“The Bold and the Beautiful” producer Bell-Phillip Television Productions has reportedly made behind-the-scenes personnel changes, with several employees recently laid off, including Eva Basler, Vice President of Communications and Talent Relations, who had overseen publicity for the half-hour soap opera for more than 20 years.
Deadline, which first reported the news, notes that Basler was not only a beloved member of the show’s team but also “worked tirelessly for the organization, even through illness.”
In her position, Basler oversaw publicity, marketing, social media, talent relations, and special events for the company.
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
Before landing at “The Bold and the Beautiful,” she began her television career as a publicist for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (A.M.P.A.S.), representing the organization and its annual Academy Awards (Oscars) telecast for over a decade. Producers of the inaugural Screen Actors Guild Awards (now “The Actor Awards”) hired Basler to create and write the SAG Awards’ official rules, and she also served as the award show’s coordinator, overseeing the competition and ceremony. From the show’s launch in 1999 through its conclusion in 2008, both on NBC and DirecTV’s since-defunct 101 network, Basler was the publicist for the daytime soap opera “Passions.”
After working at “The Bold and the Beautiful” for a few years, Basler co-authored the book “The Bold and the Beautiful: In Celebration of Twenty Years on Television,” released in 2007, which is an informative photographic essay exploring the richly layered history of the long-running daytime drama series.
While Deadline did not name other individuals affected by the layoffs, the decision to part ways with Basler has sent shockwaves throughout the daytime community.
Cast member Cassandra Creech (Dr. Grace Buckingham; ex-Denise Maynard, “As The World Turns”) commented on the decision, saying in a social media post, “Hearing the news of her departure from @boldandbeautifulcbs is sad because she is a true, undeniable talent.” She added, “Beyond her immense gifts, she is someone who treated me with the utmost kindness and respect from day one. Working with someone of her caliber and character is a rare privilege, and her warmth @CBS meant the world to me.”
“She is going to be a massive loss to the daytime community, where her presence always elevated the work,” continued Creach. “While this chapter is closing, her extraordinary talent ensures that whatever she does next will be brilliant. I am entirely in her corner and cannot wait to watch her next move.”
In 2023, former cast member Rena Sofer (ex-Quinn Fuller) spoke highly of Basler in an Instagram post following news at the time of Basler being placed on a ventilator and into a medically induced coma, months after doctors discovered a tumor behind her heart.
“If you follow the show and read about any of us actors or our stories or our lives, it’s because of her,” said Sofer. “You can never walk away from Eva or get off the phone with her without her speaking her favorite phrase, ‘Love and Light.’ That’s what she believed in in all of us! I have never met a kinder woman or a more gracious soul on this earth.”
Basler has been an active member of the Television Academy since 2000 and currently serves as the Governor of Daytime Programming, a position that represents the Daytime Dramatic Programming community on the National Awards Committee. She’s also participated in the Executive, Primetime Awards, Daytime Awards, Budget, Governors Ball, and Creative Arts Committees.
For the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS), she served on its Board of Trustees, which in 2024 was replaced by a new Board of Directors structure, with Basler beginning a three-year term in January 2024 as an inaugural member, making her the only person to serve simultaneously on the boards of both the West and East Coast television academies.