Jeff Shell | |
|---|---|
 2013 portrait | |
| Born | 1965 (age 58–59) Michigan, U.S. |
| Education | University of California, Berkeley (BS) Harvard Business School (MBA) |
| Occupation | Media executive |
| Title | CEO, NBCUniversal (2019–2023) President, New Paramount (upcoming role) |
| Spouse | Laura Fay Shell |
| Relatives | Dana Shell Smith (sister) |
Jeff Shell is an American media executive who served as the CEO for NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast, from 2019 to 2023. [1]
Shell is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, where he studied economics and applied mathematics, and Harvard Business School, where he received an MBA. [2] He began his career at Salomon Brothers. [2]
In 2001, Shell served as president of FOX Cable Network Group before joining Comcast in 2004, where he was president of Comcast Programming Group. In 2019, it was announced that he would succeed Steve Burke as CEO of NBCUniversal. [3] Shell assumed the role on January 1, 2020, and reported directly to Comcast CEO Brian L. Roberts. [4]
In April 2008, Shell signed an open letter endorsing Barack Obama for the Pennsylvania primary. [5] He was named by President Barack Obama as chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors replacing Sony Pictures executive Michael Lynton. [6]
In May 2020, The New York Times reported that Shell was considering replacing CNBC's current primetime offerings of business reality shows with right-wing talk shows, in a bid to appeal to conservative viewers. [7]
On April 23, 2023, Shell was fired from NBCUniversal after an investigation into sexual harassment, which began when a female employee filed a complaint against him. [8] Shell had an extramarital affair with the employee from 2012 to 2021, who was subsequently identified as CNBC reporter Hadley Gamble. [9] Variety reported that the law firm Gibson Dunn was hired to conduct the investigation, and corroborated the complaint after reviewing records of Shell and Gamble's email communications. Shell was then dismissed with cause, and did not receive any severance pay. [9]
On July 7, 2024, Paramount's board approved the deal to merge with Skydance. [10] The deal will close in two phases: first, a group of investors from Skydance will pay $2.4 billion in cash to purchase National Amusements, the parent company of Paramount Global; second, Paramount Global will pay its Class A and Class B stockholders $4.5 billion in cash and shares. In addition, Paramount will add $1.5 billion in primary capital to its balance sheet. The second phase will see an all-stock merger between Skydance Media and Paramount, valued at $4.75 billion. Equity holders in Skydance will get 317 million Class B shares, with a market value of $15 per share. Paramount Global would have 45 days to look for better or matching offers from other bidders before finalizing. [11] [12] If Paramount were to find a better offer, Skydance would be entitled to a $400 million breakup fee payout from the company. [13] David Ellison would become chairman and CEO of the combined company with Shell serving as president. [14]
According to Paramount Global, the merger will inject significant capital into Paramount, helping to address its debt and enabling investments in new content and technologies. [15] It will support Paramount Global's expansion into other entertainment industries, such as animation, sports and video games, where it currently has less presence. Ellison's vision is for the new company "to be both a media and technology enterprise". [16] Skydance will benefit from greater resources and infrastructure, allowing it to produce more large-scale content. Additionally, Skydance will gain from Paramount's brands, intellectual property, and distribution network. [17]
Shell is married to Laura Fay Shell, who worked for Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky as his planning deputy until 2005. [6] His sister is Dana Shell Smith, [18] and his brother is Dan Shell of IMG College. [19]
In 2015, he was awarded the Dorothy and Sherrill C. Corwin Human Relations Award by the American Jewish Committee. [18] Shell is a 2010 inductee into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. [20]
In January 2019, Shell, along with Cindy Crawford, her husband Rande Gerber, Michael Meldman, and Jay Sures, announced they would purchase the Beverly Hills deli, Nate 'n Al, to keep its doors open after three generations of family ownership. [21] [22]
Comcast Corporation, formerly known as American Cable Systems and then Comcast Holdings, is a multinational telecommunications and media conglomerate incorporated and headquartered in Philadelphia.
National Amusements, Inc. is an American privately owned movie theater operator and mass media holding company incorporated in Maryland and based in Norwood, Massachusetts.
Major film studios are production and distribution companies that release a substantial number of films annually and consistently command a significant share of box office revenue in a given market. In the American and international markets, the major film studios, often known simply as the majors or the Big Five studios, are commonly regarded as the five diversified media conglomerates whose various film production and distribution subsidiaries collectively command approximately 80 to 85% of U.S. box office revenue. The term may also be applied more specifically to the primary motion picture business subsidiary of each respective conglomerate.
NBCUniversal Media, LLC is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate that is a subsidiary of Comcast and is headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Midtown Manhattan in New York City.
NBCUniversal Media Group is the television and streaming arm of NBCUniversal, and the direct descendant and successor of the former division NBCUniversal Television Group, which existed from 2004 to 2019.
Brian Robbins is an American businessman, producer, director, actor, and the current co-CEO of Paramount Global. He has been the president of Nickelodeon and president and CEO of Paramount Pictures since 2018 and 2021, respectively. He was named the co-CEO of Paramount Global in April 2024.
David Ellison is an American film producer, former actor, and the founder and CEO of Skydance Media. He is the son of multibillionaire and Oracle Corporation co-founder Larry Ellison.
Black Entertainment Television LLC is a subsidiary of American media conglomerate Paramount Global under its CBS Entertainment unit. BET oversees television channels and premium services aimed at African Americans, including its namesake cable channel.
Stephen B. Burke is an American businessman. He is the senior executive vice president of Comcast and chairman of NBCUniversal.
Skydance Media, LLC, also known as Skydance Productions, is an American media production and finance company based in Santa Monica, California. Founded by David Ellison in 2006, the company specializes in films, animation, television, video games, and sports.
Universal Content Productions LLC (UCP) is an American television production company operating within the Universal Studio Group division of NBCUniversal, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Comcast.
Awesomeness, formerly and best known as AwesomenessTV, is an American digital media and entertainment network company owned by Viacom Digital Studios, a division of Paramount Global. Established in July 2012 by Brian Robbins and Joe Davola, the company operated a network initially focused on children’s programs, teen dramas, comedies, live events and music videos targeting adolescents and young adults.
Robert Marc Bakish is an American business executive. He became the president and CEO of Paramount Global on December 4, 2019, formerly holding the same position at Viacom before the merger with CBS Corporation. He resigned on April 29, 2024 when Paramount was considering a major merger after a poor performance in the stock market.
Hayu is a subscription-based video streaming service owned by NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, introduced in 2016.
Paramount Global is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate controlled by National Amusements and headquartered at One Astor Plaza in Times Square, Midtown Manhattan. The company was formed on December 4, 2019, as ViacomCBS through the merger of the second incarnations of CBS Corporation and Viacom. The company took its current name on February 16, 2022.
Peacock is an American over-the-top subscription streaming service owned and operated by Peacock TV, LLC, a subsidiary of NBCUniversal Media Group. Named after the NBC logo, the service launched on July 15, 2020.
Spellbound is an upcoming American animated musical adventure fantasy comedy film directed by Vicky Jenson from a screenplay by Julia Miranda and the writing team of Lauren Hynek and Elizabeth Martin. It features music composed by Alan Menken, who also wrote the songs with longtime collaborator and lyricist Glenn Slater. Produced by Skydance Animation, the film features the voices of Rachel Zegler, John Lithgow, Jenifer Lewis, Tituss Burgess, Nathan Lane, Javier Bardem, and Nicole Kidman. Set in the world of magic known as Lumbria, the story follows Princess Ellian (Zegler) who must break the spell that has turned her parents into monsters and split her kingdom in two.
RedBird Capital Partners is an American investment management firm founded in 2014 in New York by Gerry Cardinale.
On July 7, 2024, American media companies Skydance Media and Paramount Global announced a definitive agreement to merge in a deal valued at $8 billion, forming a new entity known as "New Paramount". The agreement values the newly formed entity at approximately $28 billion. The transaction is expected to close in spring 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Burke, 61, has not indicated what his next move may be.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)AJC, an advocacy organization focusing on Israel and domestic issues, awarded Jeff Shell, Universal Filmed Entertainment Group chairman, the Dorothy and Sherrill C. Corwin Human Relations Award — the highest honor AJC bestows upon members of the entertainment industry.
