Nancy Dubuc: Bringing History to Life at The History Channel

Naturally the Executive Vice President and General Manager of The History Channel Nancy Dubuc has a love for history quotStory telling is my passionquot she shared with me quotand history is full of unbelievable stories You can39t make these stories upquot Nancy like Bonnie Hammer president of USA and Sci Fi graduated from Boston University and both began their careers at WGBH Television in Boston working on This Old House Both also worked in live news Bonnie with ABC affiliate WCVB and Nancy for Christian Science Monitor Cable and with NBC News in the Washington bureau quotI realized you have to have a really intense passion for news to make it a career and I learned my passion is for TV I loved Saturday Night Live in its heyday but I had to keep the volume low and couldn39t let my parents know I was watching It felt so devious it was greatquot She also was a fan of ER quotin the George Clooney daysquot West Wing during its first few seasons and Sex and the City She also has tremendous respect for the quotcommitment planning and patiencequot that went into the production of Discovery39s hugely successful and important Planet Earth specials quotIt39s good for all of us when a show like this can work with audiencesquotNancy recalls her first meeting with legendary NBC news anchor Tom Brokaw when she was just a 19year old intern quotI had to deliver something to Mr Brokaw personally and he was in an animated conversation which I realized was with his daughter He waved me into his office as he hung up He looked at me seeing someone who was about the same age as his daughter and he asked rhetorically 39are you all like this with your mothers39 Here I was all business and in the presence of an icon but he was just really human and like my dadquotNancy could identify with Tom39s daughter referring to herself as a quottroublemakerquot in her teen years although her mother always considered her quotthe perfect daughterquot Nancy realizes today her mom39s attitude quothelped me realize I could do things my way and have my own opinions about things even though they might cause some trouble and still be loved and respected quotHer zest for learning is the biggest thing she instilled in me along with a willingness to take risksquot she says of her mother For most of Nancy39s childhood her mom had been a nurse anesthetist but when Nancy was in high school her mom suddenly changed her career and became a caterer Her mother now has the largest catering business in Rhode Island Nancy grew up in Bristol and catered the recent marriage of the daughter of Disney39s Bob Iger Nancy39s dad is an attorneyAfter her internship for NBC and work with Christian Science Monitor Nancy worked with an independent company producing the Discover Magazine television series Abbe Raven who was heading programming for The History Channel at the time and is now president and CEO of AETN was looking for a producer for This Day in History and she tapped Nancy Since then Abbe has been a longtime career mentorNancy joined The History Channel as Director of Historical Programming in the mid1990s later moving to sister network AampampE to spearhead that network39s development of reality series including Growing Up Gotti Airline Dog the Bounty Hunter Intervention SWAT Criss Angel Mindfreak Gene Simmons Family Jewels King of Cars The First 48 and Driving Force Before being named to head The History Channel several months ago Nancy was Senior Vice President NonFiction Programming and New Media Content for parent company AampampE Television Networks overseeing all programming development for AampampE and The History ChannelNancy has the unique experience for a TV programmer of having started as an advertising sales person for the Boston University Daily Free Press the third largest daily newspaper in Boston quotI39ve never told Mel Berningquot AETN39s EVP Ad Sales she laughs She was also rowed crew both in high school and at BU which she says quotkept me focused given the inevitable indulgences in collegequot She39s committed to quotraising the barquot on History Channel programming quotthrough action and great story tellingquot She recently announced an aggressive slate of new programming across a wide array of genres that she believes will drive appointment viewing For example this year marks the 30th anniversary of Star Wars and The History Channel will air a twohour special produced with George Lucas She39s also excited about this summer39s series premiere Ice Road TruckersWhile military content is now less than 20 percent of the network39s programming Nancy believes the time is right to position the military genre in a more emotional way focused less on tactics and issues and more on the emotional connections Americans have with soldiers and veterans Next month The History Channel will announce a major new marketing and community initiative Take a Vet to School Day that was inspired by former AampampE Television Networks39 CEO Nicholas Davatzes quotNick went to school with his grandchild to share his experiences as a vet and was very moved by the interest and enthusiasm of the childrenquot Nancy told me during our lunch at Michael39s Abbe Raven loved the idea and called on our outreach executive Libby O39Connell who thought we could replicate it as a national program THC has enlisted R Lee Ermey Sgt Hartman in Full Metal Jacket to visit schools personally and do shortform programming for the network quotThe essence of the idea is cool enough that we hope it will thrive and grow beyond a local school event to a national call to action We are working with our cable affiliates to develop the outreach to veterans and schools It39s an opportunity for Americans to agree on the importance of respecting and honoring those who fight and to teach the next generation what it is these soldiers are doing and what those before them didquotquotWe have a powerful brand message Our vision for History is clear We reflect the human experience History connects the dots for our viewers and provides them a sense of belonging and comprehension of the world around them We take our responsibility seriously in recording history We tell powerful emotional stories that forge a deep connection with our audience In this ever changing fast paced world amp8211 sometimes it is important to ask questions like quotWhat kind of world do you wantquot

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Nancy Dubuc: Bringing History to Life at The History Channel

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