Did you know the wildly popular and critically-acclaimed sitcom How I Met Your Mother has an Ohio connection? Read on to find out more about multi-talented Ohio-born writer and producer Carter Loard Bays.
Co-creator, screenwriter, showrunner, and executive producer of the Emmy Award winning CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, Shaker Heights native Carter Loard Bays was born on August 12, 1975. His father, James, was a retired corporate attorney, and his mother, Martha, was a minister in the United Church of Christ. While a student at Shaker Heights High School, Bays’ play, Five Visits from Mr. Whitcomb, was produced on Broadway during the 1993 Young Playwrights’ Festival.
An English student at Wesleyan University, Bay befriended fellow Shaker Heights native Craig David Thomas, another writing and band enthusiast. A dynamic literary and musical duo, Bays and Thomas co-founded in 1996 The Solids, a power pop band embraced by fans of alternative music for the group’s “hooky, melody-driven rock songs.” Also in 1996, they were both Development Department interns at MTV studios. After graduating from Wesleyan in 1997, they joined the writing team behind The Late Show with David Letterman.
Bays and Thomas’ big break came in 2005 when their co-created TV sitcom, How I Met Your Mother, was picked up by the CBS network. Executively produced by Bays and Thomas, How I Met Your Mother won ten Primetime Emmys during its 208 episode run across nine seasons between 2005 and 2014. Appearing in each of the 208 episodes were actors Alyson Hannigan (Lily), Neil Patrick Harris (Barney), Josh Radnor (Ted), Jason Segel (Marshall), and Cobie Smulders (Robin). Additionally, Bays and Thomas wrote for the Fox network’s sitcom Oliver Beene (episodes 4 and 6 of Season One, and episodes 12, 16, and 21 of Season Two).
On June 7, 2022, Dutton Books published Bay’s debut novel, The Mutual Friend. It was declared by Kirkus as being a “major accomplishment … beautifully written … with real compassion that never turns sentimental … an original, intelligent novel … that deserves serious awards consideration …”
When not teaching a Master Class in TV Writing at Columbia University, Bays assists veterans in their return to civilian life and teaches workshops through the Armed Services Arts Partnership, of which Bays Thomas Productions is a Funding Partner.
Additional Resources
Carter Bays. Ultimate Pop Culture Wiki. Fandom Movies Community