Sid Sheinberg

In his three-hour interview, Sid Sheinberg (1935-2019) talks about his early life and his years in law school. He describes going to work for Revue Productions, the then-television production arm of MCA, where he shepherded shows like Wagon Train and The Virginian. He chronicles Revue Productions' evolution into Universal Television, where he became vice president, and signed a young, unknown filmmaker named Steven Spielberg to a television writing and directing contract. Sheinberg recounts becoming president of Universal Television in 1971, and dealing with a host of issues such as the emergence of home video, cable, and satellite television. He details Matsushita's and later Seagram's acquisition of Universal and his leaving to create his own production company, The Bubble Factory. He concludes by discussing his loyalty to Lew Wasserman, and by giving advice to aspiring television executives. Kathryn Harris conducted the interview on June 21, 2010 in Beverly Hills, CA.