Drew Cummings(1948-2018)
- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Drew Cummings is an American television producer, director, writer, and media consultant known for his pioneering work in the "behind-the-scenes" documentary format. Throughout a career spanning over four decades, he has significantly influenced traditional television syndication, premium network production, and early-stage digital streaming infrastructure.
In the 1980s, Cummings served as the President and CEO of Cummings Entertainment Corp. in Burbank, California, where he created and produced the award-winning syndicated series The Making Of.... The series, which took viewers behind the scenes of major motion pictures including The Terminator, RoboCop, and A Nightmare on Elm Street, was sold to a majority of U.S. television markets and over 20 foreign countries, establishing a new documentary genre.
During the mid-1990s, Cummings served as Vice President of Direct Response for 20th Century Fox, where he developed marketing campaigns for prominent properties such as The Simpsons franchise and contributed to the launch strategies for the Fox FX Cable Network.
As an architect of early internet streaming, Cummings founded the Alternative Entertainment Network, Inc. (AENTV) in 1995. Under his leadership, AENTV pioneered commercial models for streaming video content, forming strategic partnerships with Microsoft, RealNetworks, and major media brands like Billboard Magazine and The Hollywood Reporter. The network produced over 1,200 programs before being acquired by the Ampex Corporation in 1999.
Cummings has also held roles as an Artist in Residence and Visiting Professor at Miami Dade College, where he co-authored and secured a multi-year federal/county grant to operate a public access network, and worked with the Telemundo Network to develop a curriculum for the world’s first Telenovela writer's school. Additionally, he has provided strategic media consulting for government projects, including film and tourism development for the governments of the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas.
In the 1980s, Cummings served as the President and CEO of Cummings Entertainment Corp. in Burbank, California, where he created and produced the award-winning syndicated series The Making Of.... The series, which took viewers behind the scenes of major motion pictures including The Terminator, RoboCop, and A Nightmare on Elm Street, was sold to a majority of U.S. television markets and over 20 foreign countries, establishing a new documentary genre.
During the mid-1990s, Cummings served as Vice President of Direct Response for 20th Century Fox, where he developed marketing campaigns for prominent properties such as The Simpsons franchise and contributed to the launch strategies for the Fox FX Cable Network.
As an architect of early internet streaming, Cummings founded the Alternative Entertainment Network, Inc. (AENTV) in 1995. Under his leadership, AENTV pioneered commercial models for streaming video content, forming strategic partnerships with Microsoft, RealNetworks, and major media brands like Billboard Magazine and The Hollywood Reporter. The network produced over 1,200 programs before being acquired by the Ampex Corporation in 1999.
Cummings has also held roles as an Artist in Residence and Visiting Professor at Miami Dade College, where he co-authored and secured a multi-year federal/county grant to operate a public access network, and worked with the Telemundo Network to develop a curriculum for the world’s first Telenovela writer's school. Additionally, he has provided strategic media consulting for government projects, including film and tourism development for the governments of the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas.
