The Multitaskers: Ryan Seacrest

Head of Ryan Seacrest Productions, “American Idol” host

By Josef Adalian

Mr. Seacrest has often cited Dick Clark as his role model, but at the rate he’s going, the “American Idol” host could soon make Mr. Clark look like a shlepper.

Leave aside his dominance of radio, where he hosts nearly enough shows to fill his own station. And while on “American Idol” he’s not quite as indispensible as Simon Cowell, Mr. Seacrest has become an essential part of the “Idol” formula. He is the smiling face of the entire reality genre, an unthreatening visage for an often controversial business. No surprise that he’s also a spokesman for Crest.

After “Idol” became a hit, Mr. Seacrest found a way to leverage his hosting abilities to further his Ryan Seacrest Productions banner. He agreed to become the face of E! Entertainment Television—hosting its nightly newscast and awards coverage—in exchange for a wide-ranging production deal that has already yielded results: “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” was a hit for E!, which this summer launched a Denise Richards reality show from Mr. Seacrest. At MTV, he’s developing “Bromance” with Brody Jenner of “The Hills.” And Mr. Seacrest is poised to make his debut as a network TV producer via NBC’s upcoming “Momma’s Boys.”

Mr. Seacrest seems poised to expand RSP even further over the next few months: He recently hired Adam Sher—his former agent at the William Morris Agency—to serve as his production partner.

Dream collaboration: Jay-Z.