Avi Nir

Avi Nir was born in Jerusalem, to a Jewish family. He holds a BA from the department of Film and Television at the Tel Aviv University. He also attended the Tel Aviv University Graduate School of Business where he received his MA and MBA.{{cite web|date=2014| title=Avi Nir |website=PaleyCenter.org |publisher=The Paley Center for Media |access-date=8 February 2015| url=http://www.paleycenter.org/ic-2014-speakers}}{{cite web| title=Spotlight On... The Department of Film and television |website=aftau.org |publisher=Tel Aviv University American Friends |access-date=8 February 2015| url=http://www.aftau.org/2013-redesign/pages/tau/spotlights/department-of-film-and-television}} He published various academic articles and received the Sigal Prize for excellence in marketing research. He also studied for one semester at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts. During his psychology, marketing and television studies he taught in the university's Faculty of Management and its Department of Film and Television.{{cite journal|date=22 June 2008 |last=Littleton |first=Cynthia |title=US Nets' Israeli Connection |journal=Variety |publisher=Reed Business Information |volume=411 |issue=7}}{{cite magazine |date=28 June 2014| last=Gallo |first=Phil |title=It's Hunger Games Meets The Coliseum in Rome |magazine=Billboard |publisher=Prometheus Global Media |volume=126 |issue=21}} In 1993, he co-authored Advertising in Television: The Media, the Message, the Money with Ayalah Rahav.{{cite book |title=Pirsum be-ṭeleṿizyah : ha-medyum, ha-meser, ha-kesef|via=WorldCat.org |year=1993 |publisher=WorldCat |oclc=30421945 |access-date=8 February 2015|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/30421945}}

Nir is married to Tami Nir-Gottlieb, a clinical psychologist, and has two daughters.

Nir joined Keshet in 1993. In 1994, Nir was appointed as Vice President of Marketing for Keshet. In 1998 he also became responsible for content. He served as VP of Marketing through 1999 before heading Keshet's core business as VP of Programming. He became CEO of [https://www.keshetinternational.com/about-keshet-media-group Keshet Media Group] in 2002.

As CEO of Keshet, Nir expanded the company beyond producing for the Israeli market by selling, co-developing and co-producing shows for the international market.{{cite web|date=2 October 2013 |title=Avi Nir, Keshet CEO, Promises to Keep Pushing Envelope |last1=Kamin |first1=Debra|website=Variety.com |publisher=Variety Media, LLC |access-date=8 February 2015 |url=https://variety.com/2013/tv/news/avi-nir-keshet-ceo-promises-to-keep-pushing-envelope-1200682820/}} Keshet International, the global distribution and production arm of Keshet has since expanded to include production outposts in the [https://www.keshet-uk.tv/ UK], [https://www.tresor.tv/ Germany], [https://www.keshetinternational.com/keshet-asia Hong Kong] and in the [https://www.keshetinternational.com/keshet-studios-los-angeles US]. Keshet has become an overachiever in the US, with [https://www.keshetinternational.com/keshet-studios-los-angeles Keshet Studios] currently working with NBC, ABC, HBO, Apple, Netflix and others. Its first feature film, The Sound of Silence, was picked up by Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2019/film/news/sound-of-silence-sundance-sony-1203117850/|title = Sundance: Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Nabs International Rights to 'Sound of Silence' (EXCLUSIVE)|date = 25 January 2019}} ahead of its premiere at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. Keshet Studios' second feature, Save Yourselves!, received its world premiere as part of 2020 Sundance Film Festival's US dramatic competition.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sundance.org/projects/save-yourselves|title=Save-yourselves|access-date=4 March 2020|archive-date=28 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928195031/https://www.sundance.org/projects/save-yourselves|url-status=dead}}

Since Keshet's international expansion, the company has produced multiple international commercially successful programs. One such show is the Showtime series Homeland which is based on the Israeli program Hatufim. Nir attributes the success of adapting Keshet programs for foreign audiences on the discerning nature of the preliminary Israeli audiences, the strength of the writers, the "spirit of innovation" at Keshet and a constant need to improve upon shows.{{cite web|date=10 July 2013|title=Keshet International and DC Media create Keshet DCP |website=Prensario.net |publisher=Editorial Prensario S.R.L. |access-date=8 February 2015|url=http://www.prensario.net/6375-Keshet-International-and-DC-Media-create-Keshet-DCP.note.aspx}}{{cite web| date=19 September 2013|title=TV networks look to Israel for the next big hit |last1=Arnowitz |first1=Leora |website=FoxNews.com |publisher=Fox News Network, LLC |access-date=8 February 2015|url=https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/tv-networks-look-to-israel-for-the-next-big-hit/}}{{cite web| date=11 March 2011|title=Coming to America |last1=Chozick |first1=Amy |last2=Mitnick |first2=Joshua| website=WSJ.com |publisher=News Corp |access-date=8 February 2015|url=https://www.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052748704758904576188740968759616?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052748704758904576188740968759616.html}}{{cite journal| date=January 2013 |last=Barrraclough |first=Leo |title=The New Formats Titan |journal=Television Magazine |publisher=Royal Television Society |pages=18–19}} The success of Homeland at the behest of Nir is credited as the catalyst for the annual doubling of foreign deals done by Keshet.{{cite web |date=28 September 2012| title=TV's Israeli Connection: What to Expect Post-'Homeland' |last=Lang |first=Brent |website=TheWrap.com |publisher=The Wrap News Inc |access-date=8 February 2015| url=https://www.thewrap.com/tv/article/tvs-israeli-connection-homeland-just-beginning-58306/ }}

He produced talent program Rising Star which is the first show on television to incorporate real-time voting via a fully integrated app.{{cite web |date=28 August 2013 |title=MIPCOM: Keshet launches interactive talent show |last1=Gopi |first1=Shreya |website=OnScreenAsia.com |publisher=Contineo Media |access-date=8 February 2015 |url=http://www.onscreenasia.com/article/mipcom-keshet-launches-interactive-talent-show/12988 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150209080059/http://www.onscreenasia.com/article/mipcom-keshet-launches-interactive-talent-show/12988 |archive-date=9 February 2015 |url-status=dead}} After its debut in October 2013, Rising Star was picked up in more than 25 territories, which made it the fastest-selling talent format at the time.{{cite web|date=6 April 2014 |title=Liveblog: How Rising Star is "changing the way people watch" |last=Natividad |first=Angela |website=MIP Blog |publisher=Reed Exhibitions |access-date=8 February 2015|url=http://blog.mipworld.com/2014/04/rising-star-format-case-study/#.VM-bpWjF8wR}} Nir is credited as an executive producer on American TV shows Tyrant, Your Family Or Mine, Deal With It and Allegiance which is based on the Keshet program The Gordin Cell, aka MICE.{{cite web|date=7 May 2015 |title=TBS Orders 'Buzzy's,' 'Your Family or Mine,' Rashida Jones Comedies to Series |last1=Goldberg |first1=Lesley |website=HollywoodReporter.com |publisher=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=8 February 2015|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/steve-carells-rashida-jones-cop-702020}}{{cite web|date=20 August 2013 |title=TBS' 'Sullivan & Son', 'Men at Work' & 'Deal With It' Renewed |last1=Andreeva |first1=Nellie |website=Deadline Hollywood |publisher=Penske Business Media, LLC |access-date=8 February 2015|url=https://deadline.com/2013/08/tbs-sullivan-son-men-at-work-deal-with-it-renewed-568010/}}{{cite web|title=Allegiance TV Series (2015–)|website=IMDB.com |publisher=IMDB.com, Inc |access-date=8 February 2015 |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3581654/?ref_=nm_flmg_prd_1}}{{cite journal|title=Keshet, Israel: "We are not a typical company." |journal=Prensario International |publisher=Editorial Prensario S.R.L. |issue=217 |pages=46 |date=June 2013}}{{cite web|date=21 November 2014|title=The best TV that you can't see |last1=Bernstein |first1=Jonathan |website=TheGuardian.com |publisher=Guardian News and Media Limited |access-date=8 February 2015|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2014/nov/21/the-best-tv-that-you-cant-see}}

In 2014, Nir came up with the idea of producing the archaeological thriller series Dig in Israel.{{cite web |date=13 November 2013|title=First-ever US TV series to be filmed entirely in Israel |last1=Averbach |first1=Li-or |website=Globes.co.il |publisher=Globes |access-date=8 February 2015|url=http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-1000893876}} His inspiration for the series was a visit to new archaeological sites at the City of David in Jerusalem.{{cite web|title=Fox against NBC in the Holy Land, too |last1=Tucker |first1=Nati |date=5 May 2014 |website=Haaretz.com |publisher=Haaretz Ltd |access-date=8 February 2015|url=http://www.haaretz.com/misc/iphone-article/.premium-1.590079}} In 2015, HBO announced that Ari Shavit's My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel would be made into a documentary film with Nir as executive producer.{{cite web| date=16 March 2015| title=Ari Shavit's 'My Promised Land'Set as HBO Documentary Film| author=Debra Kamin| publisher=Variety| access-date=14 April 2015| url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/hbo-israel-my-promised-land-ari-shavit-documentary-1201453453/}} Nir has executively produced over 30 shows in the last 20 years,{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1493744/#producer|title=Avi Nir|website=IMDb}} including the critically acclaimed mini-series Our Boys, co-produced by [https://www.keshetinternational.com/keshet-studios-los-angeles Keshet Studios] and HBO.

Nir oversaw and implemented Keshet's launch of Israeli popular music channel Music 24. In 2007, Nir established Keshet's digital arm and web portal [https://www.keshetinternational.com/mako mako], which is the third most-trafficked site in Israel.{{cite web|date=2 October 2013 |title=Keshet: Two Decades of Evolution |last1=Kamin |first1=Debra |website=Variety.com |publisher=Penske Business Media, LLC |access-date=8 February 2015|url=https://variety.com/2013/tv/news/keshet-two-decades-of-evolution-1200682870/ }} Nir is also the co-host of the Innovation in Television ([https://www.in-tv.net/ INTV]) confab, along with Keshet Media Group, which has been hosted in Jerusalem since 2012. The two-day conference features panels with industry executives, lectures, and mixers.{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2018/10/deadline-intv-keshet-1202482661/|title = Deadline to Co-Produce Israeli Media Conference INTV with Keshet Media Group|date = 15 October 2018}}

In 2008 two men attacked Nir near his home in Tel Aviv. He received treatment for injuries at Ichilov Hospital.{{cite journal|title=Alleged Topaz victim Avi Nir: My life is under constant threat |journal=The Jerusalem Post |publisher=Jpost Inc |date=10 July 2009}}{{cite web |date=25 November 2008| title=Keshet chief Avi Nir attacked near north TA home |last=Goren |first=Yuval |website=Haaretz.com |publisher=Haaretz Ltd |access-date=8 February 2015 |url=http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/keshet-chief-avi-nir-attacked-near-north-ta-home-1.258144}} In 2009, Israeli entertainer Dudu Topaz was charged for his involvement in the attack on Nir along with assaults on other people in the Israeli entertainment industry.{{cite news|date=18 June 2009 |title=Entertainer Dudu Topaz indicted |last1=Luvitch |first1=Vered |newspaper=Ynetnews |publisher=Yedioth Internet |access-date=8 February 2015|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3733358,00.html }}{{cite web |date=14 January 2010 |title=TV exec Avi Nir gets death threat |last1=Izikovich |first1=Gili |last2=Kobovitz |first2=Yaniv |website=Haaretz.com |publisher=Haaretz Daily Newspaper Ltd |access-date=8 February 2015|url=http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/tv-exec-avi-nir-gets-death-threat-1.261398}}

Nir was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2013 as Executive Producer of Homeland. He personally won an Emmy when the show received recognition for Outstanding Drama Series in 2012.{{cite web|date=24 September 2012| title=Exclusive: Emmy Winning EP of "Homeland" Avi Nir Delighted with Israeli Achievement (Interview) |last=Caspi |first=David|website=Algemeiner.com |access-date=8 February 2015|url=http://www.algemeiner.com/2012/09/24/exclusive-emmy-winning-ep-of-homeland-avi-nir-delighted-with-israeli-achievement-interview/}}{{cite web|title=Avi Nir Awards|website=IMDB.com |publisher=IMDB.com, Inc |access-date=8 February 2015 |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1493744/awards?ref_=nm_awd }}

In conjunction with Keshet and Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, Nir initiated the inaugural INTV conference in 2012. INTV was the first international television conference ever held in Israel with a second held in November 2013 and another scheduled for March 2015.{{cite web|title=Keshet Media Group announces its second annual INTV Conference|website=Advanced-Television.com |date=25 July 2013 |publisher=Advanced Television Ltd |access-date=8 February 2015|url=http://advanced-television.com/2013/07/25/keshet-media-group-announces-its-second-annual-intv-conference/}} He delivered the keynote address at the 2014 MIPTV Focus on Israel conference in Cannes, France.{{cite web|title=All eyes on Israel at top TV content confab |last1=Kamin |first1=Debra |date=3 April 2014 |website=TimesOfIsrael.com |publisher=The Times of Israel |access-date=8 February 2015|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/all-eyes-on-israel-at-top-tv-content-confab/ }}{{cite web |title=MIPTV 2014 Focus on Israel visibility in Cannes |website=Export.gov.il |publisher=Ro & Co |access-date=8 February 2015|url=http://www.export.gov.il/UploadFiles/04_2014/Mip_final_D.pdf}}{{cite web|title=MIPTV: Keshet CEO Avi Nir Shares What Makes the Israeli Company Tick |last1=Guider |first1=Elizabeth |date=7 April 2014 |website=HollywoodReporter.com |publisher=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=8 February 2015|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/miptv-keshet-ceo-avi-nir-694131}}

Nir won the title "Marketing Personality of the Year" from the Israeli Marketing Union in 2008.{{cite web|title=Avi Nir, CEO of Keshet, is a 2008 marketing |date=5 January 2009 |website=Ishivuk.co.il |publisher=Israel Marketing Association |access-date=8 February 2015|url=http://www.ishivuk.co.il/message/710 }}{{cite news|title=Select Marketing Association CEO Avi Nir Keshet Marketing Man of the Year |last1=Genius |first1=Yael |date=18 January 2009 |newspaper=Globes |access-date=8 February 2015|url=http://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1000417510}}{{cite journal |title=Marketing Man for 2008: Avi Nir CEO of Keshet |last1=Dovrat |first1=Adi |date=18 January 2009 |journal=TheMarker |publisher=Haaretz Inc |access-date=8 February 2015|url=http://www.themarker.com/advertising/1.551983}}{{cite web|title=Keshet Executive Selected as Marketing Man of 2008 |last1=Yefet |first1=Orna |last2=Berger |first2=Waves |date=18 January 2009 |website=Calcalist.co.il |publisher=Llachllachlist |access-date=8 February 2015|url=http://www.calcalist.co.il/marketing/articles/0,7340,L-3194122,00.html}} In 2009 he was awarded the title "TV Personality of the Decade" at the Rosh Pina Festival and by Israeli web portal Walla!.{{cite web |title=Even talkbacker Set: Avi Nir – a decade |last1=Wertheim |first1=David |date=11 December 2009 |website=Nana10.co.il |publisher=Nana10 Ltd |access-date=8 February 2015 |url=http://www.nana10.co.il/Article/?ArticleID=684283 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150209092526/http://www.nana10.co.il/Article/?ArticleID=684283 |archive-date=9 February 2015 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web|title=A decade on television: Avi Nir |last1=Kam |date=11 December 2009 |website=b.walla.co.il |publisher=Walla! Communications LTD |access-date=8 February 2015|url=http://b.walla.co.il/item/1621062 }} In 2011 he was named the third most influential person in the media by Israel's largest business magazine Globes{{cite web |url=http://www.globes.co.il/news/home.aspx?fid=4892&leadid=233 |title=100 most influential people in media: 3 Avi Nir, CEO of Channel 2 franchisee Keshet |website=Globes.co.il |publisher=Globes 2011 |access-date=8 February 2015}} and in 2012 The Marker ranked him as No. 28 in their list of "Israel's 100 most influential people this Jewish year."{{cite web|title=Israel's 100 most influential people this Jewish year / The full list|date=16 September 2012 |website=Haaretz.com |publisher=Haaretz Daily Newspaper Ltd |access-date=8 February 2015 |url=http://www.haaretz.com/business/israel-s-100-most-influential-people-this-jewish-year-the-full-list-1.465270 }}

In 2013, Israeli newspaper Haaretz named Nir the No. 1 Most Influential Person in Israeli culture among a list of the nation's 100 Most Influential People.{{cite web |title=Keshet CEO Avi Nir Leads List of 'Israeli Culture's 100 Most Influential Figures' |last1=Brezski |first1=Patrick |date=7 August 2013 |website=HollywoodReporter.com |publisher=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=8 February 2015 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/keshet-ceo-avi-nir-leads-601824}}{{cite web|title=Global Showbiz Briefs: Avi Nir Most Influential Figure in Israeli Culture; Scott Free London, Universal Music Publishing Ink |date=7 August 2013 |website=Deadline Hollywood |publisher=Penske Business Media, LLC |access-date=8 February 2015|url=https://deadline.com/2013/08/global-showbiz-briefs-15-558119/ }}{{cite web |title=Israeli culture's top ten, Israeli television's No. 1: Avi Nir |last1=Kupfer |first1=Ruta |last2=Izikovich |first2=Gili |last3=Elkayam |first3=Liat |date=2 August 2013 |website=Haaretz.com |publisher=Haaretz Daily Newspaper Ltd |access-date=8 February 2015|url=http://www.haaretz.com/life/culture/israeli-culture-s-100-most-influential-people/.premium-1.539468 }} He was also named "Executive of the Year" and "Television Personality of the Decade" Israeli business magazines TheMarker and Globes, respectively. Nir was awarded TBI's inaugural Contribution to Content Award{{Cite web|url=https://tbivision.com/2018/10/15/avi-nir-a-contribution-to-content/|title = Avi Nir: A contribution to content|date = 15 October 2018}} in 2018, and also made the Variety500,{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/exec/avi-nir/|title=Avi Nir|date=12 January 2018}} Variety's index of the 500 most influential business leaders shaping the global $2 trillion entertainment industry every year since its inception in 2017.

• Israeli television

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.keshetmediagroup.com Keshet Media Official Website]

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Category:Living people

Category:Israeli business executives

Category:Israeli television producers

Category:1961 births

Category:Israeli Jews