Biography of Nely Galan

The New York Times Magazine and Entertainment Weekly have named Nely the "Tropical Tycoon" and "One of the most powerful young executives in Hollywood," respectively, while People en Espanol magazine selected Galán as "One of the 50 Most Beautiful People."

Galán's newest pedigree is that of creator, executive producer and resident life coach on Fox-TV's hit show, The Swan. Over 10 million viewers were riveted to the dramatic transformation and awakening of eighteen "ugly ducklings" on the weekly series. Unknown to many, she conceived the show from her own real-life "Swan" success story. In 1999, in the midst of a successful career, Galán got derailed by an unexpected event - single motherhood. Determined to thrive, she sought out the world's best motivational experts. Gradually, her self-growth campaign evolved into a word-of-mouth sensation. Galán now shares her life-transforming program, coined "Swanning," with anyone that feels "stuck" and helpless in their relationships, career, and physical appearance in a new book, The Swan Curriculum. Galán is determined to help women realize their dreams and create revolutionary change, inside and out, in every aspect of life. In addition to the book, the show's spectacular success has lead to The Swan 2 to air on Fox as well as The Swan Magazine, to be published later this year.

Galán's journey - including being the nation's first Latina programming chief, the country's youngest station manager, a series executive producer and talk show host - has always found her galvanizing people with her views, attitudes, and ideals. Her first talent roles included a PBS documentary series called Checking It Out and her own talk show, Nely, which aired on the CBS O&O stations. She later segued to hosting E!'s The Gossip Show and was a frequent contributor to such morning and late-night talk shows as Politically Incorrect and Later. Galán has been featured in dozens of publications and has done stints as guest editor for Seventeen Magazine and Vogue. A popular speaker, Galán relishes sharing her unique life experience and colorful stories with audiences around the world, particularly with women and young girls who find her journey so inspirational

While her talent has made her accessible in front of the camera to a large audience, Galán has also long been making waves behind the scenes. Galán is the only producer in television today creating and producing reality and fiction programming for both Spanish and English-language networks. At her Venice-based Galan Entertainment, she has now tallied up more than 500 episodes of programming with such credits as creator and executive producer of the landmark Spanish-language sitcoms Sólo en América, Los Beltrán and Viva Vegas, and the pioneering talk show, Padre Alberto, featuring a priest as the host. Galán also created Telemundo's latest primetime reality hit show, La Cenicienta (Cinderella), combining elements of a dating show and a telenovela. La Cenicienta 2 and its male sequel, El Principe Azul (The Blue-blooded Prince) are in production and will air on Telemundo in 2005. Boldly trailblazing as a Latina entrepreneur in the American business world, Galán has been widely credited with pioneering the charge for American broadcasters to tap into the huge English-speaking Latino audience. Her mission endures today as her company continues to create and produce relevant, aspirational, branded multimedia content targeting female and urban audiences through a variety of television, film and publishing projects.

Constantly bridging two cultures makes Galán's take on American life, family, women's issues, marriage, relationships and work uniquely her own. That disposition began early, fostered by a move from her native Cuba to Teaneck, N.J. at the age of two, and then continued to flourish as she lived her version of an American success story. Since then, she has mastered it all, effortlessly taking on dual responsibilities as talent and executive, and always offering her unprecedented and compelling voice as a way to inspire others.