When Michael Gelman took over the reins of the most popular morning show in 1987 and helped orchestrate its transition to a national ratings powerhouse a year later, he became the youngest producer of a national talk show. Today, he has the longest tenure at the helm of any of the top syndicated shows. And as the chief strategist and team leader for Live with Regis and Kelly, he's earned accolades from the industry and the audience, evinced by the show's extraordinary ratings success and numerous Emmy nominations.
Heading into its landmark 20th season in national syndication, Live with Regis and Kelly remains a stronghold in daytime television, boasting phenomenal growth and continuing to entertain viewers nationwide. Since its inception nearly two decades ago, the show has enlivened morning television with its hilarious host chat and A-list celebrity guests, and Gelman and his staff have been Emmy-nominated nearly every year for their production efforts.
As executive producer, Gelman is responsible for virtually every aspect of the show. He is well known for his audience warm-ups and regularly appears on-set, complementing the daily host chat segment and taking lighthearted teasing from hosts Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa.
Gelman first joined Live as a freelance production assistant on what was then known as The Morning Show. Soon after, he was hired as a staff production assistant and later named associate producer of the show, working in that role for two years. He left the show to pursue freelance opportunities and produced Philbin's highly rated primetime variety show, The Regis Philbin Show, which aired on Lifetime. In 1987, Gelman returned to The Morning Show as executive producer. The following year, the show went into national syndication as Live with Regis & Kathie Lee.
Gelman discovered his interest in the communications field as a youngster. His father's photographic equipment business provided him with all of the necessary tools to produce 8-millimeter films and learn still-camera techniques. During high school in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park, Gelman studied theater, directed plays and learned stage-production techniques.
Gelman earned a degree in broadcast production management from the University of Colorado's School of Journalism. While attending college, he worked as a cameraman, field producer and editor, covering pre-Olympic trials all over the country for the U.S. Ski Association. During the summer of his junior year, Gelman was a college intern at WABC-TV in New York, working on the program that directly preceded Philbin's debut with The Morning Show.
Gelman and his wife, entertainment reporter Laurie Hibberd, live in New York with their daughters Jamie and Misha.
