We invite you to join us for an exclusive and enlightening discussion — Medicine and Media: A Conversation with Prominent TV Writers/Producers and Physicians — on Wednesday, April 17th, at 6:00 PM.

Speakers include*:

• Jamie Denbo — Actress / Co-Executive Producer, Grey’s Anatomy
• Leonard Dick — Executive Producer / Writer
• Barbie Kligman — Creator / Executive Producer / Writer
• Michael Metzner, M.D. — Physician / Producer / Actor
• Jess Osterman, M.D. — Emergency Medicine Physician
• Michael Seitzman (Moderator) — Writer, Producer, Founder of Maniac Productions

*Additional speakers to be announced

If you have any questions about this event, feel free to contact Steven Singer at SSinger@JewishLA.org.

We look forward to seeing you on April 17th.

Jamie Denbo

Jamie Denbo currently serves as Co-Executive Producer on her third season of ABC’s smash hit, Grey’s Anatomy, which is in its 20th year. Previously, she was a Co-Executive Producer on ABC’s Rebel in 2021 and was the Creator, Executive Producer and Showrunner of Lifetime’s 10-episode one-hour dramedy series, American Princess, which was based on her true-life experiences working on the Renaissance Festival circuit. American Princess was also executive produced by Jenji Kohan (Orange is the New Black, Weeds). Jamie has written and developed pilots for Showtime, IFC, FX, Comedy Central, FreeForm, and CBS. She has also written feature scripts for Universal, Disney, and Vendome Pictures.

As an actor, Jamie has over 100 on-camera and voice credits. For over 12 years, Jamie was one half of the Jewish-themed alternative comedy act and hit podcast, Ronna & Beverly. Jamie trained, performed, and taught for many years at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, where she met her husband, Hollywood icon John Ross Bowie.

 

Leonard Dick

Leonard Dick is an Emmy® Award-winning television writer, producer, and showrunner who has written for several groundbreaking series including Lost, House, The Good Wife, and Truth Be Told.

A native of Toronto, Leonard has written for a variety of genres – drama, sitcom, sketch comedy, and animation. In 2005, he won an Emmy® for Best Drama as part of the producing and writing team of the hit ABC drama Lost. He has been nominated for an Emmy® as a producer in the Best Drama category five times and was also nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award for an episode of House he co-wrote. Leonard has also developed and written pilots for ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, USA, and Bravo, partnering with various studios, including Warner Bros., NBC Universal, CBS Productions, and Fox Television Studios. Most recently, he worked on a series of streaming projects including as writer and Executive Producer on the Apple TV+ drama series Truth Be Told (starring Octavia Spencer and Aaron Paul) and as Showrunner on Disney’s new Houdini. Expanding on his long-time interest in international television, Leonard is also a consultant on new series for Netflix International, including Tabuk High (Netflix Arabic group) and La Famille (Netflix France).

 

Barbie Kligman

Born in Brooklyn, NY, Barbie moved to Los Angeles in 1996 to pursue a career in television writing. Starting as an assistant on ER, she soon moved up to become a researcher for John Wells Productions and then a staff writer on Law & Order: SVU. After that, she wrote for several series including: Jack & Bobby, Everwood, CSI: NY, and Vampire Diaries. After two seasons as a writer and Co-Executive Producer on Shonda Rhimes’ Private Practice, Barbie was promoted to Executive Producer and Co-Showrunner. Several years later, she developed and ran Secrets And Lies for ABC. She is currently the Showrunner and Executive Producer of Fox's new medical series DOC, which is based on the popular Italian show of the same name and is set to premiere in the fall of next year.

 

Michael Metzner, M.D.

Michael Metzner is a television and film producer, actor, and practicing physician. He earned dual undergraduate degrees in biological chemistry and visual arts from the Wilkes Honors College at Florida Atlantic University where he was a Flagler Scholar. He received his M.D. from the University of Central Florida where he created the organization Arts in Medicine. He trained at his general surgery residency at UT Health San Antonio.

Uniting the arts and sciences, Metzner has worked as a producer and medical advisor throughout the entertainment industry. His most notable projects include being a producer on Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19. Other projects include Star Trek: Picard, Amsterdam, Purple Hearts, Perry Mason, Hollywood, American Horror Story, Rebel, and Ratched. He has helped produce over 150 episodes of television. Having a love for education and merging his two passions, Metzner serves as a board of trustee member at Savannah College of Art and Design where he hopes to inspire the next generation to follow their dreams and not be afraid to take the road less traveled.

Jessica Osterman Coates, M.D.

Dr. Jessica Osterman Coates is an Emergency Medicine doctor at Los Angeles General Medical Center in East Los Angeles which is a Level One Trauma Center and one of the busiest ERs in the area. She also serves as the Medical Director for Evolve Event Medical Services which staffs medical providers at concerts, festivals, sporting events, and other large attendance events. In addition to her clinical work in medicine, Dr. Coates has served as an on-set medical technical consultant and script consultant for a variety of television shows including Code Black, The Mindy Project, Ray Donovan, Expedition Unknown, and Station 19.

Michael Seitzman

Michael Seitzman is a writer, producer, and founder of Maniac Productions, a film and television company currently in an overall deal with Blumhouse Television. Among his current projects, Seitzman is producing the upcoming show Choir on Disney+ about the Detroit Youth Choir and the feature film X Troop, based on Leah Garrett’s book X Troop: The Secret Jewish Commandos of World War II.

Seitzman was previously Executive Producer/Showrunner on Quantico (ABC), Code Black (CBS) and Intelligence (CBS), and has written several films, including North Country, which received two Academy Award® nominations for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Charlize Theron) and Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Frances McDormand).

We bring together the city’s most successful industry professionals through our six Professionals Networks. Established and emerging leaders alike gain exclusive access to networking with peers, dynamic idea exchanges, and events featuring prominent speakers.

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