Bill Persky

Bill Persky is a five-time Emmy Award-winning writer, director, and producer for such hit TV shows as the Dick Van Dyke Show, That Girl, Sid Caesar, Bill Cosby, and Kate & Allie. As funny as the comedy scripts he has written for over four decades, he is a sought after keynote and after dinner speaker. He has spoken at performing arts venues, colleges, libraries, women’s clubs, and charity fund raisers. Persky is the perfect after dinner speaker whose witty and hilarious stories of working in television with comedy legends will delight audiences of all ages. He also performs My Life is a Situation Comedy, his memoir of both professional and personal stories, as a one-man show.

After a start at WNEW radio in the mid 1950s, Persky moved to California and wrote for a variety of shows including, The Steve Allen Show, The Andy Williams Show, Julie Andrews Show, McHales Navy, and The Joey Bishop Show, until he found a home with mentor Carl Reiner on The Dick Van Dyke Show. After three years as a writer, story editor, and two Emmys, Persky – with his writing partner Sam Denoff – created That Girl for Marlo Thomas.

In the mid 1970s, the successful partnership ended amicably, as Persky sought a new path as a director, specializing in Television pilots. From 1975 to 1982 he directed 22, of which 16 were put on the air as series, the most memorable being Who’s The Boss?. There were also five television films, and the Paramount feature, Serial, before he moved to New York to produce and direct 100 episodes of the series, Kate and Allie, winning an Emmy for directing.

Persky lives with his wife in New York City. He is a guest lecturer at NYU Film School and Yale University, and teaches comedy writing at The New York Film Academy. Persky is also a contributing writer to USA Today.