Cablefax The Magazine - September 2010 - 27

Minorities in Cable
cable operators around the
country, sharpening her keen
negotiating skills with each
stop along the way.
Louis Carr
President, Media Sales
BET
Payne Brown
VP, Strategic Initiatives
Comcast
As a key liaison for Comcast in
the African-American community,
Brown is a leader in the
development and implementation
of the company's national
diversity strategy. Programming
content, public affairs
and community investment
initiatives all fall under his
domain, as do managing strategic
relationships with various
industries; federal, state and
local government institutions;
and special-interest groups.
Carr is responsible for 60%
of BET's total revenue,
including the company's
flagship network, BET J,
and BET.com. During the
economic downturn, " we
had to reposition ourselves
as a brand that could help
marketers not only hold but
also grow market share, "
he says. Carr also runs a
real estate company that
redevelops inner-city neighborhoods
in Chicago and a
foundation that provides paid
internships for students of
color at leading media and
marketing companies.
Advice for Someone Trying
to Break into Cable: " Be
prepared to get your hustle
on. In today's marketplace,
you not only have to be smart
but also work smart. We call it
expanding your capacity. "
Paul Butler
SVP/Gen Counsel, GMC
" The Butler did it " is a common
refrain around GMC when
it comes to deal-making, a
fi tting tribute to this most effi
cient executive who recently
structured, drafted, negotiated
and signed a deal for a concert
TV special in 36 hours. His
thoughts on the mayhem? " It
was actually kind of fun. "
Best Business Book Read:
Everything But The Coffee
Table: Learning About
America From Starbucks,
by Bryant Simon. " The book
was a good commentary, not
about the business itself, but
more about what Starbucks
says about our culture,
identity and community. "
Merah Chung
VP, Development/New
Series, The Style Network
The woman who put Jerseylicious
into the popular lexicon
certainly gets our vote. The
success of its premiere season
ushered in 20 new episodes
for season two, and Chung is
now knee-deep in development
of a docu-series featuring
former Spice Girl Mel B.
On Working with Mel: " She
and her family have so much
fun together, it's infectious. "
Style Tip: " Heat your eyelash
curler with your blowdryer before
curling your eyelashes and
they will stay curled all day. Just
be careful it's not too hot. I've
had friends make that mistake! "
Rosalind Clay Carter
SVP, Human Resources
A&E Television Networks
Talk about a growing family.
Carter is overseeing the
integration of AETN and Lifetime
Entertainment, which increased
the size of the company by
one-third. As HR head for the
combined company, she leads
staffi ng and benefi t integrations
and is also helping to shape the
newly forming company culture.
by Cathy Applefeld Olson and Steve Donohue
primary marketing liaison to
national cable distributors and
as such spearheaded integral
initiatives during the Fox-Time
Warner retrans negotiations.
Biggest Accomplishment
of 2010: " As a team, our
ability to simultaneously grow
and market our core sports
and entertainment networks,
launch new products and
brand extensions, and invest
in new technologies and
business models has been the
cornerstone of our success. "
Sherita Ceasar
VP, Product Engineering,
Cross Platform Applications
and Engineering
Analysis, Comcast
The design, implementation
and deployment of Comcast's
cross-platform applications fall
under Ceasar's purview. She
reviews and evaluates security
requirements for PE video,
data, voice and cross-platform
products supporting Comcast
markets, ensuring the MSO's
products are effi cient and
secure.
CableFAX: The Magazine
Lisa Clark
VP, Consumer Marketing
& Media Strategy
National Geographic
Channel
Credit Clark with helping steer
the successful launch of Nat
Geo Wild this year. She also
helmed strategies that have
incited consistent ratings
growth for Nat Geo, including
C3 ideas that have driven the
network to one of the highest
indexes among fully distributed
non-fi ction networks.
Best Non-Cable Marketing
Campaign: " The Kia Soul Hamsters
campaign. The combination
of Black Sheep's The Choice
is Yours and the unique use of
rodents got my attention. "
Best Social Media Tool for
Business: Twitter and Facebook.
September 2010
Craig Collins
SVP, Sales and
Marketing, Time Warner
Cable Business Class
It's not business as usual for
Collins, who manages a team of
1,000 employees. Business Class
is the operator's fastest-growing
revenue generator, and under his
leadership TWCBC reported 19%
year-over-year growth in the fi rst
quarter of 2010 and is on track
to become a $1 billion business.
Collins now oversees a customer
segmentation project that will
result in smarter marketing and
customer service.
A.B. Cruz
Chief Legal Offi cer/ Corporate
Secretary, Scripps
Networks Interactive
A mainstay on Capitol Hill
working with advocacy groups
like MAP, Cruz helps steer
SNI's internal dealmaking,
including the recent addition of
Travel Channel.
Best Business Book: The Next
100 Years: A Forecast for the
21st Century, by George Friedman.
" A fascinating look into and
forecasts about our world over
the next century. "
On the Travel Channel
Acquisition: " Amazingly quick
and smooth for a deal of that
size... and completed before
the end-of-year holidays hit.
Thank goodness! "
Michael Cooper
VP, Affi liate Marketing
and Ad Sales
Fox Networks
One of cable's classiest, the
Court TV alum serves as the
Parthavi Das
SVP, Strategy and
Initiatives, WICT
Thirteen-year WICT staffer Das
effortlessly moved into the role of
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Cablefax The Magazine - September 2010

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