Biography
As Chairman, Entertainment Networks, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, Frances Berwick leads program strategy and business operations for the NBC broadcast network and NBCU's six cable entertainment networks: USA, Bravo, E!, Oxygen, Syfy and Universal Kids.
Berwick is responsible for operational oversight of marketing, communications, scheduling, business affairs, research and acquisitions across all networks reporting to Mark Lazarus, Chairman, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming.
Prior to her current role, Berwick served as President, Lifestyle Networks for NBCUniversal (Bravo, E!, Oxygen and Universal Kids), where she oversaw a portfolio of some of the most popular and culturally relevant hits on television, running daily operations for the networks including development, production, program planning, marketing, research, digital and communications.
Under Berwick's leadership, Bravo was the #1 cable entertainment network among female viewers with popular series including Emmy Award-winning "Top Chef," "Project Runway," "Vanderpump Rules," "Southern Charm," and the "Below Deck," "Million Dollar Listing" and "The Real Housewives" franchises. In 2019, she oversaw the launch of BravoCon, the first-ever immersive experience for the Bravo superfan. The event was attended by over 10,000 consumers and sold out in 60 seconds.
At Oxygen, she spearheaded the shift to a multiplatform true crime destination in 2017, which resulted in the network becoming one of the fastest growing on cable, led by popular original series including the flagship "Snapped" franchise, "Cold Justice," "Killer Couples," "Criminal Confessions," "In Ice Cold Blood," and breakout hit specials such as "Dirty John, The Dirty Truth," "Sam Little," "Dahmer on Dahmer: A Killer Speaks," and "Aaron Hernandez Uncovered."
At E!, Berwick led the network's success as a global, multi-platform pop culture powerhouse with some of TV's most buzzy unscripted programming, including "Keeping Up with the Kardashians," "Very Cavallari," and "Botched" on linear, and "The Rundown" on Snapchat. Under her leadership, E! also became the home of the "E! People's Choice Awards."
In 2017, Berwick oversaw the preschool network's rebrand and transformation from Sprout into Universal Kids, which expanded the target audience from preschool age up to 11-year-old kids. Universal Kids is anchored by original animation including Dreamworks' "Where's Waldo," "Remy and Boo," and "Norman Picklestripes" and unscripted originals like "Get Out of My Room" and "Top Chef Junior."
As General Manager of Bravo from 2008-2010, Berwick oversaw a 33 percent increase in original content and led her team to four consecutive years of record-breaking successes across all ratings and financial metrics. From 2005-2008, Berwick was Executive Vice President, Programming and Production, where she supervised all of Bravo's development, production, scheduling and acquisitions.
Earlier in her career, Berwick oversaw the development and production of the successful Emmy-winning series "Queer Eye" after the brand's 2002 acquisition by NBC. She also developed, produced and launched Emmy winners "Top Chef" and "Project Runway," two-time Emmy winner "Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List," Emmy-winning original series, "Inside the Actors Studio," as well as the "The Real Housewives" franchise, which has since become a global phenomenon. In 1996, Berwick joined Bravo from Britain's Channel 4, where she headed international TV distribution and licensing. It was there that she sold shows and formats and Film4 Productions including "Four Weddings and A Funeral," "Don't Forget Your Toothbrush" and "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" Prior to that, she was in the sponsorship division at Sadler's Wells (a leading London Theater), where she raised funds for stage productions.
Berwick has received numerous accolades throughout her career including two Peabody Awards, three Primetime Emmys and a National Association of Multi-Ethnicity in Communications Award (NAMIC). In addition, Berwick was presented with the Muse Award for Outstanding Vision and Achievement in 2013 by New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) and has also been named a Multichannel News Wonder Woman and one of The Hollywood Reporter's Power 100 Women in Entertainment. Berwick is a member of New York Women in Film & Television, British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (ATAS).
