Ryan Sharkey currently serves as Senior Vice President, Programming and Content Strategy at The CW Network. A seasoned industry executive, Sharkey leads the Scheduling and Acquisitions teams to optimize programming across all platforms including identifying co-productions, sports and innovative strategies to create compelling content offerings.

 

Sharkey previously served as SVP, Content Acquisitions for NBCUniversal where he curated programming across the NBCUniversal cable networks, broadcast TV and streaming portfolio. He joined NBC in 2002 after training on GE’s Corporate Audit Staff. He started his NBCUniversal career as a financial analyst responsible for the programming budgets at CNBC then USA Network and SYFY Channel.

 

Leveraging his well-established relationships, financial acumen, and creative deal making skills, Sharkey was instrumental in developing and executing NBCUniversal’s aggressive content acquisitions strategy and led groundbreaking negotiations for major IP across Peacock and the NBCU networks. Among his many credits are the Universal film output deal, the Harry Potter franchise, and “Modern Family” along with executing the first ever acquisitions deals for Peacock in preparation for its launch in 2020.

 

He earned his Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame.  Sharkey is a native of Dayton, OH but now resides on Long Island with his wife, Colleen, their sons Austin, Trevor and Connor and daughter, Kate.