Tom Alexander is a TAMI award winner this year because of his skill in motivating the Mark Awards Committee and staff to raise the image and prestige of the awards. As Cartoon Network’s vice president of trade marketing, Alexander leads the strategic planning and development of trade marketing communications targeted toward Cartoon’s national advertisers and cable and satellite affiliates. As part of his work, he oversees the generation and placement of trade advertising, direct mail projects, e-marketing efforts, trade special events and client presentations. He also leads all marketing efforts for Boomerang. Alexander joined Cartoon in 1995 as manager of promotions after a stint at the Chicago-based marketing agency Frankel & Company and Cleveland-based Wyse Advertising. He has won two CTAM Mark Awards in the past (1999, 1998).
CTAM is paying tribute to Ken Fitzpatrick because of his work in co-chairing the successful 2003 and 2004 CTAM Commercial Services seminars and as well as his help in creating CTAM’s list of players in this segment. Fitzpatrick is Time Warner Cable’s senior vice president of business and commercial solutions and is responsible for activities related to providing data and voice services to business customers. He also oversees technology deployment, product development, marketing and national sales for Road Runner’s Business Class services. Previously, he was president of the Eastern region for Teligent Communications Inc., which offers high-speed voice, data and video telecommunications via digital microwave, and he was part of Teligent’s original management team in 1997.
It was Mark Hess’s leadership in developing 2004 Digital & Broadband Conference program, as well as his strong support and involvement in the On Demand Consortium that led CTAM to honor him with a TAMI. As Comcast Cable Communications’ senior vice president of digital television, Hess is currently responsible for the development and deployment of new video products like video-on-demand, digital video recorders and interactive TV applications. Hess began his career in 1982 with the MSO Tele-Communications Inc., where he managed cable systems in four states. He also served as vice president and state manager for TCI systems in New York, and later was director of new product development. In 1994, he helped launch the Sega Channel, an interactive television service.
Sergei Kuharsky is a TAMI award winner this year for his leading role in developing the program for the 2004 Digital & Broadband Conference, and for his strong support and involvement in the On Demand Consortium. Kuharsky is In Demand LLC’s senior vice president of marketing, and is helping to guide the company and its cable affiliates into the video-on-demand market. Kuharsky oversees marketing, creative services and corporate communications; the development of sales and marketing strategies, and cable-affiliate retail sales. Previously, he was a founder and senior vice president of marketing for Now Showing Entertainment Inc. Before that, he was senior vice president of brand, franchises and movies marketing for Nickelodeon, and served in marketing posts for Warner Home Video and Walt Disney Home Video.
Kim Lemon took on a leadership role in upgrading CTAM’s 2004 Research Conference to set record attendance and satisfaction scores. And his TAMI win pays tribute to that work. Lemon is Showtime Networks Inc.’s senior vice president of research, overseeing all research on behalf of the company including programming, marketing, business development, direct-to-home and Showtime Event Television. Before joining Showtime, Lemon was a market-research analyst for the Washington-based industry consulting and research group Malarkey-Taylor Associates. Lemon earned his bachelor’s degree in advertising and marketing from The University of Texas at Austin in 1982 and a master’s in public affairs from The Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs in 1985.
CTAM is paying tribute to Patti Marciano for her leadership as the 2003 president of the organization’s Southern California chapter and its Chapters’ Council. And her TAMI also pays tribute to her roles as a 2003 Broadband speaker, 2003 Chapter Leadership Conference speaker and the development of www.onlycablecan.com. Marciano is Fox Cable Networks’ vice president of affiliate sales for the Western region. Previously, she was director of Web marketing and e-commerce for Cox Communications Inc., where she developed and executed direct-to-customer acquisition and retention campaigns utilizing the Internet. Before that, she had been a marketing manager for the MSO’s Orange County, Calif., system. She served as CTAM of Southern California’s first female president in 2003.
The dynamic duo of Duane Dick and Robert Wharton are TAMI award winners this year because of their help in leading CTAM’s retail initiatives, executing several individual projects, and donating many hours to the projects. Both are senior partners in Sand Cherry Associates, a business and market strategy consultancy specializing in the broadband and telecommunications services and media industries. Dick’s work at Sand Cherry has involved efforts to rollout alternative sales and distribution channels that drive Hispanic subscriber growth. And he’s also developed strategies to reduce video customer disconnects. He previously served as director of strategic consulting for two MSOs, AT&T Broadband and MediaOne Group, developing market and business strategies for domestic and international video, broadband telephony and high-speed Internet projects. Wharton directs Sand Cherry’s efforts to facilitate and manage the automation of many of the retail back-office processes for broadband operators. He has led the company’s development of retail sales processes for broadband providers in the U.S. and Europe. He has also spearheaded the rollout of high-definition TV services in retail, and has worked directly with major national electronic retailers to sell broadband services. Prior to joining Sand Cherry, Wharton developed sales-channel, acquisition-management and retention strategies for AT&T Broadband and MediaOne. He has also worked at International Technology Consultants, Comcast Corp., and for the U.S. House of Representatives.
