Talent Connect

Andy Cohen to Keynote at Talent Connect Anaheim in October

Andy Cohen, an Emmy Award-winning host, producer, author and the former executive vice president of development and talent at Bravo Media who helped create shows like "Top Chef" and "The Millionaire Matchmaker", will be the closing keynote speaker at the LinkedIn Talent Connect Anaheim conference this October.

“I love sharing what I’ve learned about business from my own experience with other people,” Cohen said. “There’s power in saving others from making the same mistakes I have!”

For his keynote, the host and executive producer of the nightly talk show "Watch What Happens Live" will discuss how his own unconventional career path, along with his successful 10-year run as head of talent at Bravo, has changed the way he looks at talent. The biggest lesson he’s learned about recruiting?

“Passion is something that I respond to,” Cohen said. “If someone comes to me and knows and loves my brand, that’s half of what they need.”

To see Andy Cohen live (and mingle with some of the world's most innovative talent acquisition leaders), register to attend Talent Connect.

A little bit about Cohen

Cohen, 47, hails from St. Louis, Missouri, and graduated from Boston University with a degree in journalism. After college, he spent 10 years at CBS News, working his way up to senior producer of "The Early Show". In 2000, he became vice president of original programming at the cable network Trio, where he won a Peabody Award for his work as executive producer of the documentary "The N-Word."

In 2004, Bravo acquired Trio, and added Cohen to its ranks. There, he helped build the network to the prominence it enjoys today, including creating the popular "Real Housewives" franchise.

Cohen agreed that the key to any successful show is talent, with no better example than the Real Housewives shows. So what does he look for in a real housewife?

“People who are outspoken, funny and original and aren’t afraid of sharing their lives with the world,” Cohen said.

He also helped discover Patti Stanger, the acclaimed host of "The Millionaire Matchmaker." Cohen said he knew she’d be a star immediately, as “she is hard to take your eyes off of."

In 2009, Cohen began hosting "Watch What Happens Live" on Bravo, a nightly talk show based in New York City that covers pop culture. There, he interacts with viewers in real time, both via the phone and through social media.

Cohen has also hosted two Miss Universe pageants, authored the New York Times best-sellers “The Andy Cohen Diaries: A Deep Look At a Shallow Year” and “Most Talkative: Stories From the Front Lines of Pop Culture" and is a frequent guest on a wide variety of shows, including "Today" and "Morning Joe". But perhaps his most noteworthy appearance was his performance on Spike TV’s "Lip Sync Battle", where he captured hearts across the globe with his rendition of “I Found Someone” by Cher:

A little bit about Talent Connect

Talent Connect is a conference led by and designed for talent acquisition leaders and their teams.

This year's conference will run from Oct. 13-15 at the Anaheim Convention Center in California. Learn more about the conference and view this years agenda

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