We knew the headlines that dominated both the trades and general press yesterday were imminent. Anyone who has been following the saga of Jeff Shell over recent weeks saw it coming. Anyone who’s been regularly reading these musings know I’ve been following it a lot longer than most.
I’ve written quite a bit about the man, most of it complimentary and at times reverent. One of my earliest (and, to this date, still one of my few that reached into the stratospheric reaches of four figures) reflected on his involvement with the evolution of THE SHIELD, and how I apparently earned his respect along the way. The feeling was more than mutual. In my experiences with him, I found him to be an incredibly quick learner and downright prescient when it came to breaking conventions and new ground. It was his idea to take the burdgeoning business of regional sports networks to the next level when he sold Disney on beginning to create a group of ESPN-branded regionals while a rising star at the Mouse House, getting as far as the announcement of an ESPN West built around their then in-house California Angels. When the project stalled Shell took his talents to FOX and built an immensely profitable business out of a melding and rebranding of the disparate incumbent RSNs that stood in his way. It was that sort of track record that led me to championing his vision for NBC when he has risen to the vaunted role of corporate CEO that ran counter to so many apopletic creatives. I believed his read was accurate and defended him vigoursly.
I even stood by him when like far too many of his less nuanced peers he committed the cardinal sin of entering into a consensual extramarital relationship that eventually went full Basic Instinct and lost that gig, only to quietly resurface months later as a instrument puppeteer in Skydance’s eventually successful pursuit of Paramount. I took the unpopular and frequently called misoygnistic view that as long as his wife and family could forgive him who were any of us to stand on our own oft-compromised moral compasses and deny him a second chance? I’ve never subscribed to the concept of a life sentence for anyone so long as they show some degree of remorse and a desire to move forward–especially in a situation where someone as inexperienced and raw as David Ellison was becoming Hollywood’s latest nepomogul. My degree of confidence in Ellison’s upside had a LOT to do with the fact that he had someone with Jeff’s expertise playing consligliere. Certainly more so than some of his other surviving “nice guys”.
And even when George Cheeks was being eviscerated by practically the entire Democratic party for cancelling Stephen Colbert and awkwardly trying to pin the blame on Taylor Tomlinson’s departure I knew that it was more than likely Jeff’s analysis and call behind it. Anyone willing to stop programming a network hour before late news would certainly not be averse to doing so for the hour after it. And I’m truly sorry, children, the fact that Colbert’s still winning a time slot where nine out of 10 of his viewers are advertiser-unfriendly while employing a staff of 200 to entertain a live audience twice the size to an aging relic of a venue at New York City production rates four nights a week is NOT a wise way to run a business. If you feel so strongly that it’s essential to your mental health to have Colbert give you a nightly respite from the hellscape you see America becoming then I strongly suggest you cough up $40 million or so each year to get it. Unless your name is Byron Allen, you’re not doing that anytime soon.
Shell was–still is–capable of fighting and articulating those battles, certainly ones that will intensify as we draw closer to what at least on paper is still on track to be midterm elections. But as we’ve mused most recently, all of that went out the window when we learned last month of his latest dalliance–this time with a far less alluring character than the one he was shtupping in Singapore. Hence what THE WALL STREET JOURNAL’s Joe Flint reported yesterday was even less surprising than the previous day’s TACO stories:
Jeff Shell is resigning as Paramount’s president and is stepping down as a member of its board of directors, the media and entertainment company said Wednesday. Shell’s resignation comes after an investigation into whether he disclosed confidential company information to a man who claimed to have consulted for the veteran media executive. Paramount said its probe cleared him of wrongdoing.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS’ anonymous spin added still more corporate-speak to the equation:
Paramount confirmed Wednesday that Shell had “elected to transition” from his post as company president and member of the board of directors…“PSKY is grateful for Mr. Shell’s many contributions and to have relied on him as a valued advisor”.
Maybe what’s left of Warnermount’s crisis management team still has the bandwidth to paint Shell as a heroic victim who is choosing not to be a distraction to the company at such a critical time. I’d contend that this time his actions are hurting a lot more people than just his wife and family. The Ellisons appear hell bent on somehow leaving Bari Weiss in charge of news and are strip-mining prime time to be able to potentially afford to renew the NFL. We’ve yet to see real evidence that their gambit on UFC is paying off. And Taylor Sheridan has already preceded Shell out the door. Having an adult in the room to at bare minimum help better navigate the choppy seas ahead was more necessary than ever. Everything was teed up for Shell to be that essential component. For a truly successful second act–and an inspiration to those of us still desperately trying to find ours.
If I had all of that ahead of me, I wouldn’t have associated with the likes of one R.J. Cipriani at all–forgetting all of the other ensuing accusations and broken promises that are now “being focused” on. After an experience as jarring as what went down at Comcast, I’d have probably gone home to my wife–or at least found a hobby. Fantasy baseball, perhaps? Jeff almost joined one of the leagues I was once in that included executives from other studios, broadcast conglomerates and top tier agencies. I’m sure ones that didn’t include the likes of Cipriani would have welcomed him with open arms.
I’m done offering excuses and defenses for someone who should have known better–period. I certainly hope his wife continues to be forgiving–maybe if for no other reason than the fact he undoubtedly has a good accountant, that might be reason enough for her to stand by her man. But since I have no such stake, I don’t have to.
You blew it, Jeff Shell. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.
Until next time…