Boden's gameshow passion prevails in job quest
One man's infatuation becomes a cable powerhouse
As the recently appointed senior VP of programming at the Game Show Network, Boden has built a career around a genre he has always been infatuated with.
"The first gameshow I ever attended in person was 'Password' when I was 6 years old," says the New York-raised Boden.
With an early goal to become a gameshow host, the 1981 UCLA grad found initial work as a production assistant on the short-lived gameshow "Temptation." After a yearlong stint in research at Paramount, an opportunity to join the management training program at CBS led to a job in daytime programming where he supervised the production on gameshows "Press Your Luck," "The $25,000 Pyramid" and "Card Sharks."
Career determination
"When CBS asked me where I wanted to be after finishing the training program, daytime was my first option," says Boden. "It was the way I could get the closest to gameshows."
After stints at Barry & Enright Prods., ABC and Buena Vista, a consulting opportunity at the Game Show Channel (now the Game Show Network) in 1991 gave Boden an early taste of the network focused on his favorite pastime.
"From the moment I walked in to the Game Show Channel, I knew this would become a cable force to reckon with," notes Boden. "The goal from day one was to offer a potpourri of new and classic gameshow titles."
He would go on to build a career at Fox Family Channel, Nickelodeon, Pearson Television, Telepictures, Studios USA, Vin di Bona Prods., Twentieth Television and, most recently, as senior VP, production and development at Dick Clark Prods. It's his current tenure, however, at the Game Show Network that offers the greatest creative opportunity.
"Thanks to 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,' the TV industry has revisited the gameshow genre," says Boden. "The networks have responded by making this format an integral part of their lineups. Hopefully we'll be able to take full advantage of this momentum."
