{{Short description|American television producer (1953–2012)}} {{Use American English|date=March 2026}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2026}} {{infobox person | name = Jim Paratore | birth_name = James Paratore | birth_place = New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | birth_date = {{birth date text|August 13, 1953}} | death_place = Paris, France | death_date = {{death-date and age|May 29, 2012|August 13, 1953}} | education = Loyola University New Orleans | occupation = Television producer, television executive | known_for = {{bulleted|''The Ellen DeGeneres Show''|''The Tyra Banks Show''| ''The Rosie O'Donnell Show''| ''The Bachelor''| ''TMZ on TV''}} | notable_works = Vice president for Domestic TV Distribution at Warner Brothers }}
'''James Paratore''' (August 13, 1953 – May 29, 2012) was an American television producer and longtime Warner Bros executive whose credits included ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'', ''The Tyra Banks Show'', and ''The Rosie O'Donnell Show''.<ref name=wp>{{cite news|title=Deaths of note: Edgar 'Buddy' Freitag, Michael O’Neill, Jim Paratore |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/2012/05/31/gJQAwEKz4U_story.html |work=The Washington Post |date=2012-05-31 |access-date=2012-06-17}}</ref><ref name=bc>{{cite news|title=Jim Paratore Passes Away – Longtime Telepictures, Warner Bros. exec produced 'TMZ,' 'Ellen DeGeneres,' 'Rosie O'Donnell' and many other programs |url=http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/485204-Jim_Paratore_Passes_Away.php |work=Broadcasting and Cable |date=2012-05-29 |access-date=2012-06-18}}</ref> Paratore co-founded the TMZ web site, and the company ParaMedia in 2005 and its companion television show, ''TMZ on TV'', in 2007.<ref name=wp/>
==Biography== ===Early life=== A native of Louisiana, Paratore earned a bachelor's degree in communications from Loyola University New Orleans.<ref name=bc/>
===Career=== Paratore began his career as a programming director for several Florida television stations before joining Telepictures.<ref name=latimes/>
Paratore was the president of Warner Bros. Telepictures Productions from 1992 to 2006.<ref name=wp/> He developed Telepictures' slate of daytime syndicated and prime time reality shows, including ABC's ''The Bachelor''.<ref name=wp/> As President of Telepictures, Paratore oversaw the creation of some of the studio's most prominent shows, including ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'', ''The Rosie O'Donnell Show''<ref name=latimes>{{cite news|first=Joe|last=Flint|title=Jim Paratore, prominent TV executive, dies at 58 |url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-paratore-obit-20120529,0,615118.story |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120530023438/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-paratore-obit-20120529,0,615118.story |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-05-30 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=2012-05-29 |access-date=2012-06-18}}</ref> Paratore remained the executive producer of ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'', the syndicated daytime talk show which debuted in 2003, even after departing his Telepictures in 2006.<ref name=wp/><ref name=latimes/>
In 2005, he partnered with Harvey Levin to create the entertainment web site TMZ and its daily television show.
He also served as the vice president of Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution from 2002 until his death in 2012.<ref name=wp/>
===Death=== Paratore died of a heart attack while bicycling in Paris, France, on May 29, 2012, at the age of 58.<ref name=latimes/> He was survived by his wife Jill Wickert, and daughter, Martini Paratore.<ref name=latimes/>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{IMDb name|id=1404867|name=Jim Paratore}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paratore, Jim}} Category:1953 births Category:2012 deaths Category:American television producers Category:American television executives Category:Loyola University New Orleans alumni Category:Television producers from Louisiana Category:20th-century American businesspeople Category:Businesspeople from Louisiana