Carolyn Strauss
Carolyn Strauss is an American television producer and executive. She was promoted to HBO's head of original programming in 1990 and commissioned widely successful HBO series such as The Sopranos, The Wire, Six Feet Under, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Sex and the City. After 10 months as president of HBO's entertainment division, she left the position to focus on her producing career in 2008; she was given a production deal with HBO and has since served as an executive producer on series such as Treme, Game of Thrones, Luck, and The Last of Us.
Early life
Carolyn Strauss was born into a Jewish family in Scarsdale, New York, on July 13, 1963. She graduated from Harvard University with a BA in History.Career
Although she had no intentions of working in television, Strauss started her career as a temp in the documentaries department of HBO's New York City branch in 1986. Within 10 months, she had secured a full-time job there as the assistant to the head of original programming.In 1990, she was promoted to HBO's head of original programming and moved to Los Angeles, where she later commissioned widely successful HBO series such as The Sopranos, The Wire, Six Feet Under, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Sex and the City. She was upped to EVP, original programming, in 2002, and entertainment president in 2004.
After 10 months of serving as president of HBO's entertainment division, she left the position to focus on her producing career in 2008. She was given a production deal with HBO and has since served as an executive producer on series such as Game of Thrones, Treme, Luck, Somebody Somewhere, and The Last of Us. In 2020, she joined Sister, which has built upon Featherstone’s scripted indie, Sister Pictures.
Personal life
Strauss is gay. She has lived in Los Angeles since 1990.In August 2015, Strauss and 97 other members of Los Angeles' Jewish community signed an open letter supporting the Iran nuclear deal framework.