Ben Silverman

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Benjamin Silverman
BenSilverman.jpg
Born (1970-08-15) August 15, 1970 (age 42)
Pittsfield, Massachusetts, U.S.
Residence Los Angeles, California
Nationality American
Alma mater Tufts University
Occupation Founder & CEO, Electus
Spouse(s) Jennifer Cuoco (December 2010-present)

Benjamin Noah "Ben" Silverman (born August 15, 1970) is the founder and CEO of the entertainment production company Electus.

From 2007-2009, Silverman served as co-chairman of NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios.[1] He is also an Emmy and Golden Globe-winning executive producer of such shows as The Office, Ugly Betty, The Tudors, and The Biggest Loser.

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Life and career[edit]

Silverman was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. He was raised in a Reform Jewish family.[2][3] Raised in Manhattan, Silverman is a 1992 magna cum laude graduate of Tufts University, where he majored in history and belonged to Theta Chi Epsilon Theta chapter. His mother, Mary (Delson) Silverman, was an actress and programming executive whose career included stints at the Disney Channel, BBC, USA Network, Lifetime Television, and Court TV.[4][5] His father, Stanley Silverman, is an award-winning music composer/arranger.[6]

Formerly, Silverman was in charge of the international packaging division at the William Morris Agency, where he was the company's youngest division head, packaging more than 25 television series, including Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, The Weakest Link, Big Brother, and Queer as Folk.[7] Prior to joining William Morris, he was vice-president for New World/Marvel Entertainment, and also held posts at CBS, and Warner Bros.

In 2007, Silverman received the P.T. Barnum Award from Tufts University for his exceptional work in the field of media and entertainment. Silverman is involved with multiple philanthropic endeavors, including Seeds of Peace, a group helping to foster peace among young people from adversarial cultures. In addition, Silverman sits on the Cedars-Sinai Hospital board of governors. Silverman also serves on the board of directors of Best Buddies, a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of people with intellectual disabilities by providing guidance and integrated employment.[8]

In 2008, Silverman received an Honorary Rose for lifetime achievement the Rose d'Or ceremony.[9][10]

Silverman married Jennifer Cuoco, a real estate agent, in December 2010.[11]

Reveille[edit]

Silverman is the founder of Reveille, a television, film, and theater production and distribution company now owned by Shine Limited under News Corporation. 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.[12]

Journalist Michael Wolff wrote a 2001 profile of Silverman in New York Magazine a year before he founded Reveille. "In some sense, he's like those boy geniuses of the eighties and nineties who invented new financial instruments -- junk bonds and derivatives and whatnot. The discovery and marketing of a new format is really like that. It's creating something that is negotiable and transferable and that people believe in deeply -- it solves all their problems. Now, obviously, there is a certain obsolescence to these formats (with junk bonds you had inevitable bankruptcies). And Ben, of course, is already searching the world for new formats. Variety shows might be a possibility," Wolff wrote.[13]

NBC[edit]

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).[14] When Silverman came 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.[15]

Silverman was also credited for playing a major role in saving the critically acclaimed NBC drama Friday Night Lights by striking an innovative deal with DirecTV.[16] 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.[17]

Electus[edit]

On July 27, 2009, Silverman announced that he was leaving NBC to form a new company, Electus, with Barry Diller's IAC/InterActiveCorp that will produce and distribute programs across media platforms, for television, the Web or mobile devices.[18] 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".[19]

As part of its inception, IAC partnered Electus with CollegeHumor, the interactive comedy portal that features daily original comedy videos and articles created by its in-house writing and production team.

Since Electus’ launch, the company has announced several acquisitions and partnerships. In January, 2010, Silverman and Electus partnered with Jason Bateman and Will Arnett to launch their sponsor-driven advertising and digital production company DumbDumb. Electus will help partner advertisers with the duo to develop brand-inspired short and long form programming for distribution across all forms of social, digital, and traditional media.[20]

Electus also has partnerships with 5x5 and DiGa.

Acting roles[edit]

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.

Silverman had a cameo appearance in the 11th episode of the ninth season of the television show The Office. Silverman plays a member of the new startup company co-founded by Jim Halpert.

Credits[edit]

List of Silverman productions
Year Production Role
2003 The Restaurant executive producer
2003 Nashville Star executive producer
2005–2008 30 Days executive producer
2005–2011 The Office executive producer
2005–2011 The Biggest Loser co-creator and executive producer
2006–2011 Ugly Betty executive producer
2007–2010 The Tudors co-creator and executive producer
2008–2009 Kath & Kim executive producer
2010 MacGruber co-executive producer
2011–present Mob Wives executive producer

References[edit]

  1. ^ Josef Adalian. "Silverman named NBC co-chair," Variety, May 29, 2007.
  2. ^ Malone, Michael. Silverman Searches Globe for Next Trend, Broadcasting & Cable, November 14, 2005.
  3. ^ Berrin, Danielle (2009-07-27). "NBC chair Ben Silverman resigns". JewishJournal. Retrieved 2010-11-17. 
  4. ^ Brady, Shirley (2007-05-30). "How Ben Silverman Got Started". Cable360. Retrieved 2010-07-10. 
  5. ^ http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0F16F83F59107A93C5A81789D95F468785F9
  6. ^ "Stanley Silverman". Stanley Silverman. Retrieved 2010-07-10. 
  7. ^ NATPE Speaker Bio, 2006
  8. ^ "Ben Silverman: The Washington Scene," The Hill.
  9. ^ "Rose d'Or Winners 2008" (PDF). Rose d'Or AG. 2008-05-06. Archived from the original on 2008-05-30. Retrieved 2008-05-07. 
  10. ^ "Blighty plucks Roses". 
  11. ^ http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/11_11/b4219060707213.htm
  12. ^ "The Whole World Is Watching, and Ben Silverman Is Watching Back", New York Times, September 17, 2006.
  13. ^ "The Missing Link", New York Magazine, June 4, 2001.
  14. ^ "Silverman the peacock at NBC-Uni's pre-Emmy party"
  15. ^ Esquire Magazine "It's Ten O'Clock. Do You Know Where Your Network President Is?". 2007-11-08. Retrieved 2009-05-12. 
  16. ^ "Ben Silverman, 'Friday Night Lights' Savior: Saved Show By 'Yelling At A Lot Of People'"
  17. ^ "'Friday Night Lights' Gets 26-Episode Order From DirecTV, NBC"
  18. ^ Thomasch, Paul (2009-07-27). "NBC executive Silverman exits for IAC venture". Reuters. Retrieved 2010-07-10. 
  19. ^ Orden, Erica (2009-08-23). "The City's Most Important Recent Hires - Fall Preview 2009 - New York Magazine". Nymag.com. Retrieved 2010-07-10. 
  20. ^ "Bateman, Arnett Form DumbDumb" Variety

External links[edit]

Preceded by
Kevin Reilly		 Chairman of NBC Entertainment
2007-2009		 Succeeded by
Jeff Gaspin
Authority control
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ben_Silverman&oldid=556143507"