MICHAEL CASCIO
Senior Vice President, Production
National Geographic Channel
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Michael Cascio recently joined the National Geographic Channel as Senior Vice President , Production, where he supervises documentary series and specials for the prestigious network.  Cascio has a noteworthy background in the creation of franchise TV programming, as well as numerous awards and critical acclaim. 

As Executive Vice President and General Manager of Animal Planet, Cascio brought record ratings and national attention, overseeing programming, production, development, and operations, while giving direction to marketing, communications, and ad sales.  He launched successful series such as Animal Precinct and Pet Star, as well as the re-vitalization of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, and popular specials such as The Future Is Wild and Crocodile Hunter Live from Australia.  He also commissioned a slate of original movies, including The Retrievers and Gentle Ben.  Under Cascio’s leadership, Animal Planet became a major TV brand as part of Discovery Communications, Inc.   

Before joining Animal Planet, Cascio was Vice President, Cable Programming Development for NBC News, where he started a major primetime programming initiative at  MSNBC, overseeing long-form programs.  He created new series such as  MSNBC Investigates and specials such as Waging War: The Schwarzkopf Diaries.  

Cascio is most recognized for his work at A&E.  As Executive Producer and Vice President of Documentary Programming, Cascio launched Biography as a daily series, handling production of over 700 original episodes, and building it into an iconic television franchise.  He created trademark “theme weeks,” brand extensions and specials such as Biography of the Year and Biography of the Millennium.   During this time, Biography won wide acclaim, including an Emmy Award for best non-fiction series.  Cascio also created or supervised other notable series at A&E, including Investigative Reports for which he won two Emmy Awards, as well as City Confidential, American Justice and Ancient Mysteries.  He also oversaw specials such as Titanic: Death Of A Dream, Class of the 20^th Century, and The Farm, which earned him an Academy Award nomination.   

Cascio was promoted to Senior Vice President of Programming for A&E, and was responsible for the network’s overall programming strategy, overseeing a wide range of A&E programs – drama, performances, and documentaries.   In this role, Cascio helped bring A&E record ratings and several original movies, including The Crossing starring Jeff Daniels.  Cascio was also part of the team that launched the History Channel, which was a spinoff of A&E. 

Before joining A&E, Cascio was an award-winning journalist.  As Executive Producer and Director of Public Affairs for the Capital Cities/ABC-owned WPVI-TV in Philadelphia, he developed and produced news magazines, political debates, numerous specials and documentaries, after working as a producer on the station’s top-rated newscasts.  Cascio was also a reporter, news director, anchor and producer for WHYY-TV in Wilmington, Delaware, New Jersey Network, and WNET, New York.   

Among his many accolades, Cascio was cited in Entertainment Weekly  “It List,” as one of the most creative people in the entertainment industry.  Cascio is a member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and was a trustee of the International Documentary Association, and an advisor to the Humane Society of the United States.   

A native of the Washington metropolitan area, Cascio serves on the advisory board of American University’s School of Communications, where he received his Master’s degree.  Cascio also earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in American studies from the University of Virginia.   

In high school, Cascio had his own column in a local newspaper.  In college, he worked as a courier for NBC News in Washington, DC, where he carried important items, such as breakfast and lunch, to crews and correspondents on Capitol Hill.  His diverse work experience also includes being a clerk at the CIA and a backstage janitor at Wolf Trap Farm Park for the Performing Arts.  He is married to former CBS News radio anchor Cynthia Weber. They have one child and live in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC.