Conflict of Interest taints US Kath & Kim boss

Ben Silverman, the celebrated wunderkind of American television, is about to sell a division of his production company, Reveille, after conflict of interest claims have been levelled against him.

Silverman was hired as an NBC executive in May, but since then many of Reveille’s own shows have gotten up.

Kath and Kim is one of several projects that had languished with NBC prior to Silverman moving in. He was most recently quoted as saying it was “ready to shoot”, despite no word on the casting of ‘Kim.’

Reveille 3, which also produces The Office, Ugly Betty (ABC) and The Biggest Loser, looks like it may be picked up by British production company, Shine, run by Elisabeth Murdoch, Rupert’s daughter.

According to the LA Times, Silverman will retain foreign rights to Kath and Kim in any divesting of Reveille 3.

Conflict of interest for Producers turned Executives is not exclusive to Hollywood. In Australia, a former CEO of one TV network also had to extricate himself from the rights to a miniseries that was about to get the thumbs up under his own reign. He smartly tied up loose ends before the media could pounce.