David Silver

• Years at WGBH: 1967 – 1969
• Position(s): Talent — “What’s Happening, Mr. Silver?”

From David Silver — 2000

Since my wonderful days at WGBH (1967-69, What’s Happening Mr. Silver?), I have done just about everything in the TV business, but mainly producing directing and writing. From 1971-76, I was an artist-in-residence at the TV LAB at WNET-TV in NYC. I worked with Nam June Paik, Bill Wegman, the late, lamented David Loxton.

Then I went into directing music features and TV specials — I directed the feature No Nukes in 1979 with Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, Bonnie Raitt et al.

In 1982/83, I wrote The Compleat Beatles for MGM/UA – it reached #2 on the charts in 1983, and then on re-release by Warner Brothers in 1995, it went to #1 on the video charts.

Since then, I have produced and directed two other #1 video specials, both with the teen pop group, Hanson. One of these went ten times platinum and is the fastest selling video of all time.

In the nineties, I served as a Senior Vice President at Warner Brothers and then the same at Polygram — I worked as a producer with Allen Ginsberg, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Spalding Gray, Tim Leary, William Burroughs, Colin Quinn, John Updike, Gabriel Byrne, Martin Amis, Peter Wolf, Frances McDormand and many others. My film bio of Timothy Leary is acknowledged as the definitive documentary about the 60’s icon.

In 1987, I wrote Mondo New York, a theatrical feature for Island Films.

In 1992, I went back to being on camera and hosted a 16-part series for ABC out of Connecticut.

Currently, I just produced a PBS music special InNOVAtors, released across the U.S. in March 2000. I also am producing and directing a rockumentary about a new girl group called Kittie, to be released globally by Sony in July 2000.

That’s about it. I live in Riverdale, NY and have two daughters. My older kid, Callie starred on the highly rated NBC series Homicide in its last two seasons.