Chad Hodge (born 1977) is an American writer and producer who created drama series Runaway (2006), The Playboy Club (2011), Wayward Pines (2015), and Good Behavior (2016). He wrote the Broadway stage adaptation of Irving Berlin's classic musical Holiday Inn and the film adaptation of YA trilogy The Darkest Minds (2018). He is a native of Highland Park, Illinois and attended Northwestern University. Early life Hodge was born in Kansas City, Missouri and grew up in Highland Park, Illinois, as the oldest of five siblings. He was interested in the arts from an early age, starting with theater. At five years old, his first performance was in a local production of The King & I. While attending Highland Park High School, he played leading roles in Little Shop of Horrors (Seymour), Pippin (Leading Player), and Godspell (Jesus). In the summer of 1994, Hodge attended the NHSI Cherubs theater program at Northwestern University. Hodge then attended Northwestern University and decided to pursue different avenues in the arts. Among several extra-curriculars, he was the executive producer of campus television series University Place. In 1999, he graduated with magna cum laude honors and a bachelor's degree in communication studies and business institutions. While at Northwestern, Hodge explored his interests through various internships, including Deloitte Consulting and The Oprah Winfrey Show in Chicago, and casting director Debra Zane in Los Angeles. While interning for Zane in the summer of 1998, Hodge read the screenplay for American Beauty by Alan Ball, which Zane was casting. Hodge has said the script inspired him to want to become a screenwriter. Hodge's youngest sister Amy Hodge is also in the entertainment industry. She is VP of Original Programming at HBO. Career After graduating from Northwestern, Hodge was an assistant at the William Morris Agency. He quit after three weeks when he realized he had no time to write. He got a job as a waiter and wrote whenever he could. In 2001, he was hired by NBC to write a television pilot for their Saturday morning teen block as a vehicle for rising country music star Alecia Elliott. The show, All About Us, started airing in late 2001. In 2003, Hodge segued to writing for primetime television drama, and wrote for several series including Veritas: The Quest (ABC) and Tru Calling (FOX). He also wrote the movie This Time Around for ABC Family. In 2004, Hodge wrote the