NBC's Rick Ludwin will mark a quarter century with the network by getting executive VP stripes over his late night and prime time series domain, plus a five-year contract extension.
NBC Entertainment President Kevin Reilly, to whom Ludwin will continue to report, credits the executive with being "a crucial player in maintaining our late-night dominance."
Ludwin previously served as senior VP over the area, overseeing the development and production of NBC's top-rated late-night program lineup, which includes The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, Saturday Night Live, Late Night With Conan O'Brien and Last Call With Carson Daly.
Ludwin's department will also continue to develop new prime time situation comedies for the network, as well as primetime specials involving Saturday Night Live, Leno and the upcoming Saturday Night Live: The '80s in November.
In February 2005, Ludwin supervised the Emmy-nominated prime time special Live from New York: The First Five Years of Saturday Night Live and The Seinfeld Story retrospective special last November. He also served as supervising producer of the prime time special 50 Years of NBC Late Night in 2001. Moreover, he oversaw the development and production of Seinfeld during the Emmy and Peabody-winning comedy's record-setting nine-year run.
Ludwin also developed the long-running prime time series Unsolved Mysteries, the forerunner of what has since become the wildly popular "reality" genre, as well as the network's Moment of Truth movie franchise.
Since joining NBC in March 1980 as director, variety programs, Ludwin has been involved in the network's top-rated specials, including Bob Hope, Johnny Carson, David Letterman, Garth Brooks, Mariah Carey and Michael Bolton. Ludwin has also overseen NBC's telecasts of awards shows.
He was promoted to director, specials and variety series, in October 1981, and was named VP, specials and variety programs, in May 1983, and senior VP, specials variety programs and late night, in 1989.
