Profiles of new NBC entertainment co-chair Ben Silverman are a dime a dozen these days. Most of them mention his youth, confidence, and track record of success (Ugly Betty, The Office, The Tudors).
Nearly all of them (this week’s in the Philly Inquirer being no exception) mention Silverman’s hero, Brandon Tartikoff, and/or that Silverman briefly worked with the TV legend in the late 1990s, shortly before Tartikoff’s death ten years ago yesterday. (Coincidentally, I read Tartikoff’s autobiography, The Last Great Ride, over the summer; it was well worth the time.)
As we remember the accomplishments of one programming genius and examine the credentials of another, it strikes me that these two phenomenally successful men had a lot in common.
Both were young, up-and-coming executives with a passion for the business. They weren’t afraid to take chances and put themselves out there. And by thinking about the audience in terms of people they know, they put a human face on ratings and share points that change the way a schedule or a show comes together.
“I am the audience. I love television. I love entertainment,” Silverman tells PI’s Jonathan Storm. “I am of the demo that is currently most coveted, and I feel I am programming to me and a million of my peers and their parents and their kids….”
Tartikoff and Silverman succeed, in part, because they love what they do and they are confident that if they put that drive and energy into their work, the stars will align. Silverman describes it as “a visceral passion for television.”
Ten years after the death of a behind-the-scenes icon whose influence is still felt today, the tenure of another rising NBC star has just begun. At the very least, it will be fun to watch.
And this excited, burning feeling I have in my gut when I fire off a blog post or sit down in front of the DVR — this “visceral passion for television” — is how I know I’m writing about the right thing.
The TV Manifesto 