Greg Berlanti, the powerhouse TV producer behind “Riverdale” and several WB superhero shows, has donated $2 million from his foundation to his alma mater, Northwestern University.
A 1994 grad of its School of Communication in Evanston, Berlanti is funding the Barbara Berlanti Professorship in Writing for the Screen and Stage, named after his mother, who died in 2017.
“My mom, Barbara Berlanti, was a lifelong champion of the arts and my greatest advocate and patron,” he said in a statement. “She placed an old typewriter in front of me at 10 years old and told me to start writing all the stories that were in my head — instead of just talking her ear off — and I haven’t stopped since.”
He said the donation aims to help Northwestern “continue its great legacy of fostering the next generation of humane, diverse, courageous and bold storytellers.”
The producer and his husband, former soccer star Robbie Rogers, created the Berlanti Family Foundation “to improve the lives of all LGBTQIA people and their straight allies through education, the arts, medicine and other social services.”
Berlanti’s other TV credits include “Arrow,” “Supergirl” and “The Flash” on the WB and “You” and “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” on Netflix.
