Michael Fuchs

In his three-hour interview, Michael Fuchs discusses his early life, including his time as an entertainment lawyer and his stint in the legal department of the William Morris Agency. He recounts his start at HBO and his decision to bring more than just movies to the channel. He describes HBO's early business model, his creative team there, and his rise to CEO. Fuchs speaks about HBO's place among the broadcast networks, how home video changed HBO's fortunes, and outlines some early HBO original programming. He recalls the creation of Cinemax, and how he invented the practice of "multiplexing" channels to give viewers a wider selection of choices. He reflects upon HBO's signature shows including Dream On, The Larry Sanders Show, and 1st and 10, as well as HBO movies Stalin, Sakharov, and the children's program, Fraggle Rock. He talks about his time as the head of Warner Music and touches on the various projects he's been involved with since. Karen Herman conducted the interview on June 8, 2010 in New York, NY.