Cablefax The Magazine - June 2013 - 15

14 | CANDY GIRL
Lauren
Zalaznick
Title: EVP, NBCU
Education: BA, English Lit,
Brown University
Years in Cable: 18
Why Her? As Zalaznick's
career has progressed, her
mastery of technology and
eye toward innovation have
always shined brightly. A
brainiac of sorts, Zalaznick
excels at creatively hatching
new ways to look at
content and ultimately
monetize it. That's why
Steve Burke opted in February
to put her in charge
of identifying and executing
on new opportunities in
the digital arena. She
continues oversight of
Fandango and DailyCandy,
which have achieved
strong growth under her
leadership since '10. Now,
with full reign over NBCU's
digital properties, look for
Zalaznick to push every
programming network and
group within Comcast to
introduce something new
that consumers don't even
know they want. ■
15 | THE OPTIMUM EXEC
Kristin Dolan
Title: President, Optimum Services, Cablevision Systems
Number of Years in Cable: 23
Education: BA, English, State University of New York
at Albany; Master's, publishing with a concentration in
marketing, Pace University; Currently a candidate for a
master's degree in English literature.
Best Advice in (almost) 7 Words or Less: Courage
doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice
at the end of the day saying, " I will try again tomorrow. "
Why Her? As Cablevision continues on its mission to
improve products and infrastructure, Kristin Dolan is leading
the way in her new role as president. With a large market
share, Cablevision's focused on retention, putting the
pressure on Dolan as she oversees the entire Optimum
customer experience. One of her most visible accomplishments
in the past year was the rollout of Cablevision's
new electronic programming guide, which touts improved
navigation that gives it a Netflix-esque feel. The MSO
continues to beef up its industry-leading WiFi. And at a time
when Charter decided to nix its social media team, Dolan
forged ahead with Cablevision's first social media customer
service team, as well as a comprehensive customer communications
initiative providing notifications of outages and
other issues that proved crucial during Superstorm Sandy
last fall. With sales for digital cable, phone and HSD now
16 | IT'S GOOD TO BE THE KING
Richard Plepler
Title: CEO, HBO
Education: BA, Franklin & Marshall
Michael Lombardo
Title: President, HBO Programming
Education: AB, Cornell; JD, U of California, Berkeley
Sue Naegle
Title: President, HBO Entertainment
Education: BA, Indiana
Why Them? Some make a sport of bashing HBO, for
years the undisputed leader of critically acclaimed content
in cable and broadcast programming. In 2011 the The
Box appeared vulnerable. Emmy wins were down, and
just a single series got launched. Blood, as opposed to
" True Blood, " seemed to be in the water. Was the quietly
efficient trio of Plepler, Lombardo and Naegle acting out of
CableFAX: The Magazine
AX: Th
June 2013
under her purview, we're anxious to how she tackles the
array of challenges still facing this leading MSO.
Beatles or The Rolling Stones? Grateful Dead
On a Saturday afternoon, you can find me... playing
with my kids.
My peers would be surprised to learn that I... paid
a visit to the headend at 4 a.m. the day we launched the
Optimum Electronic Program Guide (see photographic
evidence above!).
The other subject I wish I'd picked for my college
major: History
My favorite Cable Show memory: The World's
Biggest Kickline with the Radio City Rockettes at the
Western Show. ■
desperation launching the fantasy " Game of Thrones, " a
significant departure from traditional HBO fare of dramas,
comedies, sporting events and stellar documentaries?
Surely ye jest. Forward to May 2013, and " Thrones " has
jumped the wall. In season three it overturned viewing
totals for four weeks straight, and on May 5 the show
attracted 5.5 million viewers, a series record. Across two
plays that night gross audience was a monarchical 6.8
million, besting the total of three showings of the season's
premiere. Yes, winter may be coming to the Seven Kingdoms,
but with these numbers and an industry-leading 23
Primetime Emmys in 2012, Plepler, Lombardo and Naegle
are comfortably sitting on the Iron Throne. ■
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