Ben Silverman
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| Benjamin Silverman | |
| Born | August 15, 1970 (age 38) 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] is the co-chairman of NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios.[2]
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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 was chosen as Co-Chairman of NBC Entertainment in 2007 (along with Marc Graboff), replacing Kevin Reilly. At the time, 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. [7]
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.
For his role at NBC, Silverman received the Honorary Rose at the 2008 Rose d'Or ceremony.[8]
There has been criticism of Silverman's performance at NBC. Ratings have been flat and no new highly successful shows have been launched. [9]
[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] 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.
- ^ "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 on 2009-05-12.
- ^ "Rose d'Or Winners 2008" (PDF). Rose d'Or AG. 2008-05-06. http://www.rosedor.com/downloads/RdO_Winners_2008.pdf. Retrieved on 2008-05-07.
- ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/17/business/media/17silver.html?ref=busin
