From splicing underground cable in Manhattan to co-founding a $10 billion global media empire, this episode is packed with one of the wildest entrepreneurial journeys the show has ever featured. In this episode of From Underdog to Entrepreneur, Pat Miller sits down with Larry Namer, CEO of LJN Media and co-founder of E! Entertainment Television, a cable network now valued at over $10 billion and broadcast in 142 countries. Larry's career spans more than 50 years, including launching media companies in Russia and China, and he's the author of the book Off Script: Never Followed the Crowd.
Larry shares how he started as an assistant underground cable splicer making $90 a week in New York, rose through the ranks at Manhattan Cable, and eventually landed in Los Angeles to build the country's first fully underground cable system. From there, an idea sparked over movie trailers, a scrappy business plan, and just $2.5 million led to the creation of E! Entertainment, a network that grew from 11 employees to over 1,100 in three years and helped launch the careers of Howard Stern, Ryan Seacrest, Greg Kinnear, and the Kardashians.
Chapters
0:01 Intro – Welcome Larry Namer
1:38 From Coney Island to Cable Splicer
2:52 Rising Through the Cable TV Union Ranks
4:19 Building the First Underground Cable System in LA
5:46 Moving to LA and Chasing Hollywood
6:13 The Idea That Became "The Trailer Channel"
7:35 The Idea That Became E! Entertainment Television
9:03 Raising Money with 31 College Interns
11:39 E!'s Explosive Growth to 1,100 Employees
12:42 Launching Howard Stern, Kardashians, and Talk Soup
14:07 Producing Music Festivals in Russia
15:40 Starting a Concert Company with David Bowie, Bowie & More
17:14 "Influence Is Temporary, Impact Is Timeless"
20:00 Why He Finally Wrote His Book
21:45 Blending Memoir and Cookbook in "Offscript"
22:45 Using AI to Hit the Bestseller List in 4 Days
24:50 Backstage Stories: Kardashians, Stern, and O.J. Simpson
26:23 Expanding East: New Jersey Film & Media Growth
28:37 Embracing AI in Business
39:56 Defining Legacy Beyond Money
41:26 Closing Thoughts and Where to Find Larry
📖 Underdog to Empire —Available Now
Pat's new book — Underdog to Empire: Breaking Barriers and Building Businesses with Strength, Strategy, and a Sense of Humor — is available for eBook pre-sale now. Widely available everywhere on September 22, 2026.
The story of how a girl who ate last at the dinner table built a construction company from a $100 bill. How she lost her husband and still got back up. How every person who tried to hold her back ended up building her up instead.
👉 Get your copy now at: www.patmiller.net
Connect with Larry Namer.
Larry Namer is the co-founder of E! Entertainment Television and CEO of LJN Media. He is available for board, advisory, and consulting roles focused on architecting global strategies.
📖 New Book: Two Minute Television
Larry's latest book, Two Minute Television, is now available on Amazon in Kindle, softcover, and hardcover editions.
📖 Also Available: Offscript… Never Follow the Crowd
Get your copy of Offscript… Never Follow the Crowd on Amazon in Kindle, softcover, and hardcover editions.
Contact Larry:
ljn@ljnmedia.com
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/larrynamertv/?hl=en
