Ed Carroll
President
Rainbow Entertainment Services
Ed Carroll has built some of the most successful brands in television and has overseen the development of some of cable television’s most successful series and specials, including "Mad Men," "Inside the Actors Studio," "Bridezillas," "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" and "Dinner for Five." Mr. Carroll was named president of Rainbow Entertainment Services in December 2004. In this role, he has operating responsibility for Rainbow Media’s national entertainment networks AMC, The Independent Film Channel (IFC) and WE tv.
Under Mr. Carroll’s leadership, AMC, a network available to nearly 93 million households, has seen its greatest period of viewer gain and critical acclaim. Most recently, AMC launched the original drama series "Breaking Bad" starring Bryan Cranston, which Newsday called a "must-see series." In 2007, "Mad Men," AMC’s first dramatic original series, premiered to wide critical acclaim, including being hailed by Newsweek as "Television’s best new drama;" and received numerous honors including two Golden Globe Awards. In 2006, AMC premiered Broken Trail, its Emmy® winning feature starring Robert Duvall and Thomas Haden Church, to record ratings, including highest-rated program in all of cable television in 2006.
IFC is the dominant exhibitor of independent film in the U.S., a network Mr. Carroll has overseen since its inception. He was instrumental in recruiting IFC’s advisory board, including entertainment luminaries such as Martin Scorsese, Jodie Foster and Tim Robbins. Among the IFC series and documentaries developed under Mr. Carroll’s direction are: "Dinner for Five" with Jon Favreau, the upcoming comedy "Z Rock," , an official selection of the Cannes Film Festival directed by Xan Cassavetes; and This Film Not Yet Rated, the documentary that has changed the way the MPAA assigns ratings to movies.
Under Mr. Carroll’s leadership, WE tv has increased its focus on original programming and developed series such as "Bridezillas," a comedic look at how brides-to-be go from sweet to certifiable while planning their big day; "High School Confidential," an honest and in-depth look into the lives of twelve adolescent girls, through their high school years; and "Secret Lives of Women," an unapologetic look at females who conceal behaviors and professions that push the boundaries of "normal" society. The network’s ratings continue to grow, including an increased delivery of younger women. And WE tv’s subscriber growth continues at a rapid pace.
Mr. Carroll has also driven the strategy for each network’s multi-platform programming activities. All three networks offer cutting-edge broadband content. AMC offers program-specific broadband content for top-rated original series and special events. IFC was an early entrant into user-generated content with IFC Media Lab, a destination for posting independent films; and now offers original Web series, including a daily series called "Lunchbox." WE tv’s broadband offerings include WEGoBridal.com, an online destination for wedding and bridal information. The networks’ On Demand offerings include: AMC On Demand, featuring the best of AMC’s critically acclaimed original series; IFC Free, featuring premieres of all of IFC’s original series in HD before they air on the linear network; and WE tv On Demand, featuring original series and specials from the network. All three networks are now available in standard and high definition.
Mr. Carroll was general manager of Bravo, before it was sold to NBC in 2002, and successfully transitioned it from a small pay channel to a standard commercial network available to more than 68 million subscribers. He oversaw the development of breakout series such as the Emmy® nominated "Inside the Actors Studio," "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" and "The Awful Truth" with Michael Moore.
Mr. Carroll was honored with the Vanguard Award for Young Leadership by the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) in 2002. He is a member of the Cable Advertising Bureau (CAB) and the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing (CTAM). Mr. Carroll is also a frequent lecturer at New York University’s Stern School of Business Administration. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication and Political Science from the State University of New York at New Paltz.