Nancy Dubuc
Nancy Dubuc in 2012
Nancy Dubuc in 2012
Born
Nancy Jean Dubuc

1968 or 1969[1]
NationalityAmerican
Alma materBoston University
Spouse
Michael Rashid Kizilbash
​
​
(m. 1997)​

Nancy Jean Dubuc is an American businesswoman who served as chief executive officer of the American-Canadian media company Vice Media.

Early life and education

Dubuc is the daughter of Carol D. Smith and Robert H. Dubuc Jr.[2] Her parents later separated and remarried, giving Dubuc step-parents. She was raised in Bristol, Rhode Island,[3] graduated from Lincoln School in 1987 and Boston University in 1991 after rowing on the school's Division I crew team. Her mother ran one of Rhode Island's most successful catering companies. Calling her "a hard-driving, entrepreneurial woman",[1] Dubuc credits the "directness" and strong opinions of her mother as inspiring her leadership style.[3] In 1997, she married Michael Rashid Kizilbash, an Iranian-American copyeditor, in a Roman Catholic ceremony in Rhode Island.[2] She has a son and a daughter.[4]

Career

Dubuc briefly worked in NBC's publicity department before leaving to become a producer at The Christian Science Monitor and the Boston television station WGBH-TV. She later joined the History Channel and became the channel's director of historical programming.[1] There, she convinced the network to adapt an episode of Modern Marvels into an entire series called Ice Road Truckers, which became History's then-highest-rated program.[1][4]

She was appointed president and chief executive officer of the American media company A&E Networks in June 2013.[5][6] Part of her role involved overseeing the cable networks History, A&E, and Lifetime. Under her leadership, the company delved into offering reality shows such as Duck Dynasty and other shows garnered large ratings.[4] In 2013, Bloomberg called her "the show picker with the hottest hand in cable television".[7] That year, Fortune included her on its list of 50 Most Powerful Women in Business.[8] She has also been named to The Hollywood Reporter's annual Power 100 list four times, from 2011 to 2014.[9][10][11][12]

In 2016, Dubuc was listed on Vanity Fair's New Establishment List, described as 100 "Silicon Valley hotshots, Hollywood moguls, Wall Street titans, and cultural icons."[13] She is also a member of the Peabody Awards[14] board of directors, which is presented by the University of Georgia's Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.

In March 2018, Dubuc was named the new CEO of Vice Media one day after officially announcing her departure from A&E Networks. She succeeded Vice co-founder Shane Smith, who transitioned into the role of executive chairman.[15] Dubuc left her position at A&E on April 16, 2018.[16] She left Vice on February 24, 2023, as the company faced problems with turning an annual profit and finding a buyer.[17]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Rose, Lacey (December 5, 2012). "A+E's Nancy Dubuc on 'Liz & Dick': I'd Do It Again". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Weddings: Nancy Dubuc, Michael Kizilbash". The New York Times. August 24, 1997. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
  3. ^ a b Bryant, Adam (March 19, 2015). "Nancy Dubuc of A&E: Mixing Doers, Thinkers and Feelers". The New York Times. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  4. ^ a b c Bachman, Katy (September 25, 2014). "Nancy Dubuc: Transforming A&E". Politico. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  5. ^ "Nancy Dubuc, President and Chief Executive Officer, A+E Networks" (Press release). A&E Networks. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  6. ^ Kenneally, Tim (April 22, 2013). "Abbe Raven, Nancy Dubuc Promoted at A&E Networks". TheWrap. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
  7. ^ Gillette, Felix (June 20, 2013). "A+E Networks CEO Nancy Dubuc, the Duck Whisperer". Bloomberg. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
  8. ^ Salemi, Vicki (October 10, 2013). "Several Media Execs Land on List of Most Powerful Women in Business". Adweek. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
  9. ^ "THR's 2011 Women in Entertainment Power 100". The Hollywood Reporter. December 7, 2011. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
  10. ^ "THR's Women in Entertainment 2012: Power 100". The Hollywood Reporter. December 5, 2012. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
  11. ^ "The Hollywood Reporter's 2013 Women in Entertainment Power 100". The Hollywood Reporter. December 10, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
  12. ^ "The Hollywood Reporter's 2014 Women in Entertainment Power 100". The Hollywood Reporter. December 4, 2014. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
  13. ^ BU Alums Named to Vanity Fair's "New Establishment List"
  14. ^ "Who We Are". Grady College and University of Georgia. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  15. ^ "Nancy Dubuc Named Vice CEO, Shane Smith Transitions to Executive Chairman". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2018-03-13.
  16. ^ "Nancy Dubuc Is Leaving A+E Networks and Replacing Shane Smith as Vice Media CEO". Retrieved 2018-03-13.
  17. ^ Mullin, Benjamin (24 February 2023). "Vice C.E.O.'s Departure Signals Fallen Hopes for Digital Media". The New York Times. Retrieved 2023-02-25.

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