Cablefax The Magazine - September 2010 - 26

More of the Most Infl uential
As cable becomes more diverse, it is increasingly diffi cult to come up with a single list of worthy individuals. That's why we've
compiled an unranked group of minority executives who have a large infl uence on the national scene and a similar listing for
the regional side, beginning on page 28. As with our Top 75 list, we've largely eschewed corporate bios and instead quizzed
these infl uential players on everything from business ideas to mentoring to favorite foods and beverages.
Michael Armstrong
SVP/GM
BET International
Armstrong has grown the BET
International footprint to more
than 50 countries in fewer
than two years, including
signifi cant strides in the U.K.,
Middle East and Africa during
the past year. " To really target
an African American audience
in today's environment, cable
networks must work across
multiple platforms and develop
a wide range of programming
to refl ect the audience's ever
increasing interests, " he says
Black Entertainers Who Are
Breaking Fresh Ground: " I
may be biased by my international
role, but black British actors
like Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sophie
Okonedo and Idris Elba show
incredible range and talent. "
Best Non-Cable PR Campaign:
" Fox's campaign for Glee has
been great to watch unfold. "
Most Valuable Social Media
Tool: " Facebook and Twitter.
But that could change next
week the way this medium is
constantly evolving. "
James Anderson
SVP, Public Relations
Turner Broadcasting's
Animation, Young Adults
& Kids Media Group
Anderson heads messaging
and positioning-on and off
camera-for Cartoon Network,
Adult Swim and Boomerang.
Advice For Someone Trying
to Break into Cable: " Read
everything about the overall
business and what's going on
with each company. "
24
Deanna Andaverde
SVP, Field Operations
Univision Communications
This Spanish-language distribution
whiz worked her magic
again at Univision last year, closing
more than 130 retransmission
consent deals representing
indie operators. She also led the
fi eld team in Univision's VOD
launches for its 34 million-plus
enabled subscribers.
Advice For Someone Trying
to Break in to Cable: " Join an
industry organization and fi nd a
mentor. Read the Jones Cable
TV Information And Infrastructure
Dictionary. "
What Other Company Runs
Great Field Ops? " Lexus.
Their dedication to quality and
superior customer service has
given them such a competitive
advantage, others are hardpressed
to compete. "
Comcast veteran Athias led
the company's recent Wi-Fi
deployment and its Wi-Fi
roaming agreement with Time
Warner Cable and Cablevision
in New York, New Jersey
and Connecticut. He literally
unplugs every July to attend
Reggae SumFest in Jamaica.
Advice For Someone Trying
to Break in to Cable: " You
have to remain knowledgeable
on technology and services
that are changing rapidly. You
also have to become a user of
some of these services so you
can intelligently see how they
benefi t your business. "
Paxton Baker
EVP/GM, Centric;
President, BET Event
Productions
Veteran TV and music exec
Baker keeps the beat at Centric,
the BET spin-off network targeting
the 25-54 African-American
audience. He is focused on
bringing a mix of " originals that
refl ect their interests, classics
that reignite their passions, and
a playlist of the music that provides
the fl avor, as a soundtrack
to their lives. "
Franklyn Athias
SVP, IP Communications;
Wireless CTO, Comcast
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What The Centric Demo
Seeking: " Centric's programming
refl ects the lifestyle
and sophistication of today's
mature African-American and
multi-cultural adult. That is the
foundation of our network, so
our programming is not only
entertaining but also enlightening
to our audience. "
Kenetta Bailey
SVP, Marketing, WE tv
and Wedding Central
The consummate 'wedding
planner' took WE's prowess of
all things marital on the road last
year with a 20-city wedding mall
tour. She also led the partnership
with Web site The Wedding
Report and helped establish the
network's burgeoning roster of
wedding experts.
Wedding Advice: " Wife and
husband should always mingle
with their guests together.
Otherwise they'll have separate
memories from the reception. "
Favorite Non-Cable Marketing
Campaign: " Dunkin'
Donuts' Keep It Coolatta
Sweepstakes showed keen
consumer insight - people love
freebies - engagement was
high, brand awareness soared. "
Ivan Bargueiras
SVP, Advertising Sales
Discovery Networks Latin
America/U.S. Hispanic
Despite a shrinking marketplace,
Bargueiras and his
group delivered solid 7%
growth in ad sales. " Being
able to outpace the market
was a big deal for us, " he
says.
Biggest Challenge Selling
to Latin America: " Dealing
with the different markets.
Each market has its own
dynamics and complexities. "
Biggest Challenge Advertising
to U.S. Hispanic
Market: " The same one
everyone is facing...getting
advertisers to see the
value that pay TV offers vs.
broadcast. "
Best Non-Cable Sales
Campaign: " Despicable Me
and the GEICO Caveman. "
Maryam Banikarim
SVP, Integrated Sales
Marketing, NBC Universal
Behind every great women and
lifestyles initiative is, apparently,
a great woman. Banikarim
oversees NBCU's Women at
NBCU, Green is Universal and
Healthy at NBCU, among other
cross-platform initiatives. She
also manages enterprise marketing
sales for the company,
identifying targeted advertising
opportunities across platforms.
September 2010
Thanda Belker
EVP, Pay Television
Sony Pictures Television
As business continues to
swirl around VOD, Belker
is the point person for
Sony's pay TV business
as well as the company's
residential and hotel-based
PPV and VOD businesses.
She structures, negotiates
and executes deals with
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