Steven L. Sears was born as the younger of two sons. His parents,
Richard and Marian Sears, traveled frequently as Richard was a career
soldier in the U.S. Army. Consequently, he and his brother Bruce had
visited forty-eight states and fourteen countries before their middle
teens. Steve was born in Fort Gordon, GA. and has lived in Worms, West
Germany; Tacoma, Washington; St. Augustine, Florida, and Fort Knox,
Kentucky, before his father returned to St. Augustine to retire from
the service and enter the private sector.
Steve went to high school at St. Augustine High School where he began
his training in Theatre. At the age of thirteen, he tried out for, and
got, a part in "Cross and Sword", the state play of Florida. This led
to a series of plays in the local Little Theatres. At the same time, he
began a long list of strange "Day"-jobs such as Trailer Park Attendant;
Radio DJ; Historical Marcher; Trolley Bus Tour Guide; Convenience Store
Clerk; Gift Shop Sales Clerk; Driver for a Morgue; Deputy Trainee;
Porpoise Show Announcer; Waiter; Answering Service Operator; Fundraiser
Candy Salesman; Shopping Cart Ad Installer; and more obscure ways of
making a living.
He entered the University of Florida in the Fall of 1975 and received
his Associate of Arts. Making a definite commitment to Theatre as a
Major, he transferred to Florida State University where he found
himself in an amazingly creative atmosphere. This association with
Florida State would soon manifest itself into a personal obsession and
a source of immense pride. With the help of an incredibly talented
Academic team, under the guidance of the legendary Dean, Richard
Fallon, he graduated with a B.A. cum laude in Theatre in the Spring of
1980. With the confidence born of strong education, he packed his bags,
withdrew his savings of six hundred dollars, and headed for Los Angeles
in June of 1980.
He immediately got a job, as a waiter at the Universal Studios theme
restaurant "Womphoppers". This was to be crucial in his future career.
Acting was the primary direction of his career. He joined several
Acting Studios and enjoyed small successes here and there but,
certainly, he was not making a living at it. In early 1983, he began
writing short scenes for auditions and, on advice from a casting
director, he decided to write a script. Using the theatrical and
educational knowledge gained from his experience at his beloved Florida
State University School of Theatre, he began to dissect script writing
and study it as a creative endeavor. He teamed up with a close friend
who worked at the same restaurant,
Burt Pearl, also an aspiring actor who had an
interest in writing. They combined their talents and began writing. One
year later, after a life of never considering writing as a viable
career option, Steven and his partner Burt found themselves on the
writing staff of "Riptide", a television series for NBC.
Steven and Burt worked as a team for four years before going their
separate ways, both having tremendous success as writers and producers. Steven has continued working in film and television, but has expanded his writing into the literary world. He co-created the graphic novel "STALAG-X" with the prolific science fiction writer Kevin J. Anderson, and the "VilleAnne" book series with author Peter J. Wacks.
Sadly, Burt passed away in 2006.