Ugly Betty  (Thursdays, 8:00-9:00 p.m., ET)

SALMA HAYEK, executive producer

Academy Award nominee Salma Hayek has proven herself a prolific actress, producer and director in both film and television. She received an Academy Award nomination, a Golden Globe nomination, a SAG nomination and a BAFTA nomination for Best Actress for the title role in Julie Taymor’s “Frida.” Hayek was last seen in Robert Towne’s “Ask the Dust,” alongside Colin Farrell and Idina Menzel, and will next star in Luc Besson’s “Bandidas,” opposite Penelope Cruz. She also recently wrapped production on Todd Robinson’s “Lonely Hearts,” opposite John Travolta and James Gandolfini.

Hayek won an Emmy for her directorial debut, “The Maldonado Miracle” (which she also produced), which aired on Showtime and originally premiered at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival, starring Peter Fonda, Mare Winningham and Ruben Blades. Her most recent directorial project was a music video for Prince’s single, “Te Amo Corazon,” which premiered in January 2006.

Hayek appeared in Brett Ratner’s “After the Sunset” with Pierce Brosnan and Woody Harrelson, starred opposite Antonio Banderas and Johnny Depp in Robert Rodriguez’s “Once Upon a Time in Mexico, ” and also starred in Rodriguez’s “Desperado” and from “Dusk Till Dawn” (written by Quentin Tarantino). Additional films credits include Mike Figgis’ “Hotel” and “Timecode,” Kevin Smith’s “Dogma,” “Fools Rush In,” opposite Matthew Perry, and “Breaking Up,” opposite Russell Crowe.

In 2001 she starred in and co-produced Showtime’s “In the Time of the Butterflies,” for which she was nominated for a Broadcast Film Critics Association’s Award. Also produced by Hayek’s Ventanarosa was the Mexican feature, “No One Writes to the Colonel,” directed by Arturo Ripstein and based on the novel by Gabriel García Márquez. “No One Writes to the Colonel” was selected for official competition at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival.

Born and raised in Coatzacoalcos, Mexico, Hayek studied International Relations in college in Mexico. Mexican film credits include “Midaq Alley,” based on a novel by Nobel Prize winner Naguib Mafouz.

Hayek has dedicated much of her time to social activism. She serves as the spokesperson for the Avon Foundation’s Speak Out Against Domestic Violence program, which focuses on domestic violence education, awareness and prevention, as well as support for victims. Last year she spoke in front the U.S. Senate, encouraging its members to extend the Violence Against Women Act. This January the legislation was passed, ensuring that $3.9 billion will be allocated to thousands of domestic violence crisis and intervention agencies throughout the U.S. In April of 2005, Hayek visited the Artic Circle for the celebration of Earth Day, in an effort to bring attention to the dangers that global warming poses to the lives of Inuit people and the rest of the world. In November 2005, she served as co-host -- alongside Julianne Moore -- at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, which honored Nobel laureate Mohamed el-Baradei and the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency. She is also part of the One campaign that singer and activist Bono created, as well as a member of Global Green and Youth Aids.

SILVIO HORTA, executive producer

Silvio Horta has made a name for himself as one of Hollywood’s brightest screenwriting talents in a diverse array of genres and formats.

Horta is currently the creator/executive producer for ABC/Touchstone’s “Ugly Betty.” Prior to his launch of the series, he served as creator/executive producer of UPN’s acclaimed sci-fi drama, “Jake 2.0,” and before that created and executive-produced the Sci-Fi Network original series, “The Chronicle,” which earned a Saturn Award nomination.

Horta got his break in the industry a year out of NYU Film School with his screenplay for the box office hit, “Urban Legend,” a satirical horror film starring Alicia Witt, Jared Leto and Rebecca Gayheart.

A native of Miami, Florida, Horta grew up being forced to watch Spanish-language telenovelas with his Cuban-American family -- not knowing that decades later he’d be adapting “Betty la Fea,” one of the most popular telenovelas in the history of the genre, as “Ugly Betty” for American television.

BEN SILVERMAN, executive producer

In March 2002, Ben Silverman launched Reveille, a leading independent production and distribution company focused on exploiting worldwide intellectual property rights through scripted and alternative television formats.

Silverman is the co-creator and executive producer of the hit reality show “The Biggest Loser” for NBC, as well as USA Network’s “Nashville Star” and “Blow Out” on Bravo. He also serves as executive producer for NBC’s Golden Globe-winning, TCA and WGA-nominated comedy hit, “The Office.” Other projects include the popular “Date My Mom” and “Parental Control” for MTV; the successful, PGA-nominated FX series “30 Days,” created by Oscar nominee Morgan Spurlock, the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning telefilm “9/11” and “House of Boateng” on The Sundance Channel, premiering this summer.

In 2003 Silverman redefined the paradigm in advertiser supplied programming by joining forces with media giant Interpublic Group to produce NBC’s hit, “The Restaurant,” followed by Bravo’s “Blow Out” in 2004. Other advertiser supplied Reveille productions include the recent Spike TV series, “The Club.”

Previously Silverman was in charge of the international packaging division at the William Morris Agency (WMA), where he was the company’s youngest division head. At WMA he packaged more than 25 television series that encompassed some 500 produced episodes, including “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?,” “The Weakest Link,” “Big Brother” and “Queer as Folk.”

Prior to joining William Morris, he was vice president for New World/Marvel Entertainment. In that position, he developed sitcoms, and -- drawing on the one-of-a-kind library of Marvel Comics characters -- envisioned live-action projects for film and television. Previously, he also held posts at CBS and Warner Bros.

Silverman graduated magna cum laude from Tufts University with a BA in History and is involved with multiple philanthropic endeavors, including Seeds of Peace, a group helping to foster peace among young people from adversarial cultures.

JOSE TAMEZ, executive producer

Born and raised in Mexico, Jose Tamez started his career at Televisa, the largest television network in Latin America, where he was the head writer for several telenovelas. He later moved into publishing and was soon named editor-in-chief of Somos, one of the most successful and widely read entertainment magazines in Mexico.

In 1994 Tamez was named director of Editorial Televisa, the largest magazine publishing house in Latin America. He moved to Los Angeles in 1998 to partner with Salma Hayek at Ventanarosa Productions. He has produced two films for Showtime Networks, "In the Time of the Butterflies" and the Emmy Award-winning "The Maldonado Miracle."

In 2003 Tamez worked with director Robert Rodriguez to compose the song "Siente Mi Amor" for the film "Once Upon a Time in Mexico." The composition was awarded the 2004 Satellite Award for Best Original Song. The following year he traveled to Morocco and produced the music video "Te Amo Corazon" for music icon Prince.

Tamez returned to television in 2006 as an executive producer of the ABC hit series "Ugly Betty."

In 2006 Tamez and Ms. Hayek created "Ventanazul," a film production company in joint venture with MGM Studios. Ventanazul's goal is to create pictures with universal appeal using Latin talent in front of and behind the camera.

JAMES HAYMAN, executive producer

James Hayman’s many credits include serving as executive producer and director on two acclaimed series, “Joan of Arcadia,” which earned him an Emmy nomination, and “Judging Amy.” He served additionally as producer and director on the series “To Have and To Hold” and “Dangerous Minds.” He has also directed episodes of such critical favorites as “Huff,” “House, M.D.,” “The Sopranos,” “Law & Order,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “ER” and “Northern Exposure” -- for which he was nominated for a Directors Guild of America Award.

MARCO PENNETTE, executive producer

Marco Pennette attended New York Universitys Tisch School of the Arts. While still a student, he was a finalist in the Young Playwrights Festival with his one-act play, Chopsticks, interned for Broadway director Harold Prince and sold his first TV script to the sitcom Kate & Allie. Pennette moved to Los Angeles in 1989 to pursue his career in writing and ended up on staff for such series as Dear John, starring Judd Hirsch, and on Daves World, among others. He co-created the sitcom Caroline in the City, which ran on NBC from 1995-2000. He also created the series Conrad Bloom and co-created Union Square, All About The Andersons and the romantic comedy Im with Her. He co-created the series Inconceivable for NBC, and created the midseason comedy Crumbs for ABC. He resides in Los Angeles with his partner, Steve Rabiner, and their daughter, Ally (inspiration for the fertility/surrogacy series Inconceivable) -- and 3,000 miles from his own insane family, the inspiration for Crumbs.