The Men in the Sharkskin Suit: Cheskin, Bunting and Hendricks

We interrupt Shopping Cart Week, to bring you:

Today it's big business, 

Discovery Channel HQ, in search of prey...

... but I was witness to the whim and the surprising early success of Shark Week, now 25 years old this week, and fortunate to work closely with all of the people who made it happen, including the gentlemen profiled here in the Atlantic's telling of the apocryphal story of the brainstorm and the cocktail napkin.

Discovery was a budding enterprise in (correction: not '88 but) 1987, fewer than a hundred employees, and that summer's Shark Week represented an early programming "stunt" as Discovery ganged-up (anthologized) 22 hours of shark programming off the shelf.  Sharks had always gotten big ratings, but were sprinkled throughout the checkerboard prime-time schedule.  Yes, these shows always did best as one-offs in the summer... so why not package, promote and see what happens (cue "Jaws" theme music) ?

"Sharkskin" Steve Cheskin - our Fred Silverman

Clark Bunting is the hero of the Atlantic profile, and it is nice to finally see him get the credit he deserves.

The entire time I worked for Clark he insisted it was young Steve Cheskin of the UMD Mafia from whose fertile mind the concept came.  He's right. And Steve was indeed right in the thick of the mix at inception (which took place, the article neglects to note, at a hotel in downtown DC). He perceived the long legs this stunt could have from the outset, and absolutely did realize the concept effectively with his unique genius.

Mr. Cheskin has since unspooled many a week-long stunt for DCI (then known as "TDC"), as well as for TLC ("Alien Invasion Week!"), Travel Channel ("Bikini Beach Week!"), etc., etc.  But none as beloved nor groundbreaking as ol' Faithful: Shark Week.  And Steve and Clark were the impresarii who made everything come together.

Discovery Channel Shark Marketers, c. 1990 (yours truly, far right)

Nice work, guys!