Kurt Sutter’s interest in motorcycle clubs turned into an idea for a TV show.

Sutter, creator of FX Network’s “Sons of Anarchy” and writer/director/producer of “The Shield,” made the decision to come to NIU based on the decision of his mentor, Kathryn Gately-Poole, head of the master for fine arts acting program.

“She was offered a position at NIU and asked me to come along with her,” Sutter said.

Sutter’s trip to DeKalb in 1997 allowed him to get his Master’s.

While at NIU, Sutter said he spent time teaching acting courses as well, including a course to non-theatre majors.

Despite the change from New York to DeKalb, this was something he enjoyed.

“I loved it there,” Sutter. “It was exactly what I needed with a fairly intense curriculum at Northern. It was a great change of pace with the rhythm being much slower.”

After his time at NIU, he began work on “The Shield,” writing, directing and producing. The police drama premiered on the FX Network in 2001.

Once “Shield” wrapped in 2008, he began a new show he created called “Sons of Anarchy” in 2008, currently in its third season. It was announced Thursday that the show will return for a fourth season in 2011.

Sutter said his fascination with the subculture with motorcycle clubs (MCs) is what let to the show’s existence.

“I was introduced a couple of guys in Northern California who were in the life and members of an MC,” Sutter said. “I hung with them for research and after that time, I came up with the idea for ultimately what the pilot and series would be.”

In the current season, Sutter said gears have switched from past seasons focusing on the MC world to focusing a little more on the characters and their relationships.

Recently Sutter was able to get the “King of Horror” Stephen King to star in the Sept. 21 episode playing the character “Bachman,” after his pen name Richard Bachman.

“I told him through an e-mail he could do whatever he wants,” Sutter said. “Write an episode, direct an episode, act in an episode. He replied back saying he just wanted to ride a motorcycle.”

With his experience working on “Shield” and “Sons,” Sutter knows how difficult it is to get a script noticed.

He gave this advice to any writers out there.

“The only way to really learn as a writer, is by generating drafts and drafts and drafts of scripts,” Sutter said. “Don’t worry about what they think is going to sell. People should be driven by what excites them whether it’s a personal experience or something that interests them.

“Sons of Anarchy” airs at 9 p.m. Tuesdays on FX.