Josh Sapan[1] | |
---|---|
Born | [1] | November 28, 1950
Alma mater | University of Wisconsin-Madison[2] |
Occupation(s) | President and Chief Executive Officer of AMC Networks[3] |
Josh Sapan (born 1950) is a media executive who served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of AMC Networks, as well as the Executive Vice Chairman.[4]
During his 35-year leadership of the company, 25 as CEO, Sapan has been credited with building a number of award-winning shows, movies and media brands.[5] They include AMC's Mad Men; Breaking Bad and prequel Better Call Saul; The Walking Dead, which resulted in the expansion to 7 different Walking Dead themed TV series; IFC’s Portlandia; SundanceTV’s Rectify; and Bravo’s Inside the Actors Studio and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. Bravo was sold to NBC, a division of GE for $1.25 billion in 2002.[6] Sapan is credited with bringing independent films to wide audiences through IFC Films, which he led the launch of in 2000.[7] At IFC Films he supported the early work of directors Barry Jenkins, Lena Dunham, Lynn Shelton, Christopher Nolan, Mira Nair, Noah Baumbach, Richard Linklater and Steven Soderbergh.[8][9]
Sapan brought AMC Networks into the targeted streaming business with the launch of Doc Club in 2014, later rebranded Sundance Now, the horror genre streaming service Shudder in 2015, followed by the acquisition of the British Mystery themed Acorn TV, ALLBLK, the first streaming service created for Black film and TV, and AMC+.[10][11][12]
Sapan led the overall management of the various businesses within AMC Networks, including the company's national television networks and subscription video on-demand services; AMC Studios, the company’s television production business; IFC Films, its independent film distribution business; AMC Networks International, the company's international programming business, as well as 25/7 Media Holdings LLC (formerly called Levity Live.)[13][14]
During his tenure, AMC Networks has produced a number of award-winning and critically acclaimed shows with the company’s flagship channel AMC becoming the first basic cable network to win the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series for Mad Men,[15] and the only cable network to win the award four consecutive years,[16] having been nominated 10 years in a row.[17]
He has led AMC Networks since 1995, including its spin-off from Cablevision in 2011.[18] Since becoming a public company, Sapan has presided over AMC Networks' increasing net revenues and operating income for seven consecutive years through fiscal year 2017.[19]
Prior to the company's spin-off into AMC Networks, Sapan was president of Rainbow Media's National Entertainment Division (a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corporation) where he oversaw AMC and Bravo.[18]
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