Commentary: Silverman is no corporate insider

July 27, 2009 When Ben Silverman announced his departure from NBC Universal to start a new-media venture with Barry Diller, the surprise wasn't that the agent-turned-producer-turned-executive was leaving the company whose flagship network he once said he was born to run, it's that he lasted this long in a corporate environment that most insiders believe did not suit him. From his first days at NBC, Silverman painted himself as a rogue outsider whose success building (and eventually selling) Reveille would afford him the freedom to bring fresh ideas and an entrepreneurial spirit to the GE-owned network. [...] Silverman was unique among modern studio and network heads in that he presented his outrageous personal life as a key business asset, something that could be harnessed and translated into dollars for his employer via his unending enthusiasm, a connection to the zeitgeist and up-all-night relations with talent and advertisers.

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