Tom Martin, a veteran business affairs executive with more than two decades of experience in the entertainment industry, has been tapped as head of business affairs and general counsel for The CW Network.
Joining the Nexstar-owned broadcaster from MasterClass, he brings a diverse skillset that includes structuring and negotiating business models and deals for scripted, unscripted and documentary programming for broadcast television, cable television and streaming platforms.
“As The CW Network evolves at a rapid pace, we are excited to have Tom come on board,” Dennis Miller, president of The CW Network, said in a statement. “With his vast experience and insights with talent, production and media platforms, I’m confident Tom will deftly manage the wide range of projects we are bringing to the network.”
Martin added, “I’m honored and thrilled to be joining Dennis, Brad and the rest of the team at this inflection point for the network. I’m looking forward to playing my part to help The CW achieve new heights.”
Prior to joining The CW, Martin served as head of BA at MasterClass, where subscribers can take courses from leading professionals and experts. While there, he was responsible for the team that negotiated deals with instructors such as Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Bob Iger, Aaron Sorkin, Steph Curry and Serena Williams. Previously, Martin was the business affairs lead for the short-lived Quibi.
Before that, Martin served as the senior vice president of business affairs at Fox Broadcasting Company, where he was the lead negotiator for all of Fox’s unscripted programming, brokering deals for “The Masked Singer” and “I Can See Your Voice.” Prior to Fox, he spent over 15 years at Comcast/NBCU, where he led the business affairs teams for several NBCU cable entertainment networks, such as E!, USA, Syfy and Esquire, as well as its scripted and unscripted cable studios UCP and Wilshire Studios. At E!, Tom negotiated some of the network’s biggest talent deals, including the Kardashian family talent deals for “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” Ryan Seacrest’s host deal for “E! News,” Joel McHale’s deal for “The Soup,” Joan Rivers’ deal for “Fashion Police” and Chelsea Handler’s deal for “Chelsea Lately.”
