The UCF Nicholson School of Communication is proud to announce Clay Newbill as the College of Sciences 2009 professional achievement award recipient. A pioneer and innovator of reality television for more than 17 years, Newbill helped launch the famed franchise “The Real World” in 1992. After successful seasons with “The Real World: Los Angeles” and “The Real World: San Francisco,” Newbill then created “Road Rules.” For its first eight seasons, he stayed on as the show runner for the MTV staple.
In 1999, he was again tapped to spearhead a new show, “Making the Band,” which became the first prime-time reality competition program on network TV. In 2000, Newbill and ABC entered a new partnership and served as executive producer of “The Mole,” “The Bachelorette,” “Celebrity Mole, Yucatan,” “The Benefactor,” “The Ultimate Love Test” and “Shark Tank.” He has continued to produce reality television for several networks and cable outlets. Under the banner of his 310 Entertainment Inc. production company, Newbill recently sold Nickelodeon a new game show, “BrainSurge,” which premiered last fall.
Newbill received his B.A. in R/TV and Film in 1982 and continues to give back. During his recent visit to campus, he met with students and gave them a real-world perspective of the highly competitive field.