Former NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell is in talks to join RedBird Capital Partners

Former NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell is in talks to join RedBird Capital Partners

Jeff Shell, whose tenure at NBCUniversal ended abruptly last spring, is in advanced talks to join private equity firm RedBird Capital Partners.

The director, who has already worked informally at the company, is currently in negotiations to come on board full-time early next year, a company representative told Deadline.

The Wall Street Journal had the first report on the negotiations.

Shell left NBCU last April after an internal investigation uncovered an “inappropriate” relationship with a colleague, later identified as a reporter and anchor at CNBC. In the months following Shell’s departure, Comcast President Mike Cavanagh took over Shell’s supervisory duties and handed out promotions to key NBCU executives such as Donna Langley and Mark Lazarus.

Led by former Goldman Sachs banker Gerry Cardinale, RedBird has made a number of high-profile investments in entertainment and sports. It helped fund Skydance Media, the YES Network and Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s Artists Equity. RedBird also teamed up with Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia to buy the XFL out of bankruptcy. The alternative professional football league recently announced a merger with the USFL.

Shell gets a ticket for entertainment and sports training at RedBird, a role that Disney CEO Bob Iger once discussed in the media company’s corner office during his break between runs. However, RedBird’s activities differ from those of another former NBCU boss, Jeff Zucker, who is CEO of RedBird IMI. The newly formed company is a joint venture between the private equity firm and Abu Dhabi-based International Media Investments.

Source: Deadline

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