Lauren Zalaznick

Lauren Zalaznick has spent her entire career in media, from her start as an independent feature film producer to her current role as Chairman, NBCUniversal Entertainment & Digital Networks and Integrated Media.  She was named Chairman in January 2011 when Comcast and GE completed their transaction to create a joint venture.  In this role, she oversees Bravo Media, Oxygen Media, Style, Telemundo, mun2, and the joint ventures Sprout  and  TVOne.  Additionally, she runs the digital properties DailyCandy, Fandango, iVillage, Television Without Pity, and the Integrated Media group, which includes the company-wide initiatives Green is Universal, Healthy at NBCU, Hispanics at NBCU and Women at NBCU. 

For the past eight years, Zalaznick has held various positions within NBCUniversal.  Zalaznick arrived at the company in May 2004, after the company’s acquisition of Vivendi Universal Entertainment, where she was the President of the critically acclaimed TRIO network since February 2002.   At NBCUniversal, Zalaznick was charged with leading the Bravo network, transforming it from a niche network into a Peabody and Emmy-Award winning, pop-culture media phenomenon, while simultaneously increasing its viewership 125% and profitability 219%.

In June 2008, after NBCUniversal’s acquisition of the female-targeted Oxygen Network and adding iVillage to her portfolio, she announced the launch of Women at NBCU, a sales and marketing program designed to create custom solutions for advertisers seeking to connect with a highly targeted female demographic. She chairs the widely respected Advisory Board.

Under Zalaznick’s guidance, each of her businesses has achieved record-setting ratings and revenue growth, while forging new media and marketing partnerships for the division. Her businesses have garnered industry recognition and countless awards for digital, mobile, social, and ad sales innovations.

Her television career started at VH1 in 1994, as Vice President, On-Air Promotion.  She later oversaw Original Programming and Development for the network and served as Executive Producer of the feature film “Zoolander.” Zalaznick launched her career in independent film, since 1984 producing a number of feature films including the Cannes and Sundance Festival award-winning films Kids, Safe, Swoon, and Girls Town.

Zalaznick is a member of New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s MediaNYC2020 Council.  She is also a Trustee of the Brown University Corporation, and sits on the Brown University Women's Leadership Council as well as the Brown University Creative Arts Council.

In 2011, The Paley Center for Media named Zalaznick one of the original “She’s Making Media” honorees, which distinguishes women across the new media landscape.  Additionally, New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s office honored Zalaznick at the “Made in NY” awards in 2011 for her contributions to the advancement of media in New York City. For several years, Fortune Magazine has included her in their “Most Powerful Women” issue; in 2009, Time magazine named Zalaznick one of the “Time 100: World’s Most Influential People,” Vanity Fair named her to their “New Establishment” list, and she was the subject of a New York Times Magazine cover story.
 
Zalaznick received her B.A. from Brown University in English literature, while also fulfilling a pre-med curriculum.  She graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa.  She currently resides in New York City with her husband and three children.