Jeff Eastin
Encyclopedia
Jeff Eastin is the creator of the USA Network
original comedy-drama
series, White Collar
. Eastin also serves as the Executive Producer and show runner for White Collar.
Once named by the Los Angeles Times
as one to watch in the industry, Eastin graduated from Colorado State University
with a degree in journalism
and landed a position as director of photography on two Roger Corman
films shooting in Colorado
, Lock & Load and White Fury. Shortly thereafter, he loaded his belongings into a Volkswagen
camper and headed for Hollywood, where he planned to pursue a career in directing.
On the way to LA
, he began writing a screenplay
called Shadow Dancer, a thriller inspired by the Billy Joel
song "The Stranger
." By coincidence, the script landed on the desk of producer Zalman King
who produced films like Wild Orchid and Red Shoe Diaries
, who optioned it immediately. Eastin then wrote a script about a small town hostage situation, which was produced by Trimark Entertainment and released under the title Held Up
starring Jamie Foxx
. Eastin was also chosen by director James Cameron to pen the True Lies
sequel
.
For television, he created and executive-produced the series Hawaii
for NBC
.
USA Network
USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...
original comedy-drama
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
series, White Collar
White Collar (TV series)
White Collar is a USA Network television series created by Jeff Eastin, starring Matt Bomer as con-man Neal Caffrey and Tim DeKay as Special Agent Peter Burke. It premiered on October 23, 2009. In December 2009, White Collar was renewed for a second season that began on July 13, 2010...
. Eastin also serves as the Executive Producer and show runner for White Collar.
Once named by the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
as one to watch in the industry, Eastin graduated from Colorado State University
Colorado State University
Colorado State University is a public research university located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The university is the state's land grant university, and the flagship university of the Colorado State University System.The enrollment is approximately 29,932 students, including resident and...
with a degree in journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
and landed a position as director of photography on two Roger Corman
Roger Corman
Roger William Corman is an American film producer, director and actor. He has mostly worked on low-budget B movies. Some of Corman's work has an established critical reputation, such as his cycle of films adapted from the tales of Edgar Allan Poe, and in 2009 he won an Honorary Academy Award for...
films shooting in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, Lock & Load and White Fury. Shortly thereafter, he loaded his belongings into a Volkswagen
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
camper and headed for Hollywood, where he planned to pursue a career in directing.
On the way to LA
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, he began writing a screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
called Shadow Dancer, a thriller inspired by the Billy Joel
Billy Joel
William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...
song "The Stranger
The Stranger (song)
"The Stranger" is a song by rock artist Billy Joel from his 1977 album of the same name, The Stranger. The song was released as a single in Japan where it became very popular and peaked at #2 on the Oricon chart...
." By coincidence, the script landed on the desk of producer Zalman King
Zalman King
Zalman King is an American film director, writer, actor and producer. His directing and writing productions are known for incorporating erotica as a centerpiece to plots which are nevertheless about greater issues.-Acting:As a young man in 1963 he played a gang member on Alfred Hitchcock Presents...
who produced films like Wild Orchid and Red Shoe Diaries
Red Shoe Diaries
Red Shoe Diaries is an erotic drama series that aired on the American cable television network Showtime from 1992 to 1997 and distributed by Playboy Entertainment overseas...
, who optioned it immediately. Eastin then wrote a script about a small town hostage situation, which was produced by Trimark Entertainment and released under the title Held Up
Held Up
Held Up is a 1999 American comedy film starring Jamie Foxx and Nia Long.-Plot:While on a road trip in the Southwest, Rae discovers that her man, Michael , spent the $15,000 they set aside for a home on a vintage muscle car. Rae promptly dumps Michael at a convenience store and hops a ride to the...
starring Jamie Foxx
Jamie Foxx
Eric Marlon Bishop , professionally known as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, singer-songwriter, stand-up comedian, and talk radio host. As an actor, his work in the film Ray earned him the Academy Award and BAFTA Award for Best Actor as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a...
. Eastin was also chosen by director James Cameron to pen the True Lies
True Lies
True Lies is a 1994 American action-comedy film directed by James Cameron and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold, Bill Paxton, Tia Carrere, Charlton Heston, and Art Malik. Eliza Dushku also appears in the film in one of her first major film roles...
sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
.
For television, he created and executive-produced the series Hawaii
Hawaii (TV series)
Hawaii is a United States television series produced and distributed by NBC Universal Television for the NBC television network. Originally titled Pearl City, this police drama was produced with the series Hawaii Five-O in mind, and debuted on August 31, 2004...
for NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
.