Lunch at Michael’s with Discovery’s Henry Schleiff

After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1973 Schleiff clerked for Murray Gurfein who had famously written the Pentagon Papers decision in the district courtamp160 He then moved on to Davis Polk and Wardwellamp160 amp8220I was a serious lawyer from 197478 while also writing freelance for Don Novello Father Guido Sarducci on SNLamp8221 he told Jack Myers and me over a recent lunch at Michaelamp8217s restaurant in New York Cityamp160 amp8220Very unsuccessfullyamp8221 he added with a smile referring to his jokewriting skills rather than his legal acumenamp8220SNL never used any of my submissions and they never paid meamp8221 he continuedamp160 amp8220My compensation was I got to go to a couple of the dress rehearsalsamp160 I was overpaid in that respectamp8221Fortunately Schleiff didnamp8217t harbor any strong desire to become a writeramp160 amp8220I just thought it was funamp8221 he saidamp160 But he may have passed said desire along to the oldest of his two sons Sidney an aspiring writer who worked on Veep and now has a pilot in at HBOamp160 amp8220Heamp8217s waiting for a green light going through all the trials and tribulations which I was lucky enough to avoid because I never stayed on that side of the desk long enough to be a true creativeamp160 I worked my way over to the other sideamp8221Schleiffamp8217s failure in late night comedy writing did little to compromise his comedic timingamp160 Noting that he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Schleiff added amp8220Iamp8217m still on the waiting list for Harvard Law School but itamp8217s not looking goodamp8221His success at Davis Polk and Wardwell propelled him into the television business when he was recruited by Viacom to become Assistant General Counsel in 1978 and then on to HBO in 1980 where he was asked if he was interested in giving up the practice of law and serving as Vice President of Sports and Theater amp8220both of which I loveamp8221 he saidamp160 HBO had television rights to Wimbledon at the timeamp160 amp8220They said we need you to let us know soon because we need to send somebody over to Wimbledonamp8221 Schleiff recalledamp160 amp8220I said amp8216Do I pay you or do you pay meamp8217 showing a certain feel for business affairs and again for comedyamp8221As with many television executives who were part of the explosive growth of cable in the Eighties Schleiff looks back on his time at the paycable giant as a wild rideamp160 amp8220HBO was growing by leaps and bounds in subscribers and revenueamp8221 he saidamp160 amp8220It was the only game in townamp160 Showtime was not really a competitor to speak ofamp160 I like to believe and you know me Iamp8217m not demure amp8211 that I was part of a team in that period 198087 that really took HBO to another level of successamp160 I ended up being Executive Vice President of Administrationamp160 I had a lot of different areas reporting to meamp160 It was different than the world is todayamp160 It was convivialamp160 It was funamp160 Time Inc owned us and they had no idea what we were doingamp160 They just knew that we were throwing off a lot of cashamp8220Like any good managers Michael Fuchs CEO of HBO at the time and others kept the infighting among the parents away from usamp8221 he continuedamp160 amp8220They avoided having us get trampled and let us do out thingamp160 When I look back at those times Iamp8217m struck by the conviviality of it allamp160 You had a bunch of people who were masters at distribution at business affairs at making dealsamp160 They would call Robin Williamsamp8217 manager say amp8216Letamp8217s make a dealamp8217amp160 I remember making the Barbra Streisand deal from Fuchsamp8217 back yard in the Hamptonsamp160 He said amp8216What do we pay heramp8217amp160 I said amp8216I thought you knewamp8217amp160 We were really inventing the rules as we went alongamp160 The characters there behind the camera and in front of it were so phenomenalamp8221Schleiffamp8217s world of phenomenal characters further expanded in 1987 when he returned to Viacom having been recruited by Frank Biondi who had himself been brought over from HBO by Sumner Redstone after the latter purchased Viacom earlier that yearamp160 amp8220It was such a learning curve because then we were producing which I had never done beforeamp8221 he recalledamp160 amp8220Instead of pay television we were producing for broadcast televisionamp8221His next move was to Court TVamp160 amp8220It was halfowned by Liberty half by Time Warner and they had both written it off their booksamp8221 he saidamp160 amp8220John Malone and Dick Parsons the guys that I reported to were incredibly supportive giving us additional money for distribution and programmingamp8220The first week I was at Court TV they gave me the research for primetime and I looked at it and I saw carrotsamp8221 Schleiff laughedamp160 amp8220I had never seen a carrot at 8 9 10 pmamp160 A carrot means there is no viewing absolutely no discernible accountable viewershipamp160 I said amp8216Letamp8217s at least get a heartbeat going hereamp8217amp160 We had to carry live trial coverage for the affiliates during the dayamp160 We didnamp8217t have to do that at nightamp160 We had courtroom talk shows with Johnny Cochran Nancy Grace and othersamp160 I wanted mainstream contentamp160 You could buy then at a reasonable price reruns of Homicideamp160 We put that on with some original shows behind itamp160 That was the strategy and it workedamp160 The original shows began to do wellamp8220What I learned there which I took with me later on was that you could create all these originals at a reasonable price and put them on in primeamp8221 he continuedamp160 amp8220Thatamp8217s really been the secret to IDamp160 Court TV was a little bit of a focus group if you will for what ultimately became IDamp8221After Court TV was sold Schleiff decided he was going to take a breakamp160 He had no plansamp160 amp8220They gave me a great office at Time Warner and this and thatamp8221 he recalled amp8220and after I sat up there for a couple of weeks my wife said amp8216You have to do somethingamp8217amp160 My golf was actually getting worseamp160 I was hitting people in the hallways with putts which was not a good thingamp8221Then Hallmark came callingamp160 amp8220Hallmark Chairman Donald Hall Sr said to me amp8216You sold Court TVamp160 We have this Hallmark Channel that we have problems withamp160 Weamp8217re in the card business in Kansas Cityamp160 Do you think you could sell Hallmark Channelamp160 I said amp8216absolutelyamp8217amp160 The model was very simple a la Court TV which was to be very consistent appeal to mainstream America and be predictableamp160 We then did 2025 movies a year amp160Now theyamp8217re doing 6070 movies a yearamp160 Much to their credit they are very predictable holiday themed movies which I applaud because itamp8217s a page out of our book of consistency and predictabilityamp160 When I was there we were a lower cost version of what the channel is todayamp160 But we moved from 50th to 10th just by offering The Waltons and some moviesamp8220At one point Hall came to me and said amp8216You know weamp8217re now in the age of digitalamp160 The electronic ability to send cards to people is hurting our business with cards so to the extent that Hallmark Channel is beginning to work we donamp8217t want to sell itamp8217amp8221amp160 Schleiff then left Hallmark for Discoveryamp160In a meeting with Discovery Inc President and CEO David Zaslav Schleiff said amp8220You have this little investigation channel thingamp160 The name is already in placeamp160 Iamp8217m not sure what it investigates but I think I could make it a successful network a top ten network over timeamp8221amp160Zaslavamp8217s answer Schleiff recalls was a simple amp8220no wayamp8221Schleiff pressed onamp160 amp8220Iamp8217m here for the fun of it and for the challengeamp8221 he explainedToday Schleiff proudly noted ID has 650 hours of originals per yearamp160 It is No 1 total day for women 2554 and No 1 for people total day in 2554 in all of cableamp160 It is also No 10 in prime in adsupported cableamp160 In addition he continued amp8220ID has been the No 1 network in all of television broadcast and cable for length of tuneamp160 No other network has viewers who watch for as long as viewers watch IDamp160 Asked what he attributes that to he replied that the secret is in the storytellingamp160 amp8220Thereamp8217s no way youamp8217re tuning out before that last segment because with an ID mystery you want to see who did itamp160 Whatever it is there is great storytellingamp160 Itamp8217s the same as if you went to see the carvings in Lascaux caves in Franceamp160 You wouldnamp8217t stop at the first gap with the guy chasing the animalamp160 You would go to the back of the cave to see what happenedamp8221One might say Schleiffamp8217s early love of comedy writing is evident today in the titles of some of the buzziest original series on ID which have included Wives with Knives Sinister Ministers and Southern Fried Homicideamp160 These shows are now part of the pop culture pantheon thanks to repeated mentions by Jimmy Kimmel his Aunt Chippy is a fan and John Oliver who once exclaimed that he canamp8217t believe there is a television show titled Wives with Knives recurring sketches on Saturday Night Live and a full storyline five years ago on South ParkMeanwhile building off the longtime success of Ghost Adventures Travel Channel the newest addition to the growing stable of Discovery networks that Schleiff oversees now with 82 million subscribers is becoming amp8220the dominant player in the world of adventure myths mysteries and the paranormalamp8221 he saidamp160 Asked if that translates into the Travel Channel brand he replied amp8220A good story is a good story and people will find it wherever it isamp160 If people really like a network theyamp8217ll say amp8216Whatamp8217s that thing with those myths and mysteries on itamp8217amp8221Schleiff has been married to his wife Peggy for 34 yearsamp160 amp8220Thereamp8217s a lot of betting in Vegas now on 35amp8221 he laughedamp160 amp8220Iamp8217m not giving you any inside informationamp8221amp160 Heamp8217s the father of two creatively gifted sons Sidney the aspiring writer and Harry an artist who recently completed his Masters in painting at Columbia Universityamp160 Heamp8217s pursuing painting and sculpture and has earned awards for his video workWhen he isnamp8217t running four networks Schleiff likes to relax with family and friends including close pal and tennis partner Regis Philbin and his wife Joyamp160 amp8220We go up to Regisamp8217 house in Greenwich every couple of months and we go out to dinner but first Reege and I like to watch the old Dean Martin showsamp160 I keep saying to Regis amp8216Look at those handsamp8217amp160 Dean was a former boxer in Steubenville Ohioamp160 To me heamp8217s so ballet likeamp160 Our wives are running around while we sit on the couch Regis and me mesmerizedamp8220Regis is the bestamp8221 he said of his friendamp160 amp8220I think he misses the actionamp160 Heamp8217s 80 81 amp8230 but heamp8217s vivacious heamp8217s got a point of view and we have great funamp160 And heamp8217s still playing tennisamp8221Click the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writersamp160amp160

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Lunch at Michael’s with Discovery’s Henry Schleiff

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Lunch at Michael’s with Discovery’s Henry Schleiff

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