Dan Abrams
Encyclopedia
Dan Abrams is an American television host, legal commentator, web entrepreneur and best-selling author. He is currently Legal Analyst at ABC News
Good Morning America (GMA), and a substitute anchor for the network. He formerly served as Chief Legal Analyst for NBC News
, as General Manager
of MSNBC and as an anchor
for that network. He is the host of Investigation Discovery's "Chasing Justice with Dan Abrams." His book, Man Down: Proof Beyond A Reasonable Doubt That Women Are Better Cops, Drivers, Gamblers, Spies, World Leaders, Beer Tasters, Hedge Fund Managers, and Just About Everything Else., was recently named a Washington Post best seller. Abrams is currently the publisher of six web properties: Mediaite
, a media news website, Geekosystem, a site devoted to tech and geek culture, Styleite which covers beauty and fashion, Sportsgrid, which follows sports and sports-related media, Gossip Cop, a site devoted to policing the celebrity gossip industry, The Mary Sue, a site for female geeks, and The Jane Dough, about women in business. Together, the Abrams Media Network is doing close to 11 million unique visitors per month.
He is also the CEO of Abrams Research, a digital media strategy firm.
to Floyd Abrams
, an attorney, and Efrat Abrams. He graduated from Riverdale Country School
in 1984. He received his B.A.
cum laude in political science from Duke University
in 1988. While at Duke, he anchored newscasts on the student run channel Cable 13, and joined Delta Tau Delta
fraternity. He received his Juris Doctor
(J.D.) from Columbia University Law School in 1992.
, Abrams worked as a reporter for Court TV
where he was lauded for his coverage of the OJ Simpson case. He also covered the International War Crimes Tribunal from the Netherlands
, and the assisted-suicide trials of Dr. Jack Kevorkian
from Michigan
. His first job, however, was working as an intern for the Manhattan Borough president.
. Abrams and partner Pete Williams were on the Supreme Court steps when the pamphlet was handed out, and they became the first network correspondents to correctly interpret the decision as the country anxiously awaited the outcome. No other networks had live coverage of the decision so fast. Shortly thereafter Abrams began hosting his own show at MSNBC, and The Abrams Report
began in 2001. Abrams hosted The Abrams Report until he accepted the lead managerial position at MSNBC. Abrams held the position of General Manager
of MSNBC from June 12, 2006 until October 2007. With ratings up 62% during his tenure, Abrams left to concentrate on his 9pm show Live with Dan Abrams, which replaced Scarborough Country
due to Joe Scarborough
's move to mornings. This show would eventually be revamped and renamed Verdict with Dan Abrams
, which aired until August 21, 2008. MSNBC announced on August 19, 2008 that Air America Radio
host Rachel Maddow
would take over that 9 PM time slot beginning September 8, 2008. At that time, Abrams took on additional duties with NBC News including substituting as an anchor on the Today show.
, a media news site Abrams described as "appreciating the celebrity of the media," with Managing Editor Colby Hall
noting that it "plays into the vanity of these individuals" without being "over-snarky or mean and nasty".
The site combines editorial content with analytic rankings of media personalities. It has been a runaway success in the year since its launch, and is regularly in Technorati's list of the top 20 blogs in the country.
, a media watchdog site that patrols the celebrity gossip universe. The site has been described as "TMZ
meets Smoking Gun
". The site rates gossip rumors on a 0-10 scale. The site regularly surpasses 1 million unique visitors per month.
, Geekosystem, was launched on January 25, 2010. Geekosystem covers "geek" culture, following developments in science, technology, and internet memes and culture. Abrams described the site upon launch as "a broader interest site that will celebrate and cover everything from technology and science fiction to video games and comics." The site recently surpassed 1 million unique viewers per month.
The site was created with the goal of "highlighting women in the geek world, and providing a prominent place for the voices of geek women." similar to sister site Geekosystem.
According to industry trade publications such as PRWeek, the business has thrived. In June, 2010 Abrams announced that based on the success of his five web properties, that Abrams Research would shift its focus and advise businesses exclusively on digital media strategy. While continuing to use the expert network model, they would employ only digital media experts rather than journalists.
magazine, The American Lawyer
, and the Yale Law & Policy Review
. He has also written for online media properties such as the Huffington Post and the Daily Beast. He is a regular columnist for Men's Health
." He is also one of the owners of The Lion, a restaurant in New York City.
actress Elisabeth Rohm
from 2003-04. Since 2007, it has been reported that he dated Dexter
guest star Jaime Murray
, model Elle Macpherson
, and Renée Zellweger
. He is a vegetarian.
Abrams' sister, Ronnie Abrams
, was nominated for a federal judgeship by President Barack Obama
in 2011.
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
Good Morning America (GMA), and a substitute anchor for the network. He formerly served as Chief Legal Analyst for NBC News
NBC News
NBC News is the news division of American television network NBC. It first started broadcasting in February 21, 1940. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is...
, as General Manager
General manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
of MSNBC and as an anchor
News presenter
A news presenter is a person who presents news during a news program in the format of a television show, on the radio or the Internet.News presenters can work in a radio studio, television studio and from remote broadcasts in the field especially weather...
for that network. He is the host of Investigation Discovery's "Chasing Justice with Dan Abrams." His book, Man Down: Proof Beyond A Reasonable Doubt That Women Are Better Cops, Drivers, Gamblers, Spies, World Leaders, Beer Tasters, Hedge Fund Managers, and Just About Everything Else., was recently named a Washington Post best seller. Abrams is currently the publisher of six web properties: Mediaite
Mediaite
Mediaite is a news and opinion blog covering politics and entertainment in the media industry as well as other issues. It is the flagship blog of Abrams Media, a ring of blogs run by ABC legal analyst Dan Abrams and also featuring Gossip Cop, Geekosystem, Styleite, Sports Grid, The Mary Sue and...
, a media news website, Geekosystem, a site devoted to tech and geek culture, Styleite which covers beauty and fashion, Sportsgrid, which follows sports and sports-related media, Gossip Cop, a site devoted to policing the celebrity gossip industry, The Mary Sue, a site for female geeks, and The Jane Dough, about women in business. Together, the Abrams Media Network is doing close to 11 million unique visitors per month.
He is also the CEO of Abrams Research, a digital media strategy firm.
Education
Abrams was born in ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
to Floyd Abrams
Floyd Abrams
Floyd Abrams is an American attorney at Cahill Gordon & Reindel. He is an expert on constitutional law, and many arguments in the briefs he has written before the United States Supreme Court have been adopted as United States Constitutional interpretative law as it relates to the First Amendment...
, an attorney, and Efrat Abrams. He graduated from Riverdale Country School
Riverdale Country School
Riverdale Country School is a co-educational, independent, college-preparatory day school in New York City. One of the most competitive private schools in the nation, it is located on two campuses covering more than in the Riverdale section of The Bronx, New York.-History:Founded in 1907 by Dr...
in 1984. He received his B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
cum laude in political science from Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
in 1988. While at Duke, he anchored newscasts on the student run channel Cable 13, and joined Delta Tau Delta
Delta Tau Delta
Delta Tau Delta is a U.S.-based international secret letter college fraternity. Delta Tau Delta was founded in 1858 at Bethany College, Bethany, Virginia, . It currently has around 125 student chapters nationwide, as well as more than 25 regional alumni groups. Its national community service...
fraternity. He received his Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
(J.D.) from Columbia University Law School in 1992.
Before MSNBC
Before joining NBC NewsNBC News
NBC News is the news division of American television network NBC. It first started broadcasting in February 21, 1940. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is...
, Abrams worked as a reporter for Court TV
Court TV
truTV is an American cable television network owned by Turner Broadcasting, a subsidiary of Time Warner. The network launched as Court TV in 1991, changing to truTV in 2008...
where he was lauded for his coverage of the OJ Simpson case. He also covered the International War Crimes Tribunal from the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, and the assisted-suicide trials of Dr. Jack Kevorkian
Jack Kevorkian
Jacob "Jack" Kevorkian , commonly known as "Dr. Death", was an American pathologist, euthanasia activist, painter, composer and instrumentalist. He is best known for publicly championing a terminal patient's right to die via physician-assisted suicide; he said he assisted at least 130 patients to...
from Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. His first job, however, was working as an intern for the Manhattan Borough president.
MSNBC
Abrams was an NBC reporter in 2000 when he covered Bush v. GoreBush v. Gore
Bush v. Gore, , is the landmark United States Supreme Court decision on December 12, 2000, that effectively resolved the 2000 presidential election in favor of George W. Bush. Only eight days earlier, the United States Supreme Court had unanimously decided the closely related case of Bush v...
. Abrams and partner Pete Williams were on the Supreme Court steps when the pamphlet was handed out, and they became the first network correspondents to correctly interpret the decision as the country anxiously awaited the outcome. No other networks had live coverage of the decision so fast. Shortly thereafter Abrams began hosting his own show at MSNBC, and The Abrams Report
The Abrams Report
The Abrams Report was an American television program on MSNBC, focusing on legal and tabloid issues....
began in 2001. Abrams hosted The Abrams Report until he accepted the lead managerial position at MSNBC. Abrams held the position of General Manager
General manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
of MSNBC from June 12, 2006 until October 2007. With ratings up 62% during his tenure, Abrams left to concentrate on his 9pm show Live with Dan Abrams, which replaced Scarborough Country
Scarborough Country
Scarborough Country was an opinion/analysis show broadcast on MSNBC Monday - Thursday at 9 P.M. ET. It was hosted by former congressman Joe Scarborough....
due to Joe Scarborough
Joe Scarborough
Charles Joseph "Joe" Scarborough is an American cable news and talk radio host, lawyer, author, and former politician. He is currently the host of Morning Joe on MSNBC, and previously hosted Scarborough Country on the same channel...
's move to mornings. This show would eventually be revamped and renamed Verdict with Dan Abrams
Verdict with Dan Abrams
Verdict with Dan Abrams was a newscast on MSNBC, hosted by former MSNBC general manager Dan Abrams. It aired Monday-Friday at 9 p.m. Eastern.-Timeline:...
, which aired until August 21, 2008. MSNBC announced on August 19, 2008 that Air America Radio
Air America Radio
Air America was an American radio network specializing in progressive talk programming...
host Rachel Maddow
Rachel Maddow
Rachel Anne Maddow is an American television host and political commentator. Maddow hosts a nightly television show, The Rachel Maddow Show, on MSNBC. Her syndicated talk radio program, The Rachel Maddow Show, aired on Air America Radio...
would take over that 9 PM time slot beginning September 8, 2008. At that time, Abrams took on additional duties with NBC News including substituting as an anchor on the Today show.
ABC
In March 2011, Abrams left NBC to be a Legal Analyst for ABC News and a substitute anchor on Good Morning America.Mediaite
In July 2009, Abrams launched MediaiteMediaite
Mediaite is a news and opinion blog covering politics and entertainment in the media industry as well as other issues. It is the flagship blog of Abrams Media, a ring of blogs run by ABC legal analyst Dan Abrams and also featuring Gossip Cop, Geekosystem, Styleite, Sports Grid, The Mary Sue and...
, a media news site Abrams described as "appreciating the celebrity of the media," with Managing Editor Colby Hall
Colby Hall
Colby Hall can refer to:* Colby Hall , listed on the NRHP* Colby Hall , * Colby Hall ,...
noting that it "plays into the vanity of these individuals" without being "over-snarky or mean and nasty".
The site combines editorial content with analytic rankings of media personalities. It has been a runaway success in the year since its launch, and is regularly in Technorati's list of the top 20 blogs in the country.
Gossip Cop
Later that month, Abrams and Michael Lewittes launched Gossip CopGossip Cop
Gossip Cop is a website based in New York City that patrols the celebrity gossip industry in search of debunking fake/untrue rumors that are posted in print or online. Co-Founders Michael Lewittes and Dan Abrams have been on Good Morning America and The Today Show the morning of the launch to...
, a media watchdog site that patrols the celebrity gossip universe. The site has been described as "TMZ
TMZ.com
TMZ.com is a celebrity news website that debuted on November 8, 2005. It was a collaboration between America Online and Telepictures Productions, a division of Warner Bros., until Time Warner divested AOL in 2009. However, it is still affiliated with AOL News and has the AOL News logo affixed in...
meets Smoking Gun
Smoking gun
The term "smoking gun" was originally, and is still primarily, a reference to an object or fact that serves as conclusive evidence of a crime or similar act. In addition to this, its meaning has evolved in uses completely unrelated to criminal activity: for example, scientific evidence that is...
". The site rates gossip rumors on a 0-10 scale. The site regularly surpasses 1 million unique visitors per month.
Geekosystem
The first official "offspring" of flagship blog MediaiteMediaite
Mediaite is a news and opinion blog covering politics and entertainment in the media industry as well as other issues. It is the flagship blog of Abrams Media, a ring of blogs run by ABC legal analyst Dan Abrams and also featuring Gossip Cop, Geekosystem, Styleite, Sports Grid, The Mary Sue and...
, Geekosystem, was launched on January 25, 2010. Geekosystem covers "geek" culture, following developments in science, technology, and internet memes and culture. Abrams described the site upon launch as "a broader interest site that will celebrate and cover everything from technology and science fiction to video games and comics." The site recently surpassed 1 million unique viewers per month.
Styleite
Abrams' foray into fashion, Styleite, was launched on March 25. Functioning for fashion the way Mediaite does for journalism, Styleite features both news and opinion content and a fashion version of the "Power Grid," which ranks designers, models, writers, and others in the style business based on influence and following. Styleite also features a social networking wing called "Style Sheets", in which readers are encouraged to offer up their daily fashion choices and comment on others.Sports Grid
Sports Grid was launched in May 2010. One of the site's features, according to the Sports Business Journal, is a Power Grid "tabulated by using a specially developed algorithm that pools a variety of metrics, including TV ratings; Web traffic and circulation counts; attendance; number of Twitter followers; on-field performance for players and coaches; and franchise values." The site offers sports media news and opinion.The Mary Sue
The Mary Sue was launched by Abrams Media on February 28 2011.The site was created with the goal of "highlighting women in the geek world, and providing a prominent place for the voices of geek women." similar to sister site Geekosystem.
The Jane Dough
The Jane Dough was originally launched as Mogulite in April 2011, but was rebranded to focus on women in business after seeing how well its female-oriented content performed. As The Jane Dough, the site will explore the world of business through the female prism, celebrate women who’ve found success, call out sexism, and dissect how powerful women are treated in the media.Abrams Research
Abrams Research is a firm dedicated to helping clients develop their social media strategy. The goal is to marry new media tools with old media values, improving businesses' relationships with their consumers and driving traffic to their web properties.According to industry trade publications such as PRWeek, the business has thrived. In June, 2010 Abrams announced that based on the success of his five web properties, that Abrams Research would shift its focus and advise businesses exclusively on digital media strategy. While continuing to use the expert network model, they would employ only digital media experts rather than journalists.
Other accomplishments
Abrams has also published articles in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, USA TodayUSA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
magazine, The American Lawyer
The American Lawyer
The American Lawyer is a monthly law magazine published by ALM. It was founded in 1979 by Steven Brill. Features include the annual AmLaw 100 Survey and AmLaw 200 Survey , "The View From the Top", their annual poll of law firm chairpersons, and their "Corporate Scorecard"...
, and the Yale Law & Policy Review
Yale Law & Policy Review
The Yale Law & Policy Review is a biannual student-run law review at the Yale Law School covering the intersection of law and policy. Its Bluebook abbreviation is Yale L. & Pol'y Rev...
. He has also written for online media properties such as the Huffington Post and the Daily Beast. He is a regular columnist for Men's Health
Men's Health (magazine)
Men's Health , published by Rodale Inc. in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, United States, is the world’s largest men’s magazine brand, with 44 editions around the world. It is also the best-selling men's magazine on U.S. newsstands. It covers fitness, nutrition, sexuality, lifestyle and other aspects of...
." He is also one of the owners of The Lion, a restaurant in New York City.
Personal life
Abrams has never married. He dated and later lived with Law & OrderLaw & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
actress Elisabeth Rohm
Elisabeth Röhm
Elisabeth Röhm is a German-born American television actress. She is known for playing Assistant District Attorney Serena Southerlyn in the American TV series Law & Order, and as Detective Kate Lockley in the TV series Angel....
from 2003-04. Since 2007, it has been reported that he dated Dexter
Dexter (TV series)
Dexter is an American television drama series, which debuted on Showtime on October 1, 2006. The sixth season premiered on October 2, 2011. The series centers on Dexter Morgan , a bloodstain pattern analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department who moonlights as a serial killer...
guest star Jaime Murray
Jaime Murray
Jaime Murray is an English actress, best known for playing Stacie Monroe in Hustle and Lila Tournay in season two of the Showtime series Dexter. She has also had recurring roles as H.G...
, model Elle Macpherson
Elle Macpherson
Elle Macpherson is an Australian model, actress, and businesswoman nicknamed "The Body". She is perhaps best known for her record five cover appearances for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue beginning in the 1980s...
, and Renée Zellweger
Renée Zellweger
Renée Kathleen Zellweger is an American actress and producer. Zellweger first gained widespread attention for her role in the film Jerry Maguire , and subsequently received two nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her roles as Bridget Jones in the comedy Bridget Jones's Diary ...
. He is a vegetarian.
Abrams' sister, Ronnie Abrams
Ronnie Abrams
Ronnie Abrams is an attorney for Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York and a current federal judicial nominee for the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.-Early life and education:...
, was nominated for a federal judgeship by President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
in 2011.