Multichannel News today announced the 2023 Wonder Women of New York, who will be celebrated at a gala luncheon at the Ziegfeld Ballroom on Thursday, March 23, 2023. For details about the event please visit mcnwonderwomen.com.

The Wonder Women awards, a key fixture on the media calendar since 1999, honor excellence in women leaders in media businesses including programming and operations, streaming, marketing, advertising and technology. MCN proudly notes that the luncheon's event partner, once again, is the New York chapter of The WICT Network. 

More New York honors, including the 2023 Woman of Influence award, will be announced in coming days. MCN also is accepting nominations for Wonder Women of Los Angeles and 40 Under 40 of Los Angeles, to be celebrated in June. 

In alphabetical order, linked to their bios, here are the 2023 Wonder Women of New York. 

Samira Bakhtiar, Director, Global Media and Entertainment Sales, Amazon Web Services.

Karen Barroeta, Executive Vice President, Production and Development, Telemundo Global Studios.

Marnie Black, Executive Vice President, Public Relations, AMC Networks.

Pola Changnon, General Manager, Turner Classic Movies. 

Sonia Coleman, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Disney General Entertainment Content and ESPN, The Walt Disney Company.

Nina L. Diaz, President of Content & Chief Content Officer, Paramount Media Networks & MTV Entertainment Studios.

Kathleen Finch, Chairman and Chief Content Officer, US Networks Group, Warner Bros. Discovery

Annie Howell, Chief Communications Officer, Hallmark Media.

Kate O'Brian, Executive Vice President, Scripps News Division, The E.W. Scripps Company.

Rori Peters, Senior Vice President of Content Distribution and Marketing, TV One Networks.

Sharon Peters,  Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer, Charter Communications.

Michelle Strong, Senior Vice President of Distribution, A+E Networks.

Suzanne Sullivan, Executive Vice President of Fox Entertainment Ad Sales, Fox Corporation

Melody Smalls, Executive Vice President, Human Resources, Allen Media Group.

Monica Williams, Senior Vice President, Digital Products & Operations, Content Distribution, NBCUniversal. ■

Michele Thornton Ghee, the former senior VP at ViacomCBS's BET Her, has been named CEO of Bridgeman Sports & Media-owned Ebony and Jet magazines. Ghee, who was a MCN Wonder Woman in 2019, will be charged with creating the vision and activating the strategy for these iconic brands as she steers them into the 21st century, the company said in a release. The brand value proposition will be embedded in Information|Inspiration|Inclusion, it said.

"Everything we say will come through the lens of Black journalists," Ghee said in the release. "We will ensure there is a safe space for Black journalism to thrive. I'm a little Black girl from Oakland, CA. I'm not apologizing for any of it. Our voices matter. We are History in the making!"

Also Read: Strategic Goal Setter (Wonder Woman profile)

Ghee's career in media marketing began in 2000 when she moved to New York City and obtained a position at The Weather Channel.  She progressed to positions at A&E, CNN and BET. She left BET in 2019 to join Endeavor Global Marketing. She also has developed her own self brand, Stratechic, which she has expounded on in books and in successful speaking roles.

Owner Eden Bridgeman said in the release: "We are honored to have Michele Ghee at the helm to steward these iconic brands. With a proven track record over a storied career thus far and a passion to bring her life experiences to Ebony and Jet we are excited at the future she will create. The next chapter of Ebony and Jet's history will be told for generations to come and having her continue to authentically document, innovate, and uplift the culture will be keys to our success."  

BBC Studios-Americas named Tara Maitra as chief commercial officer and Jennifer Ball as SVP, marketing. Both are newly created roles and will report to BBC Studios president Rebecca Glashow -- also a veteran of U.S. cable and media companies -- in New York. Maitra's role will be to lead the commercial growth strategy for the U.S. Ball will focus on the company's "audience-first" marketing and media strategy.

The news follows BBC's recent announcement to launch BBC Select, its own streaming channel that will focus on culture, politics and ideas early this year. Maitra and Ball will support in their respective roles. 

Also read: Can BBC Select Compete in the Increasingly Crowded Amazon Channels Market for British Fare?

“Tara and Jennifer will provide strong leadership and direction for a team focused on creating commercial value and building the brand with key clients and our direct-to-consumer offerings. I am confident their respective proven capabilities and entrepreneurial style will move us to the next stage of growth in the market,” said Glashow.

Before joining BBC Studios, Maitra was chief revenue officer at BDEX where she oversaw business development and growth and marketing efforts. Prior to that she spent 11 years as SVP at TiVo. Ball led an independent consulting company prior to this position. She was also head of marketing and brand at Promax and EVP at Univision. 

Ball was an MCN Wonder Woman in 2012, while at Univision, as was Glashow, then at Discovery. Maitra was a MCN Wonder Woman in 2014 when she was at TiVo.  

“The BBC is a legendary brand with incredible growth potential.  In an ever-evolving media landscape, the possibilities for partnership to broaden the access to BBC content are endless and I’m looking forward to getting started,” remarked Maitra.

“I am jumping into this role as a life-long enthusiast of BBC content, so I feel a direct kinship with our fans already. I’m looking forward to engaging our clients and audiences in fresh and exciting ways,” said Ball.

The editors and publishers of Multichannel News have announced the 2020 Women to Watch, who will be celebrated with the 2020 Wonder Women (previously announced) at a gala luncheon Thursday, March 26, at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York.

The luncheon, co-hosted by the New York chapter of Women in Cable Telecommunications, is the centerpiece of NYC TV Week Spring. Other NYC TV Week Spring events include Advanced Advertising, the Next TV Summit and the CultureX breakfast.

Here are the 2020 Women to Watch:

Victoria Bieler, Head of Broadcast and Retrans, Verizon

Johnita Due, SVP and Chief Diversity Officer, WarnerMedia News and Sports, WarnerMedia

Libby Geist, Vice President & Executive Producer, ESPN Films and Original Content, ESPN

Diana Horowitz, Vice President, U.S. Sales East, Telestream

Audrey Lee, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Starz

Danielle Mullin, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Crown Media Family Networks

Lauren Petterson, President, Fox Business Network

Marcella Milliet Sciorra, Vice President, Ad Sales & Product Marketing, Spectrum Reach

Nancy Smith, President and CEO, Analytic Partners

Julie Sterling, Director of Media & Entertainment Partnerships, Google

Randi Stipes, Chief Marketing Officer, IBM Watson Media and Weather

Holly Tang, Chief Financial Officer and Head of Production Operations, Lifestyle Networks, NBCUniversal

SARAH AUBREY

TITLE: Executive Vice President of Original Programming, TNT

WHY WE’RE WATCHING: Sarah Aubrey joined WarnerMedia’s TNT in 2015. Responsible for overseeing all development and production of original series and miniseries, she has helped TNT announce its presence in the market with a rapidly expanding programming slate of diverse shows, including Claws, Animal Kingdom, The Alienist, newly launched I Am the Night and the upcoming Snowpiercer and Raised by Wolves. She has also made it a priority to champion diversity at every level of the industry. Prior to joining TNT, Aubrey was a prolific television and film producer of such projects as the film and television series Friday Night Lights and HBO’s The Leftovers.

LIKES MOST ABOUT HER JOB: “I love my TNT team: They are smart, boisterous and lippy — just like my children. HA! We have dream jobs working with such vibrant creative people on our shows and laughing most of the day.”

LIKES LEAST ABOUT HER JOB: “First and foremost, I am very proud to be a working mom. But my life is a circus most of the time and as every working woman knows ‘balance’ is an illusion. So I am tired and drink too much coffee and occasionally think, woe is me. However I love my work and I love my kids, so I am fully committed to the insanity.”

BIGGEST MENTORS: “My mother Christine Aubrey is my No. 1 mentor/ cheerleader. She went back to work when I started college after being a stay-at-home mom for my childhood. She had built a remarkable career as a fundraiser in Texas and at 74 she is still working hard, traveling the world for her job and loving every minute of it. She is a model of grace and tenacity and swears like a sailor — my hero.”

BEST ADVICE EVER RECEIVED: “Don’t waste time looking for a specific kind of mentor. Take the one that comes to you. That ‘fantasy’ person may never materialize, leaving you to miss out on potentially great people who are actually present and willing to help.”

MEADE COOPER

TITLE: Senior Vice President, Programming, Fox News

WHY WE’RE WATCHING: Meade Cooper oversees Monday through Sunday primetime and opinion programming across Fox News Channel and has been instrumental in the dominance of the network’s primetime slate. FNC topped the cable-network primetime ratings chart among total viewers in 2018, its third straight yearly win, averaging a network record 2.4 million total viewers in primetime. Leading the way was Hannity, averaging a cable news series-high 3.2 million viewers. Having joined the network during its inception in 1996, she previously served as VP of primetime live/programming before being promoted to her current post. Earlier she had been executive producer of On the Record with Greta Van Susteren and a senior producer of Hannity & Colmes. A Georgetown University graduate, she is also an active mentor at Fox News.

LIKES MOST ABOUT HER JOB: “I get to learn something new every day. Whether it is about policy, politics, people or technology, I am constantly learning new things.”

LIKES LEAST ABOUT HER JOB: “I usually thrive on the pace and intensity, but every once in a while it would be nice to have a quiet day.”

BIGGEST MENTORS: “Our CEO, Suzanne Scott. She leads by example and has also been very supportive of me and growing my career with new opportunities and challenges.”

BEST ADVICE SHE’S EVER RECEIVED: “Start each day by tackling the things that I am dreading the most. By crossing them off my to-do list early, I do not spend the rest of the day wasting time and energy worrying about them.”

NINA DIAZ

TITLE: President of Entertainment, MTV, VH1, CMT and Logo

WHY WE’RE WATCHING: Nina Diaz has made her mark as a producer, showrunner, creator and top executive. Her track record dates back to her first introduction to Viacom-owned MTV, where she developed and launched the pop-culture hits MTV Cribs and My Super Sweet 16. She’s also credited for conceiving the idea behind The Osbournes, which at the time was MTV’s most-viewed series ever. She began her career at MTV as VP of the News & Documentaries division. Always a pioneer for diverse stories, she is credited with pushing boundaries from colorism and LGBTQ awareness in Love & Hip Hop to transgender visibility in Young and Pregnant. Before joining VH1, Diaz worked as an independent producer and is credited with creating the hugely successful VH1’s Mob Wives franchise and was the showrunner who launched The Real Housewives of New Jersey.

LIKES MOST ABOUT HER JOB: “The diverse array of multitalented people I get to collaborate with and be inspired by every day, whether it’s the many creatives behind the scenes or those whose stories we are entrusted with telling across our content.”

LIKES LEAST ABOUT HER JOB: “I have the good fortune to love what I do and pretty much everything about it. What a huge privilege to be able to spend every day bringing ideas to life that connect, entertain and move viewers. Unscripted television is a fast-paced business, so I do often wish we had more time to get every project to its greatest version — like a fine wine, some creative gets better with age — but we have air dates to hit.”

BIGGEST MENTORS: “My parents, who continually challenged me to push out of my comfort zone, experience as much as possible and share their passion for people and culture from all walks of life and all over the world. This instilled in me, early on, the power of human connection and storytelling which paved the way for my career in the television arts.”

BEST ADVICE EVER RECEIVED: “Keep focused on giving your absolute best to every assignment no matter how big or small — because if you work hard, the rest will follow.”

ALEXANDRA JEWETT

TITLE: Executive Vice President, Programming, Debmar-Mercury

WHY WE’RE WATCHING: Alexandra Jewett is an award-winning creative executive and former executive producer who joined Lionsgate’s Debmar-Mercury in September 2010 as senior VP, programming. She has played a pivotal role in expanding and growing the media company’s talk and game show portfolios, notably including The Wendy Williams Show, in its 10th season and still going strong. She’s also overseeing production on Caught in Providence, co-produced with Citylife Productions and recently renewed for a second season in national syndication. She joined from CBS Television Distribution, where she served as VP of programming and development, East Coast. There, she supported the launch of The Rachael Ray Show and the final seasons of The Montel Williams Show. She began her TV career as a producer for The Phil Donahue Show in 1989.

LIKES MOST ABOUT HER JOB: “As a producer, I had the opportunity to intimately get to know — and question — people far outside of my own narrow sphere; in creating and launching shows in international territories I was able to travel much of the world and in order for those shows to be successful I had to quickly understand and assimilate into different cultures. As a development and programming executive, I get to spend more time looking at the broader and bigger picture of our television business but still remain very connected to the creative side.”

LIKES LEAST ABOUT HER JOB: “My least favorite part came when I realized that I have no real talents, hobbies or skills that will come in useful when there is no more job! I don’t know how to garden, play cards, knit or change a tire. But I am smart enough to know it’s my own fault.”

BEST ADVICE SHE’S EVER RECEIVED: “When Bob Turner tasked me with creating shows in international territories, his marching orders were pretty simple: launch programs that would be successful in those markets because they were launched with our experience and expertise, but make certain they would continue to thrive and grow when we moved on to a new show and a different market. Bob was an extraordinary leader and his mentorship meant I could skip graduate school.”

BIGGEST MENTORS: "Mark Monsky: Former NYC news director & creator of Paramount’s syndicated magazine Hard Copy. I started my career working for him and he was brilliant, disruptive and intimidating. Ultimately, he gave me permission to push hard and be tough when it was necessary and that fear has too many limits.

"Phil Donahue: I was a producer for the Donahue show in the early ‘90s and he taught me how important it was to produce television 'minute by minute,' and especially to understand and respect the audience. It is an honor I feel every day to have been able to learn my craft from a master like Phil, who encouraged me to excel every single day and challenged me to deliver my best work for such an extraordinary talent.

"Bob Turner: The former President-CEO of Multimedia Entertainment, Orbis Entertainment and Pearson North America. For some reason, Bob believed I could do anything and at each of the companies he ran he gave me jobs I wasn’t yet qualified for and just had the faith I would do them well. I owe a lot of my courage in the workplace to him.

"And, of course, my two current bosses, Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein. They have been ‘family' for almost 10 years now and I feel really lucky to be working at such an innovative company. They are two very different people but both have taught me to challenge traditional thinking and operating. Their leadership sets a high bar but they give all of us the room to make the best decisions as opposed to following a restrictive path. I think one of the most valuable lessons they have taught me is that it’s better to be brave than to be perfect."

ERIN McILVAIN

TITLE: Executive Vice President, Content Strategy and Distribution, Crown Media Family Networks

WHY WE’RE WATCHING: Erin McIlvain oversees content strategy and distribution for Crown Media Family Networks and its three linear networks, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries and Hallmark Drama; subscription video-on-demand streaming service Hallmark Movies Now; and e-book publishing division Hallmark Publishing. Based in Denver, she reports to CEO Bill Abbott and is responsible for aligning business development efforts with the distribution of Crown Media’s original content across multiple platforms. She also cultivates strategic partnerships that will generate untapped distribution opportunities. Previously, she was VP of broadcast relations at Charter Communications. She joined Charter from Crown Media, where she was VP of national accounts. She began her career at Dish Network, negotiating retransmission consent and linear cable network distribution deals.

LIKES MOST ABOUT HER JOB: “The people I work with and the company I work for.”

LIKES LEAST ABOUT HER JOB: “Perceptions can be difficult to change.”

BIGGEST MENTORS: “I was very lucky early in my career to work with some really good, tough negotiators. Their style was not necessarily mine, but I learned a tremendous amount about how to approach every aspect of a negotiation.”

BEST ADVICE SHE’S EVER RECEIVED: “From my Dad: In the face of fear, walk right through it. On the other side is freedom.”

POOJA MIDHA

TITLE: President, true[X]

WHY WE’RE WATCHING: Pooja Midha leads daily operations and long-term strategy at true[X], the advertising technology company acquired by 21st Century Fox in 2014. The company builds ad experiences based on consumer engagement, including by giving digital-video viewers a choice between accepting a longer message from one advertiser and having no more interruptions for the remainder of the program or watching a more typical load of commercials. Previously, she was senior VP of digital ad sales and operations for the ABC Television Network. Before that, she spent a decade at Viacom Media Networks, including as senior VP of digital ad sales for the Music and Entertainment Group.

LIKES MOST ABOUT HER JOB: “The breadth of my day to day. I love that in a day I can go from working with sales, marketing and business development and talking directly with our clients and partners, to working with our product, technology and research teams, to sharing our vision with the industry. The variety makes every day different and stretches me in all kinds of challenging directions.”

LIKES LEAST ABOUT HER JOB: “What do you like least about a job you love? Determining resource allocations is always a little painful. There are so many puzzles for us to solve (I love puzzles). You have a million ideas, a million things you want to build. You start to think of all of these ideas as children — it’s hard to choose between them! But you can’t do everything all at once.”

BIGGEST MENTORS: “I have learned a tremendous amount from [true [x] co-founders] Joe Marchese and David Levy. They have a bold and inspiring vision for the future of our industry and it’s energizing to see what they have done to execute on it already. I also previously worked under Geri Wang, who taught me a lot about the importance of healthy debate within an organization. Geri welcomed different perspectives and encouraged her team to speak their minds. I strive to do the same.”

BEST ADVICE EVER RECEIVED: “At the end of the day, the only things we really have that matter are our time and attention. They are finite, scarce and the most valuable things you have to spend or give, so be thoughtful about how you spend them and with whom you choose to spend them.”

NICOLLE PANGIS

TITLE: President and CEO, NCC Media

WHY WE’RE WATCHING: Nicolle Pangis became president and CEO of NCC Media in May 2018. Formed three decades ago by Comcast, Cox and Spectrum to sell cable TV ad inventory at the local level, NCC Media now also represents every other major U.S. telco and satellite player — a massive TV data set and a large addressable media business. She joined NCC with a background as a pioneer in data-driven media, most recently as global chief operating officer at GroupM’s [m]PLATFORM and, before that, at Xaxis, the programmatic media provider. Earlier, she was president of 24/7 Real Media.

LIKES MOST ABOUT HER JOB: “Two things. First, the people. I’ve been lucky throughout my whole career to work with amazing colleagues and executives who I learn from and laugh with daily. If you love the people you work with, it often doesn’t feel like work. Second, I believe NCC is in a unique position to change the media landscape by converging the data-driven television and digital worlds in a way no other entity is or will be able to. It’s for that reason I accepted the role, and every week that belief becomes stronger.”

LIKES LEAST ABOUT HER JOB: “The TV industry moves more slowly than the digital world in which I grew up and candidly, that’s an ongoing frustration for me. That said, there is so much positive change in the works for 2019-2020 that I think this frustration is just for the near term. Patience is a virtue and I’m using it as a life lesson.”

BIGGEST MENTORS:  "Jon Hsu, previously the CEO/COO of 24/7 Media and most recently the CFO of AppNexus. Jon plucked me out of an Account Executive role at 28 years old after we chatted at a few company softball games to have me report directly to him when he became Global COO of 24/7 Media. He placed me as the point executive to our joint venture with Dentsu when I had zero international experience, had me in the center of our integration when we were bought by WPP, and asked me to run Global Product Management when I had never written a requirements document. More than anyone in my career, I have Jon to thank for where I am today. He pushed me out of my comfort zone every day but was always there when I needed him. I worked so hard for him because I knew he took a chance on me and I didn’t want to fail him. I learned so much about strategy, leadership, communication, organizational structure -- everything you need to be a strong executive. I’m lucky to call him a dear friend 11 years later. He’s the best.

"Dave Moore, Chairman of Xaxis, previously CEO of 24/7 Media who has been a great boss and mentor. Shortly after I had my first daughter, Zoe, Dave elevated me to president of Europe at 24/7 and then to president of Europe and North America just ten months later. He didn’t think twice about promoting a woman with an infant. It meant a lot to me, but also to every woman at 24/7 at the time. I’m not sure he realized the impact of those two decisions, especially within a span of a year.

"Ari Bluman, who was previously chief digital investment officer at GroupM. Ari was one of my first bosses at 24/7 Media, and if I’m honest, more a sibling to argue with at work than a mentor. As my manager at the very beginning of my career, Ari not only believed in me, but was very vocal with senior leadership in calling out my abilities. I am a big believer that you don’t and shouldn’t forget the people who believed in you before you believed in yourself. We all have them. Call them mentors, call them your professional cheerleaders, everyone has them and you know exactly who they are. Ari passed away after a heroic battle with leukemia several years ago but I think of him constantly and hear his voice in my head all the time – sometimes ‘yelling’ at me and sometimes giving me a pep talk. Those who knew Ari know exactly what I mean."

BEST ADVICE EVER RECEIVED: “Jon Hsu advised me to never hit ‘send’ on an email in anger. It’s the kind of simple advice that can make a big difference. Nine times out of 10, taking a step back to cool off and regroup allows you to find a more productive way to handle any issues.”

HANIA POOLE

TITLE: Senior Vice President of NCAA Digital, General Manager of B/R Live, Turner Sports

WHY WE’RE WATCHING: Hania Poole, as senior VP of NCAA Digital, and her leadership team are responsible for content, operations and product development for the business including NCAA.com, the NCAA Sports App, live digital coverage for all NCAA Championships and the management of NCAA March Madness Live. She also is general manager of the B/R Live direct-to-consumer product, responsible for product development, business strategy and operations, content acquisition and marketing efforts for Turner’s new OTT sports platform.

LIKES MOST ABOUT HER JOB: “There is so much to like … are you kidding me? Being able to deliver the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, UEFA Champions League, The Match and other amazing sports content to millions of people each year is a gift. But, more than that, I love being able to bring talented teams together and challenge them to create great products and content each year. And with this responsibility, I get to be fairly autonomous in how I do that. And those things together are what I love about my job.”

LIKES LEAST ABOUT HER JOB: “It can be tough to compete in the digital space being within a more traditional media company. The goals we are held to are different than those in Silicon Valley and it’s sometimes tough to reconcile those things.”

BIGGEST MENTORS: “I am blessed to have had so many awesome mentors in my career. Prior to Turner, there was a woman named Paula Sims, who was molded in the GE management style. Within Turner, there are several. Matt Hong (COO of Turner Sports), Jennifer Dorian (EVP/GM, Turner Classic Movies) and Laura Dames (EVP, Turner Studios).”

BEST ADVICE EVER RECEIVED: “When contemplating a career move, salary and compensation should be small factors in your decision. What’s most important is who you work for/with and being challenged. If both of those things happen, then the job is right for you. I have followed that advice time and time again and it has not failed me.”

ERIN SCANLON

TITLE: Telecommunications, Media & Entertainment Leader, Deloitte

WHY WE’RE WATCHING: Erin Scanlon is an Audit & Assurance partner in Deloitte’s New York office and leads the firm’s U.S. Telecom, Media & Entertainment (TM&E) Audit & Assurance practice. She excels in understanding her clients’ businesses and focuses on early identification and management of issues. She has led engagements for many of the firm’s largest and most complex clients and serves as a resource to other Deloitte practitioners. She is also the board president of Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City.

LIKES MOST ABOUT HER JOB: “I love working in the TM&E industry because of the creativity within each company. This industry is fast-paced and dynamic with new challenges presenting themselves each day. I enjoy the satisfaction that comes from using my technical expertise to help my clients solve complex problems in this ever-changing business. I also love building and leading diverse teams with a shared commitment to excellence.”

LIKES LEAST ABOUT HER JOB: “My busy schedule sometimes leaves me with less time than I would like to focus on the next generation of leaders. Time pressures challenge me to find creative ways to pay it forward and ensure that I can mentor and develop the leaders of tomorrow.”

BIGGEST MENTORS: “I’ve always valued a strong circle of mentors. As the youngest of five children, I realize that each of my siblings taught me something valuable. To round it out, my parents instilled an extremely strong work ethic in all of us – something I value both personally and professionally. One standout professional mentor is a partner, who early in my career, demonstrated that a rewarding work life and a fulfilling personal life can coexist. You may not have perfect balance every day, but it’s important to keep things in perspective and find time to give back to your community.”

BEST ADVICE EVER RECEIVED: “Be passionate about your work, embrace change and don’t be afraid to be your authentic self.”

LISA TORRES

TITLE: President, Multicultural Practice, Cultural Quotient, Publicis Media

WHY WE’RE WATCHING: Lisa Torres, as president of Publicis Media’s Multicultural Practice, Cultural Quotient, has created a new, more modern and data-centric way to approach the multicultural marketplace. By linking culture to science, she leads what collectively is now the No. 1 spender in culturally targeted campaigns in the U.S. with $1.7 billion in billings. She had previously been president of ZenithOptimedia Multicultural (2011-2016). With more than 25 years of experience, Torres has held positions across agencies including MPG (Havas Media), Carat (Aegis), and others. Last year, she was named to the Steering Committee for the Advertising Research Foundation’s Cultural Effectiveness Council.

LIKES MOST ABOUT HER JOB: “I don’t just like my job, I LOVE it. I think that distinction is important. You can do good work anywhere, but when you love your job, you can do great work. At Publicis Media I am blessed to work with clients whose brands I love, in a company that inspires me to do better and be better everyday, and with an amazing team that supports me unconditionally. I’m very lucky.”

BIGGEST MENTORS: I have been blessed with a variety of mentors. The US Multicultural marketplace taught me how to hustle, how to be creative, how to squeeze a budget, how to sell, and how to manage multiple personalities from top to bottom to get the job done. Working in this marketplace provides you with a multi-faceted skillset that you just cannot get anywhere else.

"Charlie Rutman, who was president during my time at Carat/MPG, was a big influence on my career. He taught me to never underestimate the value I bring to the table, and to speak up because what I do is important to build a client’s business. He was inclusive before inclusivity was a “hot topic” and taught me that it doesn’t matter where you’re from or what degree you hold, it’s your skills and smarts that matter. Charlie is the quintessential New Yorker – tough as nails with a heart of gold.

"And of course, my current boss -- Tim Jones, CEO Publicis Media Americas. He taught me how to elevate my game. He put me in meetings and in front of clients because he believes so strongly in my ability to deliver. You really can’t put a price on that kind of support and confidence – and that means everything.

LIKES LEAST ABOUT HER JOB: “If you walk into the media business expecting traditional work/life balance, this is probably not the industry for you. It’s a grind of a business, which is why you need to love it, otherwise you risk losing your passion for the work. You have to be open to unconventional ways of creating balance, which includes setting clear expectations but also being flexible and realistic because at the end of the day, the client comes first.”

BEST ADVICE EVER RECEIVED: “All you can bring is your best work; the outcome will be what it is. I sleep well at night because I know I did my best work, even if the outcome doesn’t go exactly as planned.”

LAUREN WALLACE

TITLE: Senior Director, T-Mobile Home + Entertainment

WHY WE’RE WATCHING: Lauren Wallace is a key member of the senior leadership team of T-Mobile’s Home + Entertainment division, where she heads its growing business and legal affairs team. After playing an instrumental role in selling Layer3 TV to T-Mobile for $350 million, Wallace joined T-Mobile to further disrupt the pay television ecosystem. She brings more than a decade of experience and a record of accomplishment that exceeds many professionals with double her years in the industry. She had been the chief legal officer at Layer3 TV. Prior to Layer3 TV, Wallace was a key contributor to content distribution and media sales strategies at Dish Network and Sling TV.

LIKES MOST ABOUT HER JOB: “Designing and executing impossible strategies — and encouraging and empowering emerging leaders. Whether building a disruptive business, empowering my team or closing a deal, each aspect of my role presents new and unique challenges that demand I continue to learn, adapt, remain resilient and question how to improve.”

LIKES LEAST ABOUT HER JOB: “Unnecessary politics and unreasonable people.”

BIGGEST MENTORS: “The most influential mentors in my career have primarily been my colleagues. Mentor relationships are too often forced. I’ve found that the best lessons are often those not being taught, but lessons learned through listening to, observing behaviors (effective and ineffective) of and asking for help from colleagues … at all levels. There are lessons to be learned from everyone with whom we interact. As the stages of my career evolved, those who have had the greatest influence changed.”

BEST ADVICE EVER RECEIVED: “There are so many. Being comfortable saying ‘I need help,’ and knowing that it’s OK that I’m not good at [insert weakness] was a breakthrough.”

JANA WINOGRADE

TITLE: President of Entertainment, Showtime Networks

WHY WE’RE WATCHING: Jana Winograde recently earned a promotion to president of entertainment of Showtime Networks. She and president of entertainment Gary Levine share responsibility for developing and supervising all aspects of Showtime Networks programming across all genres; oversee the company’s production, program operations, business affairs, casting, scheduling, research and home entertainment; and serve as liaisons to CBS Corp.’s international and domestic distribution groups, among other tasks. She joined Showtime in 2017 as president, business operations, West Coast. She previously spent 23 years at ABC Entertainment, most recently as executive VP and head of business operations.

LIKES MOST ABOUT HER JOB: “I’ve just taken on a role that has given me the opportunity to flex new muscles and be meaningfully involved with our programming in a different way. It has been fun to take on this new challenge, particularly with a partner like Gary Levine by my side.”

LIKES LEAST ABOUT HER JOB: “As we all know, the pace of change in our business is constantly accelerating. While there are aspects of that change that I really enjoy and find challenging (in a good way), it can be a double-edged sword — just when you think you’ve figured out the best way to approach something, the changing dynamics require re-evaluation!”

BIGGEST MENTORS: “The person who had the biggest impact on my career — as a boss and a mentor — is Mark Pedowitz. He hired me as a director of business affairs at ABC and I worked for him for over a decade. During that time, he purposely trained me to be his successor, teaching me not just the substantive aspects of the television business and my role in it, but how to be a manager and a leader of people. Also at the beginning of my career at ABC, I was part of a year-long Executive Mentorship program and Bob Iger was my mentor. He took me to his meetings and gave me incredible access and advice. I learned a lot about the business during that year and am thankful for the opportunity to have been mentored by Bob.”

BEST ADVICE EVER RECEIVED: “I’m not sure it counts as advice, but I have a framed piece of art at home that says, ‘Let’s make better mistakes tomorrow.’ Words to live by!”

This article was updated after publication on Jan. 28, 2019.

Would you like to attend the 21st Annual Wonder Women Luncheon on March 20 in New York City? Click here to save on your registration before rates increase on Feb. 15!

NAME: Michelle Wilson
TITLE: Co-President
COMPANY: World Wrestling Entertainment
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Helped launch the WWE’s direct-to-consumer subscription service, WWE Network. Spearheaded long-term, lucrative television deals for the WWE’s signature primetime shows Monday Night Raw (USA Network) and WWE SmackDown (Fox Sports).
QUOTABLE: “Don’t be afraid to take risks because it’s OK to fail, and you’ll learn a lot along the way.”

Michelle Wilson was never much of a sports fanatic growing up.

Today, though, she’s one of the highest-ranking female executives in the sports/entertainment business arena. Her career accomplishments span the National Basketball Association to the United States Tennis Association to the defunct-but-soon-to-be-resurrected XFL pro football league.

She’s also made her mark in sports entertainment. As co-president of the WWE, Wilson was instrumental in helping usher the company into the new media space with the 2014 launch of WWE Network — now the No. 2 OTT sports-themed subscription service in the United States behind MLB.TV, according to Parks Associates. In 2018 she also spearheaded negotiations for new lucrative, long-term distribution deals for the WWE’s two ratings-strong, live weekly wrestling series, WWE Raw and WWE SmackDown, the latter of which netted a reported $1 billion to move to Fox.

Not bad for Wilson, who said while growing up in a Philadelphia suburb that she never envisioned herself as a major player in sports and entertainment.

More Wonder Women:Celebrating Media’s Key Women Leaders | Lori Fink, Xandr | Michele Thornton Ghee, Endeavor | Margaret Lazo, Univision Communications | Laura Nathanson, Disney Advertising Sales | Francesca Orsi, HBO | Alison Overholt, ESPN | Jo Ann Ross, CBS Corp. | Madhu Goel Southworth, AMC Networks | Melissa Tolchin, NBCUniversal | Christine Whitaker, Comcast Cable | Leigh Woisard, Cox Communications

“When I was growing up, I was very laser-focused on being financially independent,” Wilson said. “I grew up in my formative years with a single, divorced mom that was raising my sister and me, and there were a lot of valuable lessons I got from her about making sure to get a quality education and to put yourself in a position to be financially independent.”

Wilson initially pursued a degree in chemical engineering at the University of Pennsylvania, then secured a job at Johnson & Johnson.

Shifting to Sports

Wilson would earn an MBA at Harvard Business School in 1992 in an effort to prepare herself for life outside of engineering. Inspired by pioneering female sports executives such as former WNBA president Val Ackerman, she looked for opportunities in that arena. “Unfortunately, there wasn’t a clear path for women in sports at that time, so I learned the lesson to go into brand marketing and focused on companies that were doing sports-related marketing,” she said.

Wilson would end up working in Nabisco’s brand development department for five years before joining the NBA in 1997 as director of marketing and sales, working to expand the league’s brand domestically and internationally.

NBA president of global partnerships Sal La Rocca said Wilson exhibited the qualities of a corporate leader during her tenure. “Since her time at the NBA, she has grown into one of the best executives in sports and entertainment,” he said.

In 2001, she first went to work for WWE titan Vince McMahon, who had an idea to branch out into pro football with the XFL, but the league folded after only one season. Wilson landed at the USTA, where in eight years as chief marketing officer, she helped oversee the U.S. Open and was part of its first primetime women’s final in 2001. Along the way, she got some mentoring and career advice from Billie Jean King.

In 2009, the WWE’s McMahon would once again turn to Wilson, this time regarding the pro wrestling promotion. “The WWE was moving from the [adult-themed] attitude era of the early 2000s into what we call the family-friendly, TVPG era, and they were really looking for someone who could come in and help the company grow to that next level,” Wilson said.

In her nearly 10-year run at the WWE, she has advanced from executive VP of marketing to chief marketing officer, to chief revenue and marketing officer to eventually being named co-president in February 2018.

OTT Pioneer

“Michelle’s vision and leadership played an integral role in the successful transformation of our business model and put us at the forefront of an ever-changing global media landscape,” McMahon, WWE’s chairman and CEO, said. “Her business acumen, strategic thinking and willingness to take calculated risk will help ensure our company’s long-term growth.”

Wilson led WWE’s charge into new media with the 2014 launch of WWE Network — its OTT direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service, now in more than 1.6 million homes.

The new, long-term TV distribution deals with USA Network for Raw and Fox for SmackDown will also grow WWE’s revenue for its “key content” properties from $235 million in 2018 to $462 million in 2021, according to the company.

Wilson credited McMahon for allowing her to flex her talent muscles within a forward-looking organization. “Vince has an amazing entrepreneurial spirit, and he has a unique vision of what could be in the future,” she said

When she’s not running the WWE or at home with husband John, Wilson is very active in Make-A-Wish Foundation, serving as the vice chairman of the board of the charity’s Connecticut chapter.

Even with such lofty accomplishments, Wilson said she’s set her sights on even bigger goals. “There’s still so much runway at the WWE,” she said. “I really see the international and global expansion of WWE as the next horizon.”

NAME: Christine Whitaker
TITLE: Senior VP, Keystone Region
COMPANY: Comcast
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: In her first year at Keystone, the division reported positive video customer growth for the first time in 13 years. She followed up with another year of positive video growth the following year, and in 2017, Keystone was named Comcast’s co-region of the year.
QUOTABLE: “I live by a comment that [former Secretary of State] Condoleezza Rice said in a women’s leadership program that I was in: ‘Surround yourself with truth-tellers and you’ll get the best results.’ I think that’s what we’ve done here and I attribute that to my team.”

Comcast’s Christine Whitaker is fond of a particular moment in the reel of her life story that changed her way of thinking forever.

Now senior vice president of Comcast’s Keystone Region, Whitaker was an operations executive in Alexandria, Va., in 2003. During her first week in that position, a complaint came across her desk from a customer who said his wife had been made uncomfortable by a male cable technician on a house call.

He demanded they send a female tech to finish the job. Whitaker naturally agreed to send one. After telling her operations manager to send the next available woman to the address, she noticed as an odd look came across the manager’s face.

“He looked at me like I had three heads,” Whitaker said. “He said, ‘Uh, we don’t have any female technicians.’ So guess who went out on that service call? I did.”

That kind of can-do attitude has been a hallmark of Whitaker’s 25-year career in the cable industry. And it has served as a catalyst for her work promoting diversity and inclusion.

More Wonder Women:Celebrating Media’s Key Women Leaders | Lori Fink, Xandr | Michele Thornton Ghee, Endeavor | Margaret Lazo, Univision Communications | Laura Nathanson, Disney Advertising Sales | Francesca Orsi, HBO | Alison Overholt, ESPN | Jo Ann Ross, CBS Corp. | Madhu Goel Southworth, AMC Networks | Melissa Tolchin, NBCUniversal | Michelle Wilson, WWE | Leigh Woisard, Cox Communications

“I have always been an advocate for diversity in general, but that was probably an ‘a-ha’ moment for me that got me very committed to the work,” Whitaker said. “I spend a lot of time doing mentoring and seeking out ways to attract diverse candidates into nontraditional roles so our company would not only be better, but we would demonstrate our commitment to diversity and inclusion.”

Knack for Operations

A self-described fierce competitor, Whitaker joined Comcast in 1994 from accounting firm KPMG, first in its external reporting unit. A CPA, she found out fairly soon that she had a knack for operations.

“Frankly, I was fascinated by the way the cable organization was run, because it was incredibly decentralized,” Whitaker said. “All those folks that sat in seats that I sit in today were their own quasi-business leaders and had tremendous opportunity to influence operating strategy and apply good business to everyday problems. And there was the triple bonus of leading people.”

That passion took Whitaker through Comcast divisions in Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and Northern Virginia. In 2009, Whitaker was offered a chance to spread her wings further, first as a VP of operations at Time Warner Cable’s Eastern North Carolina market and later as group VP and chief learning officer, responsible for leadership and development for all of TWC’s 55,000 employees.

When Comcast bid for Time Warner Cable in 2013, Whitaker was brought back into the fold, working to integrate a team for the newly combined company. It was an opportunity to not only get back into operations, but also to the company she loved.

Whitaker spent the next 14 months putting together a team for what was expected to be a new Comcast-TWC Northeast footprint, straddling both jobs at both companies. When the merger was called off in April 2015 after Comcast realized it would not receive regulatory approval, Whitaker was asked to join the company anyway and that July was named head of the Keystone Region, which serves more than 1.5 million customers and covers parts of Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio, northern West Virginia and the Maryland panhandle. (TWC was ultimately acquired by Charter.)

Whitaker’s work on the TWC deal was not in vain. The team she had assembled for what would have been a Comcast-TWC footprint stayed surprisingly intact.

At Keystone, Whitaker also inherited one of the longest-tenured workforces in the Comcast family, with a staff reputation for hard work and meeting its goals. While the region already was a well-run operation, Whitaker said she and her boss, Comcast Northeast Division president Kevin Casey, knew that it could be better.

‘Steel Curtain’ Gameplan

She gave employees the leeway to take risks and launched “Operation Steel Curtain” to win back customers from rival Verizon Fios in Pittsburgh, not just through promotional offers but through increased reliability and customer service.

The result? The Keystone Region reported positive video subscriber growth for the first time in 13 years during Whitaker’s first year on the job. The same was true in her second year. About 30 months after rejoining the company, the Keystone Region was named Comcast’s co-system of the year.

“Christine is an authentic leader and encourages others to be the same,” Dave Watson, CEO of Comcast Cable and senior executive vice president of Comcast Corp., said. “She’s created a culture of excellence in our Keystone Region that values operational and financial success the same way it values mentorship, inclusiveness and integrity. She is a ‘Wonder Woman’ in every sense, and I’m delighted Multichannel News has recognized what those of us at Comcast are privileged to experience every day.”

Whitaker’s efforts to engage, support and encourage don’t stop with employees. She has taken an active role to mobilize the community, forging partnerships with community colleges and technical schools to show that those types of roles and jobs are available to nontraditional people in the organization.

“One person at a time,” Whitaker said. “We were one of the first in our division, the Northeast division, to stand up our diversity and inclusion council. We get the best results when we have all the voices in the room.”

Would you like to attend the 21st Annual Wonder Women Luncheon on March 20 in New York City? Click here to save on your registration before rates increase on Feb. 15!

Multichannel News has announced 12 media executives as 2019 Women to Watch. They will be honored as part of the 2019 Wonder Women celebratory luncheon on March 20 at the New York Marriott Marquis.

This year marks the 21st anniversary of Wonder Women and Women to Watch. Honorees, who hold leadership positions at top companies in traditional and emerging media firms, will be profiled in the Jan. 28 edition of Multichannel News. The 2019 Wonder Women were announced earlier. For more about Wonder Women and Women to Watch and the luncheon event, which is co-sponsored by the New York chapter of Women in Cable Telecommunications, visit mcnwonderwomen.com.

Women to Watch for 2019 are:

Sarah Aubrey, Executive Vice President of Original Programming, TNT.

Meade Cooper, Senior Vice President, Primetime Programming, Fox News.

Nina Diaz, President, Programming and Development for MTV, VH1 and Logo Group, Viacom.

Alexandra Jewett, Executive Vice President, Programming, Debmar-Mercury.

Erin McIlvain, Executive Vice President, Content Strategy & Business Development, Crown Media Family Networks.

Pooja Midha, President, true[X].

Nicolle Pangis, President and CEO, NCC Media.

Hania Poole, Senior Vice President of NCAA Digital, General Manager of B/R Live, Turner Sports.

Erin Scanlon, Media & Entertainment Leader, Deloitte.

Lisa Torres, President, Multicultural, Publicis Media.

Lauren Wallace, Head of Business & Legal Affairs, Home + Entertainment, T-Mobile Home + Entertainment.

Jana Winograde, President of Business Operations, West Coast, Showtime Networks.

This story was updated and corrected on Dec. 7. 

Multichannel News has announced the 2019 class of Wonder Women, a group of leading executives in multichannel TV and media businesses who will be honored at a luncheon event in New York City on March 20, 2019.

The luncheon, at the New York Marriott Marquis, is co-sponsored by the New York chapter of Women in Cable Telecommunications. Upwards of 800 people attend this annual celebratory gathering.

Members of the 21st annual Wonder Women class will soon be joined by a class of Women to Watch. Profiles of the honorees will appear in the Jan. 28, 2019, edition of Multichannel News.

Here are the 2019 Wonder Women:

Lori Fink, Chief Legal Officer, Xandr (AT&T’s advanced advertising unit).

Michele Thornton Ghee, Senior Vice President, Media Sales, BET Her, A Viacom Company.

Madhu Goel Southworth, Senior Vice President, Legal & Business Affairs, AMC Network and Sundance TV.

Margaret Lazo, Chief Human Resources Officer, Univision Communications.

Alison Overholt, Vice President, Editor-in-Chief, ESPN The Magazine, espnW, and The ESPYS, ESPN.

Francesca Orsi, Executive Vice President and Co-Head of Drama Programming, HBO.

Laura Nathanson, Executive Vice President, Revenue & Operations, Disney Advertising Sales, The Walt Disney Co.

Jo Ann Ross, President and Chief Advertising Revenue Officer, CBS.

Melissa Tolchin, Senior Vice President, Partner Marketing, Content Distribution, NBCUniversal.

Christine Whitaker, Senior Vice President -- Keystone Region, Comcast Cable.

Michelle Wilson, Co-President, WWE.

Leigh Woisard, Senior Vice President, Public Affairs, Cox Communications.

For more information about Wonder Women and the event, please visit the mcnwonderwomen site.

This story was revised and updated.

Some 800 guests convened at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York March 22 to honor Multichannel News's 2018 class of Wonder Women.

The 12 honorees comprise MCN's 20th anniversary class of accomplished and influential women from multichannel media industries. Nominated by their peers and selected by the MCN editorial team, they have demonstrated vision, commitment and leadership as they've fostered the success of their companies and driven growth and innovation across the industry.

Profiles of MCN's Wonder Women Honorees | Watch Their Speeches

In candid remarks that touched on both the professional and the personal, they demonstrated those qualities at the podium as they shared the experiences, insight and advice that landed them on the Ziegfeld's stage.

[embed]https://twitter.com/MultiNews/status/976859631652917249[/embed]

MCN 2018 Woman of Influence: Hannah Storm

Beth Main of HBO offered a vivid look back at becoming a member of the Joffrey Ballet, describing it as her most "foundational" experience in a varied career, as it taught her that "it very much is possible to do impossible things if you really want it, and you work like hell for it." 

ESPN's Stephanie Druley had a wry perspective on being named a Wonder Women honoree, telling the crowd, "It's a lot to live up to. You know, personally, I'd prefer to be known as She Ra, Princess of Power."

[embed]https://twitter.com/MultiNews/status/976872317581234177[/embed]

Turner's Jennifer Mirgorod delivered a message from her daughters: "This award has made their day. ... It helped them make a connection between the hard work they see me do and the rewards. I believe this award has inspired them to work a little harder." 

MCN's 2018 Women to Watch, 12 up-and-coming trailblazers, were also honored at the luncheon, and got a shout-out from Debra O'Connell.

[embed]https://twitter.com/MultiNews/status/976870215006019584[/embed]

"I am so excited for the next generation of women," the NCTA's Loretta Polk said. "They are bold and assertive, confident and inventive, and plenty fearless."

Bookmark This: Complete Coverage of MCN's Wonder Women Honorees and Events

The proceedings came to a close with a call to look ahead from CBS's Josie Thomas, who spoke of creating an inclusive environment now and for the next generation of women.  

[embed]https://twitter.com/MultiNews/status/976875814435414018[/embed]

The 20th anniversary Wonder Women luncheon takes place today in New York City, where 12 leading female executives in multichannel TV and related businesses will be celebrated, along with 12 Women to Watch and one Woman of Influence.

More than 800 are expected to attend: to track mentions from the event on Twitter, please monitor the #MCNWW2018 hashtag and follow @MultiNews and @MCNWonderWomen.

The 12 members of the 2018 class of Wonder Women are (alphabetically):

• Darcy Antonellis, CEO, Vubiquity
• Kerry Brockhage, Executive Vice President & Chief Counsel, Content Distribution, NBCUniversal
• Christa D'Alimonte, Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary, Viacom
• Stephanie Druley, ESPN Senior Vice President, Event & Studio Production 
• Marianne Gambelli, President, Ad Sales, Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network
• Sarah Gitchell, Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel & Chief Counsel - Content Acquisition, Comcast Cable
• Beth Main, Senior Vice President, Domestic Network Distribution, HBO
• Jennifer Mirgorod, Executive Vice President of Content Distribution & Strategic Partnerships, Turner
• Debra O'Connell, Executive Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Disney|ABC Television Group
• Elaine Paul, Chief Financial Officer, Strategy & Business Development, Hulu
• Loretta Polk, Vice President & Associate General Counsel, NCTA - The Internet & Television Association
• Josie Thomas, Executive Vice President, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, CBS Corp.

Read More: MCN Names 2018 Women to Watch Class

Also set to be honored is ESPN SportsCenter anchor Hannah Storm, the 2018 Woman of Influence.

Showtime Networks executive Sara Clarke is set to receive the inaugural Career Catalyst Award from WICT New York, a co-sponsor of the event. 

Watch: 12 Takeaways From MCN's Wonder Women Class of 2018

For more information on the 2018 Wonder Women class and event, including registration information, visit http://mcnwonderwomen.com. 

For comprehensive editorial coverage of Wonder Women coverage over the years, click here.

New York City TV Week is coming up, starting with the 27th annual Broadcasting & CableHall of Fame on Monday, Oct. 16. For more about NYCTVWK, click here.

Multichannel News announced that dataxu has signed on as a sponsor to the Wonder Women 2018 luncheon event in New York on March 22, 2018.

Dataxu helps marketing professionals and publishers use data to improve advertising. Their software empowers users to connect with real people across all channels, including TV, capturing consumers’ attention.

Wonder Women is an awards celebration and luncheon honoring 13 of cable television and communications most powerful female executives who lead by example and action, inspiring others and helping to create new opportunities for future female industry leaders. A few tickets remain for this nearly sold out event. More information and a full list of this year’s honorees at www.mcnwonderwomen.com.

Representing all segments of the pay TV ecosphere, the honorees in MCN's 2018 Wonder Women class have achieved their organizations' goals while fostering overall industry growth and innovation.

They're among media's most influential women, the ones who have found the keys to "breaking through the clutter," as one described her team's approach to getting the job done.

Their perspectives on problem-solving, driving results and creating success demonstrate the leadership qualities that make them MCN's 20th anniversary honorees. And on the most timely issue facing this year's class — the impact of the #MeToo movement on the companies they lead — they offer vision for forging lasting change in the workplace.

Meet these 12 executives in person March 22 at the 20th Anniversary Wonder Women Luncheon. In the meantime, visit Celebrating Media's Influential Women to read their profiles.

More: MCN's Women to Watch 2018|The #MCNWW Online Archives

Related:With #MeToo, TV Hits the ‘Reset Button’| Q&A: Some On-the-Job Gender Training

NAME: Darcy Antonellis
TITLE: CEO
COMPANY: Vubiquity

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Prior to joining Vubiquity as CEO in late 2013, she was president, technical operations and chief technology officer at Warner Bros. Entertainment, where she played a key role in the studio’s transition to digital technologies and automated distribution systems.

QUOTABLE: “You want to avoid trying to boil the ocean to solve a multitude of problems. Think about your core and the company’s areas of expertise and where you can really bring value and enable new opportunities for your customers.”

Darcy Antonellis, CEO of Vubiquity, understands that a combination of hard work and determination is always required to successfully climb the corporate ladder.

But she’s eager to point out that this climb, typically a more difficult one for women in male-dominated fields, also requires the help of mentors and advocates who make their decisions without self-centered motives, but instead “pay it forward.”

“I feel very strongly that nobody makes their way completely on their own,” Antonellis said. “Recognizing those contributions and how you can learn from anyone on any given day is extremely important.”

Many Mentors, One Most Important
Antonellis noted several mentors who have contributed to her career, but gives much of the credit to her father, who is technically trained and worked in the broadcasting arena. He had some influence on Antonellis’s decision to focus her efforts on technology and engineering, she said.

Watch MCN: 12 Takeaways From MCN's Wonder Women Class of 2018

The importance of mentorship also ties into how Antonellis operates Vubiquity. A prime example is the “VUer Choice Awards,” an annual internal program that recognizes employees who are nominated and selected by their peers for exhibiting one of Vubiquity’s core values.

“Paying it forward is certainly one of those,” Antonellis said.

It’s been an interesting journey for Antonellis, who initially embarked on a career in journalism, including a post with the CBS News bureau in Washington, D.C.

“I later realized that I had a much greater aptitude and passion for math and science, and that ultimately spurred my interest,” she said.

Jim Riley, a former colleague of Antonellis at Vubiquity and now chief revenue officer at Mediamorph, said she possesses a unique blend of knowledge that is critical in the ever-evolving video and media business.

“Darcy is driven, strategic, tenacious and technically savvy,” Riley said. “She’s got a deep technical expertise that she marries with her enthusiasm about the future.”

Riley said he believes Antonellis got ahead of that curve working as a top engineering executive at Warner Bros. Entertainment, which she has parlayed into the leadership role she has today. “She has the technical acumen to handle the challenges of this new world we’re all living in and working together to bring to fruition,” he said.

As a global media distribution technology and services provider, Vubiquity, like other companies in the sector, has been required to evolve, going beyond securing rights and the tech required to distribute premium content to a wide range of screens.

These days, the turf of traditional pay TV operators is being invaded by content owners and new distributors that can tap into high-speed broadband connections to deliver over-the-top content directly to the viewer.

“The video space is incredibly dynamic,” Antonellis said. “The trend we’re seeing is of content owners becoming more direct-to-consumer distributors, and video distributors becoming content owners. We’ve made a lot of investments to enable and support new services rapidly.”

Knowing how to support those trends while also implementing a range of advertising, subscription and transaction-based business models, and doing it on an increasingly global basis, has been a major focus for Antonellis and Vubiquity.

“There’s a great opportunity for premium content to be shared and enjoyed, and that crosses a lot of borders,” she said, referring to the company’s international expansion (now at more than 120 countries and support for about 80 languages).

As CEO, Antonellis is tasked with maintaining a balance on the “here and now” of the business, as well as preparing for what’s to come. “I think the biggest challenges are really just around the raw, dynamic nature of the video landscape and consumption patterns,” she said. “The challenge for any executive team is to maintain discipline to stay focused, but not at the expense of adjusting to these relative changes.”

Finding the Time for Family
Antonellis also tries to strike the right work-life balance. Outside of work, her focus is on her two children, Andrea and Sebastian, who were born in Bogota, Colombia, and did not speak English when they were adopted as teens. Antonellis’s daughter is getting ready to graduate from college; her son is now working full time.

“They’ve really worked to find their way in the world,” Antonellis said. “I look at them as being my greatest inspiration. I think about the beginning of their lives and the challenges that they’ve overcome, and those are pretty good goal posts for me.”

Antonellis is also into sports — among them tennis (she played in college under a scholarship), golf, skiing, participating in triathlons and boating. “Probably everything except curling, maybe,” she said.

She’s also a big Philadelphia Eagles fan, and scored tickets to watch her team defeat the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship.

Her passion for sports also translates to her interest in women’s health, as she is chair of the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women Los Angeles chapter.

And speaking of sports, regarding advice for other women interested in pursuing a career in engineering, technology and operations, she’d say the same thing cheering on her favorite teams. “The best thing I can say, and in all caps, is: ‘GO, GO, GO!’

NAME: Marianne Gambelli
TITLE: President, Ad Sales
COMPANY: Fox News Channel

CAREER HIGHLIGHT: Prior to joining Fox News in 2017, Gambelli was investment officer for Horizon Media. Before that, she had spent more than 20 years with NBC, where she was named president of sales in 2016.

QUOTABLE: “There’s a core group that has been here since the beginning and I think they’re really energized around all this change. … The new people, like me, have been accepted. Everybody’s on the same page which is really exciting.”

After ousting founder Roger Ailes and top-rated on-air host Bill O’Reilly in response to sexual harassment charges, Fox News Channel filled several top posts with senior women executives, including Marianne Gambelli, who became president of advertising sales last April.

The changes at Fox News were at the beginning of a wave in the media business, politics and other industries that saw high-profile executives and performers lose jobs because of inappropriate dealing with their female co-workers.

“I think that my whole career has been about making sure that the culture is friendly to women and mentoring women and giving them a role model, so I don’t feel that that’s changed in any way, shape or form,” Gambelli said.

“I feel like there should be a fair environment for everybody. That as a leader is what you’re supposed to do. So that has not changed,” she said.

Breaking Into a Macho Culture
TV advertising sales, once a very macho culture, has seen several women rise to the very top at media companies, including NBCUniversal, CBS, Disney-ABC and Turner.

“It’s sort of been coming,” Gambelli said. “I hope that it’s just that there are qualified executives in the role, regardless of what their gender is.”

Watch MCN: 12 Takeaways From MCN's Wonder Women Class of 2018

You can’t argue with success. It looks like Fox News had a record year in terms of ratings and ad revenue in 2017 and Gambelli continues to make adjustments to the sales department.

“Given her past accomplishments, it is no surprise that Marianne has hit the ground running and is taking Fox News to the next level,” said Jack Abernethy, co-president, Fox News and CEO, Fox Television Stations.

Gambelli began her career as an assistant buyer at Grey Advertising in 1980 and moved to Backer Spielvogel Bates as the first woman to work on the Miller Brewing account. She then went to NBC as an account executive in sports sales in 1990, rising to president of sales for NBC broadcasting in 2010.

After leaving the network, she returned to the agency business as chief investment officer of Horizon Media in 2013.

“It was incredibly valuable to have someone who’d been on the sales side for so long running a major sales organization,” said Dave Campanelli, executive vice president, managing partner, Video Investment at Horizon.

As a manager, Gambelli was able to quickly get to the heart of a matter. “She has a really good ability to cut the BS, cut right to the heart of what an issue was and be able to tackle it and solve it,” Campanelli said.

During her tenure at the agency, media buyers and sellers were gearing up to deal with data. With Gambelli’s background, “I think she was really valuable in explaining back to the networks, this is why this is important to our advertisers. These data optimization tools are what our advertisers are looking for now,” Campanelli said.

Gambelli also got a refresher course on how tough business has become for some clients. “The requests and challenges that we pose to the networks, we don’t pull them out of the sky. They’re usually founded in very real client challenges,” Campanelli said. He expects Gambelli to focus more on being collaborative in terms of maximizing revenue and “solving our clients’ business issues.”

Gambelli agrees her time at Horizon helped her better understand how clients think. “You realize the media mix and the strategy is so much greater than a TV buy or a news buy. You tend to get caught up.”

At the agency, she gained some perspective on how TV fits into the bigger picture. “If I can help solve their problems or speak their language versus just trying to sell them something, I think that makes our messaging more powerful. I’m not making a proposal that makes no sense,” she said.

But Gambelli said she eventually missed being in sales. “I wouldn’t have gone back anywhere, but I felt this was the right place to come to.”

During her time at the agency, the TV sales business had changed.

“Google and Facebook have become more powerful” as competitors for ad dollars, she said. “Four or five years ago, you didn’t know how it was all going to play out.”

As a result, she said, “it’s funny, it’s kind of come full circle because the traditional product, like sports, news, entertainment, the linear products, are still pretty powerful” in terms of the impact they have in helping to generate sales for brands.

Adjusting to the Digital Era
Under Gambelli, Fox News is one of a handful of networks testing a platform by Data Plus Math aimed at attributing the impact of commercials to a product’s sales.

She made a number of other changes at Fox News, promoting some of her top lieutenants and bringing TV and digital sales closer together.

Gambelli is also nearly done with a different, more personal project, rehabilitating a knee she had surgically replaced last year.

While she was up and about on her new joint quickly, “my level of activity and my expectations were completely different,” she said. Now, Gambelli said she’s playing golf and biking, but it took longer than she expected. “It’s been a process, but I’m getting there.”

NAME: Debra O’Connell
TITLE: Executive VP, Ad Sales and Marketing
COMPANY: Disney-ABC Television Group

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Creative deals made since the Disney-ABC sales reorganization; Disney VoluntEARS efforts

QUOTABLE: “In 2018, I am looking forward to continuing to test and learn in new environments, whether through ad formats or creative executions, and layering on technology to all that we are doing.”

When Rita Ferro, president of Disney-ABC Ad Sales, learned that the company was going to be reorganizing from three different sales organizations to one, there was one person she knew for sure she wanted to have by her side. That was Debra O’Connell, now executive vice president, sales and marketing, Disney-ABC Television Group.

“I specifically hand-picked her based on her skill set and drive, her success in building and managing teams and her understanding of how best to work with business partners,” said Ferro. “We are very aligned strategically in what we define as success and what we both know is important.”

That sales reorganization happened last February, when Disney-ABC Television Group ad sales was shifted from three teams that served ABC, Freeform and the Disney cable networks — Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney Junior — to one team serving all of those properties, including linear and digital networks and Radio Disney.

The intention is to allow clients to run tailored campaigns across Disney-ABC networks that reach consumers from childhood to adulthood. For example, Walmart might want to advertise baby food to new moms, toys to younger kids, books and movies to older kids and economical prices to parents.

Results Through Creativity
“We are looking to drive results through creativity,” O’Connell said. “Doing that is breaking through the day-to-day clutter that advertisers can feel because there are so many [sellers] hitting them up for potential sponsorships. Our [intellectual property] is important to driving results because of the engagement we get. We offer the opportunity to reach consumers at all life stages.”

For example, ABC partnered with Dick Clark Productions to lock down a record number of sponsors for Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2018. Sponsors included Allstate, Pepsi, Planet Fitness and Uber. The broadcast showcased two new ad formats, branding the on-screen countdown clock and splitting the screen during commercial breaks. Disney-ABC also worked with those sponsors to create custom content. Pepsi and Uber took their turns on the countdown clock, with Uber reminding viewers from 11: 30 p.m. to 1 a.m., “If you drink, don’t drive.”

Watch MCN: 12 Takeaways From MCN's Wonder Women Class of 2018

In another example, ABC partnered with Mitsubishi Motors North America to market its Eclipse Cross during ABC News’s coverage of the total solar eclipse on Aug. 21. The car made its first appearance that morning on ABC’s Good Morning America and the automaker was the exclusive sponsor of the network’s two-hour special, The Great American Eclipse, which aired from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. that day.

Finally, Jimmy Kimmel Live! returned to Brooklyn for a week in October, each night featuring a major integration with a different brand, including Bank of America and Google Home Mini. The Google Home Mini spot featured a flashback of Kimmel’s actual family eating dinner together and arguing; it then returned to the present day to show Kimmel resolving the argument by asking Google for help.

“Advertisers are understanding what we are trying to do by taking that initial step with us,” O’Connell said. “Since last spring, when we first started bringing our groups together, we’ve seen a very large increase in the types of creative executions that we are bringing to marketing.”

O’Connell has prepped for these changes over her 20 years at the company, with posts that include president of ABC National Television Sales (where she led national ad sales at ABC’s eight owned stations in New York; Los Angeles; Chicago; Philadelphia; San Francisco; Houston; Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; and Fresno, Calif.), along with several posts within the multimedia sales and marketing divisions at ABC Television. She began her career as an account executive for two of Liberty Broadcasting’s radio stations, and as marketing director for DiCarlo Distributors.

While O’Connell’s job requires expertise across all facets of television advertising sales and marketing, it’s her people skills that allow her to really shine, Ferro said.

Good at Getting to ‘Yes’
“Debra knows how to build relationships. She understands that it’s how we’re going to get to ‘yes.’ She understands that it has to be a mutual win for both us as a company and for the client,” Ferro said.

O’Connell also applies this philosophy to the way she hires the people around her. “No matter the size of your business, you have to have a great team,” she said. “I’m a big believer in hiring the best people — smart and hard-working, of course, but that they are good people at heart is the most important aspect of that equation.”

While overseeing a large team, O’Connell manages to put her family first and make time to volunteer, both through the Disney VoluntEARS, which has connected her to groups such as the Boys and Girls Club, and at her daughter’s school.

“I feel like anyone who has success in their life can find time to give back,” O’Connell said. “Paying it forward is always the best medicine for anyone.”

Said George Bodenheimer, who recently returned to ESPN as interim CEO and was an early mentor: “Debra always knew the issues and the facts and she was able to articulate a vision. You could tell that she had that ‘it’ factor to become a serious leader. She’s committed to the company, but her family comes first. She’s dedicated to her family and dedicated to the company, and that’s a winning combination.”

NAME: Kerry Brockhage
TITLE: Executive VP and Chief Counsel, Content Distribution Group
COMPANY: NBCUniversal

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Brockhage recently closed a number of retransmission consent and affiliate deals with AT&T, DirecTV, Dish and Charter Communications, among others. She worked with the NBC Sports Group to secure carriage of the company’s new linear network, Olympic Channel.

QUOTABLE: “I think my strongest attribute is my enthusiasm. I really like what I do. I love this industry and it doesn’t feel like work to me, so I embrace it.”

To understand Kerry Brockhage, you just have to know she was in the office during the East Coast’s Bomb Cyclone in early January. The snowy sidewalk she takes to the bus that delivers her to 30 Rockefeller Plaza every day was untouched by other footprints and the office was quiet. But Brockhage, who serves as NBCUniversal’s executive vice president and chief counsel for the Content Distribution Group, wasn’t going to let a pesky nor’easter get in the way of work.

“Kerry is invaluable,” said Matt Bond, chairman of NBCU’s content distribution arm. “You need someone who can draft documents, say it right, spot problems and see solutions. And she does all that.”

Brockhage oversees distribution deals involving NBC’s broadcast stations and satellite-delivered networks. She recently handled several blockbuster retransmission deals and affiliate contracts with traditional satellite and cable distributors and also supervises carriage deals with new digital distributors including DirecTV Now, Hulu, Sling, Sony PlayStation and YouTube

Watch MCN: 12 Takeaways From MCN's Wonder Women Class of 2018

The regulatory aspect of Brockhage’s job makes it even more complicated, but Brockhage said, “It’s another reason and another level that makes this job so interesting.”

While keeping abreast of the regulatory hoops is time-consuming, her biggest challenge is changes in technology. Add to that the fact that the industry landscape keeps shifting and Brockhage’s days have their own adventures.

Steering Negotiations From Every Angle
“There is always something new and different to work on,” she said. “There’s either a new person or new aspect of a deal or a new viewpoint to consider or a new issue to address. In some ways, you are doing the same thing, but it’s always changing.”

While Brockhage must steer negotiations from every angle at a high level, it’s her attention to detail that sets her apart from other attorneys, Bond said. “She gets involved in every aspect of every deal. She is the go-to person when you have a question about just about anything.”

Robyn Polashuk, a partner with the law firm Covington & Burling in Los Angeles who worked with Brockhage at Lifetime in the mid-2000s and a member of  MCN's Women to Watch Class of 2018, agreed. “Kerry is practical, level-headed and methodical. She is one of the hardest-working people I know. She is also incredibly calm and all that makes her a great attorney.”

Brockhage was a tax attorney before retiring to take care of her small kids almost three decades ago. She wasn’t actively looking to get into the cable industry, but a friend suggested she would be the perfect fit for Viacom Cable, which was looking for a program acquisition attorney at the time.

She didn’t know much about the business beyond being a cable subscriber. But she took the job and picked up the basics. When Viacom Cable was sold in 1995, she again off-ramped the corporate world. A few years later, Charter Communications lured her back to do contract work on retransmission consent deals.

Eventually, Brockhage wanted to move to the other side of the negotiating table and took a position at Lifetime. “I found the whole business side of the networks fascinating and I have loved every minute of it,” she said. She worked at A+E Networks after it purchased Lifetime in 2009, then migrated to NBCU seven years ago. She was promoted to her current position last spring.

“This has to be the best job in the industry for a distribution lawyer,” Brockhage said, “because we do it all.” In addition to the fascination with the business in general, Brockhage finds delight in working with her team. “I work with some terrific colleagues who are experienced, collegial and excellent at what they do,” she said. “We work through problems and ideas together. It’s always rewarding. I always look forward to their input.”

She is also intent on making sure that a collaborative and inclusive environment remains vibrant and open. Brockhage sees the #MeToo movement as a watershed moment for change in the workplace and believes it will be good for women, their male co-workers and the companies in general.

Making the Workplace More Inclusive
“It’s a real issue and I think it has real change behind it,” she said. “We all react to the cultures around us and we can make [harassment] harder to get away with and easier for people to talk about. We have a very inclusive environment [at NBCU] but I need to make sure we’re maintaining and nurturing that positive culture. I want people to feel comfortable coming to me and be confident we’ll address whatever it is. It’s easy to say ‘Come forward.’ It’s harder to create an atmosphere where people can talk about it and then know it will be dealt with.”

Brockhage said she believes a harassment-free workplace is important to every employee, but she realizes it will likely be women that keep the issue front and center and it’ll be just one more detail to focus on going forward. “It’s an exciting time,” she said. “It’s an important moment. It behooves everyone — men and women — to realize our potential and work where our contributions are valued. Change is difficult, but I feel this is a moment to begin making progress.”

NAME: Christa D’Alimonte
TITLE: Executive VP, General Counsel and Secretary
COMPANY: Viacom

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Partner and deputy practice group leader at Shearman & Sterling’s Global M&A Group, advising media clients such as Viacom and NBCUniversal. Joining Viacom in 2012 and assuming her current role in 2017.

QUOTABLE: “My dad is a lawyer, my mom went to law school … although I don’t think it was what I always wanted to do. If I’m honest with myself, I probably went to college thinking I would be a doctor or a medical researcher of some sort. Then chemistry happened.”

When you ask folks about Viacom executive vice president, general counsel and secretary Christa D’Alimonte, the terms “creative,” “unflappable,” “collaborative” and “thoughtful” get used a lot. And in today’s topsy-turvy media environment, those are very good traits to have.

Creighton Condon, senior partner at Shearman & Sterling, the New York M&A law firm that was D’Alimonte’s first home after graduating from Georgetown University Law Center, would add a few more to the list.

“She just has exceptional judgment, especially under fire and under pressure,” Condon said. “She can really stay focused and keep that thoughtfulness even under intense pressure. She’s great with teams — she ran a number of really large, complicated transactions across multiple practice groups with 30, 40, 50 lawyers. She treats everyone with respect, is very good at training people and at keeping the team all pulling in the same direction.”

D’Alimonte credits her demeanor to mentors who have helped guide her in her career over the years.

“I could identify four or five people who have had the most influence,” D’Alimonte said. “They’ve all shown me how you remain calm and levelheaded in the face of what can feel like incredibly stressful and difficult decisions in the moment [and having] the perspective and judgment to appreciate that, for the most part, what I’m doing is not life-and-death decisions.”

Shaping Strategic Priorities for Future Growth
As Viacom’s chief lawyer, D’Alimonte not only steers the programmer’s legal strategy, she also plays a big role in shaping the company’s strategic priorities to revitalize its brands and position its key lines of business for future growth. D’Alimonte is more than up to the task, with over 20 years as a top dealmaker for Shearman & Sterling under her belt, where she worked transactions with major clients such as Viacom and NBCUniversal.

Watch MCN: 12 Takeaways From MCN's Wonder Women Class of 2018

D’Alimonte’s first media deal as an associate at Shearman & Sterling was representing Viacom in the sale of its publishing unit Simon & Schuster and included the sale of its Blockbuster arm in 2004 and the 2005 split of Viacom and CBS. She joined Viacom in 2012 as senior VP and assistant secretary under longtime Viacom general counsel Michael Fricklas. Five years later, when Fricklas announced his retirement, D’Alimonte was tapped to take his place.

For D’Alimonte, the job isn’t just the law; being a successful general counsel also requires great strategic expertise.

“An enormous part of my job is … bringing 25 years of business experience and legal experience and judgment to bear on all sorts of issues that face the company,” D’Alimonte said. “I obviously look at things from a legal perspective, but it’s not just walking into a room and providing a narrow legal answer to questions. I always have to be thinking of broader business considerations and practical considerations as well.”

D’Alimonte’s Viacom journey took her through the CBS split, a watershed moment for the media business that helped lead to other pureplay separations such as Time Warner Cable and Time Warner Inc. Now the industry itself is facing a crossroads: With an ad market in decline and new over-the-top players entering the market and disrupting the existing distribution model, pay TV networks, and Viacom in particular, have faced tough choices.

Viacom has been affected by the storm more than many — its younger-skewing demographic has quickly adopted new content distribution technologies that at times bypass traditional revenue streams. The result: Ratings declines and ad revenue erosion across the pay TV board. But D’Alimonte and Viacom aren’t throwing in the towel.

“I look at it as a time of great opportunity for us,” D’Alimonte said. “It’s led to some exciting partnerships and new business ideas here. While it may be a little bit unsettling at times to be in an industry that is changing, I think you have to embrace that disruption and the opportunities it presents.”

Embracing Viacom’s Shift in Focus
Viacom CEO Bob Bakish, who assumed that role in late 2016, took the bull by the horns quickly, embarking on a bold new path last year to concentrate on six core brands — Nickelodeon, Nickelodeon Jr., MTV, BET, Comedy Central and the Paramount Network (a rebranded Spike TV). While Viacom would continue to sell its 18 other networks to distributors, the focus would remain on the core and developing new revenue streams outside of traditional advertising and affiliate fees.

“Christa is an exceptional executive and a key member of the senior team guiding Viacom’s strategy to position our business for the future,” Bakish said. “Not only is she collaborative, creative and an incisive problem solver, she’s an absolute pleasure to work with. We’re incredibly fortunate to have her as our general counsel.”

D’Alimonte said Bakish enlisted the help and the input of all his divisional and corporate executives in developing the new plan.

“One of the great things about Bob is he’s an incredibly collaborative and transparent leader,” D’Alimonte said. “From the moment he started, even as acting CEO and president, he convened a broad group of leaders across the company. That’s continued now that he’s been permanent CEO. He has a broad senior leadership team of which I am a part, and we all contribute in different ways to where the company is going.”

NAME: Jennifer Mirgorod
TITLE: Executive VP of Content Distribution & Strategic Partnerships
COMPANY: Turner Content Distribution

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Named TCD senior VP of brand revenue and account management in 2005; later elevated to TCD executive VP of content distribution and strategic partnerships.

QUOTABLE: “Mentoring is so important … I like teaching and imparting what knowledge I have and have learned over the years. It’s something that I’ll continue to seek out and hopefully have the opportunity to do more of in the future.”

Looking at at the successful career of Turner Content Distribution executive Jennifer Mirgorod, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say she was destined for cable television excellence.

As executive vice president of content distribution and strategic partnerships for TCD — which encompasses cable networks TBS, CNN, HLN, TNT, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies (TCM), truTV, CNN International, CNN en Español and Boomerang — Mirgorod leads a team responsible for bringing in more than 50% of Turner’s annual revenue. That’s more than any other division, which says a great deal about her influence in a more than two-decade career at the company.

“Jennifer is an incredibly smart, talented and strategic executive,” Turner Content Distribution president Rich Warren said. “While she sets high standards for her team and holds them accountable, she also mentors and coaches them along the way, which is a trait of a true leader.”

Watch MCN: 12 Takeaways From MCN's Wonder Women Class of 2018

While growing up, though, a TV career was the furthest thing from the Charlotte, N.C., native’s mind. She had watched her father — veteran broadcast TV station executive Mark Keown — work long and hard hours in the industry, and decided after high school to major in foreign affairs at the University of Virginia with the hopes of landing a government job overseas.

Looking For a Job, Just Not In Television

“I did not want to follow in my father’s footsteps. I saw that and thought, ‘I don’t want to be like Dad; I don’t want to turn into a workaholic,’ ” she said. But a media-based internship eventually led to her first job at a local broadcast station in Charlotte.

“Even after that job I thought to myself, ‘I’ve got to get out of this — this is what my dad had done,’” she said. “But I kept finding it a little more interesting and getting better opportunities that moved me into something even more interesting, so here I am, 20-plus years later, still in television.”

After a year at the Charlotte station, Mirgorod would eventually move to Atlanta, where Turner is headquartered, but she wouldn’t actually begin with the company for another five years — in Hong Kong.

Mirgorod said she moved to Hong Kong without a job, but was again determined not to join the media industry, yet her work experience was so vested in the industry that she would eventually settle into an entry-level sales position at Turner in 1995. She thrived at Turner in Hong Kong, but soon realized her future growth in the business meant moving back to the States.

“I’d been gone for eight years and I had missed this whole period of cultural history in the U.S. There were shows I’d never even heard of, and there were things that didn’t make their way to Asia,” she said. “I knew I was hitting that point where — at least in what I was doing in television — it would be hard to move back in if I didn’t do it pretty quickly at that point; I’d been gone for so long.”

Mirgorod returned to Atlanta in 2003 and found a job at Turner Content Distribution in affiliate marketing. By 2005, she would transition into account management, negotiating carriage deals for Turner’s burgeoning stable of cable networks.

“I was experienced in sales and marketing, but I guess I liked to be a little bit closer to the money and the fire, so to speak, and I wasn’t really feeling that in marketing and strategy,” she said. “When the opportunity came up where I could start working on some distribution accounts, I took advantage of it, and that changed the course of my career once again.”

As TCD’s senior vice president of brand revenue and account management, she said negotiations with distributors in the mid-to-late-2000s were less difficult than they are today, given the evolution of technology over the past decade.

“We had some pretty difficult deals [then], but I think the difference now is that because of all the technological changes that have occurred over the last seven years or so, they’ve become much more complex, and that makes them harder,” she said.

Yet Mirgorod has risen to the challenge. In 2014, she was named TCD executive vice president of brand distribution, and three years later assumed the expanded role of TCD executive VP of content distribution and strategic partnerships, where she was instrumental in closing a number of major multiplatform negotiation deals with top distribution clients throughout 2016 and 2017.

Extending Influence as a Mentor

Her influence within Turner extends beyond the negotiating table. She is the executive sponsor of Turner Asia, a companywide business resource group aimed at leveraging the talents of Asian-Pacific American employees. She also mentors young professionals through the Turner Women Today Circle Mentoring program, and is an active member of Women in Cable Telecommunications.

“She is a fantastic colleague to many people throughout the company, and she cares deeply about helping others advance their careers,” Warren said. “She takes the time to listen, and provide feedback, no matter how busy she is.”

Mirgorod also said she has effectively balanced work and family life, spending quality time with her husband George and her two kids, Mary, 12, and Kate, 9. “I didn’t want to turn into a workaholic, and I don’t think I actually have,” she said. “So maybe that’s what I really wanted to avoid [instead of the industry].”

NAME: Elaine Paul
TITLE: Chief Financial Officer, Strategy & Business Development
COMPANY: Hulu

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Paul focused on mergers and acquisitions during 25 years at Disney, including the firm’s $800 million transaction to acquire India multimedia conglomerate UTV and make it private, establishing Disney’s position in India.

QUOTABLE: “Learning never ceases. I learn something new every day, in my job and my life. When one is in a dynamic, quickly changing space — and that’s where Hulu sits, [in] the white hot center — that’s a great environment in which to learn.”

After 25 years in corporate strategy at entertainment giant The Walt Disney Co., Elaine Paul had achieved the traditional hallmarks of success for a senior vice president: the corner office and the choice spot in the parking garage, “right there by the elevator.”

Then she went to Hulu, where she got a standup desk, a yoga ball as a chair, no walls and a staff of millennials called Hulugans.

“There are no entitlements, there is no parking space, there is no office,” Paul said. “My first three months people asked, ‘How’s the change?’ I’d say, ‘It’s Mars and Venus, that’s how big it is.’ ” Paul, Hulu’s new CFO, quickly adopted a personal mantra: “Evolve or die.”

In fact, evolution was too slow for what needed to happen, she said. “It was a revolution in how I needed to adapt my management style, my leadership style and my appreciation for a new media/tech/millennial company.”

Buying Into Different Corporate Culture
For one thing, she soon learned that her team wasn’t gunning for that choice parking spot.

When Paul came to Disney from Harvard Business School, “there was a very specific path one took: You wanted to please your boss and get the next promotion.” Hulu’s young team worked just as hard, but “what’s important to them is an intrinsic sense of knowing the impact and importance and context of their individual work, and a buy-in and belief in the culture of Hulu and that Hulu is doing the right thing for its employees and in the world.”

Watch MCN: 12 Takeaways From MCN's Wonder Women Class of 2018

Her companywide leadership role also meant being an “evangelist” for Hulu to the entire company — “from hourly workers to Ph.D.s in rocket science” — and explaining the vision of “what Hulu is all about, what’s our North Star, and what role we are playing in this super rapidly changing media ecosystem.” In other words, she’s “not just Elaine the CFO with the numbers. I’m proud that I think I’ve achieved that.”

Since Paul arrived, Hulu has won exclusive subscription streaming rights to Empire, The Golden Girls, Seinfeld and more, increased its subscriber base to 17 million, won awards for The Handmaid’s Tale, and developed a successful live-streaming platform. Paul established a strategic analytics group to exploit Hulu’s wealth of user data to the advantage of its business, from maximizing engagement of viewers, to pricing, to managing churn among subscribers. Acquisitions have included the Video Genome Project, which provides technology to improve recommendations for viewers.

On completion of its 21st Century Fox asset acquisition, Disney will own 60% of Hulu. Paul had worked for Disney corporate strategy almost since she graduated from Stanford, with a break to earn her MBA. She worked for now- CEO Robert Iger during his stint as head of Walt Disney International, and was mentored by Meg Whitman, later of eBay and Hewlett-Packard. Paul was involved in Disney’s initial investment into Hulu in 2009.

Then, Hulu was seen as a complementary platform for ABC network programming, “to start getting us a footprint into where consumer eyeballs and ad dollars were starting to migrate.” But by the time Paul threw her hat into the ring to be Hulu’s CFO, streaming and direct-to-consumer distribution were “driving every media company’s strategy.”

When Mike Hopkins became Hulu CEO in 2013, his first move was to bring Paul from Disney, calling her “one of the most tenacious, disciplined and passionate executives I’ve ever worked with.” Randy Freer, who came in as Hulu CEO in October following Hopkins’ departure for Sony Pictures Television, called Paul “incredibly intelligent, smart and curious,” and “a student of the business.”

“One of the things that I think is terrific — but also hard on her — is that she’s prolific,” Freer added. “Her ability to lead a group and get things done — while others may not be able to keep up, she just plows through it. That’s one of the things that on one level is awesome and on another level keeps her up too many nights.”

Leadership With Energy
A former marathoner, Paul definitely has the energy. “Thank God, I pretty much was born with it,” she said. “Supplemented with some serious lattes.” She is married to another CFO and Disney alum, Darren Seidel of Entertainment Partners, and they have three children: Will, age 14; Lauren, age 12; and Addie, age 9.

Four years after Paul’s arrival at Hulu, some of those young Hulugans are now marrying and becoming parents.

“I’m really enjoying that, and talking to them, [saying] don’t be intimidated about coming back” to work, she said. The keys for a working mother, she tells them, are a good boss, a good partner, and good childcare.

“Fortunately I’ve had all three all the way along,” she said. “The extreme organization that it requires to manage a household and children, I honestly think helps in the workplace. I think it sets a great example for the kids, and a necessary example for the kids. Stay in it, as long as you’re passionate about it.”

NAME: Beth Main
TITLE: Senior VP, Domestic Network Distribution
COMPANY: HBO

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Joined HBO in 2002 after careers in ballet, travel writing, Silicon Valley and marketing for cable operators. A member of the CTAM board of directors, she is also an executive member of WICT.

QUOTABLE: “The qualities that make me successful here are the ability to remain poised under pressure, to remain resilient — ‘that didn’t work, let’s try something new’ — perseverance, and teamwork. I do not give up. There’s always a way.”

A ballerina, a travel writer and a Silicon Valley pioneer: It sounds like a pitch for an HBO series, not the resume of one of the network’s executives. Beth Main has taken a circuitous path to her job as HBO’s senior vice president for domestic network distribution, but every experience was worth it.

“I have tried on many, many different hats — and shoes,” Main said. “I learned this industry quite by accident.”

Raised in San Francisco, Main devoted her early years to ballet study, including a summer at the Joffrey Ballet in New York. She was set on dancing professionally. Then her father sat her down at the kitchen table one night toward the end of high school and told her she had to try just a year of college, at least.

“‘You’re about to make a decision that’s going to impact the rest of your life before you know anything about life,’ ” Main’s father told her. “‘Before you’ve got your pointe shoes off and a burger in your body, I’m not going to let you make that decision.’ ”

“I hated him for it,” Main recalled. “But he was a wise man.” She loved college, and though she did dance professionally with a regional ballet company, “I was soon reminded that the world was bigger and the relentless focus that athleticism requires was not for me.”

Watch MCN: 12 Takeaways From MCN's Wonder Women Class of 2018

Main worked in marketing for Tele-Communications Inc. and Viacom cable systems. “I had great bosses that recognized quality in me that they appreciated: Discipline, poise, perseverance, communications skills. I just had people that pulled me right up.”

She did a stint with a Silicon Valley startup, Diva Systems, which she called “exhilarating” but unsatisfying. “Companies run by engineers — it was not for me.” So she took six months off to drive across the country, then cold-called travel publishers until she landed a gig writing the guide Karen Brown’s Pacific Northwest. In 2002, wanting to be part of a team, she came to HBO via the San Francisco office.

Classical Training Comes in Handy
“The most formative of all those experiences, though I didn’t know it at the time, was the training as a classical ballerina,” she said. “That experience, coupled with a liberal arts education, fostered in me attributes that serve me so well in a business environment. Especially this environment where it’s so chaotic right now, where it’s all unknown and we’re making it up together.”

Since 2014, Main has headed sales and distribution strategy for HBO and Cinemax through general management of all U.S. cable partnerships. Worth $2.4 billion, they represent half of HBO’s domestic subscription business.

That means she must nurture HBO’s relationships with cable operators at the same time as the network has launched HBO Go and made its content available through other streaming services.

Good thing diplomacy is one of Main’s strengths, said Shelley Brindle, a former HBO executive vice president who mentored Main. “You can imagine how much finesse is required in doing that.”

With the seismic shift in the cable industry, an easy reaction is “panic,” said Bernadette Aulestia, Main’s boss and HBO’s executive vice president for global distribution. But Main is “unflappable” and “takes everything in stride. She has incredible confidence not only in her own capabilities, but in the team she’s built and developed.”

Main’s diverse background is a plus, Aulestia said. “She’s actually one of the most interesting people to talk to because she has a variety of different experiences to draw from,” Aulestia said.

The result: Main has delivered consistent subscriber and revenue growth for HBO, Aulestia said. “That is not an easy feat over the last five years. That is really a feather in her cap.”

Like many Wonder Women, Main is also a “Betsy,” a Betsy Magness Leadership Institute graduate, through Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT).

Building Teamwork and Promoting Growth
In turn, she helps her team members grow, Brindle said. “Beth provides very clear direction to people and she is absolutely unafraid in giving people really direct feedback: the information people need to hear, even if they don’t want to. She can do it in a way that people understand she has their best interests at heart.”

The only casualty of Main’s HBO success has been the ability to indulge her wanderlust, though she makes a point to stay in “fabulous inns” on vacations, like her most recent trip to Norway. She still harbors plans to travel and write again, and to return to favorite destinations such as Ireland — her husband Donald’s home country — for longer stays.

Being named a Wonder Woman came just as Main celebrated a milestone birthday. She viewed it as both a birthday present and — “for all those people who said, ‘Oh, the ballet dancer will never amount to much”’ — a vindication of her unorthodox approach to forging a career.

At times, her changes in direction “met with more dissension and concern than with support,” she said. “But I follow my own star, for good and ill. I’m glad for every move I made.”

NAME: Josie Thomas
TITLE: Executive VP, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer
COMPANY: CBS Corp.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Was named CBS News director of business affairs in 1989, and became senior VP of diversity, CBS Television in 2000. Thomas has held her current title since 2010.

QUOTABLE: “[Diversity] has been a passion of mine forever. Where I am now is where I should be — it’s brought together all my various skill sets in a way that allows me to be very productive in this role.”

When CBS took its turn on stage for its Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour sessions in Pasadena, Calif., early in 2018, the network’s significant efforts to have more diverse series were there for all to see. There was a panel for new drama Instinct, a procedural with a gay character as the lead. And there was another panel titled “Politics & Social Issues on Television,” where the executive producers from a host of diverse shows, including The Good Fight, Superior Donuts and Star Trek: Discovery, talked about how their series tackle social topics.

Aaron Harberts, executive producer on CBS All Access series Star Trek: Discovery, spoke of Star Trek’s long history in addressing social matters, and Discovery’s willingness to continue the tradition. He mentioned the newer show’s diverse cast, including an African-American lead, and a gay couple.

Contrast CBS’s sessions with its executive address at TCA a year and a half before, when the network was blasted for a lack of diverse stars on both sides of the camera.

“It shows very conclusively what direction we are headed in,” said Josie Thomas, executive vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer at CBS Corp. “It’s an incredibly positive direction.”

From the Legal Side to Diversity
Thomas has long focused on bringing more diversity to CBS. She came on board at the company on the legal side, as broadcast counsel for the law department of CBS, in 1987. She returned to CBS in 1989 as director of business affairs at CBS News, and took on a VP of business affairs title in 1995.

In 2000, Thomas, a Harvard grad, shifted to senior vice president of diversity at CBS. Leslie Moonves, CBS Corp. chairman and CEO, said Thomas had done “an extraordinary job” heading up business affairs, and was the easy choice to lead diversity. “She had a wonderful way about her,” Moonves said. “She’s very smart and knew how to handle people, and was a very concerned citizen.”

It was around then that she created the CBS Diversity Institute, which gives participants access to the network’s decision-making process. “We get our talent in the right room, to have the right conversations, with decision-makers in our company,” Thomas said. “We want to be your aunt or uncle in the business.”

Such a program, she added, is designed for those with the right skill sets, but who don’t get enough opportunities to share those skills with company brass.

Watch MCN: 12 Takeaways From MCN's Wonder Women Class of 2018

A more recent launch saw CBS and the Association of National Advertisers get behind the #SeeHer movement, which aims to accurately portray girls and women in the media. As part of the initiative, CBS will deliver on-air, online and behind-the-scenes opportunities to promote the #SeeHer mission, which is targeted toward women and girls seeing their true selves on TV by 2020, free of gender bias. CBS will produce PSAs toward that end as well.

CBS Sports Network show We Need to Talk, a talk show hosted by women, featured a #SeeHer-branded segment Dec. 19, with guests discussing how sports provides a platform to empower women. The show aired live, following a women’s college basketball game between UConn and Oklahoma.

The #SeeHer initiative was also discussed on the CBS daytime show The Talk, and #SeeHer figures have met with showrunners on CBS series.

“We’re constantly innovating in this area,” said Thomas. “What we need to do as a company is be ahead of the curve.”

Asked about her mentors, Thomas mentions her parents. Her mother, also named Josie, was very engaged in politics in Minnesota, where Thomas grew up, and is writing a book on her experience. Her late father Charles was a mathematician who worked for Honeywell. “My parents recognized the need to try to improve an environment or leave a legacy or have an impact,” she said.

When Thomas is not working, she enjoys traveling and the beach. “All those years in Minnesota really make you appreciate the warm weather,” she said.

Always Working Toward the Goal
CBS’s on-air offerings continue to show a more diverse network. Among the projects in development are drama Rosarito Beach, about a female attorney working with a Latino lawyer, and a romantic comedy called History of Them that has a multicultural couple at its core. CBS also signed an exclusive development deal with Cedric the Entertainer in September.

Moonves said diversity on the air is “always a work in progress” at CBS and Showtime, with plenty of room to get better. But he added, “it has improved a great deal the last few years.”

Thomas is also active outside of CBS, including being a board member at the Alliance For Women in Media, and working with Komen Race for the Cure on women’s health issues. “I try to get engaged externally as much as I can,” Thomas said, “in order to facilitate further CBS engagement.”

Moonves gives Thomas high marks for making diversity a priority at CBS Corp. “She’s helped make the CBS culture aware of the importance of diversity,” he said. “She’s brought up the awareness of it for virtually everybody in the organization.”

NAME: Stephanie Druley
TITLE: Senior VP, Event and Studio Production
COMPANY: ESPN

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Druley was the first woman to produce an NFL pregame show; she also launched two new ESPN networks and oversees remote production and studio shows for college sports, the NFL and MLB.

QUOTABLE: “When I got promoted to this role, a number of women reached out because they were so happy for me. It’s a groundbreaking position. I feel the weight of that.”

In 1998, John Elway made his famous “helicopter” dive into Super Bowl history, a moment forever captured by photographers covering the game. In the end zone, from one angle, you can see a woman’s face peering around a cameraman to get a better look at this epic play. That face belongs to Stephanie Druley, who grew up a die-hard football fan, always wanted to attend a Super Bowl and who still can’t believe her good fortune that day.

But it wasn’t luck that brought her to that game — and sixteen other Super Bowls. Druley, ESPN’s senior vice president of event and studio production, is one of this year’s Wonder Women, not because she finds herself in the right place at the right time but because she boldly takes the chances and seizes the opportunities that land her there.

Growing Up a Sports Fan
Druley grew up in Houston in a passionate sports household — the family had season tickets to Oilers games. Druley was at the University of Texas in 1986 when the Astros faced off against the New York Mets in a dramatic National League Championship Series and even “ran a wire up my sleeve” so she could secretly listen to Game 6 on the radio while attending class. (Ironically, the game lasted nearly five hours so she got to watch plenty of it after class ended.)

“At that age, I didn’t have a long-term career goal but I knew I wanted a job in sports and I wanted to work on the NFL,” she said. So, Druley took her first chance, leaving home, moving to Connecticut as a production assistant at ESPN. It was thrilling and a great entree but “it was hard being so far from my family.”

Watch MCN: 12 Takeaways From MCN's Wonder Women Class of 2018

After a few years, Druley took another good risk: She quit and moved back to Houston to freelance. Most of her freelance work was still with ESPN, field producing for Pam Oliver. “I got a ton of experience in the field,” she said.

She later returned to Bristol, Conn., as an associate producer on NFL Countdown, producing features every week. Had ESPN then had a feature producer position, her career might have followed a different path. Instead, Druley made her goal to become the first woman to produce an NFL pregame show. “I created a path for myself that was unusual,” she said. That’s an understatement: When Jay Levy was handling both the producer role and coordinating producer role, Druley offered her services “basically as an apprentice” so she could learn how to handle the position.

“I was blindly naïve and confident,” she said. Putting in the extra time paid off quickly. “By the middle of the season I was sometimes sitting in the producer’s chair and the next year I was producing the show.”

All of these experiences helped as she continued her rise. “I appreciate the fact that the foundation of her career is so similar to those that she leads — she has years of TV production chops — she knows who we are and what we need because it is the same ladder that she climbed,” said Lee Fitting, ESPN vice president of college sports production. Druley excels as a boss because “she is decisive,” he added, but also “a great listener.”

Druley said being a woman has never held her back, since she’d built “equity” with talent and executives over the years, demonstrating “my deep knowledge and love for the sport.” She said ESPN has always provided opportunities for women and other minorities. “If you are really good the possibilities are endless,” she said, acknowledging that she felt pushed to succeed because failing would reflect badly on all women in sports.

When ESPN was looking to partner with Druley’s alma mater and launch the Longhorn Network in 2011, she was tempted to take on the job, but wary until ESPN execs convinced Druley to take the plunge. “People said, ‘How often do you get the chance to start a network?’ ” she recalled. “I learned to deal with programming, sales and affiliate relations.”

The former pregame expert was suddenly responsible for 175 live events a year. There was, she said, something special about “flipping the switch” to start something brand new.

Winning With Teamwork
“Building and launching something new requires an immense amount of collaboration and Steph is the ultimate team player,” said Justin Connolly, executive vice president, Disney and ESPN affiliate sales and marketing. “She finds ways to get things done even in the most difficult situations.”

Druley was then tasked with launching the SEC Network three years later. In her current role she has taken responsibility for ESPN’s entire remote production portfolio and studio shows for college sports, the National Football League and Major League Baseball and this year, added international and Spanish-language production efforts to her busy schedule. “I’m still wrapping my arms around the scope of all that,” she said.

Druley said she has a “huge responsibility” as a woman to exceed expectations but also to reach back down the ladder to help others. “I make sure I’m putting other women in positions of power and responsibility.”

NAME: Loretta Polk
TITLE: VP and Associate General Counsel
COMPANY: NCTA – The Internet & Television Association

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Seeing the cable industry reinvent itself and being part of that arc of growth and change, as well as work with the Emma L. Bowen Foundation, D.C. Bar Technology Task Force and the Steering Committe for Arts, Entertainment and Sports Law section, and other philanthropic organizations.

QUOTABLE: “You have to demand excellence from yourself before you demand it from others.”

Loretta Polk had an early interest in communications while attending Rutgers University and later in graduate school at Columbia.

In fact, the native Washingtonian initially thought she would become a journalist. “The way it worked was that you spent the first year at the law school, then you went to the journalism school, then you went back to law school,” she said.

But once she had spent that first year at law school, she did not want to divert from the legal track. “So I decided to postpone it and continued on with my legal studies.” When the journalism school called to ask when she was coming, she decided to stick with law.

She is clearly happy with the path she took.

Polk cut her teeth at a law firm, and always had an interest in policy. “Growing up in Washington maybe had something to do with it,” she said. It was an interest that has been fueled by two former FCC chairmen, Bill Kennard and Michael Powell.

Between private practice and three decades at NCTA – The Internet & Television Association, there was a stint at the State Department. She called that “a little bit of a detour” from her communications track, but a great opportunity to travel, which was one of the big draws. But she said that even there she had an interest in communications and was looking for a way to get into those areas.

Working in an Industry Getting Off the Ground
Meanwhile, Kennard, a good friend and D.C. lawyer — and then-future FCC chairman — called and advised her to that the cable industry was new and different and just getting off the ground. She had done private practice and worked for the government, so it was something new, and in the area she had always been looking to.

“It was a great time to get in on the bottom floor of an industry,” she said.

Watch MCN: 12 Takeaways From MCN's Wonder Women Class of 2018

Now vice president and associate general counsel of NCTA, Polk spends a lot of time monitoring the federal agencies, then helps make cable’s case to those government officials, with the FCC being a primary focus. Another focus for Polk has been privacy and cybersecurity, which means she has to keep tabs on the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Trade Commission, White House and the Department of Commerce — among many others.

Polk does not like to talk about herself, but others do not share her reticence.

Michael Powell, NCTA president and CEO, said: “Loretta is the kind of person who has gone about her job for years never seeking recognition, but is always there for you and has always done a remarkable job. Loretta is one of the most thoughtful and thorough lawyers I have ever worked with and she tackles some of the most important and complex issues that our industry confronts, including cybersecurity and privacy.”

“Loretta is one of the most reliable and knowledgeable media experts in Washington,” added Adonis Hoffman, formerly chief of staff to FCC commissioner Mignon Clyburn. “She is always on top of the issues, and has the rare ability to flow easily from legalese to plain speak on complex matters.”

Polk said another important part of her job is building consensus among a range of companies, large and small.

“Loretta is a real life superhero — a courageous trailblazer for diversity in the cable and telecommunication industry, and an extraordinary regulatory lawyer in the halls of Washington, D.C.,” said Kathy Zachem, executive VP of regulatory and state legislative affairs for Comcast, NCTA’s largest member. “Her insight and skills as an advocate have had a resounding impact on countless policies.”

Asked who helped her along the way, Polk cited Kennard as well as Michael Schooler, NCTA’s VP and deputy general counsel, and BET’s Debra Lee, as well as former NCTA president Decker Anstrom and Powell.

But Polk suggests the door swings both ways. “I really value the opportunity to mentor younger people who want to come into the industry,” she said.

Asked about the role of diversity in the industry, she says that connections she made being on the board of the National Association of Multi-Ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC) gave her a deeper perspective on the business side, rather than the policy side, of the industry from programming to operations to marketing. “Folks in Washington need that perspective,” she said. And she shares Powell’s view that another key to diversity is “just giving people the opportunity to be at the table.”

Finding Role Models Who Set the Tone
Polk said gender has not been an issue in her career path, “in part because NCTA had so many women in leadership positions.” She was hired by Brenda Fox, then-head of legal and policy for NCTA, who Polk said cultivated the women attorneys. “I was fortunate in that regard in that we had women leaders who set the tone.”

Another woman also set the tone for Polk’s career, her mother, advised that there was no substitute for effort. “You can have all the great connections in the world and have gone to all the great schools,” quoted Polk, “but it still comes down to, have you done the hard work?”

The editors of Multichannel News are proud to introduce the 2018 class of Wonder Women, the 20th anniversary class of accomplished and influential women from multichannel media industries to be honored by the magazine. 

The vision, commitment and leadership shown by these executives have fostered the success of their companies while driving overall industry growth and innovation.

Multichannel News is also recognizing 12 Women to Watch, whose ongoing contributions are emblematic of the vital roles they’re likely to play in the industry’s future.

This year’s Wonder Women class will be lauded March 22 at a gala luncheon at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in midtown Manhattan, co-hosted by the New York chapter of Women in Cable Telecommunications. For much more on the event and on this year’s honorees, visit mcnwonderwomen.com.

MCN Wonder Women Class of 2018
Darcy Antonellis, Vubiquity

Kerry Brockhage, NBCUniversal

Christa D’Alimonte, Viacom

Stephanie Druley, ESPN

Marianne Gambelli, Fox News

Sarah Gitchell, Comcast Cable

Beth Main, HBO

Jennifer Mirgorod, Turner

Debra O’Connell, Disney-ABC Television

Elaine Paul, Hulu

Loretta Polk, NCTA

Josie Thomas, CBS Corp.

The Honor Roll: Wonder Women 1999-2017

NAME: Sarah Gitchell
TITLE: SVP, Deputy General Counsel and Chief Counsel, Content Acquisition
COMPANY: Comcast Cable

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Has counseled Comcast on hundreds of programming deals since joining in 2005, from multibillion-dollar contracts with media giants and multiplatform agreements to retransmission consent pacts with single TV stations.

QUOTABLE: “We do a lot of things here that other companies in our industry aren’t even doing yet, and I get to do it living in Philadelphia, which to me is the best of all worlds.”

As lead attorney for Comcast’s Content Acquisition Group, Sarah Gitchell has played a key role in the company’s Xfinity TV cable operation being able to offer programming live on TV, on demand and on mobile apps.

On landmark deals like the 10-year pact struck with The Walt Disney Co. in 2012, which included out-of-home viewing on a variety of devices, and with Fox Networks the following year, she either helped lead negotiations or was right in the middle of things, company officials say.

Gitchell, who came to Comcast in 2005, mentions the renewal with CBS in 2013 that secured free on-demand access to big shows from the network’s primetime lineup when asked about memorable deals she’s worked on.

She also makes note of Comcast efforts like Streampix, the multiscreen subscription video-on-demand service launched to Xfinity TV subscribers in 2012, long before the launch of the X1 platform embraced rival streaming services such as Netflix and Sling TV. Pacts to offer movies and TV shows for sale via electronic sell-through, or EST, also broke new ground for the nation’s biggest cable operator, and the overall industry.

“That’s one of the things I love about working here,” she said in a recent chat in a conference room on the 45th floor of the Comcast Center in Philadelphia. “We’re always thinking about, ‘How do people want to consume this content? And if we have the technology to provide it other ways, why aren’t we doing that if that’s the direction people are going?’ ”

Finds Lots of Positives at Comcast
Gitchell said she finds a lot to love about the company she joined after working as an associate at local law firm Dechert LLP. One plus mark she cites is the encouragement to take on new responsibilities.

“If you can do what the company is asking you to do and do it in the right way, those are the people that get to succeed and continue on and get new responsibilities and more things to do,” she said. “It’s very much not what you look like, not who you are, we just need this done. And if you’re great at making that happen, we’ll give you more to do.”

Watch MCN: 12 Takeaways From MCN's Wonder Women Class of 2018

Also, her boss (Lynn Charytan, the 2015 Wonder Woman whose titles include Comcast Cable general counsel) and Comcast’s Content Acquisition team, led by executive VP Greg Rigdon and including Jen Gaiski, Justin Smith and Mike Nisenblatt. “They’re fantastic. I can’t say enough,” she said. “I think they’re the best at what they do in the industry and also just super nice, super fun people to work with.”

And guess who is a big fan of Philadelphia? Gitchell grew up in Ames, Iowa, and when she decided to come east and had the choice of Princeton University and the University of Pennsylvania, she chose Penn and the big city.

“I loved Penn and I stayed here,” she said, obtaining her law doctorate at Temple University Beasley School of Law before joining Dechert in the Corporate and Securities group.

An art history major at Penn, Gitchell had worked at Freeman’s Auction House while attending law school at night (and finishing her studies in three and a half years).

She also taught aerobics for years, until suffering an ankle break after slipping on a patch of ice. While recovering, she met her future husband, Gary Dorfman, at the gym. “My dad always called it my lucky break,” she said.

Dorfman has his own business. He owns two sandwich shops in Philly: Jake’s Sandwich Board, on 12th and Samson, and Hatch & Coop, a chicken joint in University City. He used to be a health-care consultant before going into restaurants. “We eat very well at my house,” Gitchell said.

They have two young daughters, Rose, who is 13, and Lily, who is 10 and a half. They enjoy going back to Iowa for the Iowa State Fair, where the girls get to see “kids their age showing animals and being responsible for things, which is nice for them to see.” Depending on the year, they might see lots of politicians there, too. Gitchell has pictures of John McCain walking by with a pork chop on a stick.

Higher-Ups Call Her ‘A Hidden Jewel’
In nominating Gitchell to be a Wonder Woman, Rigdon and Comcast senior executive VP David Cohen called her a “hidden jewel” at the company and said “her influence in the industry, and within Comcast, is extensive and significant.”

Content providers she deals with respect her legal opinions, they said, and Comcast Cable leaders trust her advice, “not only for her legal expertise, but also for her knowledge about the television industry and the changing dynamics of the programming landscape.” They also praise her diverse and inclusive hiring, and her mentoring activities.

Asked what the next big thing Comcast wants to prepare for in terms of content distribution, Gitchell said essentially the aim is to be as ready as possible when the next unanticipated new thing comes along. She said, for example, Comcast was doing TV everywhere deals — to let subscribers view content on outside devices — back before iPad tablets existed and thus weren’t specifically mentioned in contracts.

“Just try to get a rights profile that’s broad, because you don’t actually know,” she said.

The editors of Multichannel News have announced the 2017 class of Wonder Women, ahead of a celebratory luncheon event on March 23. The luncheon, co-sponsored by the New York chapter of Women in Cable Telecommunications, will be at the New York Hilton Midtown. Read more about Wonder Women, including profiles of previous honorees, at this news page and learn more about the luncheon at this link. Watch a video recap of the 2016 luncheon here.

The 12 members of the 2017 class of Wonder Women will be profiled in the Jan. 30 edition of Multichannel News; they are (in alphabetical order):

Jana Bennett, president and general manager, History.

Sandra Dewey, president, TNT and TBS production and business affairs, head of Studio T, Turner Broadcasting System Inc.

Laura Gentile, senior vice president, espnW and women’s initiatives, ESPN.

Jessica Herrera-Flanigan, executive vice president of government and corporate affairs, Univision Communications Inc.

Colleen Langner, senior vice president, marketing operations, Cox Communications Inc.

Susanne McAvoy, executive vice president, marketing, creative, and communications, Crown Media Family Networks

Jamie Power, managing partner, Modi Media.

Linda Schupack, executive vice president of marketing, AMC and SundanceTV.

Myrna Soto, senior vice president and global chief information security officer, Comcast Corp.

Christina Spade, executive vice president and chief financial officer, Showtime Networks Inc.

Sandra Stern, president, Lionsgate Television Group.

Lisa Williams-Fauntroy, senior vice president for business and legal affairs, Discovery Communications.

The 2017 class of Women to Watch will be announced separately.

Editor's note: this story was updated on Dec. 9 to reflect a change in the class members, including the addition of Jamie Power.