History repeated itself this year when Ziffren negotiated the Television Academy’s new eight-year deal with the four major networks for Primetime Emmys rights, having done it in 2011 and 2003. He handled the Motion Picture Academy’s long-term extension with ABC for the Oscars, negotiated network contracts for the NFL and counseled Microsoft on the formation of MSNBC in 1996.
He reps big names including Ben Affleck, Sandra Bullock, Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Hugh Laurie and Tyler Perry. In 2014, he was appointed Los Angeles’ film czar, tasked with lobbying Sacramento to improve the state’s film and TV tax credits. And with entertainment in transition, he remains active in the effort to bring exhibitors and studios together to get films into homes earlier via premium VOD.