The Counselor: Jeanne Newman

Attorney

By Josef Adalian

How much influence does Jeanne Newman have in the reality space? She represents more than a quarter of the other names on this list—including Ryan Seacrest, Endemol, Cris Abrego and Mike Fleiss—in her capacity as the genre’s leading lawyer.

As a partner in Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren & Richman, Ms. Newman also works with a slew of other heavyweight producers in the unscripted world, including Allison Grodner, ShineReveille, David Goffin, R.J. Cutler and the Jay & Tony Show. She’s also got a sterling reputation with all of the network reality chiefs and the agency community—including NBC’s Ben Silverman, whom she repped when he was a producer.

Because she interacts with so many agencies and networks, Ms. Newman always knows what’s going on in the space, even if she’s not personally involved in a project. She’s also a veteran of the reality world, having worked with Mark Itkin to bring “Big Brother” to the U.S. nearly a decade ago. She also helped put together “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.”

Ms. Newman also manages to squeeze in time for her other passion: winemaking. She and husband Gary Newman (chairman of 20th Century Fox TV) launched the Jorian Hill Winery in 2005.

Biggest challenge facing the industry: “The need for new show ideas and buyers willing to take risks in trying something different,” she says.