Yesterday The Hollywood Reporter revealed their list of Reality TV’s 50 Most Powerful people. It’s no surprise that Ryan Seacrest, the American Idol host and the man behind the Kardashian dynasty and break-out mega hit Shahs of Sunset, landed himself in spot number one.
Beating out gazillionaire multi-hyphenate – and friend – Simon Cowell (who nabbed the 8th spot), Ryan’s reality TV endeavors rake him in an estimated $50M per year. I wonder how much he made on Kim Kardashian‘s made-for-TV wedding?
So what’s next for Ryan? The 37-year-old mogul just inked a $15M deal to remain on AI for two more seasons, he’ll be providing coverage for the summer Olympics, and he’s producing a new reality show about former teen idols, the Jonas Brothers. Oh, brother…
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Rolling in at number 15 is Bravo’s President Frances Berwick. Andy Cohen‘s boss has been at the helm of the network since 2010 (I’ll let you do the math on whether or not this is when the Housewives started to get super trashy). Frances has elevated the network to the number 11 spot amongst viewers 18-49 and she has no plans of stopping that ascent. She also runs Style Network.
“Our viewers are passionate,” Frances explains. “Whether it’s Social Editions, where we put viewers comments on screen, or virtual viewing parties during the show.”
The number 17th spot goes to Lisa Berger, the president of E! aka The Kardashian Network. Lisa developed Keeping Up With The Kardashians and went on to sponsor their seventy million spinoffs. She’s also the lady behind such gems as Ice Loves Coco and The Girls Next Door. Gee, Lisa really has an eye for the classy.
Landing at number 20 are Jane Lipsitz and Dan Cutforth, the executive producers for Magical Elves. Magical Elves is the genius behind the Top Chef franchise and Braxton Family Values. They are also the original producers of Project Runway (back when it was on Bravo and considered a really great show). Most recently Magical Elves produced Bravo’s break-out hit, Around The World In 80 Plates and NBC’s Fashion Star – which has already been renewed for a second season surprisingly.
Nick Emmerson, President of Shed Media captures spot number 32. Shed Media, aaaaahhhh Shed Media. The controversial producers of Real Housewives of New York and Basketball Wives. The company recently released a statement promising to make BBW less trashy in the upcoming season.
As for their methods of crafting a show, Nick says,”People want authentic and less constructed shows: ‘Would this guy be doing this anyway if it wasn’t for a TV show?’”
It is the network executives and producers who make up the list exclusively, but there are two little stars twinkling near the bottom. The formidable Kris Jenner and the equally formidable Bethenny Frankel. They aren’t just reality stars, they’re also producers and product dynamos, women who saw (and see) reality TV as a mere stepping stone to bigger and better things.
Pimpmomager and reality matriarch, Kris is rewarded for her efforts selling out her children by securing spot 46. Kris’ unapologetic family pimping and unabashed ego have created a dynasty of reality television that stretches as far as the eye can see. She recently inked a $40M deal to continue filming the family’s “unscripted” E! shows for the next 3 years. What’s next for the momager? “Trying to fit it all in,” she says. Hopefully she doesn’t have any more fake weddings up her too tight sleeves.
Finally, Bethenny lands herself at spot number 49. And she deserves it! Bethenny is a reality pioneer. A woman who took the exposure to a whole new level and achieved great success from the platform.
Now starring in her third reality series, she is the executive producer of her own hit show Bethenny Ever After. Bethenny is soon to leave the reality TV world behind, supposedly, as she embarks on a new endeavor – a talk show. Her six-week test run begins next month. My guess is if that show is successful, Bethenny Ever After is no more!
THOUGHTS ON THE LIST? SURPRISED ANDY COHEN DIDN’T MAKE THE CUT?
