James Harmon Brown and Barbara Esensten

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James Harmon Brown and Barbara Esensten are American television writers, primarily working on soap operas. The duo worked together for over 20 years, starting on the prime-time serial Dynasty . Together, they created the soap opera The City , a spinoff of Loving . On November 14, 2012, Esensten died at the age of 75. [1]

Contents

Controversy

Brown and Esensten tended to drift towards supernatural and science fiction elements in the shows they were hired for. When the two wrote for Guiding Light during the later part of the 1990s, the show's primary heroine, Reva Shayne, was cloned, and when the duo would later write for Port Charles , vampires were introduced, along with other supernatural creatures.

Because of the 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strike, Brown and Esensten went financial core within the guild, allowing them to write for All My Children because of financial strains brought on by the strike. Megan McTavish, the writer they replaced at All My Children, was displeased. "These are not youngsters struggling to make mortgage payments or feed their children. Their sole intent now seems to be piling up more money for themselves," she said. [2]

Barbara Esensten

Barbara Esensten (née Sills) was born in Los Angeles, California to Rose Fischer and Max Edward Sills. She had an older sister, Phyllis, and a younger brother, Stanley. The family lived in a middle-class neighborhood (now part of Watts, California). Barbara and Stanley attended Woodcrest elementary school, Bret Hart Junior High School, and Washington High School, all of which are in Southern Los Angeles. Barbara graduated with a bachelor's degree in Political Science from UCLA. Most of her adult life, Barbara and her husband Jack, lived in the affluent Palos Verdes, south of Los Angeles. Barbara was an accomplished pianist, an avid reader, and very much loved her family.

Positions held

Dynasty

All My Children

Days of Our Lives

One Life to Live

Port Charles

Guiding Light

Loving

The City

The Young and the Restless

Awards and nominations

Daytime Emmy Awards

WINS

NOMINATIONS

Writers Guild of America Award

NOMINATIONS

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References

  1. ↑ "Barbara Esensten Dead at 75". We Love Soaps . Retrieved 15 November 2012.
  2. ↑ Steinberg, Jacques (January 21, 2008). "Soap-Operas Are the Hidden Drama of the Strike". New York Times . Retrieved 2008-01-21.
Preceded by
Addie Walsh
Laurie McCarthy
 Head Writer of Loving
Early 1995–November 10, 1995		Succeeded by
Show ended
Preceded by
none
 Head Writer of The City
November 13, 1995 – March 28, 1997		Succeeded by
Show ended
Preceded by Head Writer of Guiding Light
March 31, 1997 – August 6, 2000		Succeeded by
Preceded by Head Writer of Port Charles
November 10, 2000 – October 3, 2003		Succeeded by
Show ended
Preceded by
Megan McTavish (no HW listed before they joined)
 Head Writer of All My Children
July 25, 2007 – January 14, 2008		Succeeded by
Preceded by Head Writer of All My Children
January 31 - August 26, 2008		Succeeded by
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