Television Trailblazer

Nina Tassler shepherded some of the most successful shows in TV history and became the first Latina to lead a major network’s entertainment division. How did she do it?
 

- Aimee Garcia

NINA TASSLER’S PIONEERING CAREER HAS LONG BEEN A BEACON TO LATINAS IN THE TELEVISION INDUSTRY, myself included. Born in New York City to a Puerto Rican mother and Jewish father, Tassler earned a B.A. in theater arts at Boston University in 1979 and began her career as an assistant at NYC’s Roundabout Theater Company. She then moved to Los Angeles, worked as a talent agent, and became head of drama development for Warner Brothers Television, where she developed the groundbreaking series ER, among other programs. Joining CBS Entertainment as a vice president in 1997, Tassler was instrumental in developing hits like CSI, NCIS, The Big Bang Theory, Criminal Minds, and most recently Supergirl. She rose to president and chairman—the only Latina to run a major TV network’s entertainment division—stepping down in 2015 to become an adviser to the network and work on her first book, What I Told My Daughter: Lessons from Leaders on Raising the Next Generation of Empowered Women, published by Simon and Schuster this year. In May, she received an honorary doctorate from B.U. and delivered the university’s commencement address.

I chatted with Tassler about her own inspirations, her admirable career, and how she almost had to drop out of college.