Charles Segars
This bio is for media executive and film producer Charles Segars. For the blues pianist see Charles Segar
Charles Segars (born April 2, 1964 in Pittsburgh, PA) is a media executive, entrepreneur and a content creator for motion pictures, television and new media platforms. He is also known as career advocate for homeland security and national intelligence policy for local, state and federal government.
Segars is currently Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors for Ovation and Ovation New Media. He was one of the key architects of the deal to acquire the arts and culture focused multi-platform network in 2006 and is responsible for its successful re-launch a year later. In just five years, the network has grown from 5 to 46 million households through distribution agreements secured with cable systems such as Comcast, Charter, and Time Warner, as well as national platforms like Dish Network, DIRECTV, Verizon FiOS and AT&T U-Verse. Segars also leads Ovation’s national ad sales and programming teams that have enjoyed significant year-over-year revenue and ratings growth.
Through his work with Ovation, Segars was asked to co-chair the 2011 Arts Advocacy Day by Americans for the Arts (AFTA). As a result of their combined efforts, AFTA, Segars and Ovation successfully lobbied the U. S. government to save arts education programs on the federal and state levels. He will be reprising that role in 2012.
Segars is also founder of Los Angeles-based Sparkler Entertainment. Sparkler is a multi-platform, content production company specializing in the convergence of digital distribution, advertising sponsorship and user engagement. Sparkler is best known for the Walt Disney Co. billion dollar-plus National Treasure film franchise, including National Treasure and National Treasure: The Book Of Secrets. Mr. Segars, co-created the story for the film franchise and served as its Executive Producer.
Prior to Ovation and Sparkler Entertainment, Segars held senior positions in programming and business development in leading traditional media and new media companies including DreamWorks, CBS and Viacom.
In 2004, he was Chief Marketing and Revenue Officer at MarketRange Inc. Market Range Inc. is a leading builder, designer and manager of subscription-based online lifestyle and entertainment communities in the United States. He continues to have an advisory role with MarketRange. In 2000, Segars was co- founder and CEO of CountingDown.com, one of the premiere, on-line movie fan sites. He was responsible for all aspects of its operation and orchestrated its sale to Vulcan Ventures in 2001. From 1995 thru 2000, Segars was a senior executive at DreamWorks TV where he co-managed all aspects of broadcast, cable and syndicated program development and production. From 1991-1995 Segars was VP of Primetime Specials and Late Night for CBS overseeing 100+ hours of primetime programming and the launching of “The Late Show with David Letterman.” Previous to CBS, Segars held programming positions at Viacom where he launched highly successful syndicated original programming and was one of the original Executive Producers launching Movietime Channel thru its transition to E! Entertainment Television.
In addition to Ovation’s Board, Segars is a creative advisor and board member of the Levity Entertainment Group. LEG owns and/or operates premiere restaurant comedy clubs, artist management companies and Triage Entertainment a premiere branding and production company. He is also on the Board of Advisors for Preplay, a revolutionary, predictive gaming App designed to enable viewers to watch games live and “play” along with the action in real time; and of HipGeo, a prolific developer of location-aware platforms, including Smartphone apps, websites and APIs that automatically create a record of the places users go and how they get there.
Outside of the entertainment industry, Segars has been a life-long advocate for Homeland security issues. He has advised a number of companies in matters of executive protection, physical plant and cyber security. For almost a decade, he has been a California POST-sworn police officer, currently serving as a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Reserve. He has held posts as a Patrol Deputy, a trained tactical flight Deputy for the Aero Bureau and, since 2010, has been assigned to the Counter Terrorism/Dignitary Protection Unit within the Emergency Operations Bureau.
Since 2009, he serves as a White House Associate, as a member of the Advance team for the Office of the President and Vice President of the United States of America.
Segars has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California and most recently (2011) completed a graduate certificate in International Security and Policy at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California.
He is a member of the Producers Guild of America (PGA), Writers Guild of America (WGA) and Intelligence and National Security Alliance. (INSA).
