American businesswoman and network executive
Bonnie Hammer
(born 1950) is an American network and studio executive. As of 2020
[update]
, her title is vice-chairman, NBCUniversal.
[1]
Early life
[
edit
]
Born to a
Jewish
family
[2]
[3]
in 1950,
[4]
Bonnie Hammer was raised in Queens, New York, the youngest of three children. Hammer's mother was a full-time mom; her dad, a Russian immigrant, started his own pen company. Intending to become a photojournalist, Hammer enrolled at
Boston University College of Communication
, earning a bachelor's degree in communications in 1971 and later a master's degree in Media Technology from the
Boston University School of Education
in 1975.
Career
[
edit
]
Hammer began her career in television at
WGBH-TV
, the public television station in Boston, where she produced
This Old House
, Infinity Factory and
ZOOM
for PBS. She later executive-produced
Good Day!
for
Boston
's
ABC
affiliate,
WCVB-TV
.
Hammer first established herself professionally in
New York
as an original programming executive at
Lifetime Television
Network, where she executive produced several award-winning documentaries for the network's acclaimed Signature Series; she was honored with the
Lillian Gish Award
, several
Cine Golden Eagles
[5]
and the National Association for Youth's Mentor Award.
In 1989 Hammer joined
Universal Television
as a programming executive. Here, Hammer partnered with
Vince McMahon
to transform the
WWF
franchise into a cultural phenomenon.
[6]
During the
Monday Night War
WWF ratings slump, Hammer was influential in stalling plans to cancel
WWF Raw
, and a cancellation was ultimately prevented after
Barry Diller
, a mentor to Hammer,
[7]
[8]
acquired the USA Network before Raw's contract with the network could expire in May 1998.
[9]
Hammer also spearheaded the launch of the successful “Sci Fi Prime,” the channel's first full night of original programming, as well as the “I am Sci-Fi” messaging effort which redefined how viewers related to the channel and its programming.
[
citation needed
]
When Hammer took on the role of Sci-Fi president,
[10]
she brought to network a mini-series in partnership with Steven Spielberg called,
Steven Spielberg Presents: Taken
. The project, a twenty-hour miniseries about alien abductions, garnered the best ratings Sci-Fi had seen to date and earned the channel its first major
Emmy
. During the six years Hammer presided over Sci-Fi, the channel's audience doubled and Sci-Fi ranked in cable's top 10 among adults 25 to 54 and 18 to 49.
[11]
In 2004 Universal Television merged with NBC and Hammer became president of
USA
in addition to Sci-Fi.
[10]
As she had done at Sci-Fi, Hammer rebranded USA with “Characters Welcome,” ? conveying the message that people, and “wacky but memorable characters” were at the heart of the channel's programming.
[12]
USA has ranked #1 among cable networks for a record-setting eight years. After her success at Sci-Fi and USA, Hammer was named the most influential woman in cable by
CableWorld
magazine.
[13]
In March 2008, Hammer took leadership at the new studio
Universal Cable Productions
. At the same time she became head of the digital networks
Cloo
,
Chiller
and
Universal HD
. Adding to the list in 2011, she assumed responsibility for
E!
,
G4
and Wilshire Studios. In July 2012, under the leadership of Hammer, E! unveiled a major brand evolution of the network and relaunch of its market-leading E! Online website, both of which allowed E! to become the global destination for pop culture.
[14]
In September 2013, she oversaw the launch of Esquire Network, a lifestyle and entertainment network that replaced Style Network (Variety).
In 2019, Hammer lead the creation of the management team of
Peacock
, a streaming service to be launched in July 2020.
[15]
Outside of NBCUniversal, Bonnie Hammer serves on the Board of Directors of eBay and IAC/InteractiveCorp.
[8]
[16]
[17]
Social activism
[
edit
]
While at USA Network, Hammer spearheaded the “Erase the Hate” pro-social campaign, which earned a National Emmy Governor's Award.
[18]
She later extended it to create “Characters Unite,” a public service program to combat hate and discrimination and promoting tolerance and acceptance. Under Hammer's leadership, Characters Unite has grown into an award-winning, multi-platform initiative that includes on-air programming such as documentaries and themed episodes of USA series,
public service announcements
, digital content through the website and social media outlets, and community outreach and high school education programs, featuring a partnership with storytelling group
The Moth
.
[14]
In 2018, Erase The Hate
[19]
was relaunched in partnership with Civic Nation,
[20]
a non-partisan non-profit organization, to support and celebrate those taking action in the fight against hate across America.
Hammer also created the “Visions for Tomorrow” campaign, which is an effort to spark America's leading thinkers, organizations, and policymakers into searching for ways to solve society's most pressing issues.
[12]
Accolades
[
edit
]
Hammer has received several awards for her work in the span of her career. She has consistently been named to
The Hollywood Reporter
'
s
Power 100
, an annual list of the most influential women in Hollywood.
[21]
[22]
[23]
She was given the
National Association of Television Programming Executives’
2007 Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award
[24]
and inducted into Broadcasting & Cable's Hall of Fame the same year.
[25]
Hammer has also received a MUSE award for outstanding vision and achievement from
New York Women in Film & Television
.
[26]
She has been repeatedly featured on lists such as the "50 Most Powerful Women" in
Fortune
,
[27]
[28]
"The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women" in
Forbes
,
[29]
[30]
as well as the "Powers that Be" in
Vanity Fair
.
[31]
In 2012, Hammers was given the
Crystal + Lucy Award
for Excellence in Television by Women in Film.
[32]
Praise for her social activism includes her 2012 honor by
B’nai B’rith
for “her commitment to initiatives confronting racism and bigotry’;
[33]
and she was cited by storytelling organization The Moth for “philanthropic leadership in programs to end prejudice, discrimination and bullying.” Hammer was given the 2010 Vanguard Award for Distinguished Leadership from the
National Cable Television Association
,
[18]
and the
Anti-Defamation League's
Entertainment Industry Award.
[34]
Listed on Vanity Fair's 2016 New Establishment List, described as 100 “Silicon Valley hotshots, Hollywood moguls, Wall Street titans, and cultural icons.”.
[35]
In June 2021, in recognition of her track record as an innovator, leader and mentor,
Variety
announced that Hammer will be saluted with Variety's TV Legacy Award.
[36]
Personal life
[
edit
]
Hammer is an accomplished photographer, and her work has been displayed in galleries and published in
Time
, the
Boston Globe
, the
Boston Herald
, the
Los Angeles Times
, and various
Houghton-Mifflin
and
Little Brown
books.
[14]
She resides in
Westport, Connecticut
, with her husband,
[4]
Dale Heussner.
[3]
Her husband has one child from a previous marriage and they have one child together.
[3]
Hammer serves on the
Motion Picture & Television Fund
(MPTF) Board of Governors.
[37]
She has considered IAC owner
Barry Diller
, who acquired the USA Network in 1997, to be a mentor.
[7]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Nellie Andreeva (2020-09-09).
"Pearlena Igbokwe Promoted To Lead NBCU's Global TV Studio Operation, Bonnie Hammer Named Vice Chairman"
.
Deadline
. Retrieved
2021-04-19
.
- ^
Ruth Eglash (August 23, 2012).
"Jewish women who rule! (according to Forbes)"
.
Jpost
. Retrieved
10 September
2013
.
- ^
a
b
c
Variety: "Bonnie Hammer reins in the rhetoric for the ADL"
June 3, 2008
- ^
a
b
"Bonnie Hammer"
.
Forbes
. 1970-01-01
. Retrieved
2015-09-18
.
- ^
"CINE"
. Archived from
the original
on 2021-09-19
. Retrieved
2014-02-28
.
- ^
Carter, Bill (18 December 2011).
"The Queen of Cable TV"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
9 April
2020
.
- ^
a
b
Lieberman, David (2014-09-15).
"Bonnie Hammer Re-Teams With Mentor Barry Diller On IAC Board"
.
Deadline
. Retrieved
2021-12-12
.
- ^
a
b
Staff, Ebay Inc. (6 January 2015).
"NBCUniversal Executive Bonnie Hammer Joins Our Board"
.
eBay
. Retrieved
9 April
2020
.
- ^
Assel, Shaun; Mike Mooneyham, Mike (February 2004).
Sex, Lies, and Headlocks: The Real Story of Vince Mcmahon and World Wrestling Entertainment
. The Crown Publishing Group. p. 188.
ISBN
9780307758132
. Retrieved
April 15,
2022
.
- ^
a
b
Pasiuk, Laurie (September 2005).
Vault Guide to the Top Media & Entertainment Employers ? Laurie Pasiuk ? Google Books
. Vault.
ISBN
9781581313376
. Retrieved
2015-09-18
.
- ^
"Sci Fi Has Best year Ever! #5 in Adults 25 ? 54"
(Press release). The Futon Critic, Sci Fi Channel. December 17, 2008
. Retrieved
July 7,
2009
.
- ^
a
b
"She Made It: Bonnie Hammer"
. The Paley Center for Media. 19 August 2018.
- ^
"2007 Most Powerful Women in Cable"
. CableFAX Magazine. 19 August 2018.
- ^
a
b
c
"Bonnie Hammer"
. NBC Universal. Archived from
the original
on 2013-10-31
. Retrieved
2014-02-28
.
- ^
Lynch, Jason (14 January 2019).
"NBCUniversal Will Roll Out an Ad-Supported OTT Service Next Year, Overseen by Bonnie Hammer"
.
Adweek
. Retrieved
9 April
2020
.
- ^
Lieberman, David (15 September 2014).
"Bonnie Hammer Re-Teams With Mentor Barry Diller On IAC Board"
.
Deadline
. Retrieved
9 April
2020
.
- ^
"AFI Board of Trustees"
.
AFI: American Film Institute
. Retrieved
9 April
2020
.
- ^
a
b
"Bonnie Hammer and James Dolan Top List of NCTA's 2010 Vanguard Winners"
(Press release). The Cable Show via PR Newswire.
- ^
"About | What Is Erase The Hate?"
.
Erase the Hate
. Retrieved
2019-05-21
.
- ^
"Civic Nation! Empowering people to take action can change culture"
.
Civic Nation
. Retrieved
2019-05-21
.
- ^
"THR's Women in Entertainment 2011: Power 100"
.
The Hollywood Reporter
.
- ^
"THR's Women in Entertainment 2012: Power 100"
.
The Hollywood Reporter
.
- ^
"THR's Women in Entertainment 2013: Power 100"
.
The Hollywood Reporter
.
- ^
"Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award"
. NAPTE. Archived from
the original
on 2013-10-18
. Retrieved
2014-02-28
.
- ^
"2007 Hall of Fame"
.
Broadcasting & Cable
.
- ^
"MUSE Awards History"
. NYWIFT.
- ^
"50 Most Powerful Women in Business"
.
Fortune
.
- ^
"50 Most Powerful Women in Business"
. Fortune.
- ^
"The World's 100 Most Powerful Wome"
.
Forbes
. Retrieved
25 June
2014
.
- ^
"Bonnie Hammer"
.
Forbes
.
- ^
"Bonnie Hammer: The Powers That Be"
.
Vanity Fair
.
- ^
"Crystal + Lucy Awards 2012"
. Women in Film. Archived from
the original
on 2015-04-13
. Retrieved
2014-02-28
.
- ^
"B'nai B'rith International Announces Winners of Diverse Minds Youth Writing Challenge"
. B’nai B’rith International. Archived from
the original
on 2014-02-28
. Retrieved
2014-02-28
.
- ^
"ADL Applauds Bonnie Hammer"
. Variety. 5 June 2008.
- ^
"BU Alums Named to Vanity Fair's "New Establishment List" | Bostonia"
.
Boston University
.
- ^
"Bonnie Hammer Saluted as Innovator and Trailblazer With Variety's TV Legacy Award"
. Variety. 9 June 2021.
- ^
"About Us"
.
mptf.com
. Retrieved
2021-02-04
.
External links
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]