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Michael Davies (television producer)

For other people named Michael Davies, see Michael Davies.

Michael Peterson Davies[4] (born 3 March 1966) is a United States-based British television game shows producer.[5] He is best known for bringing the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire to American television. Since 2014, he has hosted a podcast entitled Men in Blazers alongside journalist Roger Bennett. Since 2021, he has served as the executive producer of the game show Jeopardy! following Mike Richards' departure from the program due to various controversies.

Michael Davies
Born
Michael Peterson Davies

(1966-03-03) 3 March 1966 (age 58)
London, England
OccupationTelevision producer[1]
Years active1990–present
Known forExecutive producer of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (1999-2010, 2020-present)
Co-host of Men in Blazers (2014–present)
Executive producer of Jeopardy! (2021–present)
Spouses
  • Selena Richards
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1989; div. 1992)​
    [2][3]
  • Claude Davies
    ​
    (divorced)​
Children4
RelativesWilliam Davies (brother)
Rebecca de Pont Davies (sister)

Early life

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Davies grew up in Blackheath, London[6] and attended Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania, graduating from the University of Edinburgh. He is the younger brother of opera singer Rebecca de Pont Davies and screenwriter William Davies.

Career

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Early career

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In the early 1990s, Davies served as a development associate at Merv Griffin Enterprises.[7] For a time afterward, he served as a senior vice president at Buena Vista Productions (a subsidiary of Disney).[8] In February 1998, Davies joined ABC as executive vice president.[8] During this time, he served as a programming executive at WABC-TV, an ABC affiliate in New York City.[9] He also served as the head of the network's reality programming division.[10]

Diplomatic Productions

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On December 12, 2000, Davies founded Diplomatic Productions, his first production company, with the help of ABC and Disney.[11] On May 12, 2005, Diplomatic folded into Embassy Row after Davies joined forces with entertainment marketer Tera Banks and LivePlanet co-founder and former CEO Chris Moore.

Blogger

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In 2002 and 2006, Davies wrote a blog about the 2002 FIFA World Cup and 2006 FIFA World Cup for ESPN.com.[12][13]

Men in Blazers

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Beginning in 2011, Davies and co-host and ESPNFC.com writer Roger Bennett, brought the Men in Blazers podcast to Grantland.com. The weekly podcast includes analysis of recent matches in the Premier League as well as coverage of the UEFA Champions League and various international fixtures, specifically the United States men's national soccer team games.[14]

The duo were invited to provide analysis and humorous segments for ESPN live from Rio de Janeiro during the 2014 FIFA World Cup, especially from Bob Ley's "Panic Room".[15] The duo did a live show from Portland, Oregon, for the 2014 MLS All-Star Game, interviewing the likes of Clint Dempsey and Alex Morgan while raising money for MLS Works and the Wounded Warrior Project.[16]

In September 2014, they conducted a New York City FC exclusive interview with Frank Lampard after Lampard joined NYCFC from Chelsea.[17] Fox Sports announced in April 2014 they had cancelled the Davies-produced program Crowd Goes Wild, a daily sports talk show from the national sports network Fox Sports 1.[18]

Ahead of the 2014–15 Premier League season, NBC Sports signed Davies and Bennett from ESPN for its English Premier League coverage and confirmed that Men in Blazers would have its own half-hour television show on Monday nights at 10 pm EST, starting 22 September 2014.[19][20]

Davies and Bennett host the Men in Blazers channel on EA Sports Talk Radio on the official 2014 FIFA World Cup video game, with Andy Goldstein of TalkSPORT and Darke hosting the only other channel.[21]

In April 2024, Davies left the podcast to focus on his other ventures.[22]

Sony Pictures Television

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Embassy Row

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As president and CEO of Embassy Row, a New York City-based television production company that is a unit of Sony Pictures Television, he was the executive producer of Wife Swap. He produced ESPN's 2 Minute Drill, VH1's World Series of Pop Culture, CBS's Power of 10, and the GSN originals: Chain Reaction, Grand Slam, and GSN's revival of The Newlywed Game, as well as the US version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.[23]

Jeopardy!

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In 2021, Sony appointed Davies to serve as interim executive producer of Jeopardy! when Mike Richards was let go after controversies came to light.[24][nb 1] On April 14, 2022, Davies announced that he would be taking over the position full-time.[25][26] So far, under Davies' tenure, he has created daily box scores for each episode,[27] creating a "Second Chance Tournament" to air before the show's "Tournament of Champions",[28][29] creating a new holiday for the show entitled JeoparDAY! held on the show's birthday every year on March 30,[30] as well as creating daily recaps of the show known as Jeopardy! Highlights.[31]

In August 2022, Davies, along with former Jeopardy! Clue Crew member and current producer Sarah Whitcomb Foss and Jeopardy! champion Buzzy Cohen, began hosting a podcast about the game show entitled Inside Jeopardy! which takes a look behind the scenes from the quiz show like gameplay analysis, behind-the-scenes stories, official announcements, and special interviews.[31][32][33][34]

Personal life

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On December 28, 1989, Davies married Selena Richards in Reno, Nevada.[2] The couple divorced in 1992.[2] Afterwards, he married documentary producer Claude Davies whom he later divorced.[citation needed] He had a daughter, Brea, through his relationship with Selena and three children through his relationship with Claude.[3]

He is a fan of Chelsea F.C.[35]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
2000 The 27th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards Himself
2001 The 28th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards Himself
2014 Men in Blazers World Cup Preview Host
2014-2015 Late Night with Seth Meyers Himself 3 episodes
2015-2016 The Men in Blazers Show Host 13 episodes
2018 Rog & Davo's Guide to Russia Himself 10 episodes
CBS News Sunday Morning Himself 1 episode
Cover Story Himself 1 episode
2022 Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen Bartender 1 episode
2022-present Inside Jeopardy! Host 19 episodes

Notes

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  1. ^ Despite claims that Michael Davies will serve as an interim executive producer on Wheel of Fortune following Mike Richards' departure, he never actually assumed that role, with the show's senior producer Steve Schwartz serving as an uncredited interim executive producer for the rest of the show's 39th season before settling with Bellamie Blackstone in the 40th season.

References

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  1. ^ "Men in Blazers – Michael Davies". Meninblazers.wikispaces.com. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  2. ^ a b c Burke, Cathy (15 December 1999). "Golden Boy Tarnished – ABC TV Exec'S Ex Drags Him To Court Over Child Support". New York Post. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  3. ^ a b "Hitched, Hatched, Hired". The Hollywood Reporter. 3 October 2011. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  4. ^ Davies, Michael; Whitcomb-Foss, Sarah (27 March 2023). "What is a Come-From-Behind Win?". Inside Jeopardy! (Podcast). Retrieved 3 April 2023 – via YouTube.
  5. ^ "Profile". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 10 July 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
  6. ^ "With Abigail Savage". Men in Blazers. 17 June 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  7. ^ "A Note From Jeopardy! EP Michael Davies". Jeopardy.com. 9 December 2021. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Buena Vista executive joins ABC". Electronic Media. 2 February 1998. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 16 February 2024 – via EBSCO Host Connection.
  9. ^ McNear, Claire (16 May 2023). "Is 'Jeopardy!' a Sport? Its New EP Certainly Thinks So". The Ringer. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  10. ^ "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire". Gameshow Hall of Fame. 21 January 2007. GSN.
  11. ^ Schneider, Michael (12 December 2000). "DAVIES PACTS WITH DISNEY, ABC". Variety. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2014 – via EBSCO Host Connection.
  12. ^ Davies, Michael (2002). "Blog of the 2002 World Cup by Michael Davies". ESPN.com. p. 2. Retrieved 9 June 2003.
  13. ^ Davies, Micharl (2006). "Blog of the 2006 World Cup by Michael Davies". ESPN.com. p. 2. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  14. ^ "Men in Blazers". Meninblazers.wikispaces.com. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  15. ^ Men in Blazers Boot Room Extra – 2014 FIFA World Cup, Day 5 (immediately after United States 2-1 Ghana), YouTube.com. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  16. ^ Men in Blazers at the 2014 MLS All-Star Game, YouTube.com; retrieved 11 November 2016.
  17. ^ NYCFC Exclusive Interview – Frank Lampard (by the Men in Blazers), YouTube.com; retrieved 11 November 2016.
  18. ^ Fox Sports 1 cancels Crowd Goes Wild, awfulannouncing.com; retrieved 4 July 2014.
  19. ^ Connors, Will (10 August 2014). "Men in Blazers Jump to NBC". The Wall Street Journal.
  20. ^ Prince-Wright, Joe (17 September 2014). ""The Men in Blazers Show" set for kick off on NBCSN". Prosoccertalk.nbcsports.com.
  21. ^ Seven Reasons To Start Your 2014 FIFA World Cup Early, Easports.com; retrieved 11 November 2016.
  22. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  23. ^ "ABC Quiz Show Asks Million-Dollar Question". lubbockonline.com. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  24. ^ Michael Schneider (31 August 2021). "Mike Richards Fired as Executive Producer of Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune". Variety. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  25. ^ Lesley Goldberg (14 April 2022). "Jeopardy Taps Michael Davies as Permanent Showrunner". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  26. ^ "EP Michael Davies Reflects on a Producer's Role and His Future With the Show". Jeopardy.com. 14 April 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  27. ^ "EP Michael Davies Discusses Jeopardy! As A Sport, Introduces Daily Box Scores". Jeopardy.com. 12 January 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  28. ^ "A Jeopardy! Second Chance Tournament? EP Michael Davies Explains". Jeopardy.com. 9 February 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  29. ^ Jackson, Dory (11 February 2022). "'Jeopardy!' to Launch First-Ever Second Chance Tournament: 'So Excited,' Series EP Says". People. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  30. ^ "EP Michael Davies: JeoparDAY! Is Coming". Jeopardy.com. 25 February 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  31. ^ a b "A Note From Jeopardy! EP Michael Davies: New Hosts and New Initiatives". Jeopardy.com. 27 July 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  32. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (27 July 2022). "Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings Officially Set as Permanent 'Jeopardy!' Hosts". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  33. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (27 July 2022). "'Jeopardy!': Mayim Bialik & Ken Jennings Close Deals To Return, Season 39 Hosting Schedule Revealed". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  34. ^ Steinberg, Brian (27 July 2022). "Mayim Bialik, Ken Jennings to Host Expanded 'Jeopardy' Franchise". Variety. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  35. ^ Davies, Michael [@embassydavies] (13 July 2018). "Like many Chelsea fans, I don't know how to move forward with the same passion for the club that I have supported since i was 4. I'm sure it will return, but for now I just feel numb and let down. Today I am grateful for England and my 2nd and 3rd clubs, @CPFC and @hfdathletic" (Tweet). Retrieved 20 January 2021 – via Twitter.
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Media offices
Preceded by Executive Producer of Jeopardy!
October 11, 2021-present 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
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