Showtime Networks Inc. has hired long-time sports producer David Dinkins, Jr. to oversee production of boxing and mixed martial arts (MMA) telecasts for the premium television network, it was announced today by Ken Hershman, senior vice president and general manager, Showtime Sports & Event Programming. From 1987 to the present, Dinkins has been the primary producer of the Showtime Championship Boxing series.
"David is one of the most dedicated and creative men in television," said Hershman, who has overseen the Sports & Event Programming department for nearly five years. "He has been an invaluable asset to our boxing franchise and will now add his creativity, insight and experience to our burgeoning MMA programming."
With Showtime Sports expansion into mixed martial arts, Dinkins will be tasked with building the new EliteXC and ShoXC programs. While there has been explosive interest in this combat sport, SHOWTIME is the first and only premium television network to televise MMA.
When asked about the future of MMA on the network, Dinkins said, "This is a tremendous opportunity for us to put our stamp on a new and growing sport. We plan to be innovative while maintaining the same high quality that viewers have come to expect from our boxing telecasts."
In 1981 Dinkins became a staff producer at CBS Sports. During his six years at the network, he covered all the major sports leagues, NCAA events, various world championships and the Pan Am Games. Twice he received Sports Emmy® Awards for his production work on NFL games.
In 1987, Dinkins left CBS to pursue an opportunity with SHOWTIME to help establish its new boxing franchise. Having been one of the top boxing producers at CBS, it was an easy transition into the rapidly growing business of boxing on premium television.
During this time, Dinkins continued to produce events for ESPN, ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC as well as a number of major sporting events including the Olympic Games and Mike Tyson pay-per-view programs. He consulted on Mark Burnett's "The Contender" and with The Football Network.
Aside from his television work, Dinkins is on the board of Fisher House, a foundation that provides transportation and housing for the families of injured military personnel to visit their relatives while they are hospitalized. Recently he also became a board member of The Caring Place, a facility created by colleague and SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING color analyst Al Bernstein and his wife Connie to help families touched by cancer.
The newest Showtime Networks executive is the proud son of New York City's first African-American mayor, David Dinkins, Sr.