ABC spins deal with Lawrence

Exclusive pact worth more than $10 mil

By JENNY HONTZ

Bill Lawrence, the 29-year-old co-creator and executive producer of ABC's sophomore series "Spin City," has inked an exclusive three-year deal with ABC worth more than $10 million.

Under the deal, Lawrence will remain as exec producer on the DreamWorks sitcom along with star Michael J. Fox for at least another season, and he'll develop half-hour comedies for the network. His deal falls under ABC's Greengrass Prods. banner.

Lawrence and vet exec producer Gary David Goldberg ("Family Ties") co-created "Spin City," about the deputy mayor of New York City.

Prior to his work on the show, which leads off ABC's successful Wednesday night lineup, Lawrence was a writer on "Friends" during its first season, and he was an executive story editor on ABC's "Champs."

Lawrence is the latest in a slew of young writers to sign huge overall deals in recent months, including a nearly $8 million deal at Disney for "Spin City" supervising producer Jeff Lowell. With six networks and new production companies all vying for talent, the prices being paid to sitcom writers and actors has skyrocketed and shows no signs of slowing.

While studios routinely hand over large sums to writers, it's unusual for a network like ABC to ink a deal of this magnitude, worth more than $3 million a year. Unlike some of the recent writer/producer deals, though, Lawrence has actually helped create and has executive produced a series.

Lawrence's deal was brokered by his manager Howard West; agent Ted Chervin, of Broder, Kurland, Webb, Uffner; and attorney Jared Levine.