Beth Sullivan

Beth Sullivan (born August 29, 1949, in Burbank, California) is an American film and television writer and producer, best known as the creator and executive producer of the CBS series Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. Career Sullivan created and served as the sole executive producer of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (a co-production of The Sullivan Company and CBS Entertainment Productions). In doing so, she was the first woman to succeed in a singular capacity in the traditionally male arena of one-hour drama "showrunners." The series received numerous Emmy and People’s Choice Award nominations and won several of each, plus a Golden Globe Award. In addition, the show attained widespread community acknowledgment, receiving the Heroes Memorial Foundation of the United States of America Founder’s Award for honorable recognition of Native Americans, the Genesis Award for spotlighting animal issues, the Family Film Award for promoting family values, the Environmental Media Award for raising environmental awareness, as well as a citation from the Library of Congress for the promotion of literacy. Prior to Dr. Quinn, Sullivan created and served as co-executive producer of the Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning one-hour drama series The Trials of Rosie O'Neill. She was a Senior TV Story Analyst, TV Division for Twentieth Century Fox and was named developer of programming in 1978. Sullivan brought her interest in drama to prime time made-for-television movies, as well. In the 1989–90 season, two of Sullivan’s telefilms, both of which dealt with social issues, aired on NBC and CBS in November sweeps. Most notably, A Cry For Help: The Tracey Thurman Story dramatized the landmark federal lawsuit that resulted in legislation to strengthen police responsibility toward battered wives. It earned both critical acclaim and the highest movie rating of the season. In addition, it received a special commendation from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for its use as a training instrument for law enforcement officers. Sullivan was also honored for her work by the Los Angeles County Domestic Violence Council.