In all my years writing for the Snowmass Sun and the Aspen Daily News I’ve not revealed much about my showbiz career, but today that changes.
While recently rummaging through a pile of old file folders I came across an assortment of press clippings documenting my former life among the stars. Since the news locally hasn’t warranted my usual critical commentary (other than the excellent interview conducted by this paper’s editor with the head of Aspen Skiing Co.’s ownership group and its CEO, which I plan to opine on in an upcoming column) I thought I’d take the opportunity to synthesize in summary form some of the highlights of my career in Hollywood which preceded my entry into the world of local journalism in the upper Roaring Fork Valley.
Hopefully, this walk down memory lane is perceived not as an ego boost but something more akin to a peek inside the persona and mind of someone who’s lived simultaneously in a world of fantasy and reality which I continue to put on full display in these pages every other Friday.
Much has been written about those in front of the camera, but behind some of the most iconic TV shows of the 20th century there were executives whose business minds and creative instincts helped build the industry’s foundation. Some labeled me a savvy entertainment lawyer turned executive who played a crucial role during one of television’s most transformative eras, others were not so kind with their descriptions, particularly those who left my office with their wishes and demands not fully satisfied.
I began my career in the law department at Universal Studios in the early 1970s, a time when studios were diversifying and venturing deeper into television. It was in this dynamic environment that I learned the complexities of the business that would define the next phase of my career.
My career took a pivotal turn following my tenure at Universal when in private entertainment law practice I became legal counsel to Mary Tyler Moore and the production company, MTM Enterprises, co-founded by Mary, her husband Grant Tinker, and her manager Arthur Price.
“The Mary Tyler Moore Show” became a cultural touchstone and game-changer for how television was produced and perceived and it was shortly following the premiere of the series that I joined MTM full-time to head up its business operations.
By the early 1980s I became the company’s chief operating officer and helped solidify MTM’s reputation as a place where quality storytelling and talent-friendly deals were the norm. The company’s ethos was centered around creative freedom and excellence — principles that helped launch more MTM shows like “The Bob Newhart Show,” “Lou Grant,” “Rhoda,” “WKRP in Cincinnati,” “St. Elsewhere” and “Hill Street Blues.”
MTM’s success was built on a model that was revolutionary at the time. Rather than relying on the major networks’ in-house production arms, we functioned as an independent studio, selling shows to the networks but retaining ownership as well as significant business and creative control. We understood and appreciated the long-term value of ownership and syndication rights — key revenue streams that would later become the backbone of television profitability.
As MTM grew in stature, it became a model for future television production companies that would follow the path we paved. MTM’s impact on creative independence and our focus on writer-driven content influenced generations of producers and executives who further advanced and expanded the example we set.
Eventually, MTM was sold to a UK-based broadcaster, signaling in part the end of an era. By then the television industry was beginning to change dramatically. Cable TV was emerging; broadcasting networks were facing new competition and the studio system was evolving. The sale of MTM marked a turning point not just for us, but the industry as a whole.
My journey from Universal’s legal department to the executive suite of one of TV’s most influential production houses underscores the importance of multidisciplinary leadership in the entertainment industry, which still underpins the industry to this day.
Although I had none of the talent required for success in front of the camera, hopefully my legacy behind the scenes will live on in the shows that continue to influence the future of modern television. Behind every great television production is a team of people who understand not just how to make great TV, but how to protect and nurture it for the long run. I treasure having had the opportunity to be one of them.
Hopefully, my kids and grandkids will also make their own memorable and lasting marks in their respective career endeavors.
Several of them are also on the cusp of doing so in showbiz. One of my sons with many major film and TV producing credits already accumulated is currently on location in the UK bringing to life Amazon MGM Studios and Mattel’s Masters of the Universe scheduled to hit the big screen in June 2026; my other son heads-up a Los Angeles and UK-based music financing, production, licensing and marketing company and following up behind them is one of my grandsons who recently graduated from the University of Texas and is currently learning the ropes of the talent agency business at one of Hollywood’s high-profile talent agencies.
As the old Irving Berlin song lyrics go, “there’s no business like show business.”