Cynopsis Media Presents: Cable & Research’s Most Intriguing People: Special Report – Part 1
04/02/13
by Michael Maloney
It’s still Tuesday, April 2, and welcome to this latest Special Report, celebrating The Most Intriguing People of 2013, as chosen by the media industry and by Cynopsis. This prestigious list is a veritable who’s who of the movers, doers, and thinkers in our industry at this specific moment in time, carefully culled from the worlds of broadcast, cable, digital and advertising.
Cable has proved that it’s a go-to place for quality programming across all genres. And the senior level leaders in this report have been chosen for a variety of reasons: they may be in a new position that requires especially innovative problem solving, they might have recently brokered an impressive deal in a challenging market, and/or they may be responsible for ratings spikes or a chain of successes that deserve recognition and celebration. This report is the first of two that features notables from cable; Part 2 debuts April 4. Enjoy!
What do you think was the biggest TV biz news story of 2012?
It’s Netflix, but I just can’t decide which story is bigger. It’s either their output deal with Disney or the manner in which they are re-launching their original series (beginning with House of Cards).
Who do you consider your mentor and why?
The late Terry Sanford (former President of Duke University), Peter Schlessel (now with FilmDistrict), and Harvey Weinstein for many traits that I’ve co-opted — and a few I’ve avoided! My first mentor was my father. He showed me that if you can’t always do something you love, you can always try to love what you’re doing.
What was your first job?
I earned money cutting lawns, raking leaves and shoveling driveways. Most of it went to allergy and flu medicine. My first real job was driving a fork-lift in a warehouse until the day I toppled the metal racks.
What changes or trends do you foresee in the next year or so in our industry?
I see edgier shows, shorter seasons, more VOD viewing, and zombies.
What career accomplishments are you most proud of in the last year?
My team and I were instrumental in launching dynamic ad insertion (DAI) on FEARnet’s VOD delivery platform. Also, I produced the film “House at the End of the Street.”
What would people be surprised to know about you?
I summited Mt. Kilimanjaro, and trekked to the Tengboche Monastery above Namche on Mt. Everest. I am a horror and indie-film geek who relishes Sundance. I’ve watched (and covered) as many as seven films a day.
What TV do you watch on a regular basis (guilty pleasure or otherwise)?
I never miss a Duke basketball game. I watch as much TV as I can — at least the first episode of every new series. Essential current shows: Walking Dead, Chopped, Survivor, Shameless, Game of Thrones, Red Sox Spring Training, Modern Family and The Americans.
What is the one technology you could not live without?
My Blackberry. Answering emails on the fly is crucial. I’ve been known to write script pages and submit film reviews on it. I wrote last year’s FEARnet business plan in thumb-only fashion.
What do you think was the biggest TV biz news story of 2012?
It was the Olympics for many reasons. NBC holding back events (of their choosing) to air in primetime is a big deal on multiple levels that was good for consumers and business people alike.
Who do you consider your mentor and why?
I have many whom I learn from and follow — and they know who they are — but lately I find myself asking, “What would Heisenberg do?”
What was your first job?
When I was 10, I donned a wetsuit, chained a rowboat to myself and waded through mud and snakes to get golf balls out of the water at a par 3 golf course; a quarter for every ball and a dollar for any new, unmarked Titleists. There were hundreds in there!
What changes or trends do you foresee in the next year or so in our industry?
I see deeper partnerships between traditional media and non-traditional media; content creators and content distributors — all serving to create new windows and, in my opinion, continue to push viewers back to valuable “water cooler” television.
What do you think was the biggest TV biz news story of 2012?
The massive success of Hatfields & McCoys resonated throughout the industry. It was clearly a home run for History, establishing us as a major player in the scripted genre, and it re-ignited scripted mini-series in basic cable.
Who do you consider your mentor and why?
I marvel at my mother’s accomplishments. She bravely struck out on her own and built a successful catering business from scratch. She instilled in me confidence, fearlessness, teamwork, and, above all, grace. In 1999, Abbe Raven took a leap of faith and hired me as a programmer at History. She has been my greatest advocate and friend.
What was your first job?
I landed a job as a desk assistant at World Monitor, Christian Science Monitor’s first TV venture. Working in live TV was an invaluable experience.
What changes or trends do you foresee in the next year or so in our industry?
Everything in our industry is accelerated. Things move at a lightning pace, but no matter how the business changes, or what new technologies advance, none of it matters without excellent content.
What career accomplishment are you most proud of in the past year?
Building the best creative teams in the business and empowering them to create genre-defining appointment viewing programming that consumers can’t get anywhere else, while always staying true to each brand’s mission.
What would people be surprised to know about you?
I’m a late bloomer when it comes to shoes, but I am making up for it now. Cooking is my guilty pleasure and I play a mean game of Scrabble.
What TV do you watch on a regular basis?
Aside from what’s on my own networks, I’m a big fan of Game of Thrones, The Good Wife, and, since it premiered, Grey’s Anatomy.
What’s the one technology you couldn’t live without?
The snooze button.
What do you think was the biggest TV biz news story of 2012?
This was the year that “crowdsourcing” became such an undeniable force in entertainment.
What changes or trends do you foresee in the next year or so in our industry?
We’ll continue to see original content popping up in unexpected places, driven by companies like Rovio and Netflix. Traditional broadcasters, whether they’re at a big ten network or at a brand-focused cabler like us, have an amazing opportunity to reach out directly to the consumer.
Who do you consider your mentor and why?
I have been blessed with quite a few strong arms around my shoulders especially those belonging to Merrill Karpf. He hired me at Davis Entertainment and gave this baby producer enough rope to swing high and, sometimes, hang myself. He showed by example that there’s such a thing as the high road. He’s the classiest man I have ever met and I still seek his guidance.
What was your first job?
When I was 10, I had a paper route for The Newsweekly in Chelmsford, Massachusetts. But I hated collecting the money each month, so sometimes I just wouldn’t.
What career accomplishment are you most proud of in the past year?
Before I took the job, I told the newly-hired president of the network that the most critical thing for me in signing on was to be able to create a culture that wasn’t driven by fear. I am most proud of the vibe that I’ve helped cement here.
What would people be surprised to know about you?
I led guided horseback rides through the Santa Monica Mountains on the weekends before 90-hour work weeks kicked in. Life’s good on the back of a horse and, as an added bonus, there’s no cell reception in Topanga.
What TV do you watch on a regular basis (guilty pleasure or otherwise)?
I’m the biggest fan of our own show, Aquabats! Super Show! I love, love, love Archer and The Walking Dead. Face Off and Survivor give me my reality fix. I live for Game of Thrones. I wear my nerd cred proudly!
What’s the one technology you couldn’t live without?
My iPad. The ability to load scripts, write notes on the pages and send them off has changed my life. My back thanks me every day.
Who do you consider your mentor and why?
Saul Bellow. I’ve read his books over and over – he taught me how to write.
What was your first job?
My first job was at construction sites digging plumbing trenches for new homes in Santa Cruz, California. I surfed every day after work.
What trends do you foresee in the next year in our industry?
More direct distribution deals like House of Cards on Netflix.
What career accomplishment are you most proud of in the past year?
Homeland’s six Emmy wins. We’re blessed with an amazing cast and crew.
What would people be surprised to know about you?
I’m a rabid Liverpool FC fan.
What TV do you watch on a regular basis?
English football.
What’s one technology you couldn’t live without?
My surfboard.
What do you think was the biggest TV business news story of 2012?
Video on Demand on every platform and the Obama’s campaign use of Rentrak’s advanced service for targeting TV buys.
Who do you consider your mentor and why?
I’m lucky enough to work with an extremely talented group of people at Rentrak so I don’t have to choose just one mentor. I learn different things every day from different people.
What was your first job?
Typing “cable to door” territory lists at night while I was in college. (P.S. I never did learn how to type so my boss finally had to promote me to eliminate my many “Wite-Out” mistakes.)
What changes or trends to you foresee in the next year or so in our industry?
TV Everywhere viewing on every device. Also, new creative ways of targeted advertising to get the right message to consumers.
What career accomplishment are you most proud of in the past year?
Leading a team that has grown our local television stations by more than 100% and the work we’re doing in TV Everywhere.
What would be people be surprised to know about you?
Well, my husband says that I’m a pretty much an “indoor girl,” but I do enjoy being a novice kayaker.
What do you watch on TV on a regular basis (guilty pleasure or otherwise)?
Nashville, Parenthood and Project Runway; I also watch The Daily Show and The Colbert Report I am the classic weekend binge viewer!
What’s the one technology you couldn’t live without?
My iPad.
What do you think was the biggest TV business news story of 2012?
It’s been the fall of gatekeepers. Experienced producers, newcomers and even kids have an increasingly variety of ways to distribute content that doesn’t depend on the real estate of a scheduled channel.
Who do you consider your mentor and why?
James Fellows, founder of American Center for Children and Media and a pioneer of public broadcasting, who passed away last year. His elan guides my behavior and his bad puns still sneak into my conversations. Jim is why I’ll never turn down an informational interview with a student or young professional; he remembered me ten years after a 45-minute conversation we had when I was in college. He offered me the job I’m doing a quarter of a century later.
What was your first job?
I was a tour guide in Washington D.C. I had TV internships on a local daily talk show hosted by Pat Mitchell (now President of the Paley Center), and at WGBH in Boston. My desk was right outside Julia Child’s studio. Shooting days were torture for a hungry college student!
What trends do you foresee in the next year in our industry?
I see more migration of content to the mobile world. I also anticipate some thinning of the herd in the children’s mobile app market. The current economic model is unsustainable and the App Store is overcrowded.
What career accomplishment from the past year are you most proud of?
The past year, I was elected to the Board of Governors of the Television Academy, and I was named a Senior Fellow of the Fred Rogers Center on early Learning and Children’s Media.
What would people be surprised to know about you?
I’m usually so mild-mannered people probably would be surprised to learn I played ice hockey for 20 years no actual fights, but there was a lot of stick work and trash talk when the refs weren’t looking.
What TV do you watch on a regular basis (guilty pleasure or otherwise)?
The Daily Show and The Colbert Report; The Big Bang Theory (can an intriguing guy get a set visit, do you think?). Also, Nashville – I’d watch Connie Britton read the phone book.
What’s the one technology you couldn’t live without?
My GPS watch. I’m a distance runner, and with it I can know my workout distance anywhere on earth.
What was your first job?
I was in Sales & Training at JP Morgan.
What career accomplishment are you most proud of in the past year?
Launching a new business inside my company.
What TV do you watch on a regular basis (guilty pleasure or otherwise?)
Homeland, Game of Thrones, Downton Abbey and Smash.
What’s the one technology you couldn’t live without?
The Smartphone.
What was the biggest TV biz news story of 2012?
The Walking Dead’s massive 10.9 million viewers for its October 2012 premiere. Cable’s zombie hit beat all broadcast shows that fall and has already delivered record-breaking success in 2013.
Who do you consider your mentor and why?
My parents. They have given me an incredible foundation and have served as role models in every aspect of my life.
What was your first job?
Management Associate, MTV Networks.
What trends do you foresee in the next year in our industry?
Digital innovation and growth.
What career accomplishment from the past year are you most proud of?
A successful rebrand of Style Network with a new logo and tagline Work It. Love It. Style It. In 2012, Style delivered its highest-rated year ever in Total Day and Prime for W18-49.
What would people be surprised to know about you?
I am a chocolate addict and always have a stash of Hershey’s Kisses in my office.
What TV do you watch on a regular basis (guilty pleasure or otherwise)?
Mad Men.
What’s the one technology you couldn’t live without?
My iPad mini.
What do you think was the biggest TV biz news story of 2012?
Well, not to make this all about us, but Tennis Channel’s win on behalf of independent voices does come to mind. This past summer, for the first time in history, the FCC upheld Congressional law that says television providers are not allowed to use their distribution muscle to discriminate against unaffiliated networks that compete with their own channels.
Who do you consider your mentor and why?
One of my favorite things about this business is earning the chance to spend time with some of the most interesting, creative and intelligent people around (some of whom I’ve chased like a groupie!). I’ve been insanely lucky.
What was your first job?
I worked as a college intern in the research department at Paramount Domestic Television, where I tabulated and distributed daily ratings to Barry Diller, Michael Eisner, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Greg Meidel, Rich Frank, Lucie Salhany and all the top studio brass. My real first job was as a magician when I was 9. I won Louis Tannen’s national magic contest.
What changes or trends do you foresee in the next year or so in our industry?
We’re at a fork in the road. We have geometrically escalating personalization in both content and distribution. On the other side of the coin, we see near total consolidation of media and distribution power in the hands of fewer and fewer and larger and larger vertically integrated organizations.
What career accomplishment are you most proud of in the past year?
The Tennis Channel finally achieved the goal of delivering a predominantly broad digital basic distribution profile partnership with the vast majority of our carriers.
What would people be surprised to know about you?
I get heavy-duty cold sweats almost to the point of being ill right before I speak publicly. I always want audiences to feel like it’s worth their time if they’re going to hear me talk.
What TV do you watch on a regular basis (guilty pleasure or otherwise)?
I watch Shameless, Workaholics, The Walking Dead and Luck. I also love Modern Family and Check It Out! With Dr. Steve Brule (John C Reilly) and, of course, Breaking Bad, Louis CK, Homeland, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Game of Thrones and Boardwalk Empire.
What’s the one technology you couldn’t live without?
Fire, the wheel, the slingshot… or the incandescent light bulb?
Scott Rosenberg, VP of Business Development, Content & Services, Roku
Later —
Michael Maloney
04.02.13
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