Gary Lennon is an American playwright, television writer and executive producer.^[1][2] He is currently a showrunner on Power and Hightown, both for the Starz network, where he has an overall development deal.^[3][4] He is also an executive producer on Euphoria for HBO.^[5] In 2013, Lennon won a Peabody Award for the first season of Orange is the New Black along with his fellow writers and producers.^[6]

Lennon grew up in Hell's Kitchen. He was orphaned by age 11, he dropped out of high school, and he did not attend college.^[7]

Lennon began his career as an aspiring actor. He studied under Geraldine Page, who encouraged him to write about his own life. Lennon compiled his monologues to create his first play, Blackout.^[8][9] After being rejected by the Circle Repertory Company as a young playwright, Lennon left one of his plays backstage at a theater attended by Marshall W. Mason, the founder of the company. Mason read the play that Lennon had addressed to him, and set him up on his first meetings.^[7]