Ben Silverman
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| Benjamin Silverman | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 15, 1970 Pittsfield, MA |
| Residence | Los Angeles, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Tufts University |
| Occupation | Co-Chairman, NBC Entertainment, Universal Media Studios |
Benjamin Noah Silverman (born August 15, 1970, Pittsfield, Massachusetts)[1] was the co-chairman of NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios.[2] He is also an Emmy-winning executive producer of such shows as The Office, Ugly Betty, The Tudors, and The Biggest Loser.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life and career
Raised in Manhattan, Silverman is a 1992 magna cum laude graduate of Tufts University, where he majored in history. His mother, Mary Silverman, was a programming executive whose career included stints at the Disney Channel, BBC, USA Network, Lifetime Television, and Court TV. [3] His father Stanley Silverman is an award-winning music composer/arranger.[4]
Formerly, Silverman was in charge of the international packaging division at the William Morris Agency, where he was the company's youngest division head. [5] Prior to joining William Morris, he was a development executive at New World/Marvel Entertainment and an assistant at CBS, and Warner Bros.
[edit] Reveille
Silverman is the founder of Reveille, a television, film, and theater production and distribution company now owned by Shine Limited. He founded Reveille in 2002 in order to exploit international formats by selling them in the United States. Through his work at Reveille, he is the executive producer of such shows as NBC's The Office, The Restaurant, The Biggest Loser, and ABC's Ugly Betty, as well as several cable shows, including Nashville Star, on USA Network, 30 Days on FX, MTV's Parental Control and Date My Mom, Blow Out on Bravo, and House of Boateng on the Sundance Channel. [6]
[edit] NBC
Silverman left NBC in July 2009. Time magazine called him the "No-Hit Hitmaker."[1] Silverman was chosen as Co-Chairman of NBC Entertainment in 2007 (along with Marc Graboff), replacing Kevin Reilly. That same year, Silverman was the first producer since Norman Lear, 34 years earlier, to have two shows nominated for an Emmy in the best comedy category (The Office and Ugly Betty). [7] When Silverman arrived to the network NBC was experiencing a ratings low, finishing in fourth place of the four major networks after losing huge hits like Friends, The West Wing, and Seinfeld. [8]
To combat the falling ratings, Silverman created new business models that take advantage of advertiser integrations and alternative distribution methods in order to keep shows profitable while their ratings remain lower. To that end, he made NBC the first network to break away from the traditional network Upfront process, starting conversations with advertisers earlier in the series production process so as to find ways to integrate products. NBC calls this new event an Infront.
Silverman was also credited for playing a major role in saving the critically acclaimed NBC drama Friday Night Lights by striking a innovative deal with DirecTV. [9] The satellite television provider agreed to take on a substantial amount of the show's production budget in exchange for exclusive first window airing rights on their 101 channel. NBC would then repurpose the episodes to be aired on the network later in the season. [10]
For his role at NBC, Silverman received the Honorary Rose at the 2008 Rose d'Or ceremony.[11]
[edit] Acting roles
Silverman had a cameo appearance in the first episode of the fifth season of the television show Entourage. Silverman read a single line in which he expressed annoyance at Johnny Drama wasting his time.
[edit] IAC venture
On July 27, 2009, Silverman announced that he was leaving NBC to form a new company with Barry Diller's IAC/InterActiveCorp that will produce and distribute programs across media platforms, for television, the Web or mobile devices.[12] He will remain involved at NBC through mid-September to oversee the launch of the fall schedule and transition the network to new leadership.[13] The new venture will expand upon Silverman's experience bringing advertisers into the content development process, creating what Silverman calls "a new form of advertising network in coordination with the traditional and the new-media outlets." [13]
[edit] References
- ^ Malone, Michael. Silverman Searches Globe for Next Trend, Broadcasting & Cable, Nov. 14, 2005.
- ^ Josef Adalian. "Silverman named NBC co-chair," Variety, May 29, 2007.
- ^ http://www.cable360.net/programming/shows/23736.html
- ^ http://www.stanleysilverman.com/
- ^ NATPE Speaker Bio, 2006
- ^ "The Whole World Is Watching, and Ben Silverman Is Watching Back" New York Times, September 17, 2006.
- ^ "Silverman the peacock at NBC-Uni’s pre-Emmy party"
- ^ "Esquire Magazine It's Ten O'Clock. Do You Know Where Your Network President Is?" (web). 2007-11-08. http://www.esquire.com/features/silverman1207= Esquire Magazine. Retrieved 2009-05-12.
- ^ "Ben Silverman, 'Friday Night Lights' Savior: Saved Show By 'Yelling At A Lot Of People'"
- ^ "‘Friday Night Lights’ Gets 26-Episode Order From DirecTV, NBC"
- ^ "Rose d'Or Winners 2008" (PDF). Rose d'Or AG. 2008-05-06. http://www.rosedor.com/downloads/RdO_Winners_2008.pdf. Retrieved 2008-05-07.
- ^ http://www.reuters.com/article/industryNews/idUSTRE56Q2TT20090727
- ^ a b http://nymag.com/guides/fallpreview/2009/businessmedia/58518/
