Wendy Walker
Legendary Broadcast Producer
Walker’s career is full of television “firsts,” having orchestrated….
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Full Bio
Emmy award-winning producer and acclaimed author Wendy Walker is a legend in her own right in the global broadcast industry. As Senior Executive Producer of the iconic talk show Larry King Live, Walker played a critical role in bringing the biggest news stories and personalities of the past two decades into the living rooms of millions of global viewers on a nightly basis.
For more than 17 years at the helm of Larry King Live, Walker oversaw all planning and production for CNN’s top-ranked, critically acclaimed program, which was the world’s first live, globally televised viewer call-in show. During her tenure, Larry King Live established an unrivaled reputation for quality programming and exclusive interviews with A-list guests, prompting Barbara Walters to describe Walker as one of the most “relentless” producers of all time.
Walker’s career is full of television “firsts,” having orchestrated Larry King Live’s coverage of the most seminal breaking news events of our time, including the Haiti earthquake, Hurricane Katrina, the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the war in Iraq, and the past five presidential elections. Her live coverage of Haiti and the Gulf was complemented by highly acclaimed network telethons such as “Haiti: How You Can Help” and “Disaster in the Gulf: How You Can Help.”
Thanks to an innate ability to conceive and craft headline-making news programs that attract record ratings, Walker secured Larry King Live’s role as the world’s most popular news and entertainment talk show. One of the many programs that cemented that reputation was the famed 1993 NAFTA debate between then-Vice President Al Gore and Ross Perot. This historic face-off attracted more than 16.3 million viewers and broke cable industry ratings records. In 1995, Walker also produced an unprecedented, news-breaking hour on the Middle East peace process with PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat, King Hussein of Jordan, and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
Other memorable Larry King Live shows orchestrated by Walker include the momentous 50th Anniversary of D-Day coverage live from Normandy in 1994; the live 2007 Las Vegas Beatles Reunion with Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono, and Olivia Harrison—the only interview the four legends have ever done together; and the 2010 exclusive Graceland Elvis Special with Priscilla Presley.
And when it comes to one-on-one exclusive interviews on Larry King Live, Walker and her team of producers secured an unrivaled list of some of the most sought-after personalities and newsmakers of the past two decades, including: Tony Blair, President Obama, Lady Gaga, Bill Gates, LeBron James, the late Marlon Brando, Barbara Bush, Laura Bush, Jim Carrey, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Tom Cruise, Mikhail Gorbachev, Billy Graham, Michael Jordan, the late John F. Kennedy Jr., Kenneth Lay, Sophia Loren, Madonna, John Major, Sir Paul McCartney, the late Paul Newman, Al Gore, Ted Kennedy, George Clooney, Sidney Poitier, Julia Roberts, Bill Cosby, Michael J. Fox, John McCain, Erik Clapton, Whitney Houston, Cher, Clint Eastwood, The Dalai Lama, Al Pacino, Colin Powell, Prince, Nancy Reagan, Pete Rose, Barbara Streisand, the late Elizabeth Taylor, Margaret Thatcher, Donald Trump, Oprah Winfrey, Paris Hilton, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, and every living US president since Nixon, including Presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush.
Testimonials
Ernie was perfect for our Elders Conference at Little River Casino Resort in Manistee, Michigan. We will definitely be using PDA again!
LITTLE RIVER BAND OF OTTAWA INDIANS
Our speaker was great and the crowd enjoyed her! She was very engaging. Thank you again PDA for the great list of suggestions!
MEDTRONIC
Everything went great! and our speaker was wonderful! Thank you so much for all your help PDA! Looking forward to the next one.
UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI – KANSAS CITY
I hope that this message finds you well. We had a phenomenal time with Atsuko this past Thursday. We wanted to just let you know how amazing she was. All those that were in attendance thoroughly enjoyed her and had nothing but amazing things to say about her. Thank you for working with us to make sure this happened!
BAYLOR UNIVERSITY CAMPUS
We had a fantastic day with Inge! She was very engaging with all those that attended. Her personal stories about the holocaust were very special and we were moved that she was willing to share them with everyone. Thank you again, PDA for all your hard work and dedication to make this program such a success!
SALT LAKE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Dear PDA Group, Thank you so much for your hard work in scheduling our speaker! From the moment we reached out to you the first time, you worked with us on all details and logistics and kept us up-to-date on the progress. Thank you for all your hard work on making our event such a success! We couldn't have done it without you and your team!
SAP COMPANY
Thank you again, Dr. Kimbrough, for a great presentation, our attendees are still talking about it!
CAMPUS LABS
Dr. Henry Lee's presentation was entertaining, insightful and wise. I, and everyone at Pfizer, especially appreciate the remarks you directed about following your passion and preparing yourself to excel. Thank you, everyone, at PDA for helping to make this happen!
PFIZER
The event was successful! I received many messages expressing how awesome, outstanding and inspiring Ms. Webb-Christburg's speech was."
DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. MEMORIAL BREAKFAST, BOSTON, MLK SPEAKER
Everything went well. Atsuko was very easy to work with and the students enjoyed her performance! Thank you again for your recommendation and I hope to work with you again in the future!
CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
Dr. Novello left this morning after a very successful event on our campus! Thank you PDA Group for your help from the first phone to the last you were with us every step of the way.
GRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY
Jordan Carlos was very very entertaining! A majority of students who answered the event survey indicated they really enjoyed Jordan and definitely will bring him back!
WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY
On behalf of myself and my organization Entertainment Unlimited the Campus Programming Board of Ferris State University, we thank you PDA and Dan for a successful event!! Dan was magnificent! Students really enjoyed the presentation. I know I did. Can't wait to bring in more programs with PDA Group.
FERRIS STATE UNIVERSITY
It was a great pleasure to work with PDA Group! The communication was always prompt, friendly and helpful. We loved the speakers and events we booked through Mr. Peter Walker (PDA Group).
WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
Thank you, Peter, for all your help, you'll be happy to know that the event went incredibly well! Aneesa Ferreira was by far one of the best speakers we've ever had!
FURMAN UNIVERSITY
Topics
An Evening with Wendy Walker: Lessons Shared from 30 Years in Television
Videos
About Wendy Walker
Michelle Collins Interviews Wendy Walker and Paige layle
News
Testimonials
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