Denver's John J. Sie honored with Visionary Award at SeriesFest
SeriesFest is a celebration of all things television, and it's in its 12th year. This year, the festival is giving the Visionary Award to Denver's own John J. Sie. Sie recently sat down with CBS Colorado main anchor Michael Spencer to talk about his incredible legacy, both in business and in the community.
"I'm very grateful to play a role in getting the United States in the forefront of television," Sie said.
Denver is widely considered the Capital of Cable TV.
Bill Daniels started the first cable system in Casper, Wyoming, in 1953. He's known as the "father of cable television." In 1989, Sie was the sole voice calling for the United States to develop digital high-definition television. He wrote a "white paper" on the subject and testified before Congress.
"I came up with what I coined 'punch through programming,' which means getting a TV show on cable that rivals that of broadcast network ratings," Sie explained.
Among many successes, Sunday Night Football might be one of his biggest.
"People thought I was crazy because there were already two Sunday afternoon games, but I said, 'Sunday night, you don't have hardly anything. [It's] mostly female oriented, so I pushed NFL to open up a new Sunday night NFL," he recalled.
As CEO and Chairman of Starz-Encore Group, Sie was the first provider of subscription video on demand with Starz on Demand.
"SVOD, that was sort of my full-scale deployment of a new technology," he said.
Sie came from humble beginnings. He was born in China. He immigrated to the United States with his brother; neither of them knew the language. Despite that, he was able to graduate with a master's degree in electrical engineering.
"I'm being fortunate to live the American dream," Sie said.
Over the years, he, along with his wife, Anna, made many dreams come true. Through the Anna and John J. Sie Foundation, they donated millions of dollars for research institutes, medical centers, schools, and the arts.
When their granddaughter was born with Down syndrome, the couple transformed Down syndrome research by investing in foundational, clinical, and developmental studies. They also paid for the Denver Arts Museum's Welcome Center and a film center for the Denver Film Society. Those are just a few of the organizations that benefited from Sie's generosity.
"Anna was the real motivating force behind all of my philanthropic work," Sie recalled. "She had these big visions, and I'm the one who runs around trying to realize her key desire to make a better world."
"When people remember John J. Sie, what do you want them to say?" Spencer asked.
"A good guy," he responded.
LINK: For Tickets and Information for SeriesFest
John J. Sie will be honored during the SeriesFest Soiree on Friday, May 8, 2026. The television festival runs through Sunday, May 10, with screenings of television episodes, panel discussions, and an awards ceremony.
