imported>Rbrwr: Adding local short description: "American media executive", overriding Wikidata description "American businessman"

2025-06-16T16:10:27Z

Adding local short description: "American media executive", overriding Wikidata description "American businessman"

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{{Short description|American media executive}}
{{For|the Hong Kong film producer|Stephen Chow}}
{{use mdy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Stephen Chao
| image =
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| birth_date = {{birth based on age as of date|52|2008|08|10}}
| birth_place = [[Ann Arbor, Michigan|Ann Arbor]], [[Michigan]], U.S.
| death_date =
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| occupation = {{hlist|Internet entrepreneur|television producer|media executive}}
| networth =
| spouse =
| parents =
| children =
}}

'''Stephen Chao''' (born {{birth based on age as of date|52|2008|08|10|noage=1}}) is an American internet entrepreneur, television producer, and media executive. He has worked as the president of the [[Fox Broadcasting Company]], an independent television producer, president of [[USA Network]], and co-founder of [[WonderHowTo|WonderHowTo.com]].

== Early life and education==
Stephen Chao was born in {{birth based on age as of date|52|2008|08|10|noage=1}}<ref name=latimes>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-aug-10-fi-himi10-story.html |website= [[Los Angeles Times]]| title= He Aims To Stand Out, Even Behind The Scenes| date=10 August 2008| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090504034723/http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS221503+27-Mar-2008+BW20080327| archive-date=4 May 2009|url-access=subscription|url-status=live}}</ref> to a [[Chinese American]] family, and raised in [[Ann Arbor]], [[Michigan]], moving to [[New Hampshire]] when he was eight years old.{{cn|date=August 2022}} His [[maternal grandfather]] was a prominent official in pre-revolutionary China, once serving as the nation's economic minister to the United States.<ref name=changing>{{cite web |url=http://8.12.42.31/1998/may/09/business/fi-47802 |title=Changing Channels - Los Angeles Times |access-date=2008-10-20 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090528223114/http://8.12.42.31/1998/may/09/business/fi-47802 |archive-date=2009-05-28 }} Los Angeles Times: Changing Channels</ref> Chao is the nephew of [[Zao Wou Ki]], a well-known Chinese [[Impressionism|impressionist]] painter.

Chao attended [[Fay School]] and then the [[Phillips Exeter Academy]] in [[Exeter, New Hampshire|Exeter]], [[New Hampshire]]. He attended [[Harvard University]], where he majored in [[classical studies]] in 1977. He later went on to earn an [[MBA]] from [[Harvard Business School]] in 1981.<ref name=latimes/><ref name=usapres>{{cite web|url=http://findarticles.com/?noadc=1|title=FindArticles.com - CBSi|author=|date=|website=findarticles.com|access-date=February 24, 2019|archive-date=April 25, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190425080228/http://findarticles.com/?noadc=1|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{cn|date=September 2024}}

== Career ==

=== ''National Enquirer'' ===
Between Harvard degrees, Chao co-wrote a [[Fodor's]] travel guide for [[Turkey]], shoveled manure in [[France]], and reported for the ''[[National Enquirer]]''.<ref name=latimes/> He broke the story of [[O. J. Simpson]]'s budding romance with [[Nicole Brown]]<ref name="mixergy">{{cite web|url= http://mixergy.com/stephen-chao-wonderhowto/ |title= How The Creator Of "America's Most Wanted" Is Building One Of The Biggest Sites You Never Heard Of – with Stephen Chao|agency= Mixergy | date= December 1, 2009| accessdate = January 15, 2010}}</ref> and tracked [[UFO]] sightings throughout [[South America]] for three months.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://blog.findingdulcinea.com/2008/06/talking-with-stephen-chao.html |title= Talking with Stephen Chao | date= June 27, 2008 | publisher= Finding Dulcinea |accessdate= January 12, 2010}}</ref>

=== Fox Television ===
Upon graduation, Chao developed an interest in movies. Multiple rejections by the studios led him to [[New York City|New York]], working in finance for movie producer [[Dino De Laurentiis]].{{cn|date=August 2022}} In 1983, Chao was hired as the Vice President of Acquisitions and Corporate Development for [[Rupert Murdoch]]'s News Corporation. Two years later, Murdoch purchased the [[20th Century Fox]] film company. Looking to expand the studio into television, he asked Chao to become a part of the creative team for the nascent [[Fox Television]] network, which was formerly operated by [[Metromedia|MetroMedia]].<ref name="mrmedia">{{cite web |url=http://www.mrmedia.com/2008/03/stephen-chao-wonderhowtocom-web_799.html |title=Mr. Media Radio Interviews by Bob Andelman: Stephen Chao, WonderHowTo.com web entrepreneur, former Fox TV president: Mr. Media Interview, Part 1 |access-date=2008-10-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20110714123124/http://www.mrmedia.com/2008/03/stephen-chao-wonderhowtocom-web_799.html |archive-date=2011-07-14 }} Mr. Media Interviews Stephen Chao</ref>

Chao's new position was under [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] President [[Barry Diller]]. His duties were to develop innovative, low-cost shows for the owned and operated station group. The most talked about controversy surrounding the two individuals occurred when Diller became so enraged with Chao that he hurled a 3/4-inch [[videocassette]] tape across the room, denting the wall. Chao framed the dent, convincing Diller years later to autograph it.<ref name=changing/><ref name=nytimes/> Despite their conflicts, the controversial 'reality' formats they launched remained on the network for more than two decades.

Chao's first success was a concept that had been in his head for years after seeing the "Most Wanted" poster in the post office. Chao's original pitch was to marry ''[[High Noon]]'' with the 10 o'clock news. The concept he labeled "Electronic Lynching" became the television show ''[[America's Most Wanted]]''.<ref name=mixergy/> The following year in 1987, Chao met [[John Langley]] who pitched a concept of following beat cops around [[Broward County]], Florida. This show became ''[[Cops (TV series)|Cops]]''.<ref name=nytimes/>

Chao was promoted to president of [[Fox Television]] Stations in 1992. In June 1992, ten weeks after taking position as president, Chao spoke at a management conference in [[Snowmass Village, Colorado|Snowmass Village]], [[Colorado]], for Fox executives, board members and world dignitaries, including Rupert Murdoch and wife [[Anna Murdoch]], and former [[United States Secretary of Defense]] (and future [[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]]) [[Dick Cheney]] and wife [[Lynne Cheney]]. He spoke on "The Threat to Democratic Capitalism Posed by Modern Culture". Strongly emphasising that American television programs tend to be less critical of violence than nudity and [[Human sexuality|sexuality]], Chao hired local waiter-model Marco Iacovelli<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ew.com/article/1992/07/10/fox-star-gets-axe/|title=Fox star gets the axe|author=|date=July 10, 1992|website=EW.com|access-date=February 24, 2019}}</ref> to strip naked during his speech to illustrate his point about censorship – perhaps, nudity was less anti-social as opposed to violence and murder. Not at all amused, Murdoch fired Chao immediately afterwards.<ref name="mrmedia"/><ref name="nytimes"/><ref>{{cite news| url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE3DD163FF93BA15755C0A964958260 |title=NYTimes: EGOS & IDS; He Who Stripped Is Not A Stripper|work= [[New York Times]] | first=Degen | last=Pener | date=June 28, 1992}}</ref>

=== McDonald's ===

After being fired, Chao took the opportunity to work at a [[McDonald's]] restaurant in [[Redondo Beach, California|Redondo Beach]].<ref name=nytimes/> For six weeks, he flipped burgers, manned the fryer and cleaned the dairy machine, claiming it was the hardest job he ever had.<ref name=latimes/>

=== Production work ===

In 1993, Chao formed his own [[production company]], Stephen Chao Incorporated, creating and producing programs for [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]], [[CBS]], [[NBC]], [[Columbia Pictures|Columbia TriStar Television]], [[Universal Television]] and [[Nickelodeon (TV channel)|Nickelodeon]]. In partnership with Venezuelan media company, Cisneros Television Group, Chao launched multiple channels, including Playboy TV Latin America and the 24-hour animation channel, [[Locomotion (TV channel)|Locomotion]]. Chao also produced David Blaine's first television special, [[Street magic|Street Magic]].<ref name="mixergy"/>

=== USA Network ===

In February 1998, Barry Diller purchased [[USA Network]] and the [[Sci Fi Channel (United States)|Sci Fi Channel]] from [[Universal Pictures|Universal Studios]], hiring Chao in April as president of programming and marketing,<ref name=usacoinfo>http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/USA-Interactive-Inc-Company-History.html USA Interactive, Inc. – FundingUniverse.com</ref> working with such shows as the ''[[World Wrestling Entertainment|WWF]]'', ''[[La Femme Nikita (TV series)|La Femme Nikita]]'', ''[[Highlander: The Series]]'', ''[[Baywatch]]'' and the ''[[Jerry Springer Show]]''. He was also responsible for the [[dramedy]] ''[[Monk (TV series)|Monk]]''.<ref name=latimes/> At the time he paid a record amount to buy the script from ABC, which had placed the project in turnaround. On March 23, 2000, Chao was promoted to president of USA Cable,<ref name=usacoinfo/> where he supervised all [[cable television|cable]] services.<ref name=usapres/> During his tenure, USA Network aired the second most watched original mini-series in basic cable history, ''[[Attila (TV miniseries)|Attila]]'', and the hit original movies ''[[All-American Girl: The Mary Kay Letourneau Story|All-American Girl: The Mary Kay LeTourneau Story]]'' and ''[[Cabin by the Lake]]''. During Chao's tenure, the SciFi Channel emerged as the largest provider of event mini-series in [[primetime]] launching the six-hour [[mini-series]], ''[[Frank Herbert's Dune]]'', [[Steven Spielberg]]'s 20-hour [[mini-series]] [[Taken (TV miniseries)|''Taken'']] and ''[[Crossing Over with John Edward]]''.<ref name=resigns>http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_/ai_79569460 Stephen Chao To Resign As President Of USA Cable – Business Wire</ref> Chao resigned as president of USA Cable on November 5, 2001.<ref name=usacoinfo/><ref name=resigns/>

=== WonderHowTo ===
In 2006, Chao and Mike Goedecke founded [[WonderHowTo|WonderHowTo.com]]<ref name="latimes"/><ref name="nytimes">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/30/business/media/30chao.html|title=TV Showman, Once Exiled, Returns With Video Site|first=Brooks|last=Barnes|work=The New York Times |date=January 30, 2008|publisher=|access-date=February 24, 2019|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://gigaom.com/2008/01/30/419-how-to-video-site-wonderhowto-raises-first-round/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180623085105/https://gigaom.com/2008/01/30/419-how-to-video-site-wonderhowto-raises-first-round/|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 23, 2018|title=How To Video Site WonderHowTo Raises First Round; Chao's Return|first=Edit|last=Staff|date=January 30, 2008|website=gigaom.com|access-date=February 24, 2019}}</ref> in [[Santa Monica]], [[California]].<ref name=reuters>{{cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS221503+27-Mar-2008+BW20080327 |title=WonderHowTo.Com Soars Past 100,000 How-To Video Mark | Reuters |website=[[Reuters]] |access-date=2017-07-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090504034723/http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS221503+27-Mar-2008+BW20080327 |archive-date=2009-05-04 }} Reuters: WonderHowTo.com Soars Past 100,000 How-To Video Mark</ref> With backing from [[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge]], [[Massachusetts]]-based General Catalyst Partners, WonderHowTo.com launched in January 2008. As of January 2018, WonderHowTo had more than 13 million monthly uniques.<ref>[https://www.quantcast.com/wonderhowto.com “Monthly Uniques”], "Quantcast", Retrieved June 20, 2018</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist|2}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chao, Stephen}}
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American computer businesspeople]]
[[Category:American media executives]]
[[Category:America's Most Wanted]]
[[Category:American technology chief executives]]
[[Category:American people of Chinese descent]]
[[Category:Fox Broadcasting Company executives]]
[[Category:Harvard Business School alumni]]
[[Category:Harvard College alumni]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Ann Arbor, Michigan]]
[[Category:Fay School alumni]]
[[Category:Phillips Exeter Academy alumni]]
[[Category:Television producers from Michigan]]

Stephen Chao - Revision history

imported>Rbrwr: Adding local short description: "American media executive", overriding Wikidata description "American businessman"