<Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This section needs expansion . You can help by adding to it . (May 2018) </Td> </Tr> <P> This is Us originally began as an 80 page movie script that Dan Fogelman was developing while working for ABC Studios in the spring of Spring 2015 . The story line, which Fogelman admitted to not having a definite direction, revolved around the lives of eight adults who, as it would be revealed, were octuplets . After moving to an eight - figure deal with 20th Television, Fogelman made the decision to develop a TV series from the characters of his original script, cutting a few characters and shortening the script to 45 pages before bringing it to the studio . Jennifer Salke, president at NBC, commented on the conception of atitle for the series, saying "The title didn't come easy...but This Is Us tapped into everything, and the show's about us ." It has been revealed that other ideas for the title included 36, Happy Birthday, and The Story of Us. . Despite positive reviews from both 20th Television and sister company, Fox, there were concerns regarding the lack of views it would attract on the network, leading Fox to sell it to NBC . NBC is regarded by many networks as an ideal place for This Is Us due to the high volume of viewers it has previously attracted with shows such as The Voice and the Summer Olympics . </P> <P> Fogelman intentionally recruited behind - the - scenes talent that would reflect the diversity of his cast, with the goal of bringing greater authenticity to the dialog and storylines . These include black directors Regina King and George Tillman, Jr. and black female writers Kay Oyegun and Jas Waters (part of a 30% black core writing staff that far outpaces the industry standard of 5%). In addition, Fogelman's sister Deborah, whose struggles with weight were one of the initial inspirations for the show, serves as a consultant . </P> <P> In May 2017, Hulu acquired the SVOD rights to new and past episodes of the series to air exclusively on Hulu, in addition to NBC.com and the NBC app . </P>

Who is the writer of this is us