Screenwriter, Executive Producer, Showrunner, Author
Los Angeles, CA
Janet “JT” Tamaro is a television showrunner and screenwriter whose career began in journalism. She created the TNT drama Rizzoli & Isles, which ran for seven seasons and continues in syndication worldwide. JT has written and produced for Lost, Bones, Law & Order: SVU, CSI: NY, and Sleeper Cell. Her work has received an Emmy nomination, a Gracie Allen Award, and a Writers Guild of America Award, and she has been named one of The Hollywood Reporter’s “Top 50 Showrunners” multiple times. She has sold nine pilots to networks and platforms including HBO, Fox, Lifetime, and Amazon.
JT earned a BA from UC Berkeley and an MS from Columbia University before working as a national television correspondent based in Washington, D.C., New York, and Los Angeles for multiple news organizations, including ABC News. She covered crime, law, medicine, mental health, and public policy. Her investigative background continues to shape her storytelling; she is known for grounded, character-driven stories that explore the ache of being human.
She has been an adjunct professor of screenwriting and producing at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and is currently writing feature films while completing a novel. A lifelong athlete, she hikes and travels whenever possible.
JT has two daughters: her oldest daughter is a producer for The New York Times’ The Daily, and her younger daughter is a chef and producer for Ina Garten’s new show, Happy Hour with Ina Garten.
Between the reporter and the chef, the meals are always good and the conversation is never boring. JT makes a mean sourdough boule and birthday cake, though she often first takes notes from the chef. Yes, chef.