Bios
Gail Berman serves as executive producer on NBC's new drama series "The Cape."
Berman is a founding partner of BermanBraun, a television, motion picture, and new media production company and was the first and only female executive to hold the top posts at both a major film studio and television network. Berman became president of Paramount Pictures in 2005 and was responsible for the studio's annual slate of films, including the acquisition of literary properties, development, budgeting, casting, and the production of motion pictures for Paramount Pictures, MTV Films, and Nick Movies.
Before joining Paramount, Berman served from 2000 to 2005 as president of entertainment for Fox Broadcasting Company, where she was the first-ever series producer to hold the top Fox programming post. At Fox, Berman was in charge of all program development and scheduling, as well as marketing, business affairs, and promotions. Berman took the network to number one, creating such hits as "American Idol," "24," "House," "Arrested Development," "Bones," and "Family Guy."
Prior to her Fox presidency, Berman's professional appointments included serving for more than two years as founding president of Regency Television and president and CEO of production company Sandollar Television. Berman has been responsible for such hits as "Malcolm in the Middle," and served as executive producer on both "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and its spin-off, "Angel."
Berman began her career as a theater producer after graduating with a bachelor's degree in theater from the University of Maryland. At 23, she co-produced her first Broadway show, the original Broadway production of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," which went on to garner seven Tony Award nominations. Berman's other Broadway productions include "Hurlyburly" by David Rabe (1984), Athol Fugard's "Blood Knot" (1985), and "The Nerd" by Larry Shue (1987), all of which received Tony Award nominations.
n In 2003, Berman was named to Fortune magazine's list of 50 Most Powerful Women in American Business (#25). That same year, she received the coveted "Lucy" award, recognizing "women who have revolutionized the television industry" from Women in Film. In 2004, she was named to Forbes magazine's list of 100 Most Powerful Women in the World (#49), reappeared on the Fortune list (#25), and received the inaugural Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award from the National Association of Television Production Executives (NATPE). Berman was awarded Executive of the Year (2004) by the Caucus for Television Producers, Writers and Directors in January 2005. In 2006, Berman became a Paley Center for Media "She Made It" honoree. In June of 2010, she became a member of the University of Maryland Board of Trustees.
