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.

Hannah Storm, the ESPN SportsCenter anchor and award-winning journalist, producer and director, has been named the 2018 “Woman of Influence” by Multichannel News. She will be honored along with the 2018 classes of Wonder Women and Women to Watch at the upcoming 20th-annual Wonder Women luncheon on Thursday, March 22, at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City.

Storm, who joined ESPN in 2008 and previously was an anchor and correspondent at NBC Sports, CNN and CBS News, is a pioneer in the field of sports broadcasting for women, an advocate for children’s issues and a published author.

In addition to anchoring various editions of SportsCenter, she has co-hosted many of the network’s marquee events including: Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, the NBA Finals, the New York Marathon, Veteran’s Day, the Super Bowl, the NCAA College Football Playoff National Championship and the Rose Parade on ABC.

Storm also has conducted sit-down interviews with many prominent figures in the sports world from the NBA, NFL, NASCAR, MLB, college football and many other sports both in prime-time specials and on SportsCenter. In 2012 she co-anchored daredevil Nik Wallenda’s unprecedented live Niagara Falls tightrope walk for ABC News. She has also served as a correspondent for ABC’s 20/20, where she’s done pieces with Shark Tank stars Robert Herjavec and Kevin O’Leary.

Prior to ESPN, Storm handled premier events during her time at NBC Sports (2002-2007) and CNN (1989-1992), where she was the first female host of CNN Sports Tonight.

MCNWW 2018: Celebrating Media’s Influential Women

At NBC Sports, in addition to hosting four Olympics and the “NBA on NBC,” Storm became the first woman in American television history to solo host a broadcast network’s sports series when she hosted NBC’s Major League Baseball coverage, including three World Series.

Taking a break from sports broadcasting, Storm spent five years (2002-2007) at CBS News as host of The Early Show, covering numerous major news events ranging from the 2004 Presidential election to the Iraqi War and Hurricane Katrina. While at CBS News, Storm also hosted shows for the award-winning CBS newsmagazine, 48 Hours, and served as co-host for the network’s coverage of the Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Following a passion to direct and produce films, in 2008 Storm created Brainstormin’ Productions. She has produced, executive produced and directed several projects for ESPN and espnW including: Unmatched, for ESPN’s Peabody Award-winning “30 for 30” film series; Shaq & Dale, for the SEC Network/ESPN/ABC; Love & Payne, the inaugural espnW “Nine for IX” series short film; Swoopes, for ESPN’s award-winning “Nine for IX” series; and Moving the Goal, for espnW’s “HERoics” series, part of the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup coverage. Storm has also produced branded content for ESPN, espnW, and ESPN.com including: Journeys & Victories; Beyond Reason; Stories of Will; The Drive series; and The Journey series.

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

For her work, she has received several Gracie Awards and, in 2017, The Marist College Center for Sports Communication presented Storm with its second Lifetime Excellence in Sports Communication Award.

Born with a port wine stain underneath her left eye, Storm has become an advocate for children and parents of children suffering from debilitating and disfiguring vascular birthmarks. In 2008 she founded the Hannah Storm Foundation to raise awareness, fund treatment and provide educational information for vascular malformations. To date, children from the United States, China, the Republic of Georgia and Slovenia have received surgery funding through her foundation.

Storm also has written two books: “Notre Dame Inspirations,” and “Go Girl!: Raising Healthy, Confident and Successful Daughters through Sports.” For her work as an author, Literacy Advance of Houston honored her as a Champion of Literacy. She has also contributed to a variety of other books and written extensively for several magazines, including Cosmopolitan, Nick Jr., Family Circle, Child and Notre Dame Magazine. She is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and the mother of three daughters with her husband, Dan Hicks of NBC Sports.

Read More: Complete Coverage of MCN's Wonder Women  

Hannah Storm is the second recipient of the Woman of Influence award, given to a prominent individual in the TV industry who continues to lead by example and action, inspiring others and helping to establish the next generation of women in prominent industry roles. The first honoree, in 2017, was Lesley Stahl of CBS News, the correspondent for 60 Minutes.

The Wonder Women luncheon honors prominent executives in multichannel TV and related businesses. Co-sponsored by the New York chapter of Women in Cable Telecommunications, this year’s luncheon also includes the inaugural Career Catalyst Award, presented by WICT New York. This year’s recipient is Showtime Networks senior vice president Sara Clarke.

For more about the luncheon and Wonder Women, please visit mcnwonderwomen.com.

The editors of Multichannel News have named the 2018 class of Women to Watch, part of the annual Wonder Women celebration. These outstanding women, executives in media companies at the forefront of multichannel TV and related industries, will be honored at the 20th Anniversary Wonder Women Luncheon on Thursday, March 22, 2018, at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City.

Multichannel News announced the 20th Anniversary class of Wonder Women in October. More information about the 2018 luncheon is available here.

RELATED: MCN Names 2018 Wonder Women Class

The Women to Watch Award is an honor bestowed upon industry professionals whose ongoing contributions are emblematic of the vital role they currently play, as well as their impact on the industry’s future. The 12 members of the 2018 Women to Watch class are:

• Friday Abernethy, Senior Vice President of Content Distribution, Univision Communications Inc.
• Janet Balis, Global Advisory Leader for Media & Entertainment, EY
• Johanna Fuentes, Executive Vice President, Corporate Communications, Showtime Networks Inc.
• Roz Ho, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Consumer and Metadata, TiVo
• Georgia Juvelis, Senior Vice President, and Co-Head, Corporate Communications, AMC Networks
• Jennifer Koester, Director of Telco and Video Distribution Partnerships, Google
• Colleen Moraghan, Senior Vice President, Data Solutions, 605
• Robyn Polashuk, Partner, Covington & Burling LLP
• Samantha Rose, Vice President, Director, Video Investment, Horizon Media
• Michelle Strong, Senior Vice President, Distribution, A+E Networks
• Michele Thornton Ghee, Senior Vice President Media Sales, BET Networks/BET Her, A Viacom Company
• Julie Unruh, Group Vice President, Programming Financial Operations & Analytics, Charter Communications

“This year’s group of Women to Watch is pushing the boundaries in both personal and professional achievements,” said Mark Robichaux, editorial director, Multichannel News. “It’s a distinct pleasure to honor these accomplished women along with our 2018 class of Wonder Women.”

RELATED: At Wonder Women event, Lesley Stahl Says Attacks on Media Could Backfire on Trump

Tickets for the luncheon, co-sponsored by the New York chapter of Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT), are on sale now at http://mcnwonderwomen.com. Wonder Women and Women to Watch profiles will appear in the Jan. 29 edition of Multichannel News. For sponsorship or advertising Information, please contact: Charlie Weiss at (212) 378-0478 or cweiss@nbmedia.com.

READ MORE: #MCNWW News and Profiles

Established in 1999, the annual Wonder Women awards celebration -- co-hosted by the New York chapter of Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT) and featuring prominent TV personalities as presenters -- has honored more than 200 women over the years, celebrating their accomplishments in the workplace and beyond. For more information, visit http://mcnwonderwomen.com or search for #MCNWW2018 on Twitter and Facebook. Wonder Women is produced by Multichannel News.

The editors of Multichannel News have announced the 2018 class of Wonder Women — the 20th anniversary class — ahead of a celebratory luncheon event on Thursday, March 22. The luncheon, co-sponsored by the New York chapter of Women in Cable Telecommunications, will be at the new Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City.

Since 1999, MCN's Wonder Women has celebrated the accomplishments of industry decision-makers who have helped pave the way for younger generations of women in the evolving worlds of multichannel TV and related media businesses.

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.

The 2018 Class of Women to Watch will be announced separately.

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.