Cablefax The Magazine - December 2021 - 30

Most Powerful Women
the
Katherine
Pope
SVP, Head of Original
Content
Charter
Communications
Content production hasn't necessarily
been consistent since the start of the
pandemic, but Pope's agility has kept the
Spectrum Originals pipeline full of new
offerings. She's commissioned several series,
released two international co-productions
and teamed up with Paramount
Television Studios to greenlight two other
series. Remember her name in the coming
months when series like " Joe Pickett "
and psychological thriller " Angela Black "
arrive for Spectrum customers. Taking a
break away from a traditional 9-5 to care
for children or experience something new
is only a positive experience in the long
run for those who choose that path, Pope
believes. " Embrace the perspective that
you gained and all the ways it will make
you a stronger leader! " she says.
Courtney
Thomasma
GM
AMC+
AMC+ is making
big moves in the
ad-free streaming market, ending 2020
with more than 6 million subs thanks
largely to former BBC America executive
director Thomasma. She leads the
selection and curation of content for
the service, among the company's most
ambitious product launches to date in
the summer of 2020. She's also worked
to drive distribution, adding Apple TV,
Amazon Prime, Roku and more to its
initial deals with Comcast, DISH and
Sling. Thomasma is proud of parent AMC
Networks' focus on diversifying recruiting
within its offices and on original productions.
" I'm really proud of our partnership
this year with a coalition of #ChangeHollywood
supporters to launch Coded for
Inclusion, " she notes.
Tina
Thornton
SVP, Content
Operations
ESPN
Under Thornton's
watch, ESPN Creative Studio works on
an array of initiatives including graphics
packages for ESPN's cornerstone events,
high-quality edits for highlights and features,
PSAs and season-long anthems for
ESPN franchises. This time last year, she
added to her already vast portfolio ESPN's
remote operations team, leadership of
ESPN's Directing team, and oversight of a
newly formed, centralized Creative Studio
department. To insure that open jobs at
the sports network adhere to its quest for
diversity, Thornton says, " We will interview
at least two women and two people
of color. By setting these standards, we're
broadening our base and meeting a wide
variety of excellent candidates. "
Janet Han
Vissering
SVP, Development
& Production
National
Geographic
" Sharkfest " got even bigger and even better
under Vissering's supervision, driving
Nat Geo's annual special to new heights
this year with hits including " Shark Beach
With Chris Hemsworth. " Nat Geo added a
week to this year's Fest, leaving room for
more programming for audiences to sink
their teeth into. The end result? A staggering
24 million total viewers who tuned in.
She's also in tune with the balance of work
and home life, having taken seven years
off from full-time work to be with her kids.
" It helped me grow as a mother and as a
person. It gave me a great window on how
people learn and how there's no one way
to attack a problem. "
Amy Winter
Head of
Programming
Lifetime
Winter joined Lifetime
shortly before
the first lockdown of 2020, but dove right
into creating a COVID-proof programming
strategy. She achieved that with the
unscripted spinoff " Married at First Sight:
Couples Cam " and by executive-producing
" Women Making History, " ordering biopics
on Salt-N-Pepa and Wendy Williams, and
the documentary " Robin Roberts Presents:
Mahalia. " Winter also upped Lifetime's
holiday slate to 35 titles, including one
with a disabled lead actress, another with
an LGBTQ-centric story, and an AsianAmerican
centered movie that was written,
directed, and cast by Asian women. " I
am excited to see and be a part of many
projects that bring many more layers to
female characters and more complexity to
storytelling around women, " she says.
Nora
Zimmett
EVP & Chief Content
Officer
The Weather
Channel
From horrendous storms to climate
change, Zimmett works tirelessly to make
sure The Weather Channel is telling the
full story. With the pandemic, her role
pivoted to include maintaining the staff's
safety in the field and at HQ. Recent
accomplishments include the launch of
the first 24/7 streaming climate change
AVOD channel, PATTRN, and a 31% yearover-year
jump in time spent viewing the
network last year. When it comes to gender
bias on TV, Zimmett has seen a new
focus on showcasing women of all ages.
" There appear to be a lot more opportunities
for women in their 40s, 50s and 60s
to be the nuanced protagonists, such as in
'Ted Lasso,' 'The Morning Show,' 'Schitt's
Creek' and 'Ozark,' " she says. " But we
aren't done yet. " n
30
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