Cablefax The Magazine - September 2012 - 31

The Influentials
designed to broaden the net's scope
during the election year. He's a passionate
expert on the fast-growing bicultural
Latino audience, so expect a lot more
from Oller in the future. So where does
he get his passion and drive? It might
have something to do with the sign on
the desk of his irst boss, which read " Illegitimi
non carborundum. " Translation:
" Don't let the bastards grind you down. "
" The takeaway: Always ight for what
you passionately believe, " he says.
Dana Ortiz
VP, Brand Marketing,
Syfy, NBCUniversal
Ortiz has spearheaded
marketing campaigns
for Syfy's originals,
including " Being Human, "
" Face Off " and " Alphas. " When it
comes to diversity, Ortiz unequivocally
" walks the walk. " She has targeted
campaigns to multicultural demos and
enjoyed impressive results, exempliied
by sizable Hispanic turnout for the premiere
of " Alphas. " Ortiz also takes an
interest in public affairs, which inspired
the pro-social campaigns of USA's
" Erase the Hate, " and Syfy's " Visions
for Tomorrow " promoting diversity and
equality to youth groups.
Amalia O'Sullivan
VP, Broadband Product
Operations
Cablevision
O'Sullivan is responsible
for Cablevision's
broadband product. Her
mentor, Ricky Jacinto, encouraged her
to take risks and stay out of her comfort
zone, and thanks to that sage advice,
she continues to be " amply rewarded
by new and enriching experiences that
have allowed me to grow and mature as
a person and leader. " She recommends
" remaining lexible and resilient in the
face of change! " But there are a few
things left for her to master, mind you.
" I'd like to get my hands on Harry Potter's
invisibility cloak, " she deadpans.
CableFAX: The Magazine
Mike Parker
VP, Technical
Operations and
Engineering
Comcast Cable
A leader in the region
that includes 10% of
Comcast's customers, Parker and his
approximately 4,000 employees ensure
that the network that brings Xinity TV,
Internet and phone service to more than
2 million subscribers in the greater Chicago
region is state-of-the-art. The work
of Parker and his team largely enables
Comcast to deliver and upgrade its Xinity
services. His advice for young people
trying to break into the cable industry:
" Don't be scared to take a job to get
your foot in the door, then network and
maneuver from within. "
Carryl Pierre
VP, Strategic
Marketing,
USA Network
NBCUniversal
As head of multiplatform
integrated marketing
at USA for the past ive years, Pierre
has driven 50% of ad revenue that has
contributed to a 25% increase in Upfront
revenue. She's also active in promoting
diversity in myriad ways, including help
with industry panels and minority career
workshops, as well as annually hosting
college grads during the IRTS Summer
Fellowship Media Orientation Week for
a strategic marketing overview. She
stresses the value of strategic internships
and joining associations like NAMIC
and WICT early on to gain visibility with
other professionals. " At the heart of it all
is networking and maintaining mutuallybeneicial
relationships, " she says.
Brenda Piper
CMO, Turner
Broadcasting's
Animation, Young
Adults & Kids Media
Piper greenlights all
original programming
September 2012
for Turner's Animation division and
has co-created myriad successful
marketing franchises, including the
first ever " Hall of Games Awards, "
which pulled in more than a dozen
new advertisers, and the awardwinning
" Stop Bullying: Speak Up "
campaign. Under her leadership,
Adult Swim has soared to cable's #1
spot in adults 18-34, and Cartoon
Network leads among boys 6-11 and
9-14. Given her demanding schedule,
Piper's volunteer work is impressive.
She sits on the Girl Scouts' National
Board of Directors, the Advisory
Board for Usher's New Look Foundation,
and she has volunteered at the
Marjorie & Steve Harvey's Foundation's
annual " Girls Rule the World "
mentoring weekend in Atlanta. How
does she balance it all? She learned
early from her mentor Brenda Barnes,
COO at Pepsi Cola at the time, that
the secret is knowing that you can't
have it all. " It's all about balancing
priorities and letting go of what
doesn't matter, " she says.
Greg Regis
SVP, Advertising Sales
Scripps Networks
Interactive
As the head of Scripps
ad sales, Regis monetized
Travel Channel's
move to redefine travel by locking
down ad partners such as Disney,
which resulted in the net's new
series, " Best Places I've Ever Been:
Disney Memories. " And his record at
Scripps is golden: While serving as
VP of ad sales for the Eastern region
for Food Network and Fine Living
Network, his deals brought in more
than 70% of the net's annual ad revenue.
" Ask questions and do research
until you understand exactly why
something works, " he says. " When
you know how things are built, you
can stay closer to customer needs.
Great leaders need to be able to
'demo the product'. "
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