Latina media dynamo dubbed the “Tropical Tycoon” by The New York Times Magazine, Nely Galan, who was 22 at the time, became America's youngest station manager for WNJU TV Channel 47 in New York, which was owned by Jerry Perenchio and Norman Lear. The station eventually evolved into Telemundo Network, which Galan worked with for many years. In 1992, she made a joint venture with HBO, and whose subsequent brainchild was Tropix. While working with Tropix, she became a consultant for HBO and Time Warner, helping them develop their strategy in the U.S. and Latin America. During her two years of work with HBO, she helped them launch Ole, HBO's channel in Latin America.
In 1994, Galan signed a deal with FOX Corporation and Rupert Murdoch, and worked to help the network launch various channels in Latin America. She subsequently formed her own company, Galan Entertainment, which aims to create multi-platform content focusing on the Latino market. So far, her business has achieved its goal and has produced more than 600 episodes of programming in both English and Spanish languages. Her company has also teamed up with various networks to help launch them in Latin America.
In 1998, Galan temporarily left her business to take her place as the President of Entertainment for Telemundo. Three years later, she ended her reign and came back to Galan Entertainment with a Telemundo deal, which had her develop the sitcoms Los Beltran, Viva Vegas and Solo en America.
Four years later, Galan created and produced The Swan, a FOX reality series where she served as a life coach on both of its seasons. She is also currently working with NBC to develop The New You, a daytime series to be launched in 2008. A health and wellness show for women, The New You has already been attracting viewer attention through its website and branded segments on The Today Show. She was cast as one of 14 contestants on NBC's The Apprentice: Celebrity Edition, where she vied for the prize of $250,000 for her chosen charity. She was fired on the sixth episode of the show because she failed to help her team leader Omarosa.
- Her first husband is Hector Galán. They divorced and she started dating comedian Paul Rodriguez. They have a son named Lucas, born in 2000. The couple split up some time after.
- In 2004, she was named One of the 50 Most Beautiful People by "People en Espanol" magazine.
"Cosmetic surgery is maintenance. It should be filed under maintenance. If you painted your house seven years ago and the paint is chipping, would you not paint it again?"
"I've always felt, watching celebrities, that if I had a chef like Oprah Winfrey, if I could have lipo after a baby and if I could get therapy every week, I'd feel better about myself, too. I thought, 'Why not do a show that gives women those possibilities?"