Jeff Wachtel
NBCUniversal cable veteran Jeff Wachtel, formerly served as the Chief Content Officer for NBCU Cable Entertainment overseeing NBC cablenets USA, Syfy, Bravo, Oxygen, and E! and as the President of Universal Cable Productions and Wilshire Studios. Wachtel joined USA in 2001 as executive vice president, original programming. At USA, Wachtel established the USA brand and led the network’s transformation into the No. 1 cable net on the strength of original programming. Some of the series produced by UCP under him include Mr. Robot, Suits and The Sinner for USA, Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce for Bravo, The Magicians and 12 Monkeys at Syfy, and Difficult People for Hulu. Additional series launched under Wachtel’s supervision include Burn Notice, Covert Affairs, In Plain Sight, Monk, Royal Pains, Psych, White Collar and. Wachtel also developed and supervised USA's earlier hit series The Dead Zone and The 4400.
Jeff Wachtel is currently the President of NBCUniversal International Studios where he oversees a portfolio of production companies and development spanning the US, Canada, United Kingdom, and Australia. Wachtel entered the role in 2018 and manages NBC Universal International Productions comprising Downton Abbey producer Carnival Films, Monkey Kingdom, which produces BAFTA award-winning Made in Chelsea; Australian production company Matchbox Pictures, as well as joint ventures with Working Title Television and David Heyman's production entity Heyday.
Before USA, Wachtel served as president of Alliance Atlantis Television, supervising all series and longform programming for the Canadian program supplier. In 1997, he was the executive producer of the first-run syndicated series "Pensacola: Wings of Gold." Wachtel created the show while president of 3 Arts Television, a production company that partnered with CBS, Sony and 3 Arts Management. He served as president of 3 Arts Television from 1996 to 1997.
From 1990 to 1996, Wachtel was at Columbia Pictures Television, where he rose to executive vice president of primetime television and served in that capacity from 1993 to 1996. Party of Five, Dawson's Creek, and "Birdland" were among the series he developed. Before arriving at Columbia Pictures Television, Wachtel was senior vice president, movies and miniseries at Orion Television from 1987 to 1990. He was previously vice president, development, at Robert Cooper Productions from 1984 to 1987.
Wachtel began his career as a theatre director and producer. He produced the first New York productions of David Mamet’s works -- Sexual Perversity in Chicago and The Duck Variations.
A graduate of Yale University, Wachtel is a founding member of L.A. Works, a community-based volunteer organization, as well as board member of the Zimmer Children’s Museum, the Television Academy Foundation, and the HRTS.
He currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Sheryl, and their two children, Emily and Jesse.
