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Bonnie Hammer | |
|---|---|
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| Born | 1950 (age 74–75) |
| Alma mater | Boston University College of Communication (BA) Boston University School of Education (MA) |
| Occupation(s) | Chairman,NBCUniversal Content Studios |
| Spouse | Dale Heussner |
| Children | 1 |
Bonnie Hammer (born 1950) is an American network and studio executive. As of 2020[update], her title is vice-chairman,NBCUniversal.[1]
Born to aJewish family[2][3] in 1950,[4] Bonnie Hammer was raised in Queens, New York, the youngest of three children. Hammer's mother was a full-time mom; her dad, a Russian immigrant, started his own pen company. Intending to become a photojournalist, Hammer enrolled atBoston University College of Communication, earning a bachelor's degree in communications in 1971 and later a master's degree in Media Technology from theBoston University School of Education in 1975.
Hammer began her career in television atWGBH-TV, the public television station in Boston, where she producedThis Old House, Infinity Factory andZOOM for PBS. She later executive-producedGood Day! forBoston'sABC affiliate,WCVB-TV.
Hammer first established herself professionally inNew York as an original programming executive atLifetime Television Network, where she executive produced several award-winning documentaries for the network's acclaimed Signature Series; she was honored with theLillian Gish Award, severalCine Golden Eagles[5] and the National Association for Youth's Mentor Award.
In 1989 Hammer joinedUniversal Television as a programming executive. Here, Hammer partnered withVince McMahon to transform theWWF (wrestling) franchise into a cultural phenomenon.[6] During theMonday Night War WWF ratings slump, Hammer was influential in stalling plans to cancelWWF Raw, and a cancellation was ultimately prevented afterBarry Diller, a mentor to Hammer,[7][8] acquired the USA Network before Raw's contract with the network could expire in May 1998.[9] In 2014, former WWF writerVince Russo acknowledged "working directly" with Hammer during his time with the company.[10] Hammer also spearheaded the launch of the successful “Sci Fi Prime,” the channel's first full night of original programming, as well as the “I am Sci-Fi” messaging effort which redefined how viewers related to the channel and its programming.[citation needed]
When Hammer took on the role of Sci-Fi president,[11] she brought to network a mini-series in partnership with Steven Spielberg called,Steven Spielberg Presents: Taken. The project, a twenty-hour miniseries about alien abductions, garnered the best ratings Sci-Fi had seen to date and earned the channel its first majorEmmy. During the six years Hammer presided over Sci-Fi, the channel's audience doubled and Sci-Fi ranked in cable's top 10 among adults 25 to 54 and 18 to 49.[12]
In 2004 Universal Television merged with NBC and Hammer became president ofUSA in addition to Sci-Fi.[11] As she had done at Sci-Fi, Hammer rebranded USA with “Characters Welcome,” – conveying the message that people, and “wacky but memorable characters” were at the heart of the channel's programming.[13] USA has ranked #1 among cable networks for a record-setting eight years. After her success at Sci-Fi and USA, Hammer was named the most influential woman in cable byCableWorld magazine.[14]
In March 2008, Hammer took leadership at the new studioUniversal Cable Productions. At the same time she became head of the digital networksCloo,Chiller andUniversal HD. Adding to the list in 2011, she assumed responsibility forE!,G4 and Wilshire Studios. In July 2012, under the leadership of Hammer, E! unveiled a major brand evolution of the network and relaunch of its market-leading E! Online website, both of which allowed E! to become the global destination for pop culture.[15] In September 2013, she oversaw the launch of Esquire Network, a lifestyle and entertainment network that replaced Style Network (Variety).
In 2019, Hammer lead the creation of the management team ofPeacock, a streaming service to be launched in July 2020.[16]
Outside of NBCUniversal, Bonnie Hammer serves on the Board of Directors of eBay and IAC/InteractiveCorp.[8][17][18]
While at USA Network, Hammer spearheaded the “Erase the Hate” pro-social campaign, which earned a National Emmy Governor's Award.[19] She later extended it to create “Characters Unite,” a public service program to combat hate and discrimination and promoting tolerance and acceptance. Under Hammer's leadership, Characters Unite has grown into an award-winning, multi-platform initiative that includes on-air programming such as documentaries and themed episodes of USA series,public service announcements, digital content through the website and social media outlets, and community outreach and high school education programs, featuring a partnership with storytelling groupThe Moth.[15] In 2018, Erase The Hate[20] was relaunched in partnership with Civic Nation,[21] a non-partisan non-profit organization, to support and celebrate those taking action in the fight against hate across America.
Hammer also created the “Visions for Tomorrow” campaign, which is an effort to spark America's leading thinkers, organizations, and policymakers into searching for ways to solve society's most pressing issues.[13]
Hammer has received several awards for her work in the span of her career. She has consistently been named toThe Hollywood Reporter'sPower 100, an annual list of the most influential women in Hollywood.[22][23][24] She was given theNational Association of Television Programming Executives’ 2007 Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award[25] and inducted into Broadcasting & Cable's Hall of Fame the same year.[26] Hammer has also received a MUSE award for outstanding vision and achievement fromNew York Women in Film & Television.[27] She has been repeatedly featured on lists such as the "50 Most Powerful Women" inFortune,[28][29] "The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women" inForbes,[30][31] as well as the "Powers that Be" inVanity Fair.[32] In 2012, Hammers was given theCrystal + Lucy Award for Excellence in Television by Women in Film.[33]
Praise for her social activism includes her 2012 honor byB’nai B’rith for “her commitment to initiatives confronting racism and bigotry’;[34] and she was cited by storytelling organization The Moth for “philanthropic leadership in programs to end prejudice, discrimination and bullying.” Hammer was given the 2010 Vanguard Award for Distinguished Leadership from theNational Cable Television Association,[19] and theAnti-Defamation League's Entertainment Industry Award.[35]
Listed on Vanity Fair's 2016 New Establishment List, described as 100 “Silicon Valley hotshots, Hollywood moguls, Wall Street titans, and cultural icons.”.[36]
In June 2021, in recognition of her track record as an innovator, leader and mentor,Variety announced that Hammer will be saluted with Variety's TV Legacy Award.[37]
Hammer is an accomplished photographer, and her work has been displayed in galleries and published inTime, theBoston Globe, theBoston Herald, theLos Angeles Times, and variousHoughton-Mifflin andLittle Brown books.[15] She resides inWestport, Connecticut, with her husband,[4] Dale Heussner.[3] Her husband has one child from a previous marriage and they have one child together.[3] Hammer serves on theMotion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF) Board of Governors.[38] She has considered IAC ownerBarry Diller, who acquired the USA Network in 1997, to be a mentor.[7]