Avi Nir
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Avi Nir (; born 1961) is an Israeli television executive,
entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value in ways that generally entail beyond the minimal amount of risk (assumed by a traditional business), and potentially involving values besides simply economic ones. An entreprene ...
, writer and producer. He is the CEO of the Israeli media group Keshet Broadcasting serving as a leading content and programming director. He is known as the Executive producer of the American television program ''
Homeland A homeland is a place where a national or ethnic identity has formed. The definition can also mean simply one's country of birth. When used as a proper noun, the Homeland, as well as its equivalents in other languages, often has ethnic natio ...
'' for which he was personally granted an
Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...
.


Biography

Avi Nir was born in
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
, to a Jewish family. He holds a BA from the department of Film and Television at the
Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv University (TAU) is a Public university, public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Located in northwest Tel Aviv, the university is the center of teaching and ...
. He also attended the
Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv University (TAU) is a Public university, public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Located in northwest Tel Aviv, the university is the center of teaching and ...
Graduate School of Business where he received his MA and MBA. He published various academic articles and received the Sigal Prize for excellence in marketing research. He also studied for one semester at the
New York University Tisch School of the Arts The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic, and media arts school of New York University. Founded on August 17, 1965, as the School of the Arts at New York University, Tisch ...
. During his psychology, marketing and television studies he taught in the university's Faculty of Management and its Department of Film and Television. In 1993, he co-authored ''Advertising in Television: The Media, the Message, the Money'' with Ayalah Rahav. Nir is married to Tami Nir-Gottlieb, a clinical psychologist, and has two daughters.


Media career

Nir joined Keshet in 1993. In 1994, Nir was appointed as Vice President of Marketing for Keshet. In 1998 he also became responsible for content. He served as VP of Marketing through 1999 before heading Keshet's core business as VP of Programming. He became CEO o
Keshet Media Group
in 2002. As CEO of Keshet, Nir expanded the company beyond producing for the Israeli market by selling, co-developing and co-producing shows for the international market. Keshet International, the global distribution and production arm of Keshet has since expanded to include production outposts in th
UKGermanyHong Kong
and in th
US
Keshet has become an overachiever in the US, wit
Keshet Studios
currently working with NBC, ABC, HBO, Apple, Netflix and others. Its first feature film,
The Sound of Silence "The Sound of Silence" (originally "The Sounds of Silence") is a song by the American folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel, written by Paul Simon. The duo's studio audition of the song led to a record deal with Columbia Records, and the original ac ...
, was picked up by Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions ahead of its premiere at the 2019
Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...
. Keshet Studios' second feature, Save Yourselves!, received its world premiere as part of 2020 Sundance Film Festival's US dramatic competition. Since Keshet's international expansion, the company has produced multiple international commercially successful programs. One such show is the
Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...
series ''
Homeland A homeland is a place where a national or ethnic identity has formed. The definition can also mean simply one's country of birth. When used as a proper noun, the Homeland, as well as its equivalents in other languages, often has ethnic natio ...
'' which is based on the Israeli program ''Hatufim''. Nir attributes the success of adapting Keshet programs for foreign audiences on the discerning nature of the preliminary Israeli audiences, the strength of the writers, the "spirit of innovation" at Keshet and a constant need to improve upon shows. The success of Homeland at the behest of Nir is credited as the catalyst for the annual doubling of foreign deals done by Keshet. He produced talent program '' Rising Star'' which is the first show on television to incorporate real-time voting via a fully integrated app. After its debut in October 2013, ''Rising Star'' was picked up in more than 25 territories, which made it the fastest-selling talent format at the time. Nir is credited as an executive producer on American TV shows ''
Tyrant A tyrant (), in the modern English usage of the word, is an absolute ruler who is unrestrained by law, or one who has usurped a legitimate ruler's sovereignty. Often portrayed as cruel, tyrants may defend their positions by resorting to ...
'', ''Your Family Or Mine'', ''Deal With It'' and ''Allegiance'' which is based on the Keshet program ''The Gordin Cell'', aka ''MICE''. In 2014, Nir came up with the idea of producing the archaeological thriller series ''Dig'' in Israel. His inspiration for the series was a visit to new archaeological sites at the City of David in
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
. In 2015,
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
announced that
Ari Shavit Ari Shavit (; born 16 November 1957) is an Israeli reporter and writer. Shavit was a senior correspondent at the left-of-center Israeli newspaper ''Haaretz'' before he resigned when a pattern of sexual misconduct came to public attention. A se ...
's My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel would be made into a documentary film with Nir as executive producer. Nir has executively produced over 30 shows in the last 20 years, including the critically acclaimed mini-series Our Boys, co-produced b
Keshet Studios
and HBO. Nir oversaw and implemented Keshet's launch of Israeli popular music channel Music 24. In 2007, Nir established Keshet's digital arm and web porta
mako
which is the third most-trafficked site in Israel. Nir is also the co-host of the Innovation in Television
INTV
confab, along with Keshet Media Group, which has been hosted in Jerusalem since 2012. The two-day conference features panels with industry executives, lectures, and mixers.


Dudu Topaz attack

In 2008 two men attacked Nir near his home in
Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...
. He received treatment for injuries at
Ichilov Hospital Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (), commonly referred to as Ichilov Hospital () is the largest teaching hospital and general hospital serving Tel Aviv, Israel and its metropolitan area and is the second-largest hospital complex in the country. T ...
. In 2009, Israeli entertainer Dudu Topaz was charged for his involvement in the attack on Nir along with assaults on other people in the Israeli entertainment industry.


Awards and recognition

Nir was nominated for an
Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...
in 2013 as Executive Producer of ''Homeland''. He personally won an Emmy when the show received recognition for Outstanding Drama Series in 2012. In conjunction with Keshet and Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, Nir initiated the inaugural INTV conference in 2012. INTV was the first international television conference ever held in Israel with a second held in November 2013 and another scheduled for March 2015. He delivered the keynote address at the 2014
MIPTV MIPTV () is an event which takes place annually in Cannes, France, using the facilities and infrastructure which the town has developed over the years to host other important events such as the Cannes Film Festival amongst other events. It is e ...
Focus on Israel conference in
Cannes Cannes (, ; , ; ) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions Internatio ...
, France. Nir won the title "Marketing Personality of the Year" from the Israeli Marketing Union in 2008. In 2009 he was awarded the title "TV Personality of the Decade" at the Rosh Pina Festival and by Israeli web portal
Walla! Walla! Communications Ltd. () is an Israeli internet company headquartered in Tel Aviv and is fully owned by The Jerusalem Post. Until 2020, it was fully owned by Bezeq. Walla!'s web portal provides news, search (powered by Google Search) and e-m ...
. In 2011 he was named the third most influential person in the media by Israel's largest business magazine ''Globes'' and in 2012 The Marker ranked him as No. 28 in their list of "Israel's 100 most influential people this Jewish year." In 2013, Israeli newspaper ''
Haaretz ''Haaretz'' (; originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , , ) is an List of newspapers in Israel, Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel. The paper is published in Hebrew lan ...
'' named Nir the No. 1 Most Influential Person in Israeli culture among a list of the nation's 100 Most Influential People. He was also named "Executive of the Year" and "Television Personality of the Decade" Israeli business magazines ''
TheMarker ''TheMarker'' () is a Hebrew-language daily business newspaper published by the Haaretz Group in Israel. ''TheMarker'' was founded in 1999 by journalist and entrepreneur Guy Rolnik along with Haaretz Group and U.S.-based investors. Five years ...
'' and '' Globes'', respectively. Nir was awarded TBI's inaugural Contribution to Content Award in 2018, and also made the Variety500,
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
's index of the 500 most influential business leaders shaping the global $2 trillion entertainment industry every year since its inception in 2017.


See also

* Israeli television


References


External links


Keshet Media Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nir, Avi Living people Israeli business executives Israeli television producers 1961 births Israeli Jews