PUEBLO, Colo. (September 20, 2010) - The Professional Bull Riders announced on Monday that the production company led by 30-time Emmy® Award winner and Peabody Award winner David Neal has been hired to serve as executive producer and creative lead for all Built Ford Tough Series telecasts beginning in 2011.
“David is one of the best in the business and his creativity and production know-how will help us better engage our core audience and also reach out to new fans and viewers around the world,” said PBR Executive Chairman Jeffrey Pollack. “The PBR is becoming more of a media-forward company and having David on our team will help us tell our story with even more excitement, precision and style.”
Neal created his company, David Neal Productions, in the summer of 2010, bringing his storied reputation as one of sports television's leading producers and executives to Los Angeles with a focus on live events and non-fiction programming. Most recently, Neal produced and directed "Backstage Live at the Emmys” as part of the 62nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards telecast.
“This is an exciting opportunity to partner with Jeffrey and the entire PBR family,” said Neal, who has produced nine Olympics, four NBA Finals, two World Series and a Super Bowl pregame show. “The PBR has tremendous potential, and it’s a sport that’s filled with spectacular action and amazing athleticism.
“This is the perfect time to re-imagine how we capture it all on television and on every conceivable platform. I can't wait to get started.”
David Neal Productions will be fully responsible for all PBR Built Ford Tough Series telecasts beginning with the 2011 season opener at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
The former NBC Sports executive producer and NBC Olympics Executive VP has won 28 Sports Emmy® Awards and two Primetime Emmy® Awards, while receiving a prestigious Peabody Award for NBC’s coverage of the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.
During his 30-year career with NBC Sports and Olympics, Neal was responsible for some of the network’s most memorable broadcasts. He produced the Opening Ceremony and NBC's primetime show during the 2008 Beijing Olympics, which was the most-watched event in U.S. television history with 215 million viewers, and the Opening Ceremony for the Vancouver Olympics which drew an audience of 67.5 million, making it the most-watched non-U.S. Opening Ceremony in American television history.
Beyond the Olympics, Neal produced other memorable NBC Sports live telecasts, including three of the four most-watched NBA Finals games in U.S. television history. Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals, featuring Michael Jordan’s dramatic final game with the Chicago Bulls, is the most-watched game with 35.9 million viewers while Game 5 of the 1998 NBA Finals is third with 30.6 million and Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals is fourth with 30.3 million viewers.
A leader in the drive to incorporate new technology into NBC’s Olympic coverage, Neal received an Emmy Award for his role in the development of the innovative “Dive-Cam” underwater camera, which debuted on NBC’s coverage of diving at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. Neal also expanded the use of virtual graphics – beginning with the creation of virtual names and flags superimposed in swimming lanes at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.
In September 2008, Neal was ranked #13 in the Mediaweek 50, recognizing “the overall impact executives have on their industries, in terms of setting new industry standards or best practices”.
The BFTS features the Top 40 bull riders in the world competing against the fiercest bucking bulls on the planet. VERSUS broadcasts the BFTS every Saturday and Sunday and also carries the PBR World Finals each October. More than 100 million viewers turn in each year to watch approximately 400 hours of primetime PBR programming each year.
About the Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR)
The PBR is the world’s premier bull riding organization. More than 100 million viewers annually watch over 400 hours of primetime PBR programming on VERSUS, NBC, CBS and networks around the world. The PBR has awarded over $100 million in prize money and 20 riders have earned over $1 million, including Justin McBride with $5.5 million -- the most of any western-sports athlete in history. The PBR was nominated as 2010 Sports League of the Year at the Sports Business Journal Sports Business Awards, alongside the National Football League, National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball. Nearly two million fans attend Built Ford Tough Series and Touring Pro Division events each year. For more information on the PBR, go to www.pbr.com, or follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TeamPBR and http://twitter.com/TEAMPBR.
