John Ridley is an American director, producer and screenwriter. He is an Emmy Award winning commentator and writer for Esquire and Time magazines, as well as, a contributor to CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, and NPR. He is the author of seven published novels. He has written, directed and produced episodes on such television shows as "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air", "The John Larroquette Show " and "Third Watch". He adapted the 1853 autobiography of Solomon Northrup, 12 Years a Slave in 2013.