Lauren Michal is the Director of Program Planning & Scheduling at NBC Entertainment, where she is involved in creating the full season strategy for the primetime schedule. She works closely with all internal departments, disseminating all necessary scheduling information throughout the company. Prior to joining NBC, Lauren was a Manager of Research at CBS Television Distribution, responsible for creating syndication sales pitches for on-demand content streaming sites, domestic cable networks, and local stations. In addition, she provided crucial information about their first-run primetime programming to executives at CBS Television Studios. She began there as an intern in 2008, before being promoted to an analyst in 2009. Lauren holds a Bachelor of Science from The University of Miami School of Communication, with focuses in Broadcasting, Economics, and Business Administration. She co-founded the Associates membership of the Hollywood Radio and Television Society, and is an active member at The Television Academy.