Kristiana Roe, a copy editor and drama writer in Los Angeles, first felt the writing bug as a homeschooled high school student in central Illinois—but she’s loved story for as long as she can remember. She worked hard as a kid to break the barrier to reading so she could provide some relief to everyone she was constantly begging to read to her.

By the time she graduated college at the University of Illinois with a writing degree, she felt restless for adventures in the “great wide somewhere”—just like Belle from Beauty and the Beast. She ended up in Los Angeles, taking the intensive Act One Hollywood Writing Program and fell in love with the City of Angels as she studied screenwriting.

Kristiana has a big family—two sisters, a brother, and two parents still together. So watching Jason Katims’ Parenthood after she moved to L.A. made her feel connected with the Bravermans on the show, while longing for her siblings still in the Midwest. This Is Us now fills a similar place in her heart, and her experience growing up in a big family gave her the tools to write authentic family dynamics in the scripts she co-writes with Mike.

Kristiana currently puts her copyediting skills to use for an award-winning Warner Bros. website, again combining her passion for television and expertly crafted writing.