Native New Yorker Chris Bythewood, a TV and film writer/producer, graduated from Marist College with a BA in Communications before earning an MFA in Producing from the American Film Institute. He began his career at Fox Broadcasting Company, later transitioning to a writer's and producer's assistant role on Fox's THE CHICAGO CODE. After its cancellation, he joined Fox's Audience Strategy department as a creative executive, during which time he co-created the FOX WRITERS INTENSIVE and the Fox Global Directors Initiative. He later wrote for Fox's critically acclaimed miniseries SHOTS FIRED, which was selected for the Sundance International Film Festival. Bythewood played a key role in developing a series with Confluential Films and Get Lifted for Sony, subsequently becoming Head of TV Development at Confluential Films and contributing to HBO's "40 Years A Prisoner". After leaving Confluential, Bythewood continued writing and producing, developed and pitched multiple TV shows, and produced two feature films.