Staying In

TVWeek unveiled its Hot List 2009 earlier this month. The list highlights the “hottest up-and-comers in the business of television.” I interviewed Brett Bouttier, senior VP of digital for Warner Bros. Television Group, and actor-writer-comedian Aziz Ansari (who is part of the On the Horizon list) for the feature. Read on for the full profiles.

Name: Brett Bouttier

Title: Senior VP, digital, Warner Bros. Television Group

Age: 33

Big Break: Being promoted to his current title in May 2007.

Who Knew?: Mr. Bouttier did the interview for this piece from Cedars-Sinai two days after he and his wife welcomed their newborn son into the world.

The worlds of television and digital media may be blurring, but Brett Bouttier is navigating the murky waters just fine.

As senior VP of digital at Warner Bros. TV Group, Mr. Bouttier has overseen the transition of Web properties to television—the successful launch of TMZ.com as a syndicated TV show—and TV properties onto the Web.

Last August, Warner Bros. TV Group brought The WB network and its kids programming block to the Web with the launch of TheWB.com and KidsWB.com. Mr. Bouttier and the WBTVG team secured DailyMotion, Joost, Sling Media, TiVo and Veoh Networks as distribution partners, as well as TV talents such as Josh Schwartz, McG and “The Colbert Report’s” Rob Corddry to create original content for TheWB.com. The Web site has become a destination for digital watercooler conversations and TV writer-producers looking for the freedom that the Web allows. It’s even attracting interest from the networks.

“Several of the original shows on TheWB.com have generated interest from television networks,” Mr. Bouttier said. “They saw an audience start to follow the programming and now want to develop it into a television show. We have people coming to us.”

Meanwhile, “KidsWB is growing at an immediately fast clip, reaching tons of kids and boys through the D.C. side of it.”

Mr. Bouttier also oversaw the launch of another digital venture—MomLogic.com, a content site and ad network aimed at mothers that could one day make the leap to TV.

“All of those [ventures] share the same DNA in that it’s about building great brands that connect with the user on a day-in and day-out basis, but in a digital way, which is on-demand,” Mr. Bouttier said.

The business, sales and distribution operations for all of these digital initiatives is a lot to manage, but Mr. Bouttier feels prepared to handle the responsibility thanks to an opportunity that turned into something more. While still a junior at UCLA, Mr. Bouttier’s internship at Studios USA/Universal Television turned into a full-time job as a research analyst.

“It was as if I got two degrees. One in economics and one in TV,” Mr. Bouttier said of the experience.

Name: Aziz Ansari

Title: Actor/writer/standup comedian, “Parks and Recreation” and “Human Giant”

Last season, actor Aziz Ansaristarted off playing a slacker intern on ABC’s “Scrubs,” but the gig got cut short.

It wasn’t that it was a bad experience.

“I loved doing that show. It was a blast,” Mr. Ansari said.

He was just simply in demand. “Parks & Recreation” co-creators Greg Daniels and Michael Schur snapped up the actor to co-star in the NBC comedy before it had a name or even a premise. Mr. Ansari, 26, credits his background in improv and “Human Giant,” the MTV sketch comedy he starred in and created with Rob Huebel, Paul Scheer and Jason Woliner, with helping him land the attention of Mr. Daniels and Mr. Schur.

“I also sent them a bunch of Edible Arrangements for like three months,” he added. “That probably kind of sealed the deal for me.”

“Parks & Recreation” returns for a second season in the fall, but Mr. Ansari is keeping his name out there in the summer months. He’s got a small part in the Judd Apatow film “Funny People,” a stand-up album, a comedy special in July and, of course, a very active Twitter account (“It’s an outlet to write down jokes. Things I couldn’t annoy my friends with.”).

Mr. Ansari also expressed an interest in writing an episode of “Parks & Recreation” in the future, but said that right now he’s “just trying not to screw up the acting side of it.”

If the acting thing doesn’t work out, he could always pursue his other calling.

“My real passion is real estate. If you’re interested in a one- or two-bedroom home in the Los Angeles area, send me some details on what you’re looking for,” he said. “All the acting and stuff, it’s really just to help my real estate career get off the ground, so hopefully one day I can just quit being on ‘Parks & Recreation’ and writing and all that stuff and really focus on putting people in nice homes.”

–Written for TVWeek.com