Marty Kaplan is Norman Lear chair at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, where he founded and directs the Norman Lear Center, a hub of research and innovation that marshals the power of storytelling as a force for good. The center’s Hollywood, Health and Society Program provides screenwriters with free consultations from experts in medicine, public health and other fields. Kaplan was Vice President Walter Mondale's chief speechwriter in the Carter Administration and Mondale's deputy campaign manager in the 1984 presidential election. He also worked at Walt Disney Studios, first as vice president of production for live-action feature films and then as a screenwriter and producer. His credits include “The Distinguished Gentleman,” a political comedy he wrote and executive produced, and “Noises Off,” which he adapted for the screen from Michael Frayn’s farce.