Michael Gelman

When Michael Gelman helped create one of the most popular New York morning shows in 1987 and orchestrated its transition to a national ratings powerhouse a year later, he became the youngest producer of a national talk show. Today, as executive producer of “Live,” he has the longest tenure at the helm of any of the top syndicated shows. Since its inception, “Live” has enlivened morning television with its hilarious Host Chat and A-list celebrity guests. Now in its 35th season in national syndication, “Live” remains a stronghold in daytime television, continuing to entertain viewers nationwide. As executive producer, Gelman is responsible for virtually every aspect of the show. He is well known for his audience warm-ups and regularly appears on-set, complementing the daily Host Chat segment. Gelman first joined “Live” as a freelance production assistant on what was then known as “The Morning Show.” Soon after, he was hired as a staff production assistant and later named associate producer, working in that role for two years. He left the show to pursue freelance opportunities and produced original “Live” host Regis Philbin’s highly rated primetime variety program. “The Regis Philbin Show,” which aired on Lifetime. In 1987, Gelman returned to “The Morning Show” as executive producer. The following year, the show went into national syndication as “Live with Regis & Kathie Lee.” Gelman discovered his interest in the communications field as a youngster. His father’s photographic equipment business provided him with all the necessary tools to produce 8mm films and learn still-camera techniques. During high school in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park, Gelman studied theater, directed plays and learned stage production techniques. Gelman earned a degree in broadcast production management from the University of Colorado’s School of Journalism. While attending college, he worked as a cameraman, field producer and editor, covering pre-Olympic trials all over the country for the U.S. Ski Association. During the summer of his junior year, Gelman was a college intern at WABC-TV in New York, working on the program that directly preceded Philbin’s debut with “The Morning Show.” Gelman and his wife, author and television personality Laurie Gelman, live in New York, and together, they have two daughters, Jamie and Misha.