Industry Standard w/ Barry Katz

Steve Koonin is the president of Turner Entertainment Networks, where he oversees the programming, marketing, scheduling, strategy and operations for 4 of cable's strongest brands: TNT, TBS, truTV & Turner Classic Movies (TCM). Koonin came to Turner from The Coca-Cola Company in 2000 to head up TNT and recast the network as television's home for great drama, while launching one of the most popular cable series of all time, The Closer.  His duties expanded to include TBS in 2003, paving the way for that station to become basic cable's #1 network with young adults and in 2010 he surprised the country when he closed the deal to bring Conan O'Brien to TBS late night.  Along the way, TV Guide featured him in its "Power List" and Entertainment Weekly named Koonin one of the "Smartest People in Television." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Robert “Morty” Morton is a multiple Emmy Award winning executive producer, best known for working closely with David Letterman for 15 years, from the early years of his NBC talker, to being the executive producer of “Late Show with David Letterman” at CBS.  Previously, he was a director for MTV and an associate director for “Good Morning America”.   Since his time at “Letterman,” Morton has been executive producer on many shows, notably Drew Carey’s “The Green Screen Show,” “The Wayne Bray Show,” “Mind of Mencia,” and the critically acclaimed TBS late night show “Lopez Tonight.” See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Chris Albrecht is the CEO or Starz and responsible for building the leading global entertainment brand that provides powerful and immersive experiences for viewers around the world. Prior to Starz, Albrecht was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of HBO, and also President of HBO Original Programming, where he co-founded “Comic Relief” and transformed the company from a movie focused television service into a worldwide leader in original programming.  His tenure at HBO was noted for changing the television landscape by creating critically acclaimed series, including “Sex in the City,” “The Sopranos,” “Six Feet Under,” “Deadwood,” “Band of Brothers,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and “Entourage,” along with dozens of other programs. As President of HBO Independent Productions, Albrecht guided the development and production of comedy series for distribution, including “Martin” and “Everybody Loves Raymond.” Prior to HBO, he co-owned The Original Improvisation and then spent five years as an agent at ICM where he signed and represented top comedians including Eddie Murphy, Jim Carrey, Billy Crystal, and Whoopi Goldberg. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Marc Hirschfeld, is one of the greatest TV casting directors in history.  Best known for his Emmy Award winning work on “Seinfeld,” he cut his teeth with the legendary Norman Lear during the days of "All in the Family" and worked his way up the ladder on such hit shows as "The Facts of Life," "The Jeffersons," "One Day at a Time," "Diff'rent Strokes," "227," "Silver Spoons," “The Wonder Years,” “The Larry Sanders Show,” “The Nanny,” “The Drew Carey Show,” and did the original casting of the hit series that help launched the Fox Network, "Married...With Children," along with hits “Party of Five,” “MADtv,” and “That 70’s Show.” He was appointed Executive Vice President of Casting at NBC/Universal (Network & Cable) in 1999 and served in that capacity for the next decade, supervising the original casting of such hit shows as "3rd Rock from the Sun," "NewsRadio," "The Office,” “30 Rock,” "Heroes," "My Name Is Earl," "Friday Night Lights," and “Southland.” On the cable side he supervised the casting of USA Network hits “Psych”, “Burn Notice”, “In Plain Sight”, “Starter Wife,” “Royal Pains,” and “White Collar.”Most recently, he has cast multiple shows including ABC’S “Last Man Standing” with Tim Allen, Chelsea Handler’s “Are You There Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea” for NBC, and “Happily Divorced” with Fran Drescher for TV Land…while supervising AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” “Hell on Wheels,” “The Killing,” and Starz’ “Spartacus,” “Boss,” and “Magic City.”  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

DJ Nash started doing stand-up comedy when he was 15 years old, went to Brown University, majored in Economics, and never used it.  After graduating college, DJ moved to NYC and immersed himself in the New York comedy scene. In 2000, he was named Best New Comedian at the world famous Montreal Just for Laughs Comedy Festival, which led to a deal with CBS where he co-created and starred in the CBS pilot, "Life with David J" along with Elliott Gould…and Nash has been writing (and not acting) ever since. He has written and executive produced on a plethora of TV shows including Jimmy Fallon's "Guys With Kids," Fox’s “Traffic Light" & " 'Til Death," and NBC’s “Bent” & “Up All Night” produced by Lorne Michaels). His latest creation ("Growing Up Fisher" starring Jenna Elfman, JK Simmons, & Jason Bateman) will start airing February 25th after "The Voice." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Andy Ackerman has won 3 Emmies, 2 Director's Guild of America awards,  and a Golden Globe statuette.  The youngest person ever to win an Emmy as an  editor, Andy is also a respected executive producer and universally known as one of the best and most revered television directors in history. He has been an integral part of some of the greatest TV shows in history, including "Seinfeld," "Everyone Loves Raymond," "Cheers," "Wings," "Frasier," "The Ellen Show," "The New Adventures of Old Christine," "Two and a Half Men," and "Curb Your Enthusiasm."  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Eric Tannenbaum is one of the most sucessful television executives in history, holding titles of President of Columbia Tristar Television, President of Michael Ovitz' ATG, Co-President of the Tannenbaum Company at CBS with his wife Kim, and Executive Producer of one of the longest running sitcoms in history (Two and 1/2 Men). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Matt Williams, started as a playwright in New York, got his first television job working on “Cosby,” and then created and executive produced the hit series “Roseanne,” “Home Improvement,” and “A Different World;” three of the most successful television shows in history. During this time, his work was honored with Emmy and Humanitas nominations, as well as sharing a Peabody Award for outstanding achievement in television writing, and created shows for some of the greatest comedian/actors of our generation, including Carol Burnett, Dan Akroyd, and Dave Chappelle. In film, Williams co-wrote and produced Disney's award-winning “Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken.” He also served as executive producer for the critically acclaimed drama “Firelight” with Sophie Marceau; produced and directed “Where The Heart Is,” starring Natalie Portman and Ashley Judd; produced Nancy Meyer's romantic comedy “What Women Want,” with Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt; and co-wrote, produced and directed “Walker Payne” starring Jason Patric and Sam Shepard. Most recently, Williams’ Wind Dancer Films (along with Identity Films) produced the feature film “As Cool As I Am,” starring Claire Danes and James Marsden and “Bernie,” along with Mandalay Vision, directed by Richard Linklater and starring Jack Black and Matthew McConaughey. Matt is currently executive producing and creating a new F/X series starring George Lopez. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Brant Pinvidic serves as Executive Vice President of Development at Eyeworks USA, formerly 3 Ball Productions ("The Biggest Loser"), where he has developed more than three dozen shows for the company, including "Splash," "Bar Rescue" for Spike, “My Big Fat Revenge” for Oxygen, and "Extreme Weight Loss" (currently airing its 3rd season, and in production on its fourth) for ABC…just to name a few. Prior to joining Eyeworks, Pinvidic was Senior Vice President of Programming and Development for TLC, where he was instrumental in the launch of several successful series for the new channel, including “Jon & Kate Plus 8.” See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Peter Engel is the creator of Saved by the Bell, Last Comic Standing, and countless other noteworthy TV shows. One of the most respected television players in history, with six shows in syndication and over 1,500 episodes produced in his career, he is universally credited with launching the first live-action Saturday morning network programing for tweens, where he successfully started that new platform at NBC. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.