Cowell has produced and promoted successful singles and albums for various recording acts he has signed and taken under his wing. Cowell came to public prominence in 2001 as a judge on Pop Idol, a talent television show which he and its creator Simon Fuller successfully pitched to ITV Controller of Entertainment Claudia Rosencrantz.
See also: Simon Cowell (conservationist), Tony Cowell, Nicholas Cowell, Britain's Got Talent, The X Factor (American TV series), and America's Got Talent.