Peter Calabrese

Peter Calabrese is an award-winning director, producer and senior network executive with more than 30 years of experience in commercial network, syndication, cable and public television. He has been the creator of many successful commercial television programs. His work at the four top networks, HBO, and various studios and production and distribution companies has included some of TV’s most successful comedy, variety and talk shows, including series and specials with Johnny Carson, David Letterman, Bob Hope, George Burns, Jay Leno, Arsenio Hall, Howard Stern, The Smothers Brothers, Michael Douglas, Tony Orlando & Dawn, and Tom Jones. He has produced specials with Damon Wayans, Paula Poundstone, Rita Rudner, Kevin Pollack, Bill Maher, Steve Martin, Michael Jackson, Barry White, and Tina Turner, among others.

While at NBC, he supervised production of more than 600 hours of programming per year including The Tonight Show, and Saturday Night Live, and was actively involved in the development of SCTV, Late Night with David Letterman, and Motown 25. In 1980 he was responsible for moving David Letterman from a failing morning time-slot to the late night schedule.

In 1998, he was recruited to San Francisco's KQED as Vice President and Station Manager with the mandate to turn it into a national producer of PBS programming. During his tenure there, he developed and produced many innovative local and nationally broadcast series and won KQED's first Emmy in its 45-year history.

In 2002 he founded Q Media Partners, an SF-based television development company focused on creating high-quality, competitive programming for national broadcasters, including commercial broadcast networks, cable, and PBS.