20th Century Fox Television has hired CBS Television Studios’ Dan Kupetz as its new head of operations.
Kupetz, who has served as head of business affairs at CBS TV Studios since 2004, will begin his new duties as executive vice president of business affairs and operations at 20th Century Fox TV in March and report directly to president of 20th Century Fox Television Carolyn Cassidy. He will work closely with Howard Kurtzman — who announced his retirement from the position last week — through June to ensure a seamless transition for the studio.
“Dan’s reputation from his years at CBS is deservedly stellar, and I knew from our first meeting that he possessed exactly the right combination of strategic thinking, steady leadership and grace under fire that this important role requires,” Cassidy said. “He’s a spectacular executive, and I’m thrilled he said ‘yes.’ I am also grateful to Howard, not only for being a wonderful partner these last several months but for helping to identify Dan as the perfect executive to take the reins of our business affairs team going forward.”
“I am so proud of and grateful for the success I have been a part of over the past 20 years at CBS, and wholeheartedly thank Debby Barak and David Stapf for their guidance, support and collaboration,” Kupetz added. “Though I will miss my wonderful colleagues at CBS, I am thrilled to join Carolyn’s team at 20th and to work closely with Craig Hunegs on business strategy for Disney Television Studios. In my meetings with Carolyn and Craig, their energy and excitement for their work and the future at Disney were infectious. It’s also a special honor to succeed Howard Kurtzman, who has been a mentor and friend since I started my career in the television business.”
Kupetz was named senior vice president of business affairs at CBS Studios in 2004 and promoted to executive vice president of business affairs in 2014. He has overseen “above the line” deals for the development and production of scripted series like “Blue Bloods,” the “CSI” franchise, “Hawaii Five-0,” “Elementary,” “The Good Wife,” “Madam Secretary” and the “NCIS” franchise for CBS; “Star Trek: Discovery,” “The Good Fight,” “Star Trek: Picard” and “Why Women Kill” for CBS All Access; “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” “Jane the Virgin” and “Nancy Drew” for The CW; and “Dead to Me” and “Unbelievable” for Netflix.
He also negotiated agreements between CBS TV Studios and streaming platforms — including Amazon, Apple, Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, Netflix and Quibi — and oversaw the terms of the studio’s overall deals with writers, producers and directors.
Prior to joining CBS TV Studios, Kupetz worked in business affairs at the CBS broadcast network, starting as a director of business affairs in 1999. In 2002, he was named vice president of the department.
Prior to joining CBS, he worked as an attorney in the legal affairs department at Touchstone Television. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Berkeley. He has a law degree from the UCLA School of Law and a master’s degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.