Senior Vice President, Business and Legal Affairs - East Coast
Melissa Bear is Senior Vice President, Business and Legal affairs, East Coast, reporting to George Cheeks, EVP & Co-General Counsel, Business and Legal Affairs Headquarters, Viacom Media Networks. She is based in the network's New York City offices.
A tough negotiator and accomplished business strategist, Bear has strong relationships with the agents and lawyers with whom the network negotiates every day, ensuring that COMEDY CENTRAL and TV Land's interests are well represented.
Bear comes to COMEDY CENTRAL from sister Viacom Entertainment Group network TV Land where, since 2007 she had been Vice President, Business and Legal affairs, overseeing contract negotiations for all original programming, acquired programming and new business ventures as well as serving on the network president’s management team. Previously, she had held that position at VH1 and VH1Classic since 2005. Before that, Bear held various business affairs consulting positions (with Classic Media, Nickelodeon, Spike TV and VH1 in New York from 2001-2005). She also worked as a business affairs executive in Los Angeles from 1994-2001 at Paramount Television, USA Network, Columbia TriStar Television and Viacom Productions.
Bear holds a JD from Whittier College School of Law and a BA from Tulane University.