Kevin Reilly (born 1962) is an American media executive who served as the Chief Content Officer of
HBO Max
HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Netw ...
and the president of
TNT
Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reagen ...
,
TBS, and
truTV
TruTV (stylized as truTV) is an American basic cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The channel primarily broadcasts comedy, docusoaps and reality shows.
The channel was originally launched in 1991 as Court TV, a network that fo ...
. In addition to his position at
WarnerMedia
Warner Media, LLC ( traded as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City, United States.
It was originally established in 1972 by ...
, Reilly has also held executive positions at
FX,
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
, and
Fox, and has championed successful programs such as ''
The Sopranos
''The Sopranos'' is an American crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster, portraying his difficulties as he tries to balance ...
'', ''
Empire
An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
,
The Office'', ''
30 Rock'', ''
Friday Night Lights'', ''
The Shield
''The Shield'' is an American crime drama television series starring Michael Chiklis that premiered on March 12, 2002, on FX in the United States, and concluded on November 25, 2008, after seven seasons. Known for its portrayal of corrupt pol ...
'', ''
ER,
Law & Order'' and ''
Glee'', among others.
Early life and education
Reilly is a
Long Island native who was born in
Manhasset
Manhasset is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York. It is considered the anchor community of the Greater Manhasset area. The population was 8,176 at the 2020 United States ce ...
,
New York and grew up in
Port Washington. He is also a graduate of
Chaminade High School
Chaminade High School is a Roman Catholic Marianist college preparatory high school for boys in Mineola, New York, United States. Chaminade’s main campus is also home to Saragossa Retreat Center, one of their three retreat houses.
Athletics
T ...
in
Mineola.
Reilly attended
Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...
, where he earned his undergraduate degree in communications arts in 1984. While at Cornell, Reilly was a member of the
Phi Delta Theta fraternity.
Career
1984–2000: Early career, NBC and Brillstein-Grey
Reilly began his career as a freelance production assistant in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
where he worked on over 150 commercials and music videos. To pursue a career in television, he took a road trip to
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
, initially earning a position as a publicist with
Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...
and later hired by
Brandon Tartikoff
Brandon Tartikoff (January 13, 1949 – August 27, 1997) was an American television executive who was the president of NBC from 1981 to 1991. He was credited with turning around NBC's low prime time reputation with such hit series as ''Hill Stre ...
as a manager of creative affairs at
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
in 1988.
In his early years at NBC he developed ''
Saved by the Bell
''Saved by the Bell'' is an American television sitcom created by Sam Bobrick for NBC. The series premiered, in primetime, on August 20, 1989, a Sunday night. Targeted at kids and teens, ''Saved by the Bell'' was broadcast in the United States ...
''.
He later supervised ''
Law & Order'' in its first season and developed the pilot episode for ''
ER'' while serving as vice president of drama development from 1992 to 1994.
In 1994, Reilly left his role at NBC to become president of television at
Brillstein-Grey Entertainment
Brillstein Entertainment Partners (formerly known as Brillstein/Grey Entertainment and Brillstein/Grey Communications) is a talent management firm and television production company formed by the 1986 addition of Brad Grey to The Brillstein Compan ...
.
While there, Reilly was responsible for shepherding some of television's top shows, such as
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
's ''
Just Shoot Me'' and ''
NewsRadio
''NewsRadio'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC from March 21, 1995 to May 4, 1999, focusing on the work lives of the staff of a New York City AM news radio station. It had an ensemble cast featuring Dave Foley, Steph ...
'', and
The WB
The WB Television Network (for Warner Bros., or the "Frog Network", for its former mascot, Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network launched on terrestrial television, broadcast television on January 11, 1995, as a joint venture be ...
's ''
The Steve Harvey Show
''The Steve Harvey Show'' is an American television sitcom that aired on The WB from August 25, 1996, to February 17, 2002. It was created by Winifred Hervey and directed by Stan Lathan.
Synopsis
Steve Hightower ( Steve Harvey) is a 1970s funk ...
'', and the pilot for
HBO's ''
The Sopranos
''The Sopranos'' is an American crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster, portraying his difficulties as he tries to balance ...
''.
He resigned from the position in 2000.
2000–2003: Move to FX
In 2000, Reilly joined FX as president of entertainment.[ While at FX, he helped the new network become a profitable, creative business. While there he also transitioned the network's programming from syndicated reruns to original programming including '']The Shield
''The Shield'' is an American crime drama television series starring Michael Chiklis that premiered on March 12, 2002, on FX in the United States, and concluded on November 25, 2008, after seven seasons. Known for its portrayal of corrupt pol ...
'', ''Nip/Tuck
''Nip/Tuck'' is an American medical drama television series created by Ryan Murphy that aired on FX in the United States from July 22, 2003, to March 3, 2010. The series, which also incorporates elements of crime drama, black comedy, family dra ...
'', and '' Rescue Me''. Within a year of his arrival, FX made cable history with its seminal series, ''The Shield'' broke cable ratings records when it premiered and received both a Golden Globe Award for Best Drama Series and an Emmy Award for lead actor
A leading actor, leading actress, or simply lead (), plays the role of the protagonist of a film, television show or play. The word ''lead'' may also refer to the largest role in the piece, and ''leading actor'' may refer to a person who typica ...
Michael Chiklis
Michael Charles Chiklis ( born August 30, 1963) is an American actor, television director, television producer and musician. He is best known for his role as Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Detective Vic Mackey on the FX police drama ''The S ...
in 2002. Reilly also championed '' Lucky'', the first television project from the Cullen brothers.
2003–2007: Second stint at NBC
In June 2003, Reilly was named the president of primetime development at NBC. In May 2004, he was promoted to president of the network's entire entertainment division, which included primetime, daytime, and late night programming. Reilly's second tenure at the network was marked by volatility largely due to the fact that major properties like ''The West Wing
''The West Wing'' is an American serial political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White Hous ...
'', '' Friends'', ''Frasier
''Frasier'' () is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for 11 seasons. It premiered on September 16, 1993, and ended on May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee (as Grub ...
'', and ''Will & Grace
''Will & Grace'' is an American television sitcom created by Max Mutchnick and David Kohan. Set in New York City, the show focuses on the friendship between best friends Will Truman ( Eric McCormack), a gay lawyer, and Grace Adler ( Debra Messi ...
'' came to a conclusion.
Despite NBC's poor performance, Reilly oversaw the development of some of the network's more prominent shows that helped to define the network in that decade. His vocal support of ''The Office'' helped it survive its low-rated first season. He also helped get ''My Name Is Earl'' on the air despite objections from other NBC Universal executives. Reilly has been credited with developing other shows such as '' Heroes'', '' 30 Rock'', '' Friday Night Lights'', '' Deal or No Deal'', '' America's Got Talent'', and others.
Despite having received a new three-year contract at NBC in March 2007, Reilly's employment with NBC Universal was terminated in late May 2007, and he departed soon after. Under his administration, NBC's programs received 69 Emmy nominations that year, and a total of 235 nominations and 50 wins.
2007–2014: Return to Fox
Six weeks after leaving NBC, Reilly was hired as president of entertainment at Fox. The move reunited him with Peter Liguori whom he also worked with while at FX. Early in his tenure at Fox, Reilly developed and launched the J. J. Abrams thriller ''Fringe
Fringe may refer to:
Arts
* Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world's largest arts festival, known as "the Fringe"
* Adelaide Fringe, the world's second-largest annual arts festival
* Fringe theatre, a name for alternative theatre
* The Fringe, the ...
'', and Seth MacFarlane's '' Family Guy'' spinoff, ''The Cleveland Show
''The Cleveland Show'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane, Richard Appel, and Mike Henry for the Fox Broadcasting Company. A spin-off of ''Family Guy'', the series centers on Cleveland Brown, his new wife Donna Tubbs, and ...
''. He also was involved in the launch of Fox Inkubation, a joint venture with 20th Century Fox
20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
that provided funding to animators to create two-minute shorts that could eventually be developed into television pilots. Through the program, Justin Roiland first generated the concept for what would become the Adult Swim show ''Rick and Morty
{{Infobox television
, image = Rick and Morty title card (cropped).png
, alt =
, caption =
, genre = {{Plainlist,
* Animated sitcom
* Adult animation
* Science fiction
* Black comedy
* ...
.''
In 2009, he launched ''Glee'' which would go on to win the in 2010. Reilly is generally credited with creating Jane Lynch's character, Sue Sylvester
Susan "Sue" Rodham Sylvester is a fictional character of the Fox musical comedy-drama series, '' Glee''. The character is portrayed by actress Jane Lynch, and appears in ''Glee'' from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009, through ...
, on the show. In 2011, Reilly also championed ''New Girl'', the network's highest-rated fall sitcom debut in 10 years, and the singing competition show, ''The X Factor
''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...
''.
Reilly was promoted to chairman of entertainment for Fox in August 2012. He later introduced the shows ''Brooklyn Nine-Nine'', ''Bob's Burgers
''Bob's Burgers'' is an American adult animated sitcom created by Loren Bouchard that premiered on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox on January 9, 2011. The show centers on the Belcher family—parents Bob Belcher, Bob and Linda Belcher, Linda and t ...
'', and ''The Mindy Project
''The Mindy Project'' is an American romantic comedy television series created by and starring Mindy Kaling that began airing on Fox in September 2012 and finished its run of six seasons on Hulu in November 2017. The series was co-produced by Un ...
''.
At Fox, Reilly oversaw the network's leadership and investment in digital and social media. He is credited as "the architect" behind the Animation Domination High-Def
Animation Domination High-Def (also called Animation Domination HD, Fox ADHD, and ADHD) was a late-night programming block broadcast by Fox. Originally premiering on July 21, 2013 as a spin-off of ''Animation Domination'', the block originally fo ...
, an independent digital animation subsidiary generating alternative animation for digital channels and a late-night block on Fox.
Reilly also initiated a "no pilot
An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...
season" strategy (designed to nurture fewer new Fox shows with more investment). Prior to his departure, he also greenlit shows, including ''Empire'', ''Gotham'', and '' The Last Man on Earth''. During his time at Fox from 2007 to 2014, the network had a seven-year run as television's top-rated network for adults aged 18 to 49. He left Fox in May 2014.
2014–2020
TBS, TNT, and Turner Entertainment
In November 2014, Reilly was named the president of TNT and TBS and chief creative officer of Turner Entertainment. In the role, he oversaw the TBS and TNT networks and led growth opportunities across Turner's entertainment properties including TBS, TNT, truTV
TruTV (stylized as truTV) is an American basic cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The channel primarily broadcasts comedy, docusoaps and reality shows.
The channel was originally launched in 1991 as Court TV, a network that fo ...
, Adult Swim
Adult Swim (AS; stylized as dult swim'' and often abbreviated as s'') is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programmed by its in-house ...
, Super Deluxe
Super Deluxe was an entertainment company owned by Turner Broadcasting. The company's main output was in online video, television series, and documentaries.
History
Turner Broadcasting System announced the launch of Super Deluxe, a digital com ...
and ''ELEAGUE
''ELeague'', shortened as ''EL'', and stylized as ''ΞLEAGUE'' is an esports league and American television show that airs on TBS. It was announced in September 2015 as a partnership between Turner Broadcasting and talent agency WME/IMG. ...
''.
In 2016, Reilly led TNT to cut 50% of the ad load of the network's new dramas, starting with '' Animal Kingdom''. Reilly has also gained notice for modernizing and reinventing the types of series seen on TNT and TBS, introducing dark original dramas at TNT, including ''Claws
A claw is a curved, pointed appendage found at the end of a toe or finger in most amniotes (mammals, reptiles, birds). Some invertebrates such as beetles and spiders have somewhat similar fine, hooked structures at the end of the leg or tarsus ...
'' and '' The Alienist'', and edgy comedies at TBS, including ''Full Frontal with Samantha Bee
''Full Frontal with Samantha Bee'' is an American late-night talk and news satire television program that aired on TBS from 2016 to 2022. The show was hosted by comedian Samantha Bee, a former correspondent on ''The Daily Show''.
In July 202 ...
'', '' The Detour'', '' Wrecked'', ''Angie Tribeca
''Angie Tribeca'' is an American comedy television series created by Steve and Nancy Carell, which aired on TBS. The series, a parody of the police procedural genre, stars Rashida Jones as police detective Angie Tribeca. It also stars Hayes MacAr ...
'' and '' The Last O.G.''. He also led TBS to experiment with "binge-viewing" by airing all 10 episodes of ''Angie Tribeca
''Angie Tribeca'' is an American comedy television series created by Steve and Nancy Carell, which aired on TBS. The series, a parody of the police procedural genre, stars Rashida Jones as police detective Angie Tribeca. It also stars Hayes MacAr ...
''’s first season repeatedly over 25-hours without commercials in January 2016 and again in November 2016 with the network’s newest original series, '' Search Party'', which debuted all 10 episodes of first season during Thanksgiving weekend. Under Reilly's leadership, in 2017 TBS also introduced new unscripted shows including '' Snoop Dogg Presents the Joker's Wild'' and '' Drop the Mic''.
At Turner, Reilly made investments in digital and social media content and pushed for multi-platform ratings measurement. In October 2015, Reilly oversaw the launch of Super Deluxe
Super Deluxe was an entertainment company owned by Turner Broadcasting. The company's main output was in online video, television series, and documentaries.
History
Turner Broadcasting System announced the launch of Super Deluxe, a digital com ...
and pushed for investments in ELEAGUE, the first major foray into professional eSports video game competitions in prime-time TV by a traditional media company, and companies like Refinery29.
In 2018, ''Fast Company
''Fast Company'' is a monthly American business magazine published in print and online that focuses on technology, business, and design. It publishes six print issues per year.
History
''Fast Company'' was launched in November 1995 by Alan Web ...
'' named Turner among "The World's Most Innovative Companies" in the video category citing Reilly's development of shows like ''Full Frontal with Samantha Bee'' and ''The Alienist'' with helping reinvent the company's TBS and TNT networks. In October 2019, Reilly worked with Tony Khan
Antony Rafiq Khan (born October 10, 1982) is an American businessman, promoter, and sports executive. He is known for his involvement in American football, professional wrestling and soccer. He is best known as the founder and co-owner of All E ...
to bring AEW (All Elite Wrestling) to TNT in 2020. AEW signed a four-year contract extension in 2020 will begin airing a second weekly show on the network in 2021.
WarnerMedia
In December 2018, Reilly's role was expanded to include architecting the overall creative identity of WarnerMedia's direct-to-consumer streaming platform, being appointed president TBS and TNT and chief creative officer Turner and WarnerMedia Direct-to-Consumer. As CCO, Reilly oversaw licensing properties for the streaming service such as Friends, Big Bang Theory, DC theatrical films, and external properties including Sesame Street
''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) ...
, Studio Ghibli
is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Koganei, Tokyo."Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment". ''Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment''. Retrieved 2020-12-14. It is best known for its animated feature films, and h ...
, South Park, and a BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
output deal. Some of Reilly's programming at Max included
as a re-conceived multi-part event.
In May 2019, Reilly signed a new, four-year deal with
that would have kept him at the company through 2022. It had expanded his oversight of the company's basic cable networks to include
).
Reilly departed in August 2020 amidst a company-wide restructuring.
Reilly serves as a chairman of the board of trustees for The Nature Conservancy of California. He is also a member of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Young Presidents' Organization and serves on the board of trustees for the American Film Institute, the Television Academy, and on the advisory board for the Peabody Awards. Reilly also serves on the Advisory Council for Cornell's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
'' Hall of Fame. In 2018, Reilly received the
(NATPE).