March/April 2008

Crimson Tide

From Conan O'Brien to Natalie Portman to Homer Simpson, Harvardians have painted Tinseltown red. On the pages that follow, meet the actors, writers, directors, and dealmakers who have brought 02138 to 90210.

by Ari Posner
March/April 2008

The Dealmakers

Illustration by David CowlesSumner Redstone


Sumner Redstone | A.B. ’44, LL.B. ’47

Controlling shareholder of media conglomerate Viacom and CBS Corporation. Got his start at National Amusements, his father’s chain of drive-in theaters, and steadily climbed the ladder of Hollywood power, swallowing up CBS and Paramount—and cementing a reputation as one of the most feared and loathed executives in the business.


Michael Lynton | A.B. ’82, MBA ’87

Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment. Responsible for managing studio’s global operations.


Lucy Fisher | A.B. ’71

After extensive executive stints at Warner Bros. Pictures and Sony Pictures, she became co-head of Red Wagon Entertainment in 2001 with husband Douglas Wick. Producer of films including Bewitched, Jarhead, and Memoirs of a Geisha.


Lorenzo di Bonaventura | A.B. ’80

Former production head at Warner Bros. and president and founder of di Bonaventura Pictures. Producer of Four Brothers, Transformers, and the upcoming Beverly Hills Cop IV, among others.


Susanne Daniels | A.B. ’87

Former president of entertainment at The WB and current president of entertainment at Lifetime. Responsible for the cable network’s surge in series programming, with hits Army Wives, Side Order of Life, and State of Mind. Married to The Office scribe and executive producer Greg Daniels.


Reginald Hudlin | A.B. ’83

President of BET Entertainment, serving as chief programming executive in charge of music, entertainment, and specials at the cable network. Also a seasoned director of films including House Party, The Ladies Man, and Serving Sara.


Nicholas Weinstock | A.B. ’91

Author of well-received novels and former TV development exec at 20th Century Fox Television. Recently named head of feature and TV development at Apatow Productions.


David Heyman | A.B. ’83

Number nine on Entertainment Weekly’s 50 Smartest People in Hollywood list, thanks to his prescience in picking up the rights to a manuscript by a then-unknown J.K. Rowling. Shepherded the Harry Potter series to becoming the highest-grossing franchise in history.


John Lesher | A.B. ’88

Former Endeavor agent who has rapidly ascended to head of Paramount’s Motion Picture Group, with creative and production responsibilities for the studio as well as film divisions of MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, BET, and specialty label Paramount Vantage.


Patric Verrone | A.B. ’81

Veteran TV writer with credits including The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The Simpsons, and Futurama. Became a central player in the struggle between writers and management as the savvy and well-organized president of the Writers Guild of America, West.


| A.B. ’86

NBC Universal’s president and CEO. Has been called a wunderkind for so long it’s practically part of his name. Became executive producer of the Today show at 26, briefly ran NBC Nightly News at 30, and scaled the summit of NBC’s combined network and studio operations last year at age 41.

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