Donald Taffner, Jr grew up in the television industry learning how to read a ratings book at the age of 9. But that should be no surprise given he is the son of Don Taffner, the Emmy award winning founder of DLT Entertainment Ltd.
After a stint in Ireland, Taffner founded a new sales division at DLT focusing exclusively on local public television stations. Today, DLT’s public television sales division is the leading independent supplier of programming to these stations featuring shows from Fremantle, ITV Global Entertainment and many other independent producers and distributors. A testament to this division’s success is the choice by stations of a package of DLT programs rather than a PBS package to fill the hole in the schedules created when MYSTERY! was put on hiatus several years ago.
The UK’s most popular sitcom MY FAMILY, fulfilled Taffner’s vision to bring an established US “showrunner” to the UK to produce a show in a modified US style with a table of writers. Today 127 episodes have been produced over 11 series. Similar projects are at various stages of development at other UK broadcasters
He also was Executive Producer of AS TIME GOES BY, starring Dame Judi Dench and Geoffrey Palmer, as well as two Reunion Specials both produced in association with DLT’s sister company, The Theatre Of Comedy (owner of London’s Shaftesbury theatre), was also under his stewardship.
In addition to his duties at DLT Entertainment, Don was the founding Co-Chairman of the Internet Committee of The International Council of The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences of which he is now Director. He is also a trustee of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts New York.
