Marta Fran Kauffman is an American television writer and producer. She is best known as the co-creator of the NBC sitcom Friends with her longtime friend, David Crane; Crane and Kauffman similarly were in a friend group with four other people.^[1] Both Kauffman and Crane were also executive producers of the show, along with Kevin Bright. Kauffman and Crane produced Veronica's Closet and Jesse. From 2005 to 2006 she was an executive producer on Related. Both writers were the creators of the HBO series Dream On. Without Crane, she co-created the Netflix series Grace and Frankie.

Born to in the Philadelphia suburbs,^[2] Kauffman attended Marple Newtown High School, located in the Marple Newtown School District near Philadelphia, where she was a thespian and student director of the school play "Our Town" in 1974. Kauffman attended Brandeis University and received a BA in theater in 1978. During her time there, she was a sister of Sigma Delta Tau sorority. Kauffman also studied acting at The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater in New York City. She then moved to Sherman Oaks, a suburb of Los Angeles.

Okay Goodnight production company was headed by partners Kauffman, Robbie Rowe Tollin, and Hannah KS Canter. Fox 21 Television Studios signed Okay Goodnight to a multi-year first-look agreement deal in January 2020, starting with The Dreamers novel adaptation; The Littlefield Company is also in the deal.^[1]

Kauffman married Michael Skloff, who composed the Friends theme song, and lived in Los Angeles.^[2] The couple have three children together.^[2] Kauffman is a registered Democrat.^[3][4]