Winifred Neisser
Television executive Winifred White Neisser received her B.A. degree with honors from Harvard University’s Radcliffe College in 1974. She received her M.A. degree in Elementary Education from Lesley College. Neisser also completed further graduate work in Communication Arts at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.
Upon graduation, Neisser was hired at NBC where she headed several major divisions. While there, she served as Vice President of Family Programming, Director of Movies for Television and Vice President of Television Movies, NBC Productions. As vice president of family programming at NBC, Neisser oversaw special programming for children and families, including the award-winning miniseries titled, “Jim Henson’s The Storyteller.” Neisser then joined Sony Pictures Television where she served as Senior Vice President of Movies for Television and Miniseries.
Neisser has served on the board of directors for several academic and non-profit institutes. At Harvard University, Neisser was appointed to the Harvard Board of Overseers as well as the Radcliffe Institute’s Advisory Board. She served as Trustee on the board of the Otis College of Design and The Center for Early Education. Neisser was a member of the Television Academy’s Board of Governors for several years. She also served on the boards of Planned Parenthood and the National Guild of Community Arts Schools.
Neisser’s award-winning projects include “A Raisin in the Sun” for ABC, which was nominated for three Emmy Awards and won the Humanitas Award; “Broken Trail,” a western for AMC, which won four Emmy Awards including “Best Miniseries”; “The Company,” a miniseries about the CIA which won the DGA Award and the WGA Award; “Having Our Stay: The Delaney Sisters First 100 Years,” which won a Christopher Award and a Peabody Award; “The Crossing” for the Arts and Entertainment Channel (A & E), which won the Peabody award; “The Beach Boys: An American Family,” which was nominated for an Emmy Award in the category of Best Miniseries; and “Call me Claus,” a Christmas movie which starred Whoopi Goldberg and featured music by Garth Brooks.
Neisser is married to Ken Neisser. They live in Los Angeles and have two children, Nick and Alexis.
Winifred White Neisser was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on November 17, 2013.
A2013.299
Female
11/17/2013
Neisser
Married
White
Radcliffe College
Homestead High School
Emanuel L. Philipp Elementary
Lesley University
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Winifred
Indianapolis
NEI01
Fall
Indiana
Anywhere
Use Common Sense

California
3/23/1953
Los Angeles
United States
Shrimp
Television executive Winifred Neisser (1953 - ) served as Vice President of Movies and Miniseries and Vice President of Family Programming for NBC Productions, and went on to become Senior Vice President of Movies for Television and Miniseries for Sony Pictures Television.
Sony Pictures Television (Columbia Tri-Star Television)
NBC
WMTV
Caribbean School
Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts
Purple
Tape: 1 Story: 1 - Slating of Winifred Neisser's interview
Tape: 1 Story: 2 - Winifred Neisser lists her favorites
Tape: 1 Story: 3 - Winifred Neisser describes her mother's family background
Tape: 1 Story: 4 - Winifred Neisser describes her maternal grandfather's education
Tape: 1 Story: 5 - Winifred Neisser describes her maternal grandparents' move to Indianapolis, Indiana
Tape: 1 Story: 6 - Winifred Neisser talks about her maternal family's emphasis on education
Tape: 1 Story: 7 - Winifred Neisser describes her father's family background
Tape: 1 Story: 8 - Winifred Neisser talks about how her parents met
Tape: 1 Story: 9 - Winifred Neisser recalls her parents' decision to move to Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Tape: 2 Story: 1 - Winifred Neisser describes her parents' personalities
Tape: 2 Story: 2 - Winifred Neisser describes her mother's community involvement
Tape: 2 Story: 3 - Winifred Neisser lists her siblings
Tape: 2 Story: 4 - Winifred Neisser describes her earliest childhood memory
Tape: 2 Story: 5 - Winifred Neisser remembers Emanuel L. Philipp Elementary School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin].
Tape: 2 Story: 6 - Winifred Neisser recalls moving to Mequon, Wisconsin, pt. 1
Tape: 2 Story: 7 - Winifred Neisser recalls moving to Mequon, Wisconsin, pt. 2
Tape: 2 Story: 8 - Winifred Neisser describes her experiences at Homestead High School in Mequon, Wisconsin
Tape: 3 Story: 1 - Winifred Neisser describes her academic and extracurricular involvement in high school
Tape: 3 Story: 2 - Winifred Neisser describes her early exposure to black media
Tape: 3 Story: 3 - Winifred Neisser talks about her early experiences of religion, pt. 1
Tape: 3 Story: 4 - Winifred Neisser talks about her early experiences of religion, pt. 2
Tape: 3 Story: 5 - Winifred Neisser remembers her college applications
Tape: 3 Story: 6 - Winifred Neisser recalls her start at Radcliffe College in Cambridge, Massachusetts, pt. 1
Tape: 3 Story: 7 - Winifred Neisser recalls her start at Radcliffe College in Cambridge, Massachusetts, pt. 2
Tape: 3 Story: 8 - Winifred Neisser describes her experiences at Harvard University
Tape: 4 Story: 1 - Winifred Neisser describes her extracurricular activities at Radcliffe College in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Tape: 4 Story: 2 - Winifred Neisser remembers hearing Reverend Jesse L. Jackson and Alice Walker speak at Harvard University
Tape: 4 Story: 3 - Winifred Neisser talks about the black student movement at Harvard University
Tape: 4 Story: 4 - Winifred Neisser remembers the influential figures at Harvard University
Tape: 4 Story: 5 - Winifred Neisser recalls her graduation from Radcliffe College
Tape: 4 Story: 6 - Winifred Neisser remembers teaching at the Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts, pt. 1
Tape: 4 Story: 7 - Winifred Neisser remembers teaching at the Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts, pt. 2
Tape: 4 Story: 8 - Winifred Neisser remembers moving to Puerto Rico, pt. 1
Tape: 4 Story: 9 - Winifred Neisser remembers moving to Puerto Rico, pt. 2
Tape: 4 Story: 10 - Winifred Neisser talks about her transition to the broadcast industry
Tape: 5 Story: 1 - Winifred Neisser recalls her work at WMTV-TV in Madison, Wisconsin, pt. 1
Tape: 5 Story: 2 - Winifred Neisser recalls her work at WMTV-TV in Madison, Wisconsin, pt. 2
Tape: 5 Story: 3 - Winifred Neisser remembers moving to Los Angeles, California
Tape: 5 Story: 4 - Winifred Neisser recalls working with Phyllis Tucker Vinson Jackson
Tape: 5 Story: 5 - Winifred Neisser describes her work as NBC's vice president of family programming
Tape: 5 Story: 6 - Winifred Neisser talks about her collaboration with Jim Henson
Tape: 5 Story: 7 - Winifred Neisser recalls her transition to the television movie division of NBC
Tape: 5 Story: 8 - Winifred Neisser describes her role in the Danielle Steel movie franchise
Tape: 6 Story: 1 - Winifred Neisser describes the changes in the television industry
Tape: 6 Story: 2 - Winifred Neisser talks about the regulations on broadcast networks
Tape: 6 Story: 3 - Winifred Neisser remembers joining Columbia TriStar Pictures
Tape: 6 Story: 4 - Winifred Neisser describes her career at Sony Pictures Entertainment, pt. 1
Tape: 6 Story: 5 - Winifred Neisser describes her career at Sony Pictures Entertainment, pt. 2
Tape: 6 Story: 6 - Winifred Neisser remembers producing 'Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story'
Tape: 6 Story: 7 - Winifred Neisser recalls producing 'Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years'
Tape: 6 Story: 8 - Winifred Neisser remembers producing 'Broken Trail'
Tape: 6 Story: 9 - Winifred Neisser talks about the importance of stories that resist racial stereotypes
Tape: 6 Story: 10 - Winifred Neisser describes her current projects
Tape: 6 Story: 11 - Winifred Neisser talks about Amy Biehl, pt. 1
Tape: 7 Story: 1 - Winifred Neisser talks about Amy Biehl, pt. 2
Tape: 7 Story: 2 - Winifred Neisser describes what she may do in the future
Tape: 7 Story: 3 - Winifred Neisser talks about African Americans in broadcast media
Tape: 7 Story: 4 - Winifred Neisser describes a story that she likes
Tape: 7 Story: 5 - Winifred Neisser describes her advice to aspiring broadcasters
Tape: 7 Story: 6 - Winifred Neisser reflects upon her life
Tape: 7 Story: 7 - Winifred Neisser reflects upon her legacy
Tape: 7 Story: 8 - Winifred Neisser describes her concerns for the African American community
Tape: 7 Story: 9 - Winifred Neisser talks about her family
Tape: 7 Story: 10 - Winifred Neisser talks about balancing life and work
Tape: 7 Story: 11 - Winifred Neisser describes how she would like to be remembered
Tape: 8 Story: 1 - Winifred Neisser narrates her photographs
1$1
2$6
7$3