Steve Sohmer

Steve Sohmer (born June 26, 1941 in Savannah, Georgia) is a Shakespearean scholar, author of fiction and nonfiction books, television writer and producer, and former network television and motion picture studio executive. In 1966, his first novel, The Way It Was was published by Robert Gottlieb of Simon & Schuster. The book received positive reviews and was chosen by The New York Times as one of the twenty best novels of the year. In 1967, Sohmer was named creative director of the Bureau of Advertising of the American Newspaper Publishers Association. In 1972, Sohmer left the Bureau to establish his own media promotion firm in partnership with The Minneapolis Star and Tribune Company. For the next five years the New York-based company created slide and film sales presentations for media clients. In 1977, Sohmer was named Vice President, Marketing and Promotion, of the CBS Television Network. Sohmer supervised the marketing of CBS Entertainment, CBS News and CBS Sports. Sohmer's promotion launched Dallas, The Dukes of Hazzard, The Incredible Hulk, Alice, and other long-running hits. His movie marketing campaigns brought viewers to Skokie, Playing for Time and Fallen Angel.