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Richard Sakai
This executive and producer has long been associated with producer-director James L. Brooks. Sakai first met Brooks in 1977 while working as a go-fer at John Charles Walters Productions, the company behind the sitcom "Taxi" (ABC, 1978-82; NBC, 1982-83). During the shows run, he worked his way up to director and producer. In 1984, he joined Brooks' newly-formed production company Gracie Films and was eventually named as president. In that capacity, he oversaw a number of TV sitcoms, the Emmy-winning variety series "The Tracey Ullman Show" (Fox, 1987-90) and its Emmy-winning animated spin-off "The Simpsons" (Fox, 1990- ). Among the failed series he produced were "Sibs" (ABC, 1991-92) and "Phenom" (ABC, 1993-94).