Ryan Seacrest
Founder/Chairman, Ryan Seacrest Productions
The host of pretty much everything grows his power as a producer and investor
Arguably the best-known host in America, Ryan Seacrest’s business empire includes investment in music-themed cable network axs and producing duties across the NBC and E! networks that last year resulted in E! specials on the Wanted and Selena Gomez.
His syndicated radio show, “On Air With Ryan Seacrest,” remains one of his favorite jobs. “It’s fun to be at the center of popular culture and interact with audiences daily,” he says.
His production company, created in 2006 and known for “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” continues to expand with “How I Rock It” on Esquire, “Go Viral” on Nickelodeon and docu-series “Girls in the Game” on VH1. The lattermost show, he says, “is about white female rappers, and offers viewers a fascinating insight into the ambitions of these young artists and their quest for recognition.”
Seacrest has extended his deal to host and executive-produce “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve,” annually one of the highest-rated music programs. And he continues to be the host of “American Idol.” While ratings for its two-night premiere in January had double-digit drops from 2013, the show was still the top-rated program on Jan. 15 (with 15.2 million viewers) and Jan. 16 (13.4 million).
“On television, storytelling and characters are key,” Seacrest says. “Music is such a core part of American culture, there will always be interest in music and the people involved in creating it.”
