Word: silverman
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...talk about the comedy scene as a "boys' club." Do they really treat you that differently? Absolutely. It is appalling to this day the stuff that I encounter. I remember I had a meeting with Ben Silverman at NBC two years ago about my role in the company and the future of the show, and he said, "Kathy, we're gonna find a role for you that fits you as tight as those jeans." Now, you know that no one says that to Matthew Perry...
...Silverman's fault. For the first six months of his tenure, all the networks were hobbled by the writers' strike, meaning the winnowing process of creating and shooting pilots had to be dispensed with and the networks were forced to choose new shows on scripts alone. This year, the struggling economy hasn't helped matters. (See the worst business deals...
...Silverman came in with a reputation as a hitmaker. His independent production company Reveille successfully translated The Office from a hysterical but oddball British show to a mainstream U.S. hit. It brought The Biggest Loser to American screens. The same year he was hired away from Reveille to NBC, two of the shows he had helped create, The Office and Ugly Betty, were nominated for Emmys for Outstanding Comedy Series, a rare feat. He had a hand in the genesis of such juggernauts as Survivor and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. (See TIME's television covers...
...American viewing appetite. Some shows remained unpalatable: Kath & Kim, an archetypal Australian comedy, did not fare well. Neither did some of his other, more homegrown fare: a revamped Knight Rider, American Gladiator and Restaurant, a reality show that followed the fortunes of Rocco DiSpirito, an upstart chef not unlike Silverman...
...Silverman's other innovation was to package programming and advertising together, so the entertainment would be inextricable from the marketing. His iteration of Knight Rider was sponsored by Ford. American Express was all over Restaurant, which, while not a lasting hit, was something of a marketing juggernaut. This kind of barrier-busting is what, officially, Silverman will be doing with the new company he's forming with Diller. It seems a natural fit and a no-brainer decision for both of them. But as Silverman learned the hard way at NBC, in entertainment, nothing is as easy as it looks...