Michael Katz

Michael Katz
VP, Programming & Production
AETN International

Having a "larger-than-life" character at the center of its programming has been a successful pull for AETN International, which has a number of new series in its catalogue that follow this trend. Leading off the slate is Steven Seagal Lawman, which takes a look at the Hollywood action hero in his real-life role as a deputy sheriff. "It ticks all the boxes for us," says Michael Katz, the VP of programming and production for AETN International, which produces for the likes of A&E, Bio and HISTORY. "We’ve developed, over the years, an expertise for doing justice programs and crime programs. And this series is a real-life program, meets a justice program, meets this larger-than-life figure—it’s all come together and it’s jaw-droppingly fascinating."

Docusoaps developed for A&E have often been of the lighter, more family oriented variety, but still tied to a strong central character. "Gene Simmons Family Jewels has been extremely successful for us," says Katz, "and there’s new seasons of that." Following in this vein is Hammertime, featuring Stanley Burrell, better known as MC Hammer. "He was a global dance, music and fashion phenomenon in the ’90s. He certainly made his mark, and he seems to be coming back. He lives in Oakland, California, now, with his wife of 23 years, and he has seven children. Again, it’s a family, real-life series with this larger-than-life character of Stanley Burrell and his seven children and his wife, making a comeback. It’s very fun to watch."

AETN also has offerings from A&E that take a more series bend, and it plans to continue on this path. "We’ve had an amazing success with a series called Intervention for a number of years. It’s not only been a success as a television franchise but as it turns out, it’s a tool for social change as well. Ever since that show we’ve been looking at how we can replicate that success. It’s a very delicate matter because it’s a show that’s shocking to watch, but we’ve handled that with incredible sensitivity. In the end, it’s really an uplifting, positive source of entertainment."

Positioned to piggyback on Intervention‘s success is the new series Obsessed. "It’s along the same lines, again provocative and sometimes shocking, but it’s an examination of people with extreme anxiety disorders—everything from OCD [obsessive compulsive disorder] to panic disorders to social anxiety. By the use of cognitive behavior therapy, we watch these people conquer their extreme anxiety disorders. Again, it’s fascinating, but at the same time uplifting."

Specials have also long been one of AETN’s fortes. 102 Minutes that Changed America chronicles the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, from the time the World Trade Center was struck until the collapse of the second tower. The project uses no experts, no voice-over narration and no music—nothing other than real-time, actual footage: home movies, radio dispatch recordings, surveillance cameras, voicemails, discarded news footage. "The result is just amazing," says Katz. "Anyone who’s seen it has been blown away by it." Crash: The Next Great Depression? follows on the tradition of what HISTORY does best, and has been doing since it’s inception. "The thing about HISTORY is that we’re always trying to make it relevant. What we try to do, and we’ve been pretty success with over the years, is taking almost over-covered global news, covered ad nauseam, and waiting for the right time. We take a perspective—a historical perspective, a social perspective—and put it all out there for people to take a look at and understand it and consume it."

And programming is only part of Katz’s focus, as he is a self-described "man with two brains." The one side is focused on expanding program sales, while the other is honed in on the international channels, he explains. "We want to really try to match the incredible viewership success that those brands have had in North America. Take that and make sure that everywhere around the globe those channels are strengthened. If we’re in the top 15, we want to get into the top 10. If we’re in the top 10, we want to be in the top 5. In the places that we’re top 3, we want to be number one."

As he approaches nearly two decades with the company, Katz is reflective on the creative spirit that has kept him with AETN all these years. "This organization is flat enough that we’re always one or two steps away from the people that are actually creating the content that we’re using for the business. That can’t be said at a lot of places, you’re five or six steps away. We’re never very far away from the creative process."

Click to view trailers of Steven Seagal Lawman, Obsessed, Hammertime, 102 Minutes that Changed America and Crash: The Next Great Depression?