Dance with the Devils

James LaRosa juggles many jobs on VHl's scripted series Hit the Floor, which he created in 2013 after the cable network devoured this pitch: "So You Think You Can Dance meets Black Swan."

In addition to executive-producing and serving as showrunner, he directed two episodes during the second season and is directing another two in the third. He also appears in one episode.

One skill the Boston-born writer has yet to display is dancing. He leaves that to the pros — in this case the performers who appear as the Devil Girls, a fictional pro-basketball dance squad comprised of go-getters who are often more competitive than the players.

While the drama surrounding the not-so-heavenly dancers was front and center early on, the series has since broadened its focus to include more about pro ball and its underbelly, or as LaRosa says, "the emotional dirt between coaches and agents. I now glibly describe the show as Scandal with dance numbers."

As a kid, LaRosa favored soaps over sports. He'd rush home from school to watch daytime dramas and followed primetime sudsers like Dynasty and Falcon Crest

The Syracuse University grad didn't have much experience in the writers' room when he heard that VH1 was looking to create a basketball-themed series (his credits included MTV's short-lived Spyder Games, for which he received a Daytime Emmy nomination).

But his understanding of soap-diva machinations and his gift for writing female characters ultimately landed him at VH1. By its second season, Floor had become the number-one ad-supported scripted cable drama among women 18-49.

Still, LaRosa has made a point of creating characters that reflect his reality as a gay man. "When I was younger, there were virtually no gay roles [on soaps]," he observes. So last season LaRosa penned a steamy storyline between Devils player Zero (Adam Senn) and sports agent Jude (Brent Antonello). Fans went crazy on social media, instantly dubbing the couple Zude.

"Working on this series," he says, "I've learned that I can change the culture."