Who is Nick Bilton? '60 Minutes' producer clashes with Scott Pelley

In a turn of events, "60 Minutes" producer Nick Bilton has found himself at the center of the news.

The British journalist and filmmaker, who was recently named executive producer of the CBS program, oversaw the firing of longtime correspondent Scott Pelley following an internal conflict over the show's new leadership.

CBS News has terminated the award-winning broadcast journalist after more than two decades on the air, USA TODAY learned on Tuesday, June 2, leaving Pelley without severance or other benefits effective immediately.

The anchor's exit comes after a heated staff meeting, in which Pelley accused CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss of "murdering" the news institution, according to a recording obtained by The New York Times and reported June 1.

Here's everything you need to know about Bilton.

What did Nick Bilton say about Scott Pelley firing?

In a termination note obtained by USA TODAY, Bilton told Pelley that he was hoping they could pave a "path forward together" following Pelley's "misconduct" but said, "You made it clear that you are not interested in such a path."

"It is a profound disappointment that you rejected that overture and chose ambush instead," Bilton wrote to Pelley. "Yesterday, you hijacked my first meeting with staff to disparage me, my qualifications and my intentions with remarkable incivility and contempt."

While Bilton said he is open to a "diversity of viewpoints and respectful debates" among the team, he said Pelley's "performative display of hostility ... demonstrated that you have no interest in contributing to the future success of the show."

"I am here to deliver first-in-class news programming, not to make headlines about newsroom drama," Bilton added. "I am eager to work alongside those who share this goal."

What did Nick Bilton do before '60 Minutes' role? Journalist once wrote for 'The Idol'

Bilton, who was born in Darlington, England, and later moved to the United States, worked as a design editor and a researcher at The New York Times from 2003 to 2016. He also served as a technology columnist and the lead writer for The Times' Bits blog.

After leaving The New York Times, Bilton became a special correspondent for Vanity Fair, where he wrote features and columns.

In addition to his journalism career, Bilton has also worked as a screenwriter and filmmaker. He wrote and directed the 2021 TV movie "Fake Famous," a documentary about social media influencers, as well as served as a staff writer on the Sam Levinson drama "The Idol" in 2023.

As a producer, Bilton has worked on the Elizabeth Holmes documentary "The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley," the true crime miniseries "Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal" and the 2024 documentary "Biggest Heist Ever."

According to Bilton's IMDb page, he is currently writing an untitled crime drama for famed director Martin Scorsese, which is set to include a star-studded cast of Emily Blunt, Leonardo DiCaprio and Dwayne Johnson.

Nick Bilton hopes to bring 'outside vision' to '60 Minutes'

Weiss announced Bilton's appointment as "60 Minutes" executive producer on May 28. Bilton replaced the show's longtime producer Tanya Simon, who was one of several staffers let go from the newscast.

"He has been consistently prescient about the ways that the technological revolution that we're living through is upending the way that we consume storytelling and information," Weiss said at the time, according to The New York Times. "He has been the one to see the tsunami before the wave hits the rest of us."

While Bilton doesn't have a traditional background in broadcast journalism, he said in a joint interview with Weiss that his experience in documentary filmmaking can be an asset to the show's coverage.

"When you take an insider and you put them inside a company, nothing changes," Bilton said. "I'm not saying that we're going to change the show completely and drastically. I'm saying that there are all these approaches and ideas that we can do that I couldn't be more excited to jump into. And I think you need that outside vision to be able to do that."

Contributing: Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY