Biography

Anthony S. Cipriano (born August 1, 1975) is an American-born writer / producer of TV and motion pictures based in Los Angeles. He is best known for creating TV series Bates Motel. Cipriano is also an Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award nominee for his film 12 and Holding, directed by Michael Cuesta and starring Jeremy Renner.

Although he was born in Providence, RI, Cipriano spent most of his childhood in North Attleboro, MA, which is the town he considers "home". In 1997 he received a bachelors degree from Westfield State University where he studied Mass Communications.

Anthony Cipriano began his career in Los Angeles in the late 1990's as a director's assistant on The Rosie O'Donnell Show. He quickly transitioned to scripted television landing a job as a writer on Nickelodeon's sci-fi comedy series The Journey of Allen Strange before transitioning again to Development. Cipriano went on to serve as a Development Executive for The Tom Lynch Company and penned episodes for SK8 on TNBC, 100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd on Nickelodeon, and The Jersey on Disney.

In 2005 Cipriano developed and wrote 12 and Holding, a coming of age drama film directed by Michael Cuesta and starring Jeremy Renner. The film explores adolescent issues through the minds of three friends and their reactions after a boy named Rudy Carges (Conor Donovan) is killed in a tree house set on fire by local bullies, Jeff and Kenny, who carelessly didn't find out he was inside until too late. The film was distributed by IFC Films and released on May 19, 2005 in limited theaters.

Anthony Cipriano's recent work includes creation of the highly acclaimed TV series Bates Motel, which is an American drama-thriller. It is produced by Universal Television for the cable network A&E. The series, a prequel to Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film Psycho (based on Robert Bloch's novel of the same name), depicts the lives of Norman Bates (Freddie Highmore) and his mother Norma (Vera Farmiga) prior to the events portrayed in the film, albeit in a different fictional town (White Pine Bay, Oregon, as opposed to the film's Fairvale, California) and in a modern setting.

Bates Motel is A&E's longest-running original scripted drama series in the channel's history. The series' lead actors, Vera Farmiga and Freddie Highmore, have received particular praise for their performances throughout the series.

Cipriano continues to develop dynamic new projects for TV and Film.
- IMDb mini biography by: Coat Check Creative