As president of Showtime Networks, David Nevins is responsible for developing, acquiring and supervising all aspects of programming for all of the premium programmer’s channels across all genres, including comedy, drama, reality, specials, documentaries and films.
Nevins also manages Showtime Sports, as well as the company’s marketing, creative, digital media, scheduling, research, acquisitions, home entertainment, business affairs and corporate communications teams. He also serves as the liaison to parent CBS Corp.’s international and domestic distribution groups.
Nevins this year is being honored with the NCTA’s Vanguard Award for programmers. He’s being recognized for his innovation, leadership and individual achievement in the home entertainment, news and information business.
Under his tenure, Showtime has launched eight consecutive hit series, including Ray Donovan, Masters of Sex, Homeland, Shameless and House of Lies — all of which are among the network’s top-rated shows. Homeland, the first Showtime project green-lighted by Nevins, was the recipient of Golden Globe and Emmy Awards for Outstanding Drama Series, as well as a prestigious Peabody Award.
Nevins has been a formidable figure in television for years. Before joining Showtime, he was an Emmy Award-winning producer and veteran network and studio programming executive. He served as president of Imagine Television from July 2002 until June 2010, where he oversaw development, production and acted as executive producer on all Imagine Television shows. Under his leadership, Imagine produced a pair of Emmy Award-winning series: Arrested Development, which won for Outstanding Comedy Series, and 24, which won for Outstanding Drama Series. He also developed and executive-produced Lie to Me, Parenthood, Shark and Friday Night Lights, which received honors from the American Film Institute (AFI) for Television Program of the Year and won a Peabody Award. Nevins was nominated for an Emmy Award as an executive producer for the series’ final season.
Prior to his gig at Imagine, Nevins served as executive vice president, programming, at Fox Broadcasting, where he oversaw all development and current programming for both comedy and drama series. During his three-year tenure, he developed the Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning drama 24, and was also responsible for the development of The Bernie Mac Show, Andy Richter Controls the Universe and Boston Public. Nevins also served as senior vice president, primetime series at NBC, where he was responsible for the development and ongoing creative supervision of such renowned dramas and comedies as ER, The West Wing, Will & Grace, Homicide: Life on the Street and Law & Order: SVU.
With all that TV experience, Nevins isn’t entirely sold on the concept of limited series. He told attendees of the annual Television Critics Tour in January that while he sees the return of the miniseries as “an interesting trend,” he still thinks the “best thing for us is to get shows that we can really get people in love with then bring them back a year from now. I believe fundamentally in renewable resources.”
Nevins graduated from Amherst College in Amherst, Mass., with a bachelor of arts degree. He and his wife, Andrea, live in Los Angeles with their daughter, Clara, and two sons, Charlie and Jesse.
Fun Fact:
Since his arrival four years ago, Showtime has added 5 million subscribers, garnered 99 Emmy nominations and 22 wins, and 29 Golden Globe nods and wins.
