Nancy Tellem

Last updated
Nancy Tellem
Born (1952-12-13) December 13, 1952 (age 71)
Danville, California, U.S.
Alma mater University of California Berkeley
University of California Hastings College of the Law
OccupationEntertainment executive
Spouse
​
(m. 1979)​
Children3

Nancy Tellem (born December 13, 1952) is the chief media officer and executive chairwoman of Eko (formerly Interlude (interactive video)), a start-up which has created an online platform. [1] She is the onetime entertainment and digital media president of Microsoft [2] Xbox Entertainment Studios, and a former president of CBS Network Television Entertainment Group, formerly CBS Entertainment Network and CBS Studios. She is co-founder and CEO of BasBlue, Inc, [3] a nonprofit organization.

Contents

Career

Tellem was born to a Jewish family in Danville, California, the daughter of an anesthesiologist mother and orthopedic surgeon father. Her parents were Jewish survivors of the Holocaust. [4] [5] Tellem got hooked on TV as a child through fan magazines that the networks used to mail out during the summer to promote new shows. [6] As an undergraduate at the University of California Berkeley, she interned one summer for Congressman Ron Dellums (D-Calif.) on Capitol Hill and met her future husband, Arn Tellem. [7] After earning a JD from the University of California Hastings College of the Law, [8] [9] she practiced law as a business litigator for five years in Los Angeles. Among her first jobs was chasing down people who claimed to be heirs to Howard Hughes's estate. Tellem then jumped to entertainment, working initially at Columbia Pictures Television on famed lawyer F. Lee Bailey's short-lived 1982 show Lie Detector . Eventually she would end up working for Merv Griffin Enterprises, including on his Wheel of Fortune show before moving to Lorimar Television, where she was in the business affairs department. [10]

Warner Bros. and CBS Paramount

When Lorimar merged with Warner Bros. television, Leslie Moonves became head of Warner Bros Television. In 1987, he promoted Tellem to Executive Vice President for Business and Financial Affairs and was part of the team that created the landmark shows Friends and ER. When Moonves became head of CBS Entertainment in 1995, two years later, he appointed Tellem the network's Executive Vice President of Business Affairs and President of CBS Productions, the unit responsible for producing original series for the network.

In 1998, Moonves became the president of CBS, and named Tellem his successor. [11] That year Tellem ascended to the presidency of CBS Network Television Entertainment Group, [12] where she oversaw programming, development, production, business affairs and network operations for the CBS Entertainment Network and CBS-Paramount Studios. She was responsible for deciding which shows appeared on CBS, supervised the prime-time, daytime, late-night and Saturday morning lineup on both CBS and later, The CW Television Network - the merged network of The WB and UPN - including shows like CSI, Survivor, Everybody Loves Raymond, The King of Queens, and Gossip Girl. In 2010, she stepped down as president, and took on a new role as a senior advisor to Moonves. [13]

Tellem was the second woman in television history, after ABC's Jamie Tarses, to hold the top entertainment post at a major broadcast network. In 2003, she was named the third most powerful woman in entertainment by The Hollywood Reporter . [14] From 2006 through 2008, Forbes magazine ranked Tellem 75th, 49th and 32nd, respectively, on its annual list of the 100 Most Powerful Women. [15] [16] [17] She placed third on Entertainment Weekly 's 2008 list of the 25 smartest people in TV for restoring CBS's entire prime-time line-up quickly after the 100-day writers’ strike. [18]

Microsoft

In June, 2012, reports surfaced that Microsoft was looking to hire Tellem to head the software giant's entertainment division, which included the company's Xbox and Xbox Live products. [19] In September, 2012, Tellem joined the company as entertainment and digital media president, and set about putting together a team to develop entertainment content that would be available exclusively through the Xbox platform. [20] She left the company when the studio shut down in October, 2014.

Interlude

In April, 2015, Tellem became executive chairman and chief media officer of Interlude, a technology company and creator of proprietary technology used in interactive storytelling. Interlude is now known as eko. Tellem is also an investor in the company, and one of its board of directors. [21]

Bas Blue

In 2015, Tellem launched BasBlue, Inc. a nonprofit organization providing access, programming, mentorship and education to underrepresented and under-resourced women and non-binary individuals. [22] [23]

Awards and honors

In 2006, Tellem was inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame, in recognition of her contributions to the electronic arts. [24] Two years later she received a National Association of Television Program Executives' Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award, which recognizes television professionals who exhibit extraordinary passion, leadership, independence and vision in the process of creating TV programming. [25]

Personal

Tellem is married to former sports agent Arn Tellem, the vice chairman of Palace Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Detroit Pistons. [26] The couple has three sons: Michael, Matthew and Eric. [27]

Related Research Articles

CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainment Group division of Paramount Global and is one of the company's three flagship subsidiaries, along with namesake Paramount Pictures and MTV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Viacom (2005–2019)</span> American mass media company (2005–2019)

The second phase of Viacom Inc., was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate with interests primarily in film and television. It was established on December 31, 2005, as one of two companies which succeeded the original Viacom, alongside the second CBS Corporation. The controlling shareholder of both companies was National Amusements, a theater company headed by businessman Sumner Redstone. The split was structured so that the original Viacom changed its name to CBS Corporation and spun out its cable and film interests as a new Viacom.

Lorimar Productions, Inc., later known as Lorimar Television and Lorimar Distribution, was an American production company that was later a subsidiary of Warner Bros., active from 1969 until 1993, when it was folded into Warner Bros. Television. It was founded by Irwin Molasky, Merv Adelson, and Lee Rich. The company's name was a portmanteau of the name of Adelson's then wife, Lori, and Palomar Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Les Moonves</span> American television executive (born 1949)

Leslie Roy Moonves is an American media executive who was the chairman and CEO of CBS Corporation from 2003 until his resignation in September 2018 following numerous allegations of sexual harassment, sexual assault and abuse. He has been married to TV personality Julie Chen since 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CBS Studios</span> American television production company

CBS Studios, Inc. is an American television production company which is a subsidiary of the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global. It was formed on January 17, 2006, by CBS Corporation as CBS Paramount (Network) Television, as a renaming of the original incarnation of the Paramount Television studio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CBS Corporation</span> American mass media company (2005–2019)

The second incarnation of CBS Corporation was an American multinational media company with interests primarily in commercial broadcasting, publishing, and television production. It was formed on December 31, 2005, as the legal successor of the original Viacom, following the spin-off of the second incarnation of Viacom; both CBS Corporation and the second Viacom were controlled by National Amusements, a theater company owned by billionaire Sumner Redstone.

Arn Herschel Tellem is an American sports executive who is the vice chairman of the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). From 1981 to 2015, he was a sports agent best known for his representation of basketball and baseball players. Tellem was vice chairman of the Wasserman Media Group, a global sport and entertainment marketing agency headed by Casey Wasserman. From 2009 to 2010, he wrote a semi-weekly sports column for The Huffington Post. He has also written for Sports Illustrated, the op-ed page of The New York Times, Grantland, Detroit Free Press, The Hollywood Reporter, The Japan Times and The Detroit News.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CBS Productions</span> Production arm of American CBS television network

CBS Productions was a production arm of the CBS television network, now a part of Paramount Global, formed in 1952 to produce shows in-house, instead of relying solely on outside productions. One of its first productions was Studio One, a drama anthology series.

The Papdits is a television show airing on CBS's InnerTube service, premiering in 2007, satirizing a newly emigrated family from India. The show features a father, mother, daughter, son, and grandmother, and is written and produced by writers from Da Ali G Show.

David Nevins is an American television executive and executive producer. He is CEO of Peter Chernin’s North Road Company. Previously, he was the Chief Content Officer of Scripted Originals for Paramount+, and Chairman and CEO of Showtime Networks, both owned by Paramount Global. He is also a member of the Peabody Awards board of directors, which is presented by the University of Georgia's Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Barbara Bloom is an American television executive and writer best known for her work in daytime television.

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">Viacom (1952–2005)</span> American media conglomerate (1952–2005)

The original phase of Viacom Inc. was an American mass media and entertainment conglomerate based in New York City. It began as CBS Television Film Sales, the broadcast syndication division of the CBS television network in 1952; it was renamed CBS Films in 1958, renamed CBS Enterprises in 1968, renamed Viacom in 1970, and spun off into its own company in 1971. Viacom was a distributor of CBS television series throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and also distributed syndicated television programs. The company went under Sumner Redstone's control in 1987 through his cinema chain company National Amusements.

Eko, formerly known as Interlude, is a media and technology company that enables production and web distribution of interactive multimedia videos. The software was used for the Sony produced music video Bob Dylan's Like A Rolling Stone. Interlude was originally founded in 2010 and was rebranded as Eko in December 2016.

CBS News 24/7 is an American streaming video news channel operated by the CBS News and Paramount Streaming divisions of Paramount Global. Launched on November 6, 2014, it features blocks of live, rolling news coverage, original programs, as well as encore airings of CBS News television programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jordan Levin</span> American media executive (born 1967)

Jordan Levin is an American media executive, producer, entrepreneur and now professor. He was general manager of Rooster Teeth, an Austin, Texas-based digital-media and events company owned by Warner Bros Discovery from 2019 until its closure in 2024. A strategic advisor and business consultant, he was previously the chief executive officer at AwesomenessTV, the chief content officer at the NFL, the CEO at The WB, and the founder and CEO of Generate, a production studio and talent management company. Levin is also a former co-owner of the Chicago Red Stars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paramount Global</span> American mass media corporation

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.

2019 merger of CBS and Viacom 2019 merger transaction

The 2019 merger of CBS Corporation and Viacom was announced on August 13, 2019, and was completed on December 4, 2019. The merger of equals reunited CBS Corporation and Viacom into a single company known as ViacomCBS after their separation from the first incarnation of Viacom on December 31, 2005. Both companies were owned by the theater company National Amusements, which remains the owner of the merged entity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paramount Television</span> TV production division of Paramount Pictures

The first incarnation of Paramount Television was as the television production division of the American film studio Paramount Pictures, until it changed its name to CBS Paramount Television on January 17, 2006.

References

  1. ↑ "Former Microsoft Executive Nancy Tellem to Join Interlude Start-Up", The New York Times , April 22, 2015
  2. ↑ "Nancy Tellem Out at Microsoft as Xbox Entertainment Studios Shuts Down" The Hollywood Reporter , Oct. 29, 2014
  3. ↑ Clark, Christina (2022-10-26). "Welcome to the Club: A Look Inside Detroit's BasBlue". Hour Detroit Magazine. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
  4. ↑ "Prime Time for Hitler: CBS goes ahead with its biopic plans, but skeptics warn it had better step carefully.", Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles , August 1, 2002.
  5. ↑ "A miniseries on the young Hitler" Archived 2012-05-23 at the Wayback Machine , Jewish Telegraphic Agency , November 30, 1999
  6. ↑ Nancy Tellem Discussing Stepping Down At CBS; Will Les Cope?, Deadline Hollywood , October 6, 2009
  7. ↑ "The Arn Of The Deal", Sports Illustrated , May 27, 2002
  8. ↑ "Thinkers & Doers: Nancy Tellem". U.C. Hastings College of Law. 10 October 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  9. ↑ "Nancy Reiss Tellem". Seeds of Peace. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  10. ↑ "The Prime (Time) Of Nancy Tellem", Businessweek , May 29, 2006
  11. ↑ CBS Fills President's Post At Entertainment Division, New York Times , August 18, 1998
  12. ↑ Hontz, Jenny (1998-08-18). "Tellem who's boss". Variety. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
  13. ↑ Nancy Tellem changing jobs at CBS, Los Angeles Times , December 18, 2009
  14. ↑ "Nancy Tellem, Television Executive", She Made It, Paley Center for Media (accessed April 23, 2012)
  15. ↑ Nancy Tellem, No. 75, President CBS Paramount Television Entertainment Group
  16. ↑ Nancy Tellem, No. 49, President CBS Paramount Television Entertainment, CBS Corp.
  17. ↑ Nancy Tellem, No. 32, President CBS Paramount Television Entertainment Group
  18. ↑ Entertainment Weekly dubs Seth MacFarlane the smartest guy in TV, Boston Herald , December 4, 2008
  19. ↑ "Why Microsoft is going after CBS' Nancy Tellem", Forbes , June 26, 2012
  20. ↑ "Microsoft Brings In Former CBS Exec Nancy Tellem To Launch New Xbox Studio", LTG , September 19, 2012
  21. ↑ "Nancy Tellem Joins Interactive Video Firm Interlude", Variety , April 22, 2015.
  22. ↑ Clark, Christina (2022-10-26). "Welcome to the Club: A Look Inside Detroit's BasBlue". Hour Detroit Magazine. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
  23. ↑ Zlatopolsky, Ashley. "New Midtown Detroit Social Club BasBlue is Made for Women, by Women — Detroit Jewish News". thejewishnews.com/. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
  24. ↑ "Television Hall of Fame", C-SPAN, Oct. 23, 2006
  25. ↑ Legacy Award Honorees for 2008 Archived 2013-10-18 at the Wayback Machine , NATPE , 2008
  26. ↑ Arn Tellem, "Why I'm Making The Jump From Sports Agent To Front Office" Sports Illustrated June 5, 2015
  27. ↑ "Nancy Tellem", Encyclopedia of World Biography
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.