After owning NBC for 27 years, General Electric sold full control of the network to Comcast in 2013. Now the company, known for bringing good things to life, is back in the TV business.
During Nat Geo’s upfront on Wednesday in New York City, a unique production partnership between GE and Nat Geo was announced. Breakthrough is a new show that will explore leading scientists and how their innovations impact our lives. GE chief marketing officer Beth Comstock dreamed up the idea and recruited the Hollywood producing team of Brian Grazer and Ron Howard.
“You will not see any GE commercials in Breakthrough,” Nat Geo CEO Courteney Monroe said. “You will see other commercial in Breakthrough, so we have a very unique partnership, which is a production partnership.”
Actor Paul Giamatti, who directed numerous episodes of Breakthrough, was on hand to discuss the experience.
“I’m not quite sure how the hell I even got involved in this, but I’m sure glad I did,” Giamatti joked. “It’s shaping up to be one of the most interesting and exciting things I’ve ever done.”