Nely Galan on Celebrity Apprentice
Nely Galan is used to being behind the scenes of television, as with her successful Fox reality series “The Swan,” but this season, she will be in front of the camera on NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice.”
Nely was born Arnely Alvarez in Santa Clara, Cuba in 1963. Her parents moved to Teaneck, NJ when she was just two years old. While still in high school, she submitted an article to Seventeen magazine that impressed them so that they invited her to become a guest editor.
At age 22, Nely became the youngest radio station manager in the country, when she took the helm at WNJU Channel 47, a Spanish language channel. The channel would serve as the launch pad for the Telemundo Network.
She formed Tropix in 1992 with HBO, which brought original Latino content to the cable channel. She has helped HBO launch its Latin American television network, HBO Ole. Also in 1994, she entered into a deal with Fox Corporation and Rupert Murdoch to create content for Fox and help it launch many channels in Latin America such as Canal Fox, Fox Kids, Fox Sports, and Sky.
Nely is the president and CEO of GaLAn Entertainment, which she founded in 1994. It is located in Venice, California and focuses on creating Latino programming for prime-time television. The company has produced over 600 episodes of programming in both English and Spanish while helping launch Latin American networks for ESPN, MGM, and Sony. The company also has a marketing division for companies that wish to target Latinos in both the United States and Latin America.
At the young age of 36, Nely was named the President of Entertainment for Telemundo in 1998. She put GaLAn on hold, but returned three years later with a development deal from Telemundo to create Latino sitcoms such as “Los Beltran,” Viva Vegas,” and “Solo en America.” The popular daytime talk show, “Father Albert” was also produced by Nely.
Nelly created, produced, and served as the “life coach” for two seasons of “The Swan” on Fox. The show that transformed ugly ducklings into beauties was seen in 58 countries and ranked #1 in Latin America, Israel, and Germany. The success of the show (it garnered 10 million viewers per week) led Nely to write the book Swan Curriculum and create the DVD “How to Swan Yourself.”
Nely is the only producer in Hollywood to have concurrent hit shows in English and Spanish in the U.S. Entertainment Weekly named her one of the “most powerful young executives in Hollywood.” Nelly is on the board for The Center for the Advancement of Women and Count Me In, which encourages women in entrepreneurships. She also is an alumni board member of the Smithsonian Institute.
She often gives speeches about her success as an entrepreneur in show business as well as advice on health, wellness, and beauty. Nely was named “One of the 50 Most Beautiful People” by People en Espanol in 2004.
Nely was married once (to Hector Galán), but divorced. She has one son, Lucas, whose father is comedian Paul Rodriguez.
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