Harry Friedman
Executive Producer
A recognized leader in the television industry, Harry Friedman has been the Executive Producer of America’s No.1 quiz show Jeopardy! and America’s No.1 game show Wheel of Fortune since 1999.
Friedman has produced more than 5,500 episodes of Jeopardy!, which is in its 26th season, and Wheel of Fortune, now in its 27th season. He continually keeps ahead of the curve with innovative game elements, theme weeks and the latest technology. In September 2006, both shows made television history when they became the first syndicated shows to broadcast in High Definition.
Under Friedman’s direction, the hit series Jeopardy! has continued to broaden its scope with an expanded list of challenging categories, clues reflecting popular culture and a variety of special tournaments.
In 2003, Friedman lifted Jeopardy!’s five-day limit rule for contestants, allowing returning champions to continue amassing winnings as long as they remain victorious. This rule change led the way for the memorable 74-consecutive-day run of Utah software engineer Ken Jennings, during which he won a record $2.5 million. Series viewership increased an impressive 30 percent during the streak, often out-performing primetime programs while making it one of the most talked-about shows in the country.
Friedman’s ideas have reached far beyond the famous Stage 10 at Sony Studios where Jeopardy! is taped. He was instrumental in the creation of the Clue Crew, a team of roving correspondents who travel the world delivering visual clues for the millions of viewers back home. Additionally, Friedman plays a very active role in www.jeopardy.com, an interactive community with over 400,000 monthly visitors.
Since Friedman joined Jeopardy!, it has become the most honored syndicated game show in television history. The hit series has won a total of 28 Emmy Awards in the following categories: Outstanding Show, Outstanding Game Show, Outstanding Special Class Writing, Outstanding Game Show Host and Outstanding Directing in a Game/Audience Participation Show.
At Wheel of Fortune, Friedman has kept the show fresh and exciting while offering contestants more chances to win. During the 2008-2009 season, Wheel contestants won a record-breaking $10.1 million in cash and prizes. New elements Friedman implemented through the years include: Toss Up puzzles, brand integration opportunities, a Jackpot Round, the Mystery Round, the $100,000 Bonus Round, the Wild Card and the Million Dollar Bonus Wedge. In Season 27, Wheel will say good-bye to the “Free Spin” and institute a new wheel wedge called the “Free Play,” which essentially gives the contestant who lands on it immunity for their first action.
In addition, Friedman is responsible for many of the show’s technological advancements including the launching of www.wheeloffortune.com, PlayStation®Network and mobile versions of the show. He has also introduced a new, highly sophisticated set, which incorporates state-of-the-art lighting, a modernized puzzleboard with LCD screens and the ability for letters to appear with a touch of Vanna White’s hand.
Wheel Watchers Club, the first-ever, long-term, online viewer loyalty program in television history, now totals over 5 million members and its extension, the SPIN I.D. program were both developed by Friedman. Additionally, he conceptualized the Wheelmobile, a mobile tour conducting contestant search events across the country.
Friedman is a seven-time Emmy Award winner and was honored by the National Association of Television Program Executives with the prestigious Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award in January 2007. Friedman was inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame in October 2007.
A native of Omaha, Neb., Friedman developed an early fascination with television programming and personalities, including a young local celebrity named Johnny Carson. Long before the concept of student internships was created, Friedman began hanging around Omaha’s first television stations, learning by watching and doing whatever management permitted.
While attending the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, Friedman also worked as a reporter and feature writer for the Lincoln Star newspaper.
In 1971, Friedman arrived in Los Angeles and, without contacts, gave himself six months to find a job in the business. With less than 24 hours remaining on his self-imposed deadline, he talked his way into a part-time question-writer spot on “Hollywood Squares.” That association marked the beginning of his long, valued relationship with Heatter-Quigley Productions. Over the next 11 years, Friedman wrote and produced thousands of episodes of the popular series and was also actively involved in the development of several other game shows, including “Gambit” and “High Rollers.” He first joined Wheel of Fortune as a producer in 1995, adding producer duties for Jeopardy! in 1997.
In 1998, he helped launch Rock & Roll Jeopardy!, which aired on the VH1 network. Friedman’s other writing and producing credits range from network primetime specials, such as “American Yearbook” for CBS, to documentaries and home video. He also has worked with such companies as FOX, Dick Clark Productions, Stephen J. Cannell Productions, Buena Vista Television/ABC, Orion Television, The Playboy Channel, Laurel Entertainment, Vin Di Bona Productions, A&E Network, Krofft Productions, Rosner Television and Four Star Productions.
A member of the Writers Guild of America-West and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Friedman lives in Los Angeles with his wife. They have two daughters and a granddaughter.