In real life, writer/director/producer Berlanti is good-looking and exceedingly articulate, just like most of the characters he created on his TV series Everwood and the short-lived Jack & Bobby. After graduating from Northwestern, Berlanti joined the WB family as a writer-producer on Dawson's Creek, which capitalized on his talent for penning snappy yet poignant dialogue. In 2000, he hooked up with Mickey Liddell, who produced his feature film debut, the gay dramedy and Sundance favorite The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy, as well as Berlanti's subsequent projects. When the beloved family drama Everwood was prematurely axed in 2006, Berlanti made a number of career changes. He jumped ship to ABC, taking control of the allegedly troubled prime-time soap Brothers & Sisters after original show runner Marti Noxon left, and ended his business partnership with Liddell.