At just 41, Ben Winston — the guest on this episode of The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast — is one of the top TV producers in show business. The Brit first made his name in America eight years ago when he became the youngest EP of an American late night show ever, CBS’s The Late Late Show with James Corden, which was to be hosted by his countryman and dear friend James Corden.
Over the years since, while producing that show from its inception in 2015 through its conclusion earlier this year, Winston has, through Fulwell 73 — the company that he founded and runs with Leo Pearlman, Benjamin Turner and Gabe Turner, as well as Corden, which Variety described as “the go-to production house for A-list talent in unscripted event programming” — taken on a wide variety of other producing gigs as well. Among them: award shows including half of the EGOT, the Grammys and the Tonys; concert specials starring Adele, Harry Styles and Bruno Mars; Max’s Friends Reunion; and Hulu’s The Kardashians.
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Winston has to his name 33 Emmy nominations — including eight in 2019 alone, a record for most nominations for an individual in a single year — 12 of which have resulted in statuettes. And he heads into this year’s Emmys with an opportunity to pick up two more: best variety special (live) for Disney+’s Elton John Live: Farewell from Dodger Stadium, which live-streamed Elton John’s final concert in North America, and best short form comedy, drama or variety series for Apple TV+’s Carpool Karaoke: The Series, a spinoff of The Late Late Show‘s most popular recurring segment.
Over the course of this conversation, Winston — described by Forbes as “one of the most successful producers in TV,” by The Times of London as “one of the most powerful people in television” and by Business Insider as “one of the most influential TV producers on the planet” — reflected on how he first crossed paths with Corden, and what his life and work in the U.K. was like prior to Corden asking him to join him in moving to America to launch The Late Late Show; how Carpool Karaoke came together, and why it took off; why he began focusing on into live TV production, and feels that producing the Grammys is the toughest job in showbiz; what he would do to fix the Oscars; plus much more.
