Rich Ross

Rich Ross
Nationality	American
Alma mater	University of Pennsylvania Fordham University School of Law
Occupation	President of Discovery Channel Discovery Channel
Spouse(s)	Adam Sanderson

Rich Ross is Group President of Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, Science Channel and Velocity (TV network). He has been with Discovery since January 5, 2015. Earlier, he was the Chief Executive Officer of Shine America, responsible for commercial strategy of the Shine Group in the United States. He had previously been the president of entertainment at Disney Channel, and chairman of Walt Disney Studios. When Ross was named Chairman of Walt Disney Studios in 2009, he became the first openly gay studio chief.

Ross discussed his plans for the direction he is taking Discovery Channel on January 8, 2015 at the 2015 Television Critics Association press tour that included hiring key senior level executives to oversee documentaries and specials, as well as scripted programming. Ross' early contributions to Discovery have been significant. He's overseen two record-setting quarters, the highest-rated Shark Week ever (with a move away from controversial scripted efforts of past years) and its most-watched July ever.

Ross grew up in Eastchester, New York. His father, Marty, was a garment-industry executive, and his mother, Harriet, was a former teacher turned real-estate agent. Ross is Jewish. He graduated from Eastchester High School. When he was 19, he was hired to work in the mail room at the William Morris Agency in New York. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1983 with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and English. In 1986, he earned his J.D. degree from Fordham University.

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