Jerry Offsay

Last updated
Jerry Offsay
BornDecember 1953
Bronx, New York
Alma materJ.D., Columbia Law School
Occupation(s)Motion picture & television executive, executive producer, and expert witness
Known forPresident of Programming for Showtime Networks
Notable workThe Outer Limits, Soul Food, Queer As Folk, The L Word, Stargate
SpousePam Offsay
Children4

Jerry Offsay is an American motion picture & television executive and executive producer. He served as President of Programming for Showtime Networks from 1994-2003.

Contents

Early life and education

Offsay grew up in Parkchester, a neighborhood in the Bronx, New York. His father worked at a small display-design company, where his mother was the company bookkeeper. Offsay was the third of four children. He attended the Bronx High School of Science, State University of New York at Binghamton, and later Columbia Law School, where he earned his J.D. in 1977. [1]

Career

After graduating from law school, Offsay began his career at the Los Angeles office of Loeb & Loeb. He worked in the firm’s entertainment law practice, finding his specialty in the financing and production of independent films. He was made partner at age 28. [2]

Looking for a change from the law, Offsay joined RKO Pictures as President of Production. At RKO, Offsay served as executive producer on several films including Hamburger Hill and Eight Men Out , and co–produced Narrow Margin . In 1990 Offsay became Executive Vice President at ABC Productions, ABC’s newly launched programming company. During his four years at ABC, Offsay supervised the production of the ABCP's programming, including series, miniseries, and movies such as The Commish , and Dominick Dunne's An Inconvenient Woman , and Neil Simon's Broadway Bound . [3]

In January 1994 Offsay began his new role as President of Programming at Showtime Networks. He saw an opportunity to bring theater-quality movies to premium television—just as HBO was doing, who at the time released new films monthly. Offsay embarked on a journey to put on an original movie every week. [1] During Offsay's tenure, Showtime more than tripled its original programming, producing and/or commissioning over 300 hundred original films and 20 television series. Over 70 movies were nominated for Emmys; one was nominated for an Oscar. Notable television series Offsay put on the air include Stargate , The Outer Limits , Soul Food, Queer As Folk, The L Word , and Penn and Teller’s Bullshit!, all of which ran five seasons or longer.

In 2001 Offsay won the Governors Award from the Television Academy for Showtime's diversity programming. That year he was also honored at the ACLU's annual Bill of Rights Awards for introducing topics and issues to the mainstream through Showtime's programming. [4] In 2002 he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Jewish Image Awards in Film and Television. [5] That same year the Professional Organization of Women in Entertainment Reaching Up awarded the Premier Award to Offsay for Showtime's commitment to providing access to quality work that might otherwise go unseen. [6] He was awarded the Executive of the Year Award by the Caucus for Television Producers, Writers, and Directors in 2003. [7] During Offsay's tenure at Showtime, the network was awarded six Humanitas Prizes and four Peabody Awards and won eight Daytime Emmy Awards in the Outstanding Children's Special category in seven consecutive years.

In 2003 Offsay left Showtime to start Parkchester Pictures, his own production company where he produces films and television. Offsay, drawing on his legal training and career in entertainment, has also served as an expert witness on several industry cases, such as Sobini Films v. Clear Skies Nevada. [8]

Personal life

Offsay and his wife, Pam, supported the development of Offsay Steinhauser Village, a 15-unit L.A. Family Housing affordable housing complex in the Valley Glen neighborhood of Los Angeles. [9] For over 20 years they hosted—originally at Offsay's home but soon expanded to Paramount Studios—an annual "Dessert Party" which raised funds for L.A. Family Housing’s Valley Shelter for the Homeless. [10]

Offsay lives and works in Los Angeles. Together he and Pam have four children and two grandchildren.

Award-Winning Programming

YearTitleAwardInvolvement
1995 Outer Limits CableACE Award for Dramatic SeriesNetwork Programming President
1997 Hiroshima Humanitas Award, PBS/Cable — with John Hopkins and Toshiro IshidoNetwork Programming President
1998 Hiroshima Gemini Award for Best Dramatic TV Movie or Mini-SeriesNetwork Programming President
1998 The Baby Dance Peabody Award — with Jane AndersonNetwork Programming President
1998In His Father's Shoes Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Special Network Programming President
1999 Strange Justice Peabody Award — with Ernest DickersonNetwork Programming President
1999 The Island on Bird Street Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Special Network Programming President
2000 Thanks of a Grateful Nation Humanitas Award, PBS/Cable — with John Sacret YoungNetwork Programming President
2000 Summer's End Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Special Network Programming President
2001 Varian's War Jewish Image Award for Cable Television Film Award [11] Network Programming President
2001 Things Behind the Sun Peabody Award — with Allison AndersNetwork Programming President
2001 Run the Wild Fields Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Special Network Programming President
2001A Storm in Summer Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Special Network Programming President
2002 Resurrection Blvd. ALMA Award for Outstanding Television SeriesNetwork Programming President
2002 My Louisiana Sky Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Special Network Programming President
2003 My Louisiana Sky Humanitas Award, Children's Live Action — with Anna SandorNetwork Programming President
2003 Bang Bang You're Dead Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Special Network Programming President
2003 Soul Food NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Drama Series Network Programming President
2004 Soul Food NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Drama Series Network Programming President
2004 Our America Humanitas Award, 90 Minutes — with Gordon RayfieldNetwork Programming President
2004 The Incredible Mrs. Ritche Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Special Network Programming President
2005 Edge of America Peabody Award — with Tim DalyNetwork Programming President
2005 Crown Heights Humanitas Award, Children's Live Action — with Toni Ann Johnson and Michael D'AntonioNetwork Programming President
2006 The L Word GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Drama Series Network Programming President
2007 Edge of America Humanitas Award, Children's Live Action — with Willy HoltzmanNetwork Programming President
2008 As Seen Through These Eyes Miami Jewish Film Festival, Winner of Best DocumentaryExecutive Producer
2008 As Seen Through These Eyes Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival, Winner of Best DocumentaryExecutive Producer

Filmography as Producer / Executive Producer

YearTitleRole
1987 Hot Pursuit Executive Producer
1987 Hamburger Hill Executive Producer
1988 Eight Men Out Executive Producer
1990 False Identity Executive Producer
1990 Women and Men: Stories of Seduction Executive Producer
1990 The Shrimp on the Barbie Executive Producer
1990 Narrow Margin Co-Producer
1996 Diabolique Executive Producer
2003 Baadasssss! Executive Producer
2004 The Best Thief in the World Executive Producer
2004 Speak Executive Producer
2004 Bereft Executive Producer
2005 Fathers and Sons Executive Producer
2005 Sexual Life Executive Producer
2006 Keeping Up with the Steins Executive Consultant
2008The Week ReducedExecutive Producer
2008As Seen Through These EyesExecutive Producer
2008Commuter ConfidentialExecutive Producer
2010Iris ExpandingExecutive Producer
2014 Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks Executive Producer
2017ShotExecutive Producer
2020ReconExecutive Producer

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David O. Selznick</span> American film producer (1902–1965)

David O. Selznick was an American film producer, screenwriter and film studio executive who produced Gone with the Wind (1939) and Rebecca (1940), both of which earned him an Academy Award for Best Picture. He also won the Irving Thalberg Award at the 12th Academy Awards, Hollywood's top honor for a producer, in recognition of his shepherding Gone with the Wind through a long and troubled production and into a record-breaking blockbuster.

Turner Entertainment Company is an American multimedia company founded by Ted Turner on August 2, 1986. Purchased by Time Warner Entertainment on October 10, 1996, as part of its acquisition of Turner Broadcasting System (TBS), the company was largely responsible for overseeing the TBS library for worldwide distribution. In recent years, this role has largely been limited to being the copyright holder, as it has become an in-name-only subsidiary of Warner Bros., which currently administers their library.

Quinn Martin was an American television producer. He had at least one television series running in prime time every year for 21 straight years. Martin is a member of the Television Hall of Fame, having been inducted in 1997.

Walter Mortimer Mirisch was an American film producer. He was the president and executive head of production of The Mirisch Corporation, an independent film production company which he formed in 1957 with his brother, Marvin, and half-brother, Harold. He won the Academy Award for Best Picture as producer of In the Heat of the Night (1967).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Lerner (actor)</span> American actor (1941–2023)

Michael Charles Lerner was an American actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Jack Lipnick in Barton Fink (1991). Lerner also played Arnold Rothstein in Eight Men Out (1988), Phil Gillman in Amos & Andrew (1993), The Warden in No Escape (1994), Mel Horowitz on the television series Clueless, Jerry Miller in The Beautician and the Beast (1997), Mayor Ebert in Roland Emmerich's Godzilla (1998), Mr. Greenway in Elf (2003), and Senator Brickman in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rob Morrow</span> American actor (born 1962)

Robert Alan Morrow is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of Dr. Joel Fleischman on Northern Exposure, a role that garnered him three Golden Globe and two Emmy nominations for Best Actor in a Dramatic Series, and later for his role as FBI agent Don Eppes on Numbers.

Leonard J. Goldberg was an American film and television producer. He had his own production company, Panda Productions. He served as head of programming for ABC, and was president of 20th Century Fox. Goldberg was also the executive producer of the CBS series Blue Bloods.

Antony Root is a British television executive and producer. He has worked in the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States. He was formerly Executive Vice President of Original Programming and Production for HBO Europe and Head of Original Production for WarnerMedia EMEA. He retired from this position in March 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vin Di Bona</span> American television producer and director

Vincent John "Vin" Di Bona is an American television producer of the television shows MacGyver, Entertainment Tonight, America's Funniest Home Videos and Dancing with the Stars. He runs an eponymous production company called Vin Di Bona Productions. In 2010, Di Bona launched a second business, FishBowl Worldwide Media, an independent production company developing properties for film, television, digital platforms and brands.

Gerald William Abrams is an American television producer who has produced many TV movies starting in the mid-1970s.

Gilbert Cates was an American film director and television producer, director of the Geffen Playhouse, a member of Cates/Doty Productions, and founding dean of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. Cates is most known for having produced the Academy Awards telecast a record 14 times between 1990 and 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Ray (screenwriter)</span> American screenwriter and film director (born 1962)

Billy Ray is an American screenwriter and film director. He began writing for television and movies in 1994 with Color of Night. He has written numerous films including Captain Phillips (2013) and Richard Jewell (2019).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R. J. Cutler</span> American film director

R. J. Cutler is an American filmmaker, documentarian, television producer and theater director.

Michael Allan Zinberg is an American television director, producer and writer.

George Shapiro was an American talent manager and television producer. He was among the most successful managers in show business in the United States, best known for representing Jerry Seinfeld, Carl Reiner, and Andy Kaufman and serving as a producer for the sitcom Seinfeld.

Mohammed Mark Amin is an Iranian American motion picture producer, writer, director, and distributor who has been working in independent and mainstream cinema for more than two decades. Some of Amin's film credits include The Prince and Me (2004), starring Julia Stiles, 1997's Eve's Bayou, starring Samuel L. Jackson, and 2002's Frida, a biopic which Amin executive produced.

Nina Tassler is an American film and television executive and producer. She was most recently the chairwoman of CBS Entertainment until 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Heller</span> American film producer (1927–2020)

Paul Heller was an American film producer residing in Southern California. His best known movies include Enter the Dragon, Withnail and I, My Left Foot, The Annihilation of Fish, Skin Game, Hot Potato, The Promise, The Barony, Black Belt Jones, and David and Lisa.

Martin Poll was an American film and television producer. Poll produced eleven feature films during his career, including The Lion in Winter, for which he received a 1968 Academy Award nomination for Academy Award for Best Picture. The Lion in Winter, which starred Katharine Hepburn and Peter O'Toole, received nine nominations and won three Academy Awards. It also won a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama.

Chas. Floyd Johnson is an African-American television producer, actor and activist, known for The Rockford Files (1975–1980), Magnum, P.I. (1982–1988), and Red Tails (2012). A three-time Emmy Award winner, Johnson currently serves as Executive Producer of the CBS Television Studios' television series, NCIS (2003–2019), following his tenure as an executive producer of the long-running CBS television series, JAG (1997–2005).

References

  1. 1 2 Schleier, Curt (1998-05-29). "Yiddishkeit, Bronx sensibilities keep Showtime executive sane". J. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  2. "Jerry Offsay". www.cablecenter.org. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  3. Variety Staff (1993-12-21). "Showtime taps Offsay programming prexy". Variety. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  4. "Jerry Offsay - Filmbug". www.filmbug.com. Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  5. "Showtime's Jerry Offsay received the Lifetime Achievement Award from..." Getty Images (in Dutch). Retrieved 2023-02-07.
  6. "Melissa Etheridge and Jerry Offsay to be honored by POWER UP (6364)". www.advocate.com. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
  7. "The Journal of The Caucus For Television Producers, Writers & Directors" (PDF). The Caucus Journal (Spring 2003): 25. 2003.
  8. "Sobini Films, Inc. v. Clear Skies Nev., LLC, B267431 | Casetext Search + Citator". casetext.com. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  9. Rhone, Nedra (2001-02-05). "Ground Broken for Affordable Homes". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  10. Journal, Jewish (2001-05-31). "The Circuit". Jewish Journal. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
  11. Tugend, Tom (2001-11-04). "Jewish film and TV honors given". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 2023-07-04.