeon Films) (writer)
Articles
- "10 Things You Don't Know About Women: Jill Davis" (Esquire, November 30, 2002)
- "The Reason You're Still Single: Commitmentphobia Isn't Just a Guy Thing" (Cosmopolitan, Sept. 1 2002)
- The Countdown (serialized novella later developed as Ask Again Later, USA Today Open Book, 2008)
- "The North Shore's Literary Treasure, John UpdikeJohn UpdikeJohn Hoyer Updike was an American novelist, poet, short story writer, art critic, and literary critic....
" (North Shore Life, August–September 1987, Vol VII, No. 4)