Richard Licata

Veteran television communications executive Richard Licata was named to the newly created post of Executive Vice President, Communications for NBC Entertainment, in July 2011.  He reports to Robert Greenblatt, Chairman, NBC Entertainment.

Licata is responsible for the strategic creative development and execution of all programming and media relations initiatives designed to enhance the profile and growth of both the network and Universal Television.

In addition to overseeing program publicity, talent relations, photography, events and awards campaigns, Licata serves as both NBC Entertainment’s chief press officer and  liaison with parent company Comcast, responsible for press relations pertaining to industry issues and public affairs.

Licata came to NBC from Showtime Networks Inc., where since 2004, he has orchestrated a dramatic image transformation for Showtime with his groundbreaking publicity and corporate communications campaigns.  He presided over the most successful award campaigns in the network’s 35-year history for the Primetime Emmy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, George Foster Peabody Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards and the Humanitas Awards, among others.

During his tenure at Showtime he was responsible  for launching the network’s  signature original programming including: “Nurse Jackie,” “United States of Tara,” “The Tudors,” “Weeds,” “Dexter,” “Californication,” “The Borgias,” “The Big C,” “Shameless,” “Episodes,” “Brotherhood,” “Tracey Ullman’s State of the Union,” “This American Life,” “Sleeper Cell,” “The L Word,” “Huff” and “Homeland.”

As Executive Vice President, Television and Digital Media at Rogers & Cowan, he expanded the agency’s TV client list to new records.  During his tenure there, Licata repeatedly made Emmy and Golden Globe Award history for their clients with his award-winning campaigns for broadcast, basic and premium television programming that included  “The Shield,” “Monk,” and “Taken,” among many others.

Licata began his association with Greenblatt while serving as Senior Vice President of Publicity and Public Relations for Fox Broadcasting Company where he developed the network’s publicity campaigns for “The X-Files,” “Party of Five,” “King of the Hill,” “The Simpsons,” “Melrose Place” and “Beverly Hills, 90210,” among dozens of others. His public relations and publicity efforts contributed to three consecutive Golden Globes for Best Television Drama Series: “The X-Files” (1994), “Party of Five” (1995) and “The X-Files” again (1996).  In 1997, Licata was a producer of the Emmy-nominated HBO Pictures’ “Gia,” which catapulted Angelina Jolie to international stardom.

Licata began his television publicity career at HBO where he was one of the original architects in branding the premium network’s public and industry image, working in various publicity capacities up through Vice President, Media Relations/West Coast.

In addition, Licata was an entertainment reporter and editor for the New York Daily News.  He is a member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (ATAS) and has served three terms as Chairman of the Television Publicity Executives Committee (TPEC).  In 2007 he was awarded with the prestigious PR News Media Relations Professional of the Year Award.