Kent Alterman is president of Comedy Central. He is responsible for the leadership, strategy and management of the #1 brand in comedy and oversees the development and production of all original content produced by Comedy Central.
Alterman rejoined Comedy Central in 2010 as head of original programming and production after a previous stint at the network as head of east coast development from 1996-2000. He was promoted to president, original programming in 2013 and rose to his current position of president in 2016.
Upon his return in 2010, Alterman and his development team embarked on an ambitious launch of original programming – more than doubling the amount of original series on the air than at any time in the history of the network – incubating new talent and concepts across all screens and creating bona fide franchises for Comedy Central with a broad mix of formats featuring some of the most significant voices in comedy today, including Emmy® Award-winning series “Inside Amy Schumer,” “@midnight with Chris Hardwick” and “Drunk History,” the Emmy®-nominated “Key & Peele,” along with critical and fan favorites “Broad City,” “Workaholics,” “Review,” “Nathan for You,” “Another Period” and, most recently, “Not Safe with Nikki Glaser” and “Idiotsitter.” He was also a key voice in selecting Trevor Noah as the new host of “The Daily Show,” and launching “The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore.”
Alterman also leads the brand’s Talent and Specials team, identifying and developing the next generation of comedy stars, which provide Comedy Central with the most extensive roster of stand-up series and specials in the industry, as well as special event programming such as the Emmy®-nominated “Comedy Central Roast” and “Night of Too Many Stars” autism benefit franchises.
Prior to his current position with Comedy Central, Alterman had an overall film deal with Fox Film Studios. Before that, he directed and executive produced New Line’s feature film “Semi-Pro,” starring Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson and Andre Benjamin. From 2001 to 2006, he served as Executive Vice President at New Line, overseeing a diverse slate of films including perennial Christmas hit, “Elf,” and multiple Oscar nominated films, “A History of Violence” and “Little Children.”
In Alterman’s first stint at Comedy Central, he served as head of New York development from 1996 to 2000. During that time he oversaw development and production on such series as “Strangers with Candy,” “Upright Citizens Brigade” and “TV Funhouse.” Early in his career, he worked with Michael Moore as a writer, director and producer on the Emmy® Award-winning series “TV Nation.”
Alterman is based in Viacom’s Santa Monica offices and reports to Doug Herzog, President, Viacom Music & Entertainment Group.
