Who we are:
Natalie Gustafson
President & Executive Producer
Peabodys, Emmys, Gracies – Natalie has won them all with her signature brand of lush visuals and compelling storytelling in the lifestyle and documentary genres. From studio productions to location shooting as far flung as Iceland, and Turkey, the Alaska, frontier and the Blue Room in the White House, she has a proven track record as a producer and director for clients such as ABC, CBS, PBS, Food Network, Lifetime, A&E, ESPN, TBS, the Oprah Winfrey Show, Martha Stewart, and Entertainment Tonight.
Natalie began her career in San Francisco as head writer for Hugh Downs on the much lauded daily PBS series Over Easy, which quickly won several Daytime Emmys as well as the coveted Peabody Award for excellence in broadcasting. After cutting her teeth in field production at the legendary Evening Magazine at KPIX, Natalie began a 17-year stint at ABC News in New York. She covered everything from celebrities to the Lockerbie bombing, LA riots, AIDs and forest fires for Good Morning America, traveling to Scandinavia, Great Briton, Monte Carlo and France and throughout the US for the show. For the nighttime series 20/20 and Primetime, Natalie produced stories about movie legend Lauren Bacall with Diane Sawyer, skateboarder Ryan Sheckler with Chris Cuomo, rock genius Brian Wilson with Joel Siegel as well as documentary stories about traffic, taste and a Texas murder. For the prestigious documentary series, Turning Point, she produced a one hour documentary with Robert Krulwich “Paparazzi: Shooting Stars.” On other fronts, Natalie spent years as a director on Entertainment Tonight, and with the two queens of daytime syndication on The Oprah Winfrey Show and Martha Stewart.
In 2002 Natalie was tapped by Food Network to work on the documentary series My Country, My Kitchen which led to forming her own production company, Silver Plume Productions in 2003. For Food Network, Natalie has developed, produced and directed Cooking Thin, All Star Thanksgiving Special, Quick Fix Meals, Rescue Chef as well as the three time Emmy Award winning Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello. For DIY Network, Silver Plume has produced the daily talk show, Home Made Easy; for Discovery – Chainsaw Ice Sculptors and Chainsaw Ice Sculptors: Alaska about massive 10 ton ice sculptures carved in a week in the bitter cold of Alaska in February. For PBS, Silver Plume is currently working with cooking legend Sara Moulton on Sara’s Weeknight Meals, nominated for 5 James Beard Awards.
Natalie has won the Emmy two years in a row for directing Easy Entertaining. And proving that award winning directing delivers award winning performances, Michael Chiarello won the Emmy for Best Service Show host. Host Sara Moulton has won a Gracie and a Taste Award working with Natalie, as well as 5 James Beard nominations.
“She has an incredible sense of visuals, and can turn the world into pure poetry. While you’re watching what could be an ordinary cooking show, when Natalie directs, you feel like you’re watching a music video or a film.”
Executive VP Programming, Food Network
Matthew Shapiro
CEO
Matt is an accomplished creative executive with experience spanning network, syndication, cable, local television and new media. For years, he helped decide what programs played on stations across the country and is recognized for his understanding of audience tastes, for increasing ratings, and for the proven ability to win the battles for the heads, hearts, eyeballs, and wallets of the audience. Matt has run two start-ups, served as a director of a public company, and been Vice President Network Development for NBC, Corporate Vice President Programming & Marketing at MMT, Program Director for KRONTV, and Senior Producer at ABC. He is also an Emmy and Peabody winning producer who created the first access reality series for ABC.
“One of the smartest, most strategic, most intuitive people in the business”
President, CBS
“Has a uniquely keen understanding of audiences and how to reach them”
President, McGraw-Hill Television
“It’s smart to hang around and listen to Matt Shapiro.”
President, Belo