Mark Shapiro (media executive)
| Mark Shapiro | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Nationality | American |
| Education | BA |
| Alma mater | University of Iowa |
| Occupation | Television and media executive |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Employer | IMG |
| Known for | Executive positions at ESPN and Six Flags |
| Title | Chief Content Officer |
| Board member of | Live Nation, Papa John's, Red Zebra Broadcasting, and Captivate Network |
| Awards | Peabody Award and Sports Emmy Award |
Mark Shapiro (born circa 1970) is an American television and media executive. He served as Executive Vice President for Programming and Production at ESPN until 2005, when he became CEO and President of Six Flags, Inc. Following his tenure at Six Flags, Shapiro served as CEO and Executive Producer of Dick Clark Productions. He is currently the Chief Content Officer for IMG.
Shapiro attended Glenbrook High School in Glenview, Illinois and the University of Iowa, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1992. He was a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity and would later be named a Significant Sig by the organization. Out of college he began working at NBC in its sports department on the US west coast. In November 1993 he left to work at ESPN as a production assistant for Talk2 with Jim Rome on ESPN2.
He became a producer at the network within six months. At 26, Shapiro was put in charge of a multimedia project intended to chronicle sports in the 20th Century called SportsCentury. The documentary turned out to be the most extensive in ESPN's history. Between 1997 and 1999 Shapiro served as executive producer of the series, which was awarded a Peabody Award as well as an Excellence in Sports Journalism Award from the Northeastern University's Center for the Study of Sport in Society. During this time he was promoted to Vice President and general manager at ESPN Classic and ESPN Original Entertainment.
Shapiro became senior vice president and general manager of programming in 2001 and then executive vice president for programming and production in 2002. This position put Shapiro in charge of all programming for ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPNRadio and ESPN's international networks, in addition to ESPN Classic. During his tenure as an executive at ESPN Shapiro spearheaded shows like Pardon the Interruption, Around the Horn, and Cheap Seats in addition to original films, dramatic television, and reality television shows. By 2003 he was named by Entertainment Weekly as being one of 2003's rising stars in entertainment.
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