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 A member profile by Chris Davison, davison@intellcap.com
Nancy Dubuc is Executive Vice President and General Manager of History. Nancy began her career as an intern and has since worked in many areas of the business, from news to programming to line production. I recently had a chance to interview Nancy to discuss appointment viewing, The Three Stooges, and the future of History.
Q: Can you tell us about your background and what made you want to work in entertainment? How did you get involved with the HRTS?
-I was born in New York, and grew up in Bristol, Rhode Island where my dad was a teacher and my mom was a nurse. Even back then, I was captivated by television and had rather eclectic tastes that ranged from The Three Stooges to Saturday Night Live. Now that I think about it, I guess those shows aren’t so “eclectic”.
While in college at Boston University, I had the opportunity to intern at NBC News in New York and Washington. From that experience, it was clear I had the ADD sensibility for TV. The day after I graduated from BU, I started a job in news as a desk assistant. I loved the adrenaline rush of live TV and within a year, I was a line producer. Following that, I joined WGBH in Boston and worked on numerous programs ranging from History of Rock and Roll to This Old House. It was actually the era of the last economic downturn which meant staffs were very lean, so I got first-hand experience in virtually every aspect of production and travelled all over the world doing it. My next job was as a series producer for the Discovery Channel’s, Discover Magazine. In addition to coordinating producers and editing pieces, I oversaw the day-to-day business logistics of the venture.
Then in 1999, I moved to New York. The major turning point of my career was meeting Abbe Raven, then head of programming for History. She hired me as a program supervisor. I can’t say enough about Abbe, she gave me a chance, helped guide my career, and in addition to being my boss, is both a mentor and a dear friend. When Abbe was named general manager of the A&E network, I went with her as the VP of Development. It was trial by fire, I had no experience. In the end, having no experience meant we were doing things differently which paid off. Together with my colleague Rob Sharenow and a great team of people, we made noise and developed hit series including Airline, Dog the Bounty Hunter, Growing Up Gotti, The First 48, Intervention, Gene Simmons Family Jewels and Criss Angel Mindfreak. By 2004, I was named senior VP non-fiction and alternative programming, and in 2006 became senior VP non-fiction programming and new media content for AETN, which included History. Soon thereafter, while on maternity leave, I was named Executive Vice President and General Manager of History. I am so proud of the History team, in the last 18 months; we have launched the top nine series and top three specials of all time.
I, like many, was introduced to HRTS through its luncheon series. The opportunity to see industry leaders come together to both collaborate and commiserate is something many industries would die for. We work in a very small circle and really know the ins and outs of each others’ businesses. HRTS formalizes that forum in a way that helps up-and-comers rise to the top as well. I also happen to think Kevin Beggs is a great guy, so it deserves our support.
Q: What makes Ice Road Truckers such a hit?
-At History, we are committed to refreshing how we present history, while remaining true to the tenor of our brand. We cover the topics we have always covered; it’s the execution that is different, it’s more active, personal and immersive. Ice Road Truckers is a great example of this and has an interesting history of its own. It started out as the highest rated episode of our longest running series Modern Marvels back in 1999. Every time it aired over the years, it performed exceptionally well. When I came back to History, one of my goals was to develop appointment-viewing series and because of its track record, Ice Road Truckers was at the top of my list. I contacted Thom Beers of Original Productions and the rest, as they say, is history. Basically, it’s the age-old story of man versus nature. Men who follow the paths of their forefathers, blazing new trails in the true frontier spirit of the past. Ice Road has touched a chord with viewers—I can’t point to just one element, rather it’s the whole package—great storytelling, unconventional characters, danger and exploration, the history of who we are and how we get things done and maybe a little bit of the wild wild west combine to make it a huge hit for us.
Q: Who are your main competitors and how is the History brand different from them?
-We look at the entire television landscape as well as all the new technologies as competition. Whether broadcast, gaming, online or other cable channels, we are competing for viewers everywhere to sample our programming. The challenge is making History a habit. Our advantage is the uniqueness of the History brand. Dating back to our launch in 1995, we have always had avid fans. As the network has evolved, we have been fortunate to serve those fans while attracting younger audiences to the network. Our viewership is primarily adults 25-54, 68% of which are educated, upscale men. This gives us a highly sought-after viewership that most other networks don’t reach, which is a strong point of distinction in the marketplace. We’re passionate about looking at history through a more exciting, immersive and active lens that connects with our viewers and we want them to experience all aspects of history. It’s not about just linear television anymore; we are growing the brand across all platforms so that it goes wherever our fans go.
Q: How would you describe your new media offerings and overall strategy?
-Our goal is to be the leading global resource of historically relevant rich media content to consumers that complements what’s on the network and here’s the big difference, we are also a standalone source of original historical content. We offer original broadband content, breaking news, extensive reference material and educational content relevant to users. We dive deeper to provide a full 360 degree experience that immerses audiences in history on the web while leveraging multiple viewing platforms including on-air, online, PDAs, smart phones and iPods. Everything is about evolving the brand, nothing is ever stagnant.
Our website, History.com, satisfies the passion of history fans who want to go beyond what they watch on our network and experience our brand in a dynamic online environment. Now, with our new multi-media partnership with the Library of Congress we will be able to showcase the Library’s treasures to the vast audience of History brands across all content platforms. We will also bring content to over 200,000 teachers across the country that use the network’s branded educational materials in their classrooms.
Q: How do you see things changing in the next 3-5 years, what’s the future of History?
-I don’t really look at it in a 3-5 year time frame, changes are happening so quickly and to succeed you have to be at the top of your game every single day. It’s about being nimble and innovative while tapping into what audiences want, yet always staying true to the brand. We are all in game-changing times and I don’t see it slowing down. History is about momentum and growth and that’s what we’ll keep doing.
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