Katie Nelson Thomson has been named a senior broadcast producer of CNN's Piers Morgan Tonight.
She joins CNN from ABC News, where she spent 15 years working primarily with Barbara Walters, delivering and producing award-winning interviews for 20/20 and The Barbara Walters Specials. She has produced interviews with the last four presidents, celebrities, and top newsmakers of the day, including Barbara Walters' interview with Monica Lewinsky, which was seen by more than 70 million viewers and was the highest-rated news event ever broadcast by a single network.
Executive producer Jonathan Wald said in a release: "I'm thrilled Katie Thomson is joining the Piers Morgan Tonight team. She brings unmatched experience and leadership in the booking and producing of big-name interviews and she will be instrumental in helping lead a talented team of bookers and producers."
Thomson has produced exclusive profiles of Oprah Winfrey, Hillary Clinton, Michael Jackson, Barbra Streisand, Angelina Jolie, Elizabeth Taylor, Martha Stewart (before and after her conviction), the parents of JonBenet Ramsey, Colin Powell and Queen Noor of Jordan after King Hussein's death, CNN said. Thomson has also produced interviews with every American president since Jimmy Carter and many world leaders, such as Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez, Benjamin Netanyahu, King Abdullah and Queen Rania.
While at 20/20, Thomson was part of Barbara Walters' Peabody-Award winning interviews with Christopher Reeve after the accident that left him paralyzed, candidate profiles during the presidential elections, the funeral of Princess Diana, and Patrick Swayze's last interview. Thomson also worked on ABC's Emmy award-winning coverage of the September 11th terrorist attacks including the first interviews with Rudolph Giuliani, Russian president Vladimir Putin and President George W. Bush after the tragedy.
Before joining ABC, Thomson was a producer for CNN's Larry King Live. She produced the Al Gore-Ross Perot NAFTA Debate, which set a cable ratings record.
Prior to CNN, Thomson was a London-based producer for the BBC.
