Sheila Nevins
Executive
About This Interview
Sheila Nevins was interviewed for two hours in New York, NY. Nevins describes her early experience in documentary filmmaking for PBS's The Great American Dream Machine and CBS's Who's Who, and details her hiring at HBO in the late 1970s. She talks of the state of the network during its early years and defines her role as Director of Documentaries. She discusses her short-lived production company, Spinning Wheels, and recounts several of the programs she produced for HBO, including the popular series Eros America (later called Real Sex). She outlines her return to HBO in 1986, now as a Vice President, and speaks of several notable documentary and family series that she oversaw, including Taxicab Confessions, The Broadcast Tapes of Dr. Peter, Half-Past Autumn: The Life & Works of Gordon Parks, and Elaine Stritch: At Liberty. She also comments on the programming she's overseen at Cinemax. Karen Herman conducted the interview on May 2, 2006.
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Highlights
Sheila Nevins on being a woman in the entertainment business
Clip begins at: 15:42, Duration: 03m 11s- Sheila Nevins on producing Eros America for HBO (later Real Sex)
Clip begins at: 24:05, Duration: 04m 13s 
Sheila Nevins on the HBO series Taxicab Confessions
Clip begins at: 04:59, Duration: 01m 56s- Sheila Nevins on the documentary Elaine Stritch: At Liberty
Clip begins at: 18:08, Duration: 01m 55s - Sheila Nevins on the documentary Half Past Autumn: The Life and Works of Gordon Parks
Clip begins at: 16:31, Duration: 01m 31s
Interview
- Part 1
- On her childhood and early influences; on keeping her maiden name; on not having hobbies as a child; on not being allowed to watch television as a kid; on attending Barnard for college and Yale for her M.A. in directing
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On her start in television - as an actress in Adventures in English; on her first marriage; on jobs she held in New York; on working on CBS' Who's Who as a segment producer and hearing of an opening at HBO; on working on PBS' The Great American Dream Machine
Clip begins at: 13:47 - On getting fired from 20/20; on working at CBS; on liking to have control
Clip begins at: 23:20 - Part 2
- On starting at HBO; on being asked to produce 60 Minutes; on not wanting to be on camera; on being hired by Michael Fuchs at HBO; on the state of HBO when she was hired; on documentaries of the day; on ideas for and developing her first documentaries; on having autonomy at HBO
Clip begins at: 0:39 - On how she is as a boss; on personalities she works well with; on being a woman in the entertainment business; on her role model, Gloria Steinem; on the executive staff at HBO during her early years; on parlaying her 13 week deal into 25 years at HBO
Clip begins at: 13:26 - On being a producer for 4 years at her company, Spinning Reels; on producing Eros America for HBO (later renamed Real Sex)
Clip begins at: 22:36 - Part 3
- On how she handled criticism of sexual content on HBO; on the audience of HBO's sex programming; on leaving Spinning Reels and returning to HBO in 1986 as a Vice-President
Clip begins at: 0:32 - On the state of HBO in 1986; on the documentary series America Undercover
Clip begins at: 14:17 - On the process of making a documentary: generating ideas, staying within budgets, and selecting producers
Clip begins at: 22:44 - Part 4
- On the HBO documentary In Memoriam 9/11; on the HBO series Taxicab Confessions; on family programming at HBO
Clip begins at: 0:32 - On Cinemax Reel Time; on her favorite documentary projects; on Cathouse; on challenges with documentaries; on the documentaries The Broadcast Tapes of Dr. Peter, Half Past Autumn: The Life and Works of Gordon Parks, and Elaine Stritch: At Liberty; on what makes a perfect documentary; on her imprint on the industry; on advice to aspiring television executives and to aspiring female television executives; on how important it is for her to keep working; on awards
Clip begins at: 08:40
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Terrific interview. Thanks for making it available - she's an unsung hero.
Too obviously very smart women talking here. Please do more like this.
She's someone who has always added to the national discussion on so many topics. She's fearless. Thanks to your site for sharing her thoughts.
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