Lloyd Braun
Lloyd Braun (born 1958) is a television and Internet media executive who currently runs the entertainment firm BermanBraun.
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[edit] Early life and career
Braun earned his B.A. from Vassar College in 1980, and his law degree from Hastings College of the Law in 1983. He served on the Vassar Board of Trustees, his seat having expired in 2010.[1]
Prior to becoming a television executive, Braun practiced entertainment law for 10 years, representing several high profile clients such as Larry David, Howard Stern and David Chase.
The character Lloyd Braun on the sitcom Seinfeld was named after him, since the media executive served as the lawyer of Larry David.[2]
[edit] American Broadcasting Company
Braun's first major success came with producer David Chase for their idea for the show The Sopranos.[3] He went on to serve as the Chairman of the ABC Entertainment Group from 2002 to 2004. Braun was forced out of his position at ABC shortly after greenlighting the $13 million pilot to the television show Lost, one of the most expensive in modern broadcasting. His decision was vindicated, however, when the show went on to become a huge success. Braun and his partner, Susan Lyne, also greenlit other ABC shows that went on to great success in the years following his dismissal, including Desperate Housewives, Extreme Makeover Home Edition, Boston Legal and Grey's Anatomy. These shows began an unprecedented turnaround for ABC.[4]
[edit] Yahoo! Media Group and BermanBraun
In November 2004, Braun joined Yahoo! to run Yahoo! Media Group, the company's content division. While at Yahoo!, Braun initiated and oversaw the development of the highly successful celebrity site OMG! Braun also developed the daily video show "The 9" and oversaw major redesigns of Yahoo!'s media sites. Braun resigned from Yahoo! in December 2006 to partner with Gail Berman to form the entertainment company BermanBraun.[5]
BermanBraun entered into a strategic alliance with NBC to create television programming for which NBC would have a first look. In July 2007, BermanBraun entered into a strategic alliance with Pepsi to create original online programming for which Pepsi would have a first look to sponsor. In 2009, BermanBraun launched the hit site WONDERWALL, a celebrity news destination for MSN. In 2010, BermanBraun launched the hit woman's lifestyle site GLO, in partnership with Hachette and MSN. in 2010, BermanBraun also launched the sites WONDERWALL LATINO and BLTWY, the celebrity side of politics.
BermanBraun produces the hit series IS SHE REALLY GOING OUT WITH HIM for MTV and SWORDS for Discovery. BermanBraun also produces DECODED for History Channel and THE CAPE for NBC.
In 2010, BermanBraun entered into a strategic alliance with Publicis and Starcom Mediavest Group to provide SMG with a first look to advertise on all of its digital properties.
[edit] References
- ^ "Vassar College web site". http://www.vassar.edu/about/trustees.html. Retrieved May 15, 2008.
- ^ Robins, Max. "Finding the Voice of the Web, Part 1". http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/5217.asp. Retrieved June 18, 2007.
- ^ Stevens, Joanna. "Yahoo! appoints Lloyd Braun head of media and entertainment". http://docs.yahoo.com/docs/pr/release1191.html. Retrieved September 28, 2006.
- ^ Craig, Olga (2005-08-14). "The man who discovered 'Lost' - and found himself out of a job". The Daily Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/1496199/The-man-who-discovered-'Lost'---and-found-himself-out-of-a-job.html.
- ^ Gaither, Chris; Chmielewski, Dawn C. (December 6, 2006). "Struggling Yahoo to shuffle management". The Los Angeles Times. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-yahoo6dec06,1,3687263.story. Retrieved 2006-12-05.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Stuart Bloomberg |
Chairman of ABC Entertainment 2002-2004 |
Succeeded by Stephen McPherson |
