Dan Abrams

Dan Abrams
Education Duke University
Columbia Law School
Occupation CEO
TV host
Partner(s) Florinka Pesenti
Children one (with Pesenti)
Parent(s) Floyd Abrams

Dan Abrams is an American television host, legal commentator, Web entrepreneur and author,[1] former anchor of Nightline and currently the Chief Legal Affairs Anchor for ABC News.[2] He worked as chief legal correspondent and analyst for NBC News, as General Manager of MSNBC and as an anchor for that network. He is the founder of seven web properties as well as a best-selling author whose writing regularly appears in print and online in a variety of outlets. Gotham recently named him one of the most powerful men in New York's media scene.[3]

Early life and education

Abrams was born to a Jewish family to Floyd Abrams, an attorney.[4]

Career

Television and broadcasting

Before MSNBC

Before joining NBC News, Abrams worked as a reporter for Court TV where he covered the OJ Simpson case,[5] as well as the International War Crimes Tribunal from the Netherlands and the assisted-suicide trials of Dr. Jack Kevorkian from Michigan.

MSNBC and NBC News

After leaving Court TV, Abrams was a general assignment correspondent for NBC News from 1997 to 1999 at which time he was named Chief Legal Correspondent. In 2000, as an NBC reporter, Abrams covered the entire Bush v. Gore story. Abrams and correspondent Pete Williams were on the Supreme Court steps when the pamphlet was handed out, and they became the first network correspondents to correctly report the decision and the first network to cover it live. Abrams then began hosting his own show at MSNBC, and The Abrams Report began in 2001.[6][7] Abrams hosted The Abrams Report until he accepted the lead managerial position at MSNBC.[8] Abrams held the position of General Manager of MSNBC from June 12, 2006 until October 2007.[9] With ratings up 62% during his tenure, Abrams left to concentrate on his 9pm show Live with Dan Abrams, which replaced Scarborough Country due to Joe Scarborough's move to mornings. This show would eventually be revamped and renamed Verdict with Dan Abrams,[10] which aired until August 21, 2008. MSNBC announced on August 19, 2008 that Air America Radio host Rachel Maddow would take over that 9 p.m. time slot beginning September 8, 2008.[11] At that time, Abrams took on additional duties with NBC News including substituting as an anchor on the Today show.

ABC

In March 2011, Abrams left NBC to become the Chief Legal Analyst for ABC News and a substitute anchor on Good Morning America.[2] He is also a regular contributor to The View.[12] As a member of the ABC News team, Abrams has access to all of the network's platforms, including The View, Good Morning America, ABC World News with David Muir, and Nightline. It was announced on June 19, 2013, Abrams will also become an anchor of Nightline and receive the title of Chief Legal Affairs Anchor for ABC News.[13]

Abrams Media

Mediaite

Main article: Mediaite

In July 2009, Abrams launched Mediaite, a news site he described as "appreciating the celebrity of the media." Managing Editor Colby Hall noted that it "plays into the vanity of these individuals" without being "over-snarky or mean and nasty." [14] The site combines editorial content with analytic rankings of media personalities. It achieved significant growth immediately after its launch,[15] now welcomes over 7 million unique visitors per month[16] and is regularly in Technorati's list of the top 20 blogs in the country.

Gossip Cop

Later that month, Abrams and Michael Lewittes launched Gossip Cop, a media watchdog site that patrols the celebrity gossip universe. The site has been described as "TMZ meets Smoking Gun". The site rates gossip rumors on a 0-10 scale.[17] The site regularly attracts over 4 million unique visitors per month.[18]

Geekosystem

The first official "offspring" of flagship site Mediaite, Geekosystem was launched on January 25, 2010. Geekosystem covers "geek" culture, following developments in science, technology, as well as internet memes and Internet culture. Abrams described the site upon launch as "a broader interest site that will celebrate and cover everything from technology and science fiction to video games and comics."[19]

Styleite

Abrams' foray into fashion, Styleite, was launched on March 25, 2010.[20] Functioning for fashion the way Mediaite does for journalism, Styleite launched with both news and opinion content as well as a fashion version of the "Power Grid," which ranks designers, models, writers, and others in the style business based on influence and following. Styleite is now positioned as a site that offers "style and fashion for the rest of the us."

SportsGrid

Launched in May 2010, SportsGrid offers a mix of sports news, video clips and other media tracking both sports and the media world surrounding it. Like the other Abrams Media properties, the site features a Power Grid "tabulated by using a specially developed algorithm that pools a variety of metrics, including TV ratings; Web traffic and circulation counts; attendance; number of Twitter followers; on-field performance for players and coaches; and franchise values."[21] In 2013, SportsGrid was acquired by Anthem Media Group in a stock and cash deal.[22] Consequently, Abrams holds a significant interest in the first and all fantasy sports cable channel called the FNTSY Sports Network which was launched by Anthem.

The Mary Sue

In 2011, Abrams Media launched The Mary Sue, a sister site to Geekosystem with the goal of "highlighting women in the geek world, and providing a prominent place for the voices of geek women." Based on its rapid growth and high engagement, in 2014, Abrams folded Geekosystem into The Mary Sue.[23]

The Braiser

In May 2012, Abrams launched a site focused on the personalities and lifestyles of the world's best-known chefs. Rather than recipes or techniques, The Braiser's topics consist of chefs who "have gone from being food icons to becoming mainstream celebrities," according to an interview Abrams gave to The New York Times in late April.[24] It was also nominated for a prestigious James Beard Foundation Award in 2014.[25]

Writing

Abrams has also published articles in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today magazine, The American Lawyer and the Yale Law and Policy Review. He has also written for online magazines such as the Huffington Post, Daily Beast, and of course Mediaite. He is a regular columnist for Men's Health.

In March 2010, Abrams published a book, Man Down: Proof Beyond a Reasonable Doubt That Women Are Better Cops, Drivers, Gamblers, Spies, World Leaders, Beer Tasters, Hedge Fund Managers and Just About Everything Else." It has since been verified as a Washington Post best seller, and it has been translated into Russian, Indonesian, Croatian, Swedish and Hebrew, among other languages.[1]

Personal life

In June 2012, Abrams had his first child, a son named Everett Floyd Abrams, with girlfriend Florinka Pesenti;[26] Pesenti was part of the winning team on The Amazing Race 3.

Abrams is a co-owner of the restaurant White Street, located in TriBeca.[27]

Abrams's sister, Ronnie Abrams, was nominated for a federal judgeship by Barack Obama in 2011.[28] She received her commission on March 23, 2012.[29]

References

  1. 1 2 "BOOK WORLD Bestsellers — July 17, 2011". The Washington Post. 2011-08-05.
  2. 1 2 "Dan Abrams' Biography". ABC. 2011-06-02.
  3. ↑ "Who Are The Most Powerful Men in Manhattan's Media Scene?". Gotham Magazine. 2015-10-01.
  4. ↑ Bloom, Nate (April 18, 2008). "Celebrities". J. San Francisco Jewish Community Publications. Archived from the original on March 18, 2014. Retrieved 2014-03-14. MSNBC has anchor Dan Abrams (the son of famous attorney Floyd Abrams)
  5. ↑ "A conversation about the O.J. Simpson case". Charlie Rose. 1997-01-26.
  6. ↑ Cox, Ted (2000-12-14). "CNN, cable are the big winners in election coverage". Chicago Daily Herald. p. 4.
  7. ↑ Poniewozik, James (2000-12-25). "Down By Law". Time.
  8. ↑ Abrams, Dan (2006-06-20). "Farewell, but not goodbye". MSNBC.com.
  9. ↑ Johnson, Peter (2006-06-13). "Dan Abrams goes from legal anchor to head of MSNBC". USA Today. Archived from the original on 2006-06-19.
  10. ↑ Kurtz, Howard (2007-09-24). "MSNBC's Abrams Quits His Day Job". Washington Post.
  11. ↑ Carter, Bill (2008-08-19). "Rachel Maddow to Replace Dan Abrams on MSNBC". The New York Times.
  12. ↑ Billett, Daniel (2012-11-27). "Watch The View Online - Watch Full Episodes Online - ABC.com". Theview.abc.go.com. Retrieved 2014-03-14.
  13. ↑ "Dan Abrams Named Nightline Anchor and Chief Legal Affairs Anchor for ABC News". ABC News. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
  14. ↑ Kurtz, Howard (2009-07-06). "Just the Messenger: Mediaite.com Focuses on Celebrity of Journalism". Washington Post.
  15. ↑ "Mediaite Posts Strong Growth". SocialTimes. 2009-10-06. Retrieved 2014-03-14.
  16. ↑ Abrams, Dan (2015-07-01). "The MarySue.com and Mediaite.com Welcome Record Number of Visitors In May and June". Mediaite.com. Retrieved 2015-07-13.
  17. ↑ Carr, David (2009-07-29). "Gossip Cop Patrols Celebrity 'News'". The New York Times.
  18. ↑ "Gossip Cop Thanks Readers For Making May 2013 Our BIGGEST Month". gossipcop.com. 2013-06-03. Retrieved 2015-07-14.
  19. ↑ Shea, Danny (2010-01-20). "Geekosystem, Dan Abrams' New Geek Site, Set To Launch". Huffington Post.
  20. ↑ "Dan Abrams Launched His Fashion Website". New York. 2010-03-15.
  21. ↑ Eric Fisher (2010-03-29). "Website to Provide Sports Power Rankings". Sports Business Journal.
  22. ↑ "Anthem Media Group Acquires Rotoexperts and Sportsgrid to Boost Fantasy Sports Television Launch". Sportsgrid.com. 2013-08-01. Retrieved 2015-07-13.
  23. ↑ "Tomorrow Geekosystem Joins Forces with The Mary Sue for a Better Tomorrow". themarysue.com. 2014-06-11. Retrieved 2015-07-13.
  24. ↑ Brian Stelter (2012-04-30). "From Mediaite's Founder, a Site for Blanket Coverage of Celebrity Chefs". New York Times.
  25. ↑ "The Complete 2014 JBF Award Nominees". Jamesbeard.org. 2014-03-18. Retrieved 2015-07-13.
  26. ↑ "French star Omar Sy could be a big hit in the U.S.A.". Daily News. New York City. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  27. ↑ Stevenson, Peter (2010-12-10). "Dan Abrams and Dave Zinczenko, Friends and Partners". The New York Times.
  28. ↑ Kolker, Carlyn (July 28, 2011). "Abrams, Gillibrand's first judicial pick, nominated to bench". Thomson Reuters. Retrieved July 29, 2011.
  29. ↑ "Biographical Directory of Federal Judges". Fjc.gov. Retrieved 2014-03-14.

External links

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