Gail Berman

Last updated

Gail Berman
Born (1956-08-17) August 17, 1956 (age 67)
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Education University of Maryland
OccupationMedia executive
SpouseBill Masters
Children2

Gail Berman (born August 17, 1956) is an American producer and television executive. She is co-owner and founding partner of The Jackal Group, a production entity formed in partnership with Fox Networks Group. The Jackal Group develops and produces scripted, unscripted and factual entertainment programming for FNG's channels, including Fox Broadcasting Company, FX/FXX, the National Geographic Channels, and Fox International Channels. The partnership also provides for opportunities in digital and film, as well as for non-21st Century Fox distribution entities. [1] [2]

Contents

Early life

Berman was born to a Jewish family in Brooklyn. The family soon moved to Bellmore, New York, where she was raised. [3] In 1974, she graduated from Abington High School and in 1978, she graduated with a B.A. in theater from the University of Maryland. [3]

Career

Berman graduated from the University of Maryland, where she served on the board of trustees. [4] Berman also serves on the board of directors of the Center Theatre Group, a non-profit company that oversees the Ahmanson Theatre, the Mark Taper Forum and the Kirk Douglas Theatre. [5] Berman is married to sitcom writer Bill Masters and they have two children.

Berman began her career as a theater producer after graduating with a bachelor's degree in theater from the University of Maryland. At 23, she and her college friend Susan Rose co-produced their first Broadway show, the original Broadway production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat , [6] which went on to garner seven Tony Award nominations. Berman's other Broadway productions include Hurlyburly by David Rabe (1984), Athol Fugard's Blood Knot (1985), and The Nerd by Larry Shue (1987), all of which received Tony Award nominations.

Berman served as president and CEO of production company Sandollar Television. During her six years with Sandollar, Berman also served as executive producer on the primetime series All American Girl starring Margaret Cho. During this time, Berman criticized Cho's appearance, spurring Cho to lose weight rapidly enough to experience acute kidney failure.

Berman next served as founding president of Regency Television, the TV studio created in 1998 as a co-venture between Fox Television Studios and New Regency Productions. Under Berman, Regency Television's programs included Malcolm in the Middle and The Bernie Mac Show .

Then, Berman served from 2000 to 2005 as president of Entertainment for Fox Broadcasting Company. At Fox, Berman was in charge of all program development and scheduling as well as marketing, business affairs, and promotions. Network shows under Berman's tenure included American Idol , The Simple Life , Hell's Kitchen , Nanny 911 , 24 , The Bernie Mac Show (in which she also produced for Regency TV), The War at Home , House , Arrested Development , Bones , Prison Break , The O.C , and both Seth MacFarlane's American Dad! and Family Guy (the latter was originally launched under Doug Herzog's watch, but became an overnight success during Berman's era). During this time, Berman infamously canceled the cult classic TV series Firefly following decisions to place it in the “Friday night death slot” and air the episodes out of order. [7]

Berman served as executive producer on both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel , and was reported to be involved with the reboot of Buffy being developed in 2018. [8] [9]

Berman became president of Paramount Pictures in March 2005 [10] and was responsible for the studio's annual slate of films, including the acquisition of literary properties, development, budgeting, casting, and the production of motion pictures for Paramount Pictures, MTV Films and Nickelodeon Movies. She left Paramount in January 2007.

Prior to founding The Jackal Group, Berman spent seven years as co-founder and co-owner of the media company BermanBraun with Lloyd Braun, which was an innovator in the digital arena, creating and operating successful online brands. [11] The company's properties have included reality and scripted programs as well as live-action and animated projects. In February 2014, Braun became the sole owner of BermanBraun, renaming the company Whalerock Industries. [12]

Before BermanBraun, Berman was the first and only female executive to hold the top posts at both a major film studio and television network.

In 2019, FOX and Berman's Jackal Group announced their partnership on a new production venture called SideCar, described as a content development accelerator. FOX will be the sole owner of all series that originate under the SideCar banner. [13] The accelerator's development slate includes Mr. Black, the animated comedy Saloon, and the drama The Perfect Couple. [14] In October 2020, Berman signed on to executive produce the streaming series Wednesday . [15]

Related Research Articles

<i>Buffy the Vampire Slayer</i> (film) 1992 film by Fran Rubel Kuzui

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a 1992 American comedy vampire film directed by Fran Rubel Kuzui and starring Kristy Swanson, Donald Sutherland, Paul Reubens, Rutger Hauer, Luke Perry, Hilary Swank, and David Arquette. It follows a Valley Girl cheerleader named Buffy who learns that it is her fate to hunt vampires. It was a moderate success at the box office, but received mixed reception from critics. The film took a different direction from that which its writer, Joss Whedon, intended. Five years later, he created the darker, and critically acclaimed, television series of the same name.

<i>Buffy the Vampire Slayer</i> American supernatural TV series (1997–2003)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is an American supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. It is based on the 1992 film of the same name, also written by Whedon, although they are separate and otherwise unrelated productions. Whedon served as executive producer and showrunner under his production tag Mutant Enemy Productions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ABC Signature</span> Production studio arm of ABC

ABC Signature is an American television production studio and the flagship production arm of the American Broadcasting Company that is a subsidiary of Disney Television Studios, a sub-division of the Disney Entertainment business segment and division of The Walt Disney Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Imagine Entertainment</span> American film and television production company

Imagine Entertainment, also known simply as Imagine, is an American film and television production company founded in November 1985 by producer Brian Grazer and director Ron Howard.

The second incarnation of Touchstone Television was an American television production company that is a subsidiary of Disney Media Networks' Walt Disney Television owned by The Walt Disney Company. It was founded in 2014 from the merger of Fox Television Studios and Fox 21, and given its second name in mid-2020 following the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fox 2000 Pictures</span> American film studio

Fox 2000 Pictures was an American film production company within The Walt Disney Studios. It was a sister studio of the larger film studios 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight Pictures, specializing in producing independent films in mid-range releases that largely targeted underserved groups. The company dissolved on May 14, 2021, following the release of The Woman in the Window on Netflix, and the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by The Walt Disney Company on March 20, 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nuyorican Productions</span> American production company founded

Nuyorican Productions, Inc. is an American production company founded by Jennifer Lopez and Benny Medina.

Linwood Boomer is a Canadian-born American film and television producer, writer, and actor. He is known for playing the role of Adam Kendall on the drama Little House on the Prairie, and for creating the Fox sitcom Malcolm in the Middle.

Lloyd Braun is an American media executive. He was the founder and CEO of Whalerock Industries, a Los Angeles based media and technology company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fran Rubel Kuzui</span> American film director and producer

Fran Rubel Kuzui is an American film director and producer. She received her master's degree from New York University and was a script supervisor for a decade, prior to her first film, 1988's Tokyo Pop, which she co-wrote and directed. The movie was shown at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival and received critical acclaim for its depiction of an American woman trying to make sense of the Japanese youth culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drew Goddard</span> American screenwriter and director

Andrew Brion Hogan Goddard is an American screenwriter, director, and producer. He began his career writing episodes for the television shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Alias, and Lost. After moving into screenwriting in film, he wrote Cloverfield (2008), World War Z (2013), and The Martian (2015), the latter earning him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. In 2011, he made his directorial debut with The Cabin in the Woods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regency Enterprises</span> American entertainment company

Regency Enterprises is an American entertainment company formed by Arnon Milchan. It was founded in 1982 as the successor to Regency International Pictures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaz Kuzui</span> Japanese film producer

Katsusuke Kuzui is a Japanese film producer. His wife, Fran Rubel Kuzui, has also directed movies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whalerock Industries</span>

Whalerock Industries is an American media and technology company. Based in West Hollywood, Whalerock partners with public figures and brands to create, build and operate direct-to-consumer multi-media apps which integrate music, video, live streaming, e-commerce, and gaming. Whalerock's partners include Sirius XM, Howard Stern, Warner Bros., Pottermore, MTV, Comedy Central, CMT, MSN, Microsoft, the Kardashian/Jenner sisters, and Tyler the Creator. The multi-media apps were described by Wired as "promising a new kind of interaction—one with more control for celebrities and more content for super fans."

Gary Auerbach is an American television and film writer, director and producer. He graduated from Livingston High School and the University of Delaware, where he earned a degree in Economics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Rotenberg</span> Canadian film producer

Michael Rotenberg is a Canadian television and film producer and entertainment manager.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hello Sunshine (company)</span> American media company

Hello Sunshine is an American media company founded by actress Reese Witherspoon and Strand Equity Founder and Managing Partner Seth Rodsky in 2016. Pacific Standard, the production company Witherspoon co-founded with Bruna Papandrea in 2012, is now a subsidiary of Hello Sunshine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fox Corporation</span> American mass media company, successor to 21st Century Fox

Fox Corporation is an American multinational mass media company headquartered at 1211 Avenue of the Americas in Midtown Manhattan. Incorporated in Delaware, it was formed on March 20, 2019, as a result of the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by The Walt Disney Company, which was closed on March 20, 2019. The company is controlled by the Murdoch family via a family trust with 39.6% ownership share, and by Rupert Murdoch himself to the effect of almost 40%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fox Entertainment</span> Production company

Fox Entertainment is an American film and television production company owned by Fox Corporation. The company was formed in 2019 after The Walt Disney Company's acquisition of 21st Century Fox, with offices in Midtown Manhattan and Los Angeles, California. Fox Entertainment programming is created for the Fox Broadcasting Company, MyNetworkTV, and Tubi; Fox First Run serves as the syndication arm of the former, as well as a television distribution company for Fox Television Stations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berlanti Productions</span> American film and television production company

Berlanti Productions is an American film and television production company founded by screenwriter, producer and filmmaker Greg Berlanti and producer Mickey Liddell.

References

  1. ↑ "About Us". The Jackal Group. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
  2. ↑ "Gail Berman To Produce TV, Theater, Movies, With Fox At The Jackal Group". Deadline Hollywood . June 30, 2014. Retrieved June 15, 2014.
  3. 1 2 Wills, Adam. "Gail Berman (b. 1957)". Jewish Women's Archive. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  4. ↑ "UMCP Foundation Board". University of Maryland College Park Foundations. Archived from the original on March 10, 2015. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Board of Directors". Center Theatre Group. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
  6. ↑ Klein, Alvin (October 3, 1982). "At 26, Producing 'Joseph' on Broadway". The New York Times . Retrieved August 22, 2018.
  7. ↑ Owen, Rob (March 3, 2011). "Revisiting 'Firefly'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . Archived from the original on August 21, 2017. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  8. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (July 20, 2018). "'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' Series Reboot With Black Lead In Works From Monica Owusu-Breen & Joss Whedon". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved July 22, 2018.
  9. ↑ Otterson, Joe (July 20, 2018). "'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' TV Reboot in Development From Joss Whedon, Monica Owusu-Breen". Variety . Retrieved July 22, 2018.
  10. ↑ Eller, Claudia; James, Meg (January 10, 2007). "Berman appears to be on way out". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved June 1, 2012.
  11. ↑ Swisher, Kara (January 29, 2014). "Digital Hollywood Breakup — BermanBraun Now Just Braun". Recode . Retrieved August 22, 2018.
  12. ↑ , Deadline February 28, 2014
  13. ↑ Otterson, Joe (February 6, 2019). "Fox Entertainment Sets New Deal With Gail Berman Company SideCar". Variety. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  14. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (September 5, 2019). "Gail Berman On Starting Anew With SideCar & How "Content Accelerator" Company Operates Alongside Fox". Deadline. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  15. ↑ Kroll, Justin (October 22, 2020). "'Addams Family' Live-Action TV Series From Tim Burton Heats Up TV Marketplace". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved February 24, 2021.
Business positions
Preceded by President of FOX
2000-2005		Succeeded by
Peter Liguori
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.