Anthony "Tony" Ray Potts (born January 23, 1968) is an American Emmy-winning television personality, producer, writer and media executive. In front of the camera as a presenter, Potts hosted USA Hollywood entertainment show ''

Access Hollywood ''Access Hollywood'', formerly known as ''Access'' from 2017 to 2019, is an American weekday television entertainment news program that premiered on September 9, 1996. It covers events and celebrities in the entertainment industry. It was created ...

'' for 12-seasons from April 1999 to February 2011, before launching his own ideation company in the content, startup and investment space.

Biography

Potts graduated from

Humboldt State University California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt also known as Cal Poly Humboldt, Humboldt or Cal Poly"Cal Poly" may also refer to California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California or California State Polytechnic Universi ...

with a B.A. in Journalism/Editorial Writing and a Minor in Radio/Television. In the 90s, Potts hosted ''

Good Day New York ''Good Day New York'' is a morning show airing on WNYW Fox 5 (channel 5), hosted by Rosanna Scotto and Bianca Peters. It is a Fox owned-and-operated television station in New York City, owned by the Fox Television Stations subsidiary of Fox Cor ...

'' on

WNYW WNYW (channel 5) is a television station in New York City, serving as the flagship of the Fox network. It is owned and operated by the network's Fox Television Stations division alongside Secaucus, New Jersey–licensed MyNetworkTV flagship W ...

and then moved from

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

in 1997 after signing a one-year talk show development deal with ABC/Buena Vista Television, but the subsequent pilot was not picked up. He then signed a development deal with

Paramount Television The original incarnation of Paramount Television was the name of the television production division of the American film studio Paramount Pictures, that was responsible for the production of Viacom television programs, until it changed its name ...

before leaving to join

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

and a subsequent long 13-season run on ''

''. In addition, Potts co-founded the early stage VC Sierra Maya 360, "Bridging Hollywood, Tech, Sports and e-Sports". The fund was awarded the 2015 Alternative VC Newcomer of the Year in Tech and Media. That was followed by helping create, build and spin-out a digital studio in Amsterdam for MTG, Modern Times Group. Streamlining the news division while co-creating 19-formats to present at MIPTV and other market areas. Potts is currently the creator and host of "Pardon The Disruption" and co-founder of The Content Artists, based in Los Angeles and London. During Potts' time in New York, he appeared in the film ''

Ransom Ransom is the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release, or the sum of money involved in such a practice. When ransom means "payment", the word comes via Old French ''rançon'' from Latin ''red ...

''. In Los Angeles he was in the season two finale of ''

CSI: Miami ''CSI: Miami'' (''Crime Scene Investigation: Miami'') is an American police procedural drama television series that ran from September 23, 2002 until April 8, 2012 on CBS. Featuring David Caruso as Lieutenant Horatio Caine, Emily Procter as Dete ...

'', playing a helicopter pilot. He played himself on several episodes of the FX series ''

Dirt Dirt is an unclean matter, especially when in contact with a person's clothes, skin, or possessions. In such cases, they are said to become dirty. Common types of dirt include: * Debris: scattered pieces of waste or remains * Dust: a genera ...

'', which starred

Courteney Cox Courteney Bass Cox (previously Courteney Cox Arquette; born June 15, 1964) is an American actress and filmmaker. She gained international recognition for her starring role as Monica Geller on the NBC sitcom '' Friends'', which aired from 1994 ...

. Potts expert guest appearances include CNN, MSNBC, FOX, HLN, NBC, The Today Show, ABC, Good Morning America and, in Europe, the BBC and RTL. ;Sports On February 16, 2007, Potts won the

NBA All-Star The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game is an annual exhibition basketball game. It is the main event of the NBA All-Star Weekend. Originally, the All-Star Game featured a conference-based format, featuring a team composed of al ...

Celebrity Game Most Valuable Player award, as Potts scored 14 points and had 8 rebounds as the West defeated the East 40-21. ;Personal life On July 24, 2010, he married

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

n entrepreneur and television personality Shalini Vadhera. Potts has two daughters.

References

External links

*
Tony Potts' bio at ''Access Hollywood'' Online
{{DEFAULTSORT:Potts, Tony 1968 births Living people American television reporters and correspondents California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt alumni