Biography

In 1991, Suzanne Collins began her career writing for children's TV, contributing to several Nickelodeon shows like Clarissa Explains it All and The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo. She also wrote for preschool series such as Little Bear and Oswald, and co-wrote the WGA-nominated Christmas special Santa, Baby! with Peter Bakalian. Later, she was Head Writer for Clifford's Puppy Days and worked as a freelancer on Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!. While working on Generation O!, she was encouraged by children's author James Proimos to try writing children's books.

While reflecting on Alice in Wonderland, Suzanne Collins was inspired by how its pastoral setting contrasts with urban life, where kids are more likely to encounter manholes than rabbit holes. This led to the creation of Gregor the Overlander, the first book in her Underland Chronicles series. The fantasy/war series became a New York Times bestseller and was sold in 21 foreign territories.

Her next book Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games trilogy is an international bestseller, with the first book remaining on The New York Times bestseller list for over six years since its 2008 release. It has been sold in 54 territories and 52 languages. In 2010, she was named to TIME's 100 list and Entertainment Weekly's Entertainers of the Year. In 2016, she received the Authors Guild Award for Distinguished Service to the Literary Community, becoming the first YA author to win this honor.

Lionsgate released The Hunger Games film adaptation on March 23, 2012, directed by Gary Ross, who co-wrote the screenplay with Suzanne Collins and Billy Ray. The film broke box office records, grossing nearly $700 million worldwide and becoming the 14th highest-grossing North American release of all time. The sequel, Catching Fire, directed by Francis Lawrence, was released on November 22, 2013, and became the highest-grossing domestic release of the year. The final two installments, Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014) and Mockingjay – Part 2 (2015), were also directed by Lawrence, with new cast additions like Julianne Moore and Mahershala Ali. The entire franchise grossed nearly $3 billion worldwide.

In September 2013, Suzanne Collins released Year of the Jungle, a critically acclaimed autobiographical picture book illustrated by James Proimos, about her experiences as a six-year-old with her father’s deployment to Vietnam. The book has been sold in 12 territories and 11 languages. Her first picture book, When Charlie McButton Lost Power, about a boy obsessed with computer games, was released in 2005 and has been sold in 4 foreign territories.