Dean Valentine
Executive
About This Interview
Dean Valentine was interviewed for three-and-a-half hours in Santa Monica, CA. Valentine talks about his early years being born in Romania and growing up in New York City. He speaks about his work as a freelance journalist and his segue into television, initially at NBC, and then at Disney/Touchstone in development. He commented on the many television shows he oversaw including Home Improvement and Ellen. He then discussed his move to UPN, where he served as President and CEO. Valentine also described the creation of the Archive of American Television, which was based on his own idea. The interview was conducted by Dan Pasternack on February 3, 2009.
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Chapters
- Chapter 1
- On his early years and interests; on moving to the U.S. as a child; on his education and early jobs
- On his start in television; on Brandon Tartikoff; on covering comedy for NBC
- On joining Disney's and the creation of Touchstone Television; on working with Matt Williams, Susan Harris and other writers; on the state of TV comedy in the late 1980s
- Chapter 2
- On the growth of Disney's Touchstone Television; on the company's corporate culture; on his ascension to president of the division
- On some of the shows developed including Home Improvement and Ellen (and the decisions behind the character's coming out as a lesbian)
- On the Disney/ABC merger; on the company's relationship with buyers
- Chapter 3
- On his philosophy on children's television; on the development of new children's programming at Disney; on deciding to leave Disney
- On joining UPN and redefining the network; on the business aspects of UPN; on its Star Trek franchise; on the Paramount/Viacom merger; on leaving UPN and transitioning to the digital component of the entertainment industry
- Chapter 4
- On his company Symbolic Actions
- On co-founding the Archive of American Television
- On his current projects; on his proudest achievement; on his advice to aspiring executives and producers; on how he would like to be remembered
Shows
People
Topics
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