Comedy Press

 

James D. Sharp
Senior Vice President, Original Programming and Development - West Coast

If you want tangible proof that there's no such thing as too much COMEDY CENTRAL, consider Jim Sharp’s resume. After an initial stint at COMEDY CENTRAL as Vice President, Development from 1996-1997, Sharp returned for one main reason: "It's a great place, with a special brand, and it’s all comedy," he said.

As Senior Vice President, Development and Original Programming, Sharp is responsible for overseeing all of COMEDY CENTRAL's original pilots and series out of the West Coast, as well as expanding the network's talent/writer relationships. He reports to Kent Alterman, Head of Original Programming and Development.

Sharp joined COMEDY CENTRAL from Broadway Video, where he had been Senior Vice President, Creative Affairs and Production since 2000. He has been involved in many areas of television as a producer, development executive and writer. As an independent producer, he executive produced "Strange Frequency" for Viacom/VH1 and "Viva Variety," which he developed during his time at COMEDY CENTRAL. Other producing credits for Sharp include "The State" for MTV and "The Loop" for Twentieth Television. Sharp is most proud of the work he did for MTV's "The State," where he was the show's producer and played a crucial role in its success. He began his television career as a writer for "Day's End" for ABC and "The Late Show" for Fox.

Sharp's favorite aspect of the industry is the writing. "I love working with writers and the joke," says Sharp. When he's not working, he is probably watching way too much baseball and suffering through another loss by his beloved Seattle Mariners. He has a passion for skiing and knows the height of every player in the NBA.