Mark Pedowitz is an American entertainment executive. From 2011 to 2022, he was the president, and then chairman and CEO of

The CW The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...

, after replacing the former president of entertainment Dawn Ostroff. During his time at The CW, Pedowitz oversaw all aspects including programming, sales, marketing, distribution, finance, research and publicity.

Personal life

Pedowitz is of

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

background. His alma maters are Rockford College and the John Marshall Law School. He is married to Carolyn Martin. The couple have no children.

Career

Pedowitz began his career in the entertainment industry as an attorney at MCA Inc. in 1979. He was senior vice president of business affairs and administration, MGM/UA Television Production Group, a position he had held since 1987. From 1985–87, Pedowitz was vice president of business affairs and general counsel, The Landsburg Company. From 1980–85, he was vice president of business affairs, Reeves Entertainment. He served as executive vice president, ABC Entertainment Television Group, overseeing all business, legal and financial affairs for ABC Primetime and Touchstone Television, as well as business/legal affairs for

ABC Daytime ABC Daytime (sometimes shortened to ABC-D or ABCD) is a division responsible for the daytime television programming block on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC Network and syndicated programming. The block has historically encompassed soap o ...

. He joined ABC in 1991 as senior vice president of business affairs and contracts.The CW names a new president
/ref> Pedowitz in 2010 set up Pine Street Entertainment, a production company which had a first-look deal with Warner Bros. Television. In 2011 he was appointed as the president of

. He eventually became the longest-tenured head for a broadcast network and was promoted to the position of chairman and chief executive officer in January 2020. During his tenure, Pedowitz focused on trying to broaden the audience for The CW, increased the diversity at the network, launched the ''

Arrowverse The Arrowverse is an American Superhero fiction, superhero media franchise and shared universe that is centered on various interconnected television series based on DC Comics superhero characters, primarily airing on The CW as well as web series ...

'' and made the shows of the network available through The CW app. He also increased the amount of original programming, with the network airing shows on Sunday and Saturday, as well as during the summer. Producer Greg Berlanti credited him with giving many shows that were not successful initially a chance in contrast to other networks. Pedowitz resigned on October 3, 2022 amidst the acquisition of the channel by Nexstar Media Group and was replaced by Dennis Miller as President. He revived Pine Street Entertainment following his departure. In 2023, Pedowitz and his production company signed with CAA for representation in all areas.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pedowitz, Mark American Broadcasting Company executives American producers American television executives Paramount Global people Warner Bros. Discovery people Warner Bros. people The CW executives Presidents of The CW Living people University of Illinois Chicago School of Law alumni Rockford University alumni Year of birth missing (living people)