Maryann Ridini Spencer

Maryann Ridini Spencer is an American screenwriter, journalist, TV Host, TV & Film producer/director, author, and member of both the Writers Guild of America, West and the Producers Guild of America.
Education
Spencer graduated with a degree in communications from Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, where she served as co-program director of the college station and worked as a teaching apprentice in the university's TV Production studios.
Early career
Spencer began her career at 12, working in her local community theatre in Syosset, New York. At the age of 16 she secured a position as an acting apprentice with Hampton Playhouse in Hampton, New Hampshire. She also performed and worked as an acting apprentice at The New London Barn Playhouse in New London, New Hampshire.
Spencer worked as Director of Publicity for Miss Universe, Inc., supervising the national and international publicity for the "Miss Universe", "Miss USA" and "Miss Teen USA" Pageants. She was later Senior Vice President of Publicity, Advertising & Promotions at Stephen J. Cannell Productions, supervising publicity and marketing initiatives for The Cannell Studios' facilities in Los Angeles and Vancouver. While at the studio she worked on campaigns for such series as Hunter, Wiseguy, 21 Jump Street, and Sonny Spoon. For various PR agencies, she supervised campaigns for such series as Star Trek: The Next Generation (Paramount), American Gladiators (Samuel Goldwyn Company), and Wheel of Fortune (Merv Griffin Enterprises).
In 1990, she founded Ridini Entertainment Corporation (REC), a public relations, marketing, website/blog design and TV & Film Production company. REC handled public relations and marketing campaigns for such brands as The United States Olympic Committee, NBCUniversal, and Concorde-New Horizons, Corp. (New Concorde).
Later career
Under REC's banner, Spencer has served in various producer capacities on television and film projects for Showtime Networks, USA Networks, SyFy Channel, Movie Channel, and foreign theatrical. In 2011, she co-wrote and produced "The Lost Valentine" starring Betty White and Jennifer Love Hewitt. Spencer optioned the novel, The Last Valentine, from novelist James Michael Pratt. The film, which aired on January 30, 2011, on CBS-TV, was Hallmark Hall of Fam's most highly rated movie in four years, with over 14.6 million viewers tuning in.
Spencer worked as a freelance journalist throughout her career, writing for publications such as Palm Springs Life, Desert Magazine, and Totally Local VC. From 2010 to 2018, she had a weekly print and video column with the Ventura County Star titled Simply Delicious. She also hosts and produces the cooking/lifestyle TV series Simply Delicious Living with Maryann, seen on PBS-TV in Southern California, The Roku Channel, First Run TV Syndication and ifood.tv.
In 2013, Spencer published the cookbook Simply Delicious Living with Maryann - Entrees via Santa Rosa Press, a publishing company operated alongside REC. Her first novel Lady in the Window received the 2018 American Fiction Award for Visionary Fiction. Her sequel novel, The Paradise Table: a Kate Grace Mystery, was published by Santa Rosa Press on October 22, 2019. The third book in the Kate Grace Mysteries, Secrets of Grace Manor, was a finalist in the category Fiction: Inspirational at the 2021 Best Book Awards.

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