Carmen Finestra

Who is Carmen Finestra?

Carmen Finestra is an American producer and TV writer who currently is partnered with Matt Williams and David McFadzean in Wind Dancer Productions, a firm which Finestra also co-owns and co-founded with actor Tim Allen. For Wind Dancer, Finestra has produced or executive produced Where the Heart Is, Firelight, Soul Man, Thunder Alley and his company's best known series, Home Improvement, which starred Allen as a feisty home-improvement host, and in turn based on Allen's stand-up comedy routines.

Finestra was born to Italian immigrants in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and initially attended a seminary college for two years to become a Catholic priest before transferring to Penn State University, where he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. He earned his BA in 1971.

After a stint as an Off-Broadway actor, Finestra turned to writing for the likes of Johnny Cash and Steve Martin. Finestra's big break came when he began writing for The Cosby Show in 1984, where he would remain until 1990, leaving the show as supervising producer.