Showrunner of DC Studios’ Creature Commandos, co-creator of Harley Quinn, Emmy-nominated writer on Arrested Development — thirty years of making movies and television, and the person who tells you how it really works.
Dean Lorey is the showrunner and executive producer of Creature Commandos (DC Studios / HBO Max), the animated series that launched James Gunn’s new DC Universe with a record-breaking debut and some of the best reviews of any DC project in years. Season 2 is now in production, with Dean leading the writers’ room as head writer and showrunner.
Before that, he co-created and ran Harley Quinn, the long-running adult animated hit, and its spinoff Kite Man: Hell Yeah!
His live-action career includes an Emmy-nominated run as a writer and co-executive producer on Arrested Development; writing, directing and executive producing My Wife and Kids; co-creating and running Big Shot with David E. Kelley for Disney+; and writing and executive producing The Crazy Ones with Robin Williams. On the feature side, he co-wrote Major Payne and Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday and appears in both.
He is the author of the Nightmare Academy trilogy, originally published by HarperCollins in more than 20 countries and named Best Children’s Novel of the Year by SCIBA. He is also an experienced speaker — keynotes, film-school talks, and writers’-room workshops built on the same firsthand stories.
Most recently, he created ONE THING, a series of 60-second films — three new episodes every week, one true story per episode from thirty years of making film and TV. The series has become a recurring source for entertainment press coverage in its own right, and is the reason outlets keep writing about how he works, not just what he works on.
Seven talks, each developed and delivered live. Lengths are flexible and every program can be paired with a moderated Q&A.
The signature talk. A whole strange career as one story — a zombie comedy sold by accident, a franchise sequel written in a weekend, burnout, the way back, and running the show that launched a universe. Lands on a framework the room takes home: write, protect, focus, share.
How a room really runs, from someone who has sat in them at every level and now leads one — the unwritten rules, and how a joke actually gets born. Available as a talk, or as a live workshop: the audience becomes the staff, Dean takes the showrunner’s chair, and the room breaks and writes a scene together.
A real structure class — economy, character as choice, the fish-out-of-water test — built around a deconstruction of a beloved classic that breaks every rule it’s supposed to follow. Three ways to “fix” it, and the case that the broken version is the better movie.
What it takes to open a new cinematic universe: running James Gunn’s scripts through a record-breaking first season, what animation makes possible that live action can’t, and leading the Season 2 writers’ room. Panel- and Q&A-friendly.
The map, for people who want in: what the titles mean, how a script travels from pitch to screen, what a showrunner actually does, and an honest 2026 answer to how you break in. Ends with a short live writers’-room exercise.
Why a working screenwriter walked away to write novels, and what the two crafts teach each other. Concept, character, and the discipline of writing yourself into corners you don’t know how to escape. For festivals, libraries, and school visits.
Short, warm, no slides — built for a room holding forks. A rural Georgia childhood with three TV channels, a library habit, Stephen King far too young, and the kid who grew up to make monsters for a living. For literacy fundraisers and library galas.
| Hollywood’s Biggest Podcast | Two-part guest interview — September 2026 |
| Fascination Street | Podcast guest — August 2026 |
| New York Comic Con 2024 | Creature Commandos panel, Empire Stage, alongside James Gunn and the voice cast — Frank Grillo, David Harbour, Zoë Chao, Steve Agee and Sean Gunn |
| SCAD TVfest 2023, Atlanta | Harley Quinn “A Very Problematic Valentine’s Day Special” panel with fellow executive producers and James Adomian |
| AFI | Taught screenwriting for a semester |
| Storymakers Conference 2009, Utah | Keynote speaker, plus a screenwriting workshop |
| Conventions | San Diego Comic-Con, New York Comic Con, Phoenix Comicon |
| School visits | National school-visit tours for the Nightmare Academy series |
“The showrunner of DC Studios and HBO Max’s Creature Commandos just gets it.”
“This sort of instinct comes with experience, and not many showrunners have it.”
“If you’re not checking out Dean Lorey’s Instagram account, you really should be because he’s dropping some really cool stuff over there.”
“An attitude like that makes him easy to work with and brings out the best in the creative team.”
“Making James Gunn’s vision come to life.”
“Lorey was responsible for seeing everything through from the first episode to the final.”
| Creature Commandos | Showrunner / Writer — DC Studios, HBO Max. The first series of James Gunn’s DCU; Season 2 in production. |
| Harley Quinn | Co-Creator / Showrunner — HBO Max |
| Kite Man: Hell Yeah! | Co-Creator / Showrunner — HBO Max |
| Arrested Development | Writer / Co-Executive Producer — Fox. Emmy-nominated. |
| Big Shot | Co-Creator / Showrunner — Disney+. Created with David E. Kelley. |
| The Crazy Ones | Writer / Executive Producer — CBS. Starring Robin Williams. |
| My Wife and Kids | Writer / Director / Executive Producer — ABC |
| Major Payne | Co-Screenwriter / Actor — Universal Pictures |
| Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday | Co-Screenwriter / Actor — New Line Cinema |
ONE THING is Dean’s ongoing series of 60-second films: one true, firsthand story per episode about how movies and television actually get made — the note that saved a scene, the joke that almost didn’t air, the lesson that followed him from a slasher set to a DC writers’ room.
Three new episodes every week on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Episodes have been covered by Bleeding Cool and The Direct, and the format doubles as a preview of what he brings to a stage or a microphone: tight, generous, and built on three decades of firsthand stories.
For panels, podcasts, interviews, masterclasses, and speaking engagements — or for press materials, photos, and quotes — get in touch directly.