Cablefax The Magazine - October 2021 - 34

Ebonne Ruffins
VP, Local Media Development
Comcast Corporation
Ruffins handcrafts everything about
Comcast's local media development
unit, steering the strategy, creative
vision and technical execution of its
assets. Over the last year, she has used her expertise to spearhead
the launch of free public virtual events with panel discussions
and film screenings. She also produced two livestreamed
Comcast Newsmakers and Voices of the Civil Rights Movement
panel discussions: " Equality, Identity & Hope: Race in America "
and " Equality, Identity & Hope: The Asian American Experience. "
In her free time, Ruffins works with her mother as a co-founder
of Mother-Daughter Senior Shopping Service. The not-for-profit
offers decorating services to resident senior citizens and people
with disabilities at the University of Pennsylvania Center for
Rehabilitation and Care.
Christian Ruiz
SVP, Sales & Retention
Charter Communications
Ruiz's role recently expanded to
include strategic direction and execution
of sales, revenue growth and
customer acquisition, retention and satisfaction in the residential
and small-medium size business markets. Not only does he
ensure sales strategies are in place to generate incremental
cash flow and subscriber growth, but he also always keeps customer
recruitment, satisfaction and retention in mind. Doing that
requires similar open communication. " To encourage open and
honest feedback, we launched a program that enabled employees
to submit their questions directly to me-either under their
name or anonymously. I reviewed the questions and provided
all employees with the questions that were asked and my
responses. The program was well-received and it enabled me
to understand the topics that are top of mind among our Sales
and Retention workforce, address business issues and provide
valuable information in my responses. "
Sheereen M. Russell
GVP, Ad Sales & Client
Partnerships for
Inclusion Audiences
OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network
As an ad sales executive, Russell has
seen first-hand the resistance some advertisers have against ads
that reflect and appeal to Black audiences. " Three years ago, I
met with a major retailer who was timid to have direct conversations
or develop copy that would appeal to the affinities and
nuances of Black consumers for fear of offending mass market
audiences, " she says. " Today that fear has been replaced with
strong and daring digital and linear narratives that unapologetically
lean into Black life with beautiful intent and rich brand
stories rooted in the Black experience. " So, it's no surprise that
Russell was behind OWN's partnership with ANA's #SeeHer initiative
to increase authentic portrayals of Black women. One of the
elements she included is the #WriteHerRight guide which sparks
conversations about gender equality with showrunners, actors,
and network executives. The guide also serves as a resource
for leveraging brand power to reimagine the American story to
include Black life that is portrayed with humanity and care.
Avi Saxena
CTO, Direct-to-Consumer
Discovery, Inc.
Saxena is committed to serving
Discovery's superfans the content they
love across all platforms. Dedicated
viewers turn to Discovery when they are looking for content
about food, home, animals, true crime and more. With this in
mind, Saxena built a subscriber-friendly platform focused on
providing viewers with exclusive, curated content and a memorable
DTC experience. Despite entering a highly concentrated and
competitive market, Discovery+ surpassed 15 million total paying
direct-to-consumer subscribers globally this past April. And
then there's DEI. " It is Discovery's mission to create a working
environment that is just as diverse and inclusive as the content
and stories we showcase, " Saxena says. To that end, Discovery
launched initiatives in 2020 to amplify its Diversity, Equity and
Inclusion impact across key focus areas, including Unconscious
Bias Training, Content Diversity, Supplier Diversity, Social Impact,
and Recruitment & Internal Career Development of Diverse Talent.
 Do you think there has been significant progress on
DEI in the industry in the past year?
 Who deserves a biopic made about their life and why?
Read the answers at CablefaxDiversity.com
34
CablefaxDiversity.com
October 2021
Diversity List
http://www.CablefaxDiversity.com http://www.CablefaxDiversity.com
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