Felicia Minei Behr
Felicia Minei Behr is an American TV producer and network executive who has worked on three daytime serials. After ABC did not renew her contract, ratings declined on All My Children and never recovered.
Career: Executive Producer
Felicia Minei Behr's seven-year tenure as Executive Producer of All My Children is hailed by many fans as a golden age for the show. The show was revitalized, and throughout her tenure as EP (Head Writers in this period included Margaret DePriest, Agnes Nixon, Megan McTavish and Lorraine Broderick), the show drew critical acclaim and was a consistent #2 in the ratings in the first half of the 1990s.
In late 1996, at the end of her contract with All My Children, Behr was chosen to become Executive Producer of As the World Turns by Procter & Gamble Productions Inc. ATWT had deteriorated considerably in terms of ratings and quality prior to her arrival, and it was hoped that this decline could be reversed. Her tenure as EP drew mixed responses from fans and critics. For example, the decision to recast Connor Walsh from Allyson Rice-Taylor to Susan Batten in early 1997 (although not considered a truly pivotal character on the show) was extremely unpopular and Batten was quickly fired in the summer of that year, whilst the writing tenure of Jessica Klein was seen as failing to significantly improve the quality of the show. In early 1998, Lorraine Broderick became Head Writer and her tenure would draw mixed reviews. Some fans criticized storyline direction in this period, while others claimed the quality of the show improved compared to previous regimes (particularly that of Stephen Black and Henry Stern) and pointed out that ratings stabilized after some years of decline.
On May 28, 1999, Procter & Gamble announced that Minei Behr was being replaced by Christopher Goutman. Statement released by Minei Behr says in part: "I've enjoyed the challenges of turning this show around, CBS generally skews older in demos than other shows I've worked on. Unfortunately, this made it a difficult climate and a formidable struggle to increase demographic ratings without changing the heart of the show or being disloyal to its history and viewers." On June 4, 1999, Behr, along with producers Terri Cacavio, Jennifer Minda and Regina DiMartino, as well as Production Designer Kevin Rupnik, Casting Director Mikie Heilbrun and music director Sybil Costello, worked their last day on ATWT. Goutman began on June 7, 1999. Source: About.com
Positions held
- Executive Producer (1989 - April 1996)
- Associate Producer (1970–1975)
- Executive Producer (December 1996 - July 1999)
- Executive Producer (1988–1989)
- Producer (1982–1988)
- Senior Vice President (May 2000 - May 2004)
Awards and nominations
Daytime Emmy Awards
NOMINATIONS: 8 Noms -(1990–1997; Best Drama Series; All My Children)
WINS: 2 WINS -(1992 & 1994; Best Drama Series; All My Children)
| Preceded by Stephen Schenkel |
Executive Producer of All My Children January 1989 -April 1996 |
Succeeded by Francesca James |
| Preceded by John Valente |
Executive Producer of As the World Turns November 1996 - June 1999 |
Succeeded by Christopher Goutman |
People's Choice Award - win (1995)