Cablefax The Magazine - December 2021 - 26

Most Powerful Women
the
continued from page 24
driven expansions to statewide channels
in Texas and North Carolina, bringing its
programming to 600,000 new viewers.
She's also pushing Spectrum News to
new heights, guiding the launch of a new
app last year for residential customers.
In its first year alone, the app has more
than 1.4 million downloads. At the top
of her list of book recommendations is
" Imagine It Forward " by GE's former
vice chair Beth Comstock. " One of the
key lessons I took away is having the
courage to look outside your industry for
inspiration, be a contrarian, and challenge
conventional wisdom, " she says.
Corie
Henson
EVP, Head
Unscripted
Programming
TBS, TNT & truTV
Henson, who played a crucial role in
the success of Fox's reality breakout
hit " The Masked Singer, " is at it again.
She is responsible for launching two of
2021's top 10 new unscripted series on
cable- " Wipeout " and " Go-Big Show. "
When COVID-19 shut down live sports,
Henson-just three months on the job at
WarnerMedia-stepped up to fill the gaps
with shows such as " Celebrity Show-Off "
and " Impractical Jokers: Dinner Party. "
She's a big fan of Roxane Gay's book " Bad
Feminist, " calling it " honest, hilarious and
acutely relatable. " " In calling herself a
'bad feminist,' she empowers us all to be
the best feminist we can be, regardless
of what that means to each individual
woman, " says Henson.
Jamila
Hunter
EVP, Original
Programming &
Development
Freeform
Former ABC comedy chief Hunter returned
to the Disney fold at Freeform in 2020 and
rose quickly to her current role, where
she oversees all scripted and unscripted
series and development. Among her first
projects was the series " Cruel Summer, "
which quickly became the network's
26
highest-rated program of all time.
Hunter's team also developed " Love in the
Time of Corona, " the first scripted series
to be fully produced in quarantine. She
says it's essential the workforce is as diverse
as the audience its shows entertain.
With that in mind, all Freeform hiring and
staffing decisions " prioritize creating a
well-rounded team and creating opportunities
for new voices. "
Melissa
Ingram
SVP, Multicultural
Networks &
Strategy, UP
Entertainment
GM, AspireTV
In her dual roles at UP Entertainment and
AspireTV, which is run entirely by female
executive leadership, Ingram delivers
premium lifestyle content and programming
that's relatable to a growing number
of Black millennial viewers. She takes the
brand's #seeyourselfhere promise personally,
and ensures it's reflected in all programming.
Ingram credits the mentorship
of a former boss with helping her succeed.
" As a young woman of color in this industry,
it was vital to have an established and
respected voice as my advocate but most
importantly, his commitment to my development
and ensuring that I had the same
opportunities as my peers, " she says.
Amy Israel
EVP, Scripted
Programming
Showtime
Networks
Working lockstep
with Jana Winograde, Israel has helped
elevate Showtime's premium reputation
through series such as " American
Rust " and the upcoming " Ripley. " The
powerhouse duo keeps landing star
talent and projects-largely because of
their reputation as strong advocates for
creative talent, especially women. Israel's
suggested must-read book for women is
" The Collected Stories " by Grace Paley.
" She has a singular voice and her work is
tinged with such raw honesty, directness
and compassion that you can't help but be
www.CablefaxWomen.com
December 2021
moved. She effortlessly moves back and
forth from the hilarious to the tragic and
back again, displaying an unerring ear for
life as it is actually lived, " she says.
Alyson
Jackson
EVP, Head of Global
Content Supply
Chain
Discovery, Inc.
In a normal year, Jackson performs a
herculean task in overseeing the company's
ever-growing global content
workflow. The long-planned rollout of
the discovery+ streaming service along
with complications from the pandemic
created fresh challenges, but Jackson
and her team met them all. She found
ways to safely resume productions across
the globe while continuing to expand
discovery+ and keep the content pipeline
flowing. She advises those returning to
the workplace after a hiatus to look at it
with a different perspective: " Don't view
your hiatus as a negative; it can be a huge
positive. You can bring fresh perspective,
energy and thinking to a tired team. "
Superna
Kalle
President,
International
Networks
Starz
The recently promoted Kalle and her team
have expanded Starz's international reach
into 60 countries including the Middle
East and Africa, and Starzplay's global
success as a preferred buyer has led to
partnerships with major global streaming
platforms and top local distributors. She's
also developing local language co-productions,
including Spanish language Starzplay
originals. Kalle says Starz-which
boasts numerous series created and run
by women-understands the importance
of equal representation on both sides of
the camera. " We've made it a programming
mandate, and while we are above
the curve within the industry as a whole,
we are actively working to improve and
are aware that we and the industry has
more work to do. "
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Cablefax The Magazine - December 2021

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