Ben Silverman

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Benjamin Silverman
File:Ben Silverman 2012 Shankbone.JPG
Born (1970-08-15) August 15, 1970 (age 53)
Pittsfield, Massachusetts, US
Residence Los Angeles, California
Alma mater Tufts University
Occupation Founder & CEO, Electus
Spouse(s) Jennifer Cuoco (2010–present)

Benjamin Noah "Ben" Silverman is the founder and Chairman of the entertainment production company Electus.

From 2007-2009, Silverman served as co-chairman of NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios.[1] He is also an Emmy and Golden Globe-winning executive producer of such shows as The Office, Ugly Betty, The Tudors, and The Biggest Loser. On July 10th, 2014, The Banff World Media Festival presented Silverman with the Award of Excellence in Digital Innovation.

Life and career

Silverman was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. He was raised in a Reform Jewish family.[2][3] Raised in Manhattan, Silverman is a 1992 magna cum laude graduate of Tufts University, where he majored in history and belonged to the Epsilon Theta chapter of the Theta Chi Fraternity. His mother, Mary (Delson) Silverman, was an actress and programming executive whose career included stints at the Disney Channel, BBC, USA Network, Lifetime Television, and Court TV.[4][5] His father, Stanley Silverman, is an award-winning music composer/arranger.[6]

Formerly, Silverman was in charge of the international packaging division at the William Morris Agency, where he was the company's youngest division head, packaging more than 25 television series, including Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, The Weakest Link, Big Brother, and Queer as Folk.[7] Prior to joining William Morris, he was vice-president for New World/Marvel Entertainment, and also held posts at CBS, and Warner Bros.

In 2007, Silverman received the P.T. Barnum Award from Tufts University for his exceptional work in the field of media and entertainment. Silverman is involved with multiple philanthropic endeavors, including Seeds of Peace, a group helping to foster peace among young people from adversarial cultures. In addition, Silverman sits on the Cedars-Sinai Hospital board of governors. Silverman also serves on the board of directors of Best Buddies, a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of people with intellectual disabilities by providing guidance and integrated employment.[8]

In 2008, Silverman received an Honorary Rose for lifetime achievement the Rose d'Or ceremony.[9][10]

Silverman married Jennifer Cuoco, a real estate agent, in December 2010.[11]

Reveille

Silverman is the founder of Reveille, a television, film, and theater production and distribution company now owned by Shine Limited under News Corporation. He founded Reveille in 2002 in order to exploit international formats by selling them in the United States. Through his work at Reveille, he is the executive producer of such shows as NBC's The Office, The Restaurant, The Biggest Loser, and ABC's Ugly Betty, as well as several cable shows, including Nashville Star, on USA Network, 30 Days on FX, MTV's Parental Control and Date My Mom, Blow Out on Bravo, and House of Boateng on the Sundance Channel.[12]

Journalist Michael Wolff wrote a 2001 profile of Silverman in New York Magazine a year before he founded Reveille. "In some sense, he's like those boy geniuses of the eighties and nineties who invented new financial instruments -- junk bonds and derivatives and whatnot. The discovery and marketing of a new format is really like that. It's creating something that is negotiable and transferable and that people believe in deeply -- it solves all their problems. Now, obviously, there is a certain obsolescence to these formats (with junk bonds you had inevitable bankruptcies). And Ben, of course, is already searching the world for new formats. Variety shows might be a possibility," Wolff wrote.[13]

NBC

File:BenSilverman.jpg
NBC Entertainment co-chairman Silverman in November 2008

Silverman was named co-chairman of NBC Entertainment in 2007 (along with Marc Graboff), succeeding Kevin Reilly. That same year, Silverman was the first producer since Norman Lear, 34 years earlier, to have two shows nominated for an Emmy in the best comedy category (The Office and Ugly Betty).[14] He is credited for his role in saving the critically acclaimed but low-rated NBC drama Friday Night Lights by striking an innovative deal with DirecTV.[15] The satellite television provider agreed to take on a substantial amount of the show's production budget in exchange for exclusive first-window airing rights on its 101 channel. NBC would then repurpose the episodes to be aired on the network later in the season.[16]

Electus

On July 27, 2009, Silverman announced he was leaving NBC to form a new company, Electus, with Barry Diller's IAC/InterActiveCorp that will produce and distribute programs across media platforms, for television, the Web and mobile devices.[17] As part of its inception, IAC partnered Electus with the interactive comedy portal CollegeHumor. In January 2010, Silverman and Electus partnered with Jason Bateman and Will Arnett to launch their sponsor-driven advertising and digital production company DumbDumb. [18] Electus also has partnerships with 5x5 and DiGa. On May 8th, 2014, The CW announced a first season order for Silverman’s new television show Jane The Virgin.[19]

Acting roles

Silverman had a cameo appearance in the first episode of the fifth season of the television show Entourage. Silverman read a single line in which he expressed annoyance at Johnny Drama wasting his time.

Silverman had a cameo appearance in the 11th episode of the ninth season of the television show The Office. Silverman plays one of Jim's colleagues at the Sports Marketing firm AthLead.

Credits

List of Silverman productions
Year Production Role
2003-2004 The Restaurant Executive producer
2003-2008 Nashville Star Executive producer
2005–2008 30 Days Executive producer
2005–2011 The Office Executive producer
2005–2011 The Biggest Loser Co-creator / Executive producer
2006–2011 Ugly Betty Executive producer
2007–2010 The Tudors Co-creator / Executive producer
2008–2009 Kath & Kim Executive producer
2010 MacGruber Co-executive producer
2011–present Mob Wives Executive producer
2011–present King of the Nerds Executive producer
2011–present Get Out Alive with Bear Grylls Executive producer
2014 Killer Women Executive producer
2014-present Jane the Virgin Executive producer
2015 Breaking Greenville Executive producer

References

  1. ↑ Josef Adalian. "Silverman named NBC co-chair," Variety, May 29, 2007.
  2. ↑ Malone, Michael. Silverman Searches Globe for Next Trend, Broadcasting & Cable, November 14, 2005.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ NATPE Speaker Bio, 2006
  8. ↑ "Ben Silverman: The Washington Scene," The Hill.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/11_11/b4219060707213.htm
  12. ↑ "The Whole World Is Watching, and Ben Silverman Is Watching Back", New York Times, September 17, 2006.
  13. ↑ "The Missing Link", New York Magazine, June 4, 2001.
  14. ↑ "Silverman the peacock at NBC-Uni's pre-Emmy party"
  15. ↑ "Ben Silverman, 'Friday Night Lights' Savior: Saved Show By 'Yelling At A Lot Of People'"
  16. ↑ "'Friday Night Lights' Gets 26-Episode Order From DirecTV, NBC"
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ "Bateman, Arnett Form DumbDumb" Variety
  19. ↑ "CW Picks Up ‘The Flash’, ‘iZombie’, ‘Jane the Virgin’ & ‘The Messengers’ To Series", Deadline.com, May 8, 2014.

External links

Preceded by Chairman of NBC Entertainment
2007-2009		 Succeeded by
Jeff Gaspin
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