Executives


The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

02:26

Tabs

Highlights
Fred Silverman on how to create a winning schedule
00:57
Thomas W. Sarnoff on working in NBC's production and business affairs office and the buidling of the NBC production facility in Burbank, CA
06:57
Leslie Moonves on his role as CBS network president
03:04
Leonard Goldberg on getting promoted to ABC's head of programming
01:51
Michael Dann on his role as CBS Vice President of New York programs
04:24
Nina Tassler on her responsibilities as Vice President, Drama Development at Warner Bros. Television
02:10
Who talked about this profession

Chris Albrecht

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Chris Albrecht on how his experience managing a comedy club helped him later as a television executive
01:47
Chris Albrecht the process of programing shows as President of Original Programming at HBO
06:05
Chris Albrecht on advice to aspiring television executives
01:13

Dick Askin

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Dick Askin on his leadership style
03:39
Dick Askin on advice to aspiring television executives
03:18

Ralph M. Baruch

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Ralph M. Baruch on advice to aspiring television executives
01:07

Ted Bergmann

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Ted Bergmann on his rise and job titles at DuMont
05:14

Stephen J. Cannell

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Stephen J. Cannell on his knack for casting the right people in the right roles
02:35

Charles Cappleman

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Charles Cappleman on being hired by Bob Daly to become general manager of Television City
05:02
Charles Cappleman on attending a yearly CBS affiliates conference
03:52
Charles Cappleman on his advice to aspiring television executives
01:32

Dick Clark

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Dick Clark on his entrepreneurship
01:34

Andy Cohen

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Andy Cohen on advice to aspiring television executives
01:22

Doug Herzog with Emerson College

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Doug Herzog on the business of programming Comedy Central, learning as he goes along, and on Emerson College
08:34

John Conte

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John Conte on the responsibility of a small market television station general manager
02:37

Barbara Corday

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Barbara Corday on advice to aspiring television executives
01:19
Barbara Corday on her responsibilities as Vice President of Comedy Series Development at ABC
01:28
Barbara Corday on being named Vice President of Comedy Series Development at ABC
04:30
Barbara Corday on the kinds of programs that were produced when she was at Columbia Pictures Television
04:17

Douglas S. Cramer

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Douglas S. Cramer on becoming Vice President in Charge of Production at Paramount
18:36
Douglas S. Cramer on his producing style and choosing the music composers for his shows
02:30

Michael Dann

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Michael Dann on his role as CBS Vice President of New York programs
04:24
Michael Dann on his process for scheduling prime time television at CBS
09:43
Michael Dann on the high point of his career - working with Pat Weaver
01:29

Rod Erickson

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Rod Erickson on the factors that go into the decision to advertise on a show and the importance of the writer
02:34
Rod Erickson on reading the Neilson ratings and predicting people's television viewing habits on given nights of the week
06:38
Rod Erickson on the research involved in making effective commercials and on the psychology of commercials 
03:16

Jeff Fager

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Jeff Fager on becoming Chairman of CBS News in 2011 and changes he made to various CBS News shows
04:24
Jeff Fager on balancing his roles as Chairman of CBS News and executive producer of 60 Minutes and his proudest achievements as Chairman
04:19

Richard Frank

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Richard Frank on working with Michael Eisner on the Paramount Television Group and learning how to work with writers
04:14
Richard Frank on his philosophy as a television executive
09:22
Richard Frank on dealing with backstage gossip and controversy  
04:01
Richard Frank on his management style and the qualities he looks for in his team
03:36
Richard Frank on advice to aspiring executives
00:55

Michael Fuchs

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Michael Fuchs on advice to aspiring executives
05:09

David Gerber

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David Gerber on his management style
05:55

Leonard Goldberg

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Leonard Goldberg on taking charge of daytime programming at ABC and targeting children's programming
01:10
Leonard Goldberg on getting promoted to ABC's head of programming
01:51
Leonard Goldberg on becoming head of television and film programming (President and COO) at 20th Century Fox and working with Barry Diller
01:52

Leonard H. Goldenson

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Leonard H. Goldenson on his management style at ABC
01:10
Leonard H. Goldenson on his most important decisions at ABC
03:26

Julian Goodman

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Julian Goodman on becoming manager of news and special events for NBC Radio in D.C.; on why he liked being a manager and Executive
03:12

Donald Hall

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Donald Hall on the formation of Hallmark Entertainment and The Hallmark Channel
05:34
Donald Hall on his management style and his employees
03:18

Robert Halmi, Sr.

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Robert Halmi, Sr. on becoming Chairman when Hallmark bought RHI
01:53

Stanley Hubbard

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Stanley Hubbard on the key to his success
04:06
Stanley Hubbard on his most important business decisions and greatest personal accomplishments
01:59

Herb Jellinek

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Herb Jellinek on his management style and on what he enjoyed about working for ABC
02:57

Robert Johnson

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Robert Johnson on his and Debra Lee's leadership at BET
01:35
Robert Johnson on his advice to an entrepreneur interested in starting a network
01:41

Chuck Jones

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Chuck Jones on serving as VP of Children's Programming for ABC TV
02:09

Roger King

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Roger King on his desire to go into his father's business, and on his father's business philosophy
01:35
Roger King on the decision to take King World public
00:40
Roger King on creating and distributing The Roseanne Show, starring Roseanne, and on how King World dealt with failure
04:58
Roger King on the King World merger with CBS/Viacom, and on working with Sumner M. Redstone to make the deal
04:59
Roger King on what was different about King World that led to its massive success
01:41
Roger King on what attracts him to a project, and on his working style
02:29
Roger King on advice to an aspiring television executive
00:34
Roger King on the business of television syndication
04:12

Michael King

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Michael King on the success of Wheel of Fortune and the business of selling the show
09:56
Michael King on maintaining the ratings for Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! and the various promotions for the shows
10:27
Michael King on advice to someone entering the television business
06:00

Kay Koplovitz

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Kay Koplovitz on her advice to aspiring media executives
00:54

Perry Lafferty

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Perry Lafferty on the importance of scheduling to programming a network
00:52
Perry Lafferty on the significant shows he programmed at CBS, including The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, M*A*S*H, All in the Family, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show
03:25
Perry Lafferty on the importance of made-for-television movies and miniseries on a network schedule
02:11
Perry Lafferty on the importance of a programming executive interacting with the creative community, and executives working with producers
04:11
Perry Lafferty on unusual pitches he heard as an executive
02:20
Perry Lafferty on casting being the most important element to a hit television series
01:45

Brian Lamb

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Brian Lamb on his management style
02:28
Brian Lamb on his typical work day at C-SPAN
01:36
Brian Lamb on advice to someone interested in public affairs programming and how he'd like to be remembered
01:01

Stan Lee

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Stan Lee on being creative head of Marvel Productions
00:48

Warren Littlefield

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Warren Littlefield on becoming President of NBC Entertainment
06:41
Warren Littlefield on advice to network programmers 
01:30

Margaret Loesch

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Margaret Loesch on having an ability to understand children and know what shows they would watch
02:02
Margaret Loesch on the responsibility she felt to provide quality, non-violent programming for children
06:52
Margaret Loesch on what she enjoys about being a television executive, and on her vision for Fox Kids
06:33
Margaret Loesch on her management style, and on being a female executive in the industry
05:42
Margaret Loesch on programming "family entertainment," and how what constitutes it has changed over time, and on The Simpsons and Modern Family
05:17
Margaret Loesch on advice to aspiring television executives
03:29
Margaret Loesch on advice to aspiring television executives and producers
08:53
Margaret Loesch on what she enjoyed doing most in her career
00:48

James L. Loper

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James L. Loper on becoming a programmer at KCET and gauging viewership
04:24

Sam Lovullo

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Sam Lovullo on breaking down a show from a business affairs standpoint
05:20

Nancy Malone

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Nancy Malone on becoming the first female vice-president of a major studio at 20th Century Fox in 1977

Sig Mickelson

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Sig Mickelson on the duty of broadcast news to be objective, and on the public perception of broadcast news' integrity
01:34
Sig Mickelson on journalists having a professional code of ethics
01:21

Thomas W. Moore

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Thomas W. Moore on his philosophy of program development, and on the process by which he picked television shows
06:18
Thomas W. Moore on using research as a tool for program scheduling and development
03:47
Thomas W. Moore on scheduling shows, and on considering demographics when programming and its impact on advertising
04:36
Thomas W. Moore on various programming techniques like mid-season replacements, and on various nights that were difficult for ABC
06:06
Thomas W. Moore on the importance of ratings to a programmer
02:28
Thomas W. Moore on the importance of promoting shows at ABC
01:42
Thomas W. Moore on dealing with the stars of his shows in ABC, and on how programming changed during his stint
03:55
Thomas W. Moore on what he enjoyed most about his time as an executive at ABC, and later being a producer
02:17
Thomas W. Moore on advice for an aspiring television executive
01:29

Thomas Murphy

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Thomas Murphy on working with affiliates and dealing with talent at ABC
02:58
Thomas Murphy on the demographics of ABC dealing with programming
04:16
Thomas Murphy on his instincts regarding programming at ABC
04:00
Thomas Murphy on his personal success in business 
02:06

Gareth Neame

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Gareth Neame on what he learned at the BBC as an executive
01:04

Anne Nelson

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Anne Nelson on being the first female CBS executive
02:30
Anne Nelson on negotiating talent contracts for CBS, and on how her department was organized
05:16
Anne Nelson on being promoted though the ranks of CBS business affairs, and eventually moving from radio to television
05:11
Anne Nelson on negotiating contracts for CBS in the 1960s, including for The Judy Garland Show and The Carol Burnett Show
05:26
Anne Nelson on her style of negotiation, and on the challenges of being a female in business affairs in her era
03:51
Anne Nelson on how contracts have changed since she started in the industry, and on working with Norman Lear
03:32
Anne Nelson on dealing with performers and contract disputes
03:25
Anne Nelson on dealing with unions and strikes
01:41
Anne Nelson on becoming director of talent administration at CBS, and on the retirement of Frank Stanton
02:42
Anne Nelson on being director of talent and program acquisition for CBS
02:00
Anne Nelson on the success of CBS during her tenure, and on working with Larry Tisch
03:29
Anne Nelson on being senior director of business affairs at CBS, starting in 1989, and later a vice president
05:04
Anne Nelson on advice to aspiring television executives, and on the then-current state of television
01:50

Lori Openden

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Lori Openden on differences between being a casting director and a network casting executive
03:02
Lori Openden on how involved NBC executives were with casting decisions when she was at the network, and on the then-current involvement of networks in casting
02:08
Lori Openden on not visiting sets much as a casting executive at NBC
01:09
Lori Openden on becoming a casting consultant and then executive at UPN
03:12
Lori Openden on her casting strategy at the CW
01:37
Lori Openden on a typical day for her as head of casting for the CW
01:15

Alan Perris

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Alan Perris on various local shows he programmed and his hiring process
06:51
Alan Perris on managing local stations budgets
03:05
Alan Perris on what he looks for when hiring staff
04:49
Alan Perris on advice to aspiring television executives
02:31

Frederick S. Pierce

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Frederick S. Pierce on his managerial style and the importance of having the right executives
03:56
Frederick S. Pierce on his promotion philosophy
01:38
Frederick S. Pierce on advice to aspiring television executives 
06:03

Ward Quaal

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Ward Quaal on the demographics and audience of WGN
01:48
Ward Quaal on being appointed the head of WGN Continental Broadcasting in 1960, and on his management style in broadcasting
06:26
Ward Quaal on his book "Broadcast Management"
08:18
Ward Quaal on the establishment of The Ward L. Quaal Company
05:52
Ward Quaal on continuing to work, and on his great success at a television executive
04:31
Ward Quaal on what makes a good program and on the then-future of broadcasting
02:28
Ward Quaal on his most important decisions as an executive
07:57
Ward Quaal on the importance of the NAB and on career regrets
01:44
Ward Quaal on advice to aspiring television executives
01:03

Sterling Quinlan

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Sterling "Red" Quinlan on the formation of ABC and on becoming general manager of ABC's Chicago station
04:42
Sterling "Red" Quinlan on why he was named general manager of ABC's Chicago station
00:31
Sterling "Red" Quinlan on building the local Chicago station WFLD
02:18
Sterling "Red" Quinlan on the best advice he was ever given
03:54

Sumner Redstone

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Sumner Redstone on purchasing Viacaom
02:58

Tim Reid

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Tim Reid on starting a studio in Petersburg, Virginia
01:57
Tim Reid on his business model for his Petersburg, Virginia studio and on owning a substantial amount of content
01:53
Tim Reid on launching LGCYTV.com, a streaming service designed by and for the African diaspora, during the COVID-19 pandemic and on fostering young talent
07:32

Lee Rich

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Lee Rich on his path to heading the media and programming departments at the advertising agency Benton & Bowles
15:34
Lee Rich on the role of producer versus that of advertising executive
00:33

Jay Sandrich

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Jay Sandrich on his admiration for Grant Tinker as an executive
00:48
Jay Sandrich on working with Grant Tinker, on the formation of MTM Enterprises, and his respect for him as an executive manager
05:18

Ted Sarandos

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Ted Sarandos on the executive team at Netflix, and on the fact that almost everyone on the executive team has greenlight power
05:30

Edgar J. Scherick

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Edgar Scherick on becoming head of network sales at ABC and then moving into head of programming
02:17
Edgar Scherick on his programming philosophy as head of ABC programming
00:32
Edgar Scherick on his most important contributions to ABC when he was a network executive
01:07
Edgar Scherick on advice to someone starting out in the business
00:19

Herbert S. Schlosser

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Herbert S. Schlosser on his philosophy of programming
02:23
Herbert S. Schlosser on his day-to-day duties as president of NBC
11:08
Herbert S. Schlosser on his managerial style as a television executive
04:20
Herbert S. Schlosser on the qualities he looked for when hiring a television executive, and on how he'd like to be remembered
01:40
Herbert S. Schlosser on advice to an aspiring television executive
01:12

Alfred Schneider

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Alfred Schneider on creating, with ABC Executive Jim Stabile, what may have been the very first television package deal -- for The Danny Thomas Show
02:25
Alfred Schneider on working in Standards & Practices at ABC
03:11
Alfred Schneider on the criticism he received over the course of his career and being the "conscience of the company"
01:19
Alfred Schneider on advice to aspiring Standards & Practices professionals
00:43
Alfred Schneider on advice to show creators in dealing with Standards & Practices professionals
00:32

Reese Schonfeld

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Reese Schonfeld on his management style
02:17
Reese Schonfeld on what makes a good news story
03:38
Reese Schonfeld on objectivity in news reporting
03:02
Reese Schonfeld on various changes and executive decisions he made at CNN during his tenure there
03:57
Reese Schonfeld on advice to someone who wants to start a cable network
02:13

Joe Sedelmaier

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Joe Sedelmaier on creating commercials for Texaco Super Unleaded and the process of casting commercials 
05:04
Joe Sedelmaier on his style
01:37
Joe Sedelmaier on advice to aspiring advertising professionals 
04:05

Esther Shapiro

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Esther Shapiro on her role as an Executive in ABC's miniseries department
01:33
Esther Shapiro on becoming Senior Vice-President at Aaron Spelling Productions
01:32

Sid Sheinberg

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Sid Sheinberg on advice to aspiring television executives
04:08

Fred Silverman

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Fred Silverman on CBS president Frank Stanton's initial resistance to the first incarnation of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!
03:07
Fred Silverman on the success of The Waltons, and on "going out in style" if the show hadn't worked, and on how The Waltons and All In The Family were, each in their own way, both about the "sanctity of the family"
01:29
Fred Silverman on keeping tabs on the other networks as president of ABC Entertainment, and on staying true the tastes of the audience tuning in to ABC
01:32

Chet Simmons

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Chet Simmons on how NBC Sports compared to ABC Sports at the time circa 1964, and on losing the rights to NCAA Basketball
05:24
Chet Simmons on his duties as vice president of NBC Sports
03:01
Chet Simmons on philosophy regarding sports programming
02:08
Chet Simmons on changes he brought about as president of NBC News, and on dealing with the Olympics
04:07
Chet Simmons on the gentlemanly competition among networks for broadcast rights of sporting events during his tenure at NBC Sports
06:29
Chet Simmons on hiring ex-athletes for the broadcast booth
02:35
Chet Simmons on his management style
04:37
Chet Simmons on the atmosphere he created at ESPN during his tenure, and on his negotiation style
06:09
Chet Simmons on sports analysis programming at ESPN
01:33
Chet Simmons on advice to an aspiring sports executive
01:32

Frank Stanton

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Frank Stanton on his day-to-day duties as the President of CBS
03:09
Frank Stanton on the people who followed him as CBS President
02:30
Frank Stanton on the creative aspects of being an executive
01:42
Frank Stanton on his most important decision at CBS, and on the then-future of broadcasting
04:25
Frank Stanton on how he feels looking back over his time at CBS, and his hopes for the then-future of the network

Brandon Stoddard

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Brandon Stoddard on his stint as President of ABC Entertainment 
06:08
Brandon Stoddard on his guiding philosophy of development
02:03
Brandon Stoddard on teaching development
02:34

Donald L. Taffner, Sr.

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Donald L. Taffner, Sr. on his management style
02:18
Donald L. Taffner, Sr. on negotiating a deal
01:51
Donald L. Taffner, Sr. on advice to aspiring television executives
02:22

William Tankersley

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William Tankersley on becoming the Director of Program Practices at CBS Television City
04:26
William Tankersley on being promoted to Vice President of Program Practices at CBS, moving to New York, and dealing with advertisers
06:19

Nina Tassler

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Nina Tassler on her responsibilities as Vice President, Drama Development at Warner Bros. Television
02:10
Nina Tassler on her responsibilities and duties as President of CBS Entertainment and Chairman of CBS Entertainment
03:34
Nina Tassler on what she looks for when hearing a pitch for a television show
03:48
Nina Tassler on advice to aspiring television executives 
02:25

Grant Tinker

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Grant Tinker on ad agencies breeding future television executives
01:28
Grant Tinker on leaving MTM to become Chairman of NBC
22:24
Grant Tinker on his theory on broadcasting
01:04

Ted Turner

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Ted Turner on the birth of CNN
05:20
Ted Turner on the budgetary constraints on forming CNN
01:46

Dean Valentine

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Dean Valentine on the differences between working on the network side as a buyer, and on the studio side as a seller
07:27
Dean Valentine on his position and his responsibilities at NBC
06:13
Dean Valentine on his philosophy for family and children's programming
04:04
Dean Valentine on his frustrations as president of UPN, and on the Paramount/Viacom deal
02:33
Dean Valentine on programming ABC's TGIF Friday nights, and on Boy Meets World
04:36
Dean Valentine on advice to an aspiring television executive and to a creator of programming
05:06

Jac Venza

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Jac Venza on becoming director of culture and arts programs at PBS
03:19

Susan Whiting

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Susan Whiting on her rise from working in sales to becoming CEO of Nielsen
02:03
Susan Whiting on a typical work week for her as Vice-Chairman of Nielsen; on how her role has evolved over the years
02:56
Susan Whiting on her management style
00:44
Susan Whiting on being a female executive in the media world
01:26
Susan Whiting on advice to aspiring Research Executives
01:21

Lauren Zalaznick

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Lauren Zalaznick on completely rebranding VH1
06:02
Lauren Zalaznick on her programming strategy for VH1
02:40
Lauren Zalaznick on programming the Trio network
12:40
Lauren Zalaznick on the challenge of building on the success of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy as head of Bravo, and on shows she programmed early in her tenure there
05:24
Lauren Zalaznick on creating a marketing strategy when she started at Bravo, and on creating the logo
09:00
Lauren Zalaznick on the importance of casting strong personalities for Bravo's reality programming, and "fake" reality
06:57
Lauren Zalaznick on the importance of passion for one's occupation on Bravo's reality shows
01:45
Lauren Zalaznick on the Bravo audience demographics
02:33
Lauren Zalaznick on how Bravo's brand stands apart
06:10
Lauren Zalaznick on programming scripted series for Bravo
03:01
Lauren Zalaznick on what she feels is her biggest contribution to Bravo
02:22
Lauren Zalaznick on the challenges of taking over Telemundo, and bringing the World Cup to the network
04:11
Lauren Zalaznick on heading up the Oxygen network, and on The Bad Girls Club
Lauren Zalaznick on being President of NBC/Universal Women and Lifestyle Entertainment Networks
04:38
Lauren Zalaznick on targeting women as a demographic as President of NBC/Universal Women and Lifestyle Entertainment Networks
07:19
Lauren Zalaznick on her favorite parts and biggest challenges of her jobs at NBC/Universal
02:00
Lauren Zalaznick on what she has loved most about television and her jobs in it
02:10
Lauren Zalaznick on valuable advice she has received, and on her advice to aspiring television executives
02:47

Frederic Ziv

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Frederic Ziv on his role as President of his company
00:49

Jeff Zucker

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Jeff Zucker on his management style as Executive Producer at Today
03:11
Jeff Zucker on the job responsibilities of being the President of NBC Entertainment
01:10
Jeff Zucker on dealing with shows that fail, and knowing when to take a show off the air
01:10
Jeff Zucker on his management style as the CEO of NBC Universal Television Group
01:54
Jeff Zucker on advice to aspiring television producers and executives
00:20
About

This category consists of executives in all facets of broadcasting including: advertising, cable, interactive media, networks (including founders), sports, and television station management.