Cablefax The Magazine - June 2013 - 38

57 | SWIMMING WITH
THE SHARKS
Joe Abruzzese
Title: President, Advertising
Sales, Discovery Communications
(pictured, third from right)
Years in Cable: 10
Education: Seton Hall University
Best Advice: You have two ears
and one mouth, and those should
be the proportions of listening and
speaking.
Why Him? It's perhaps ironic that
one of the biggest advertising draws
in Discovery's programming arsenal is
Shark Week. Poised and personable,
Abruzzese is about as far from a shark
as you can get. Highly regarded for his
institutional knowledge and insights,
and beloved for his magnanimous
(and stylish) approach, he led his team
to another stellar year for ad sales
across the company's U.S. networks
in 2012-generating a record $1.46
billion, almost 10% than in 2011. The
coming season brings more fodder
for advertisers to feast on, including
Discovery's first original content,
the Ridley Scott-directed miniseries
" Klondike. " True to form, rather than
hush attendees at Discovery's recent
Upfront, Abruzzese encouraged
them to participate in the company's
orchestrated two-screen experience.
If they happened to spill some of their
reactions into the social media stream,
so much the better. Word of mouth, he
knows, is the best selling tool of all.
Beatles or The Rolling Stones?
The Rolling Stones
On a Saturday afternoon, you
can find me... playing golf or riding
my bike.
This is the hobby I've been
itching to try, but haven't found
time: Restoring old corvettes.
My peers would be surprised to
learn that I... love to paint.
Appetizer or dessert? Appetizer
Film fest or music festival? Film
Favorite decade? The '60s
I consider this person my mentor,
and here's why: Peter Lund because
he is the purest decision maker.
The movie that should never be
remade? The Godfather
I watch the majority of programming
on this device: My big
screen TV
Celebrity, sports figure or
politician I'd most want to have
dinner with? Mel Brooks
Dish I can make and that would
impress a celebrity chef: Gazpacho
Favorite vacation spot?
Capri, Italy ■
58 | GLAD MAN
Charlie Collier
Title: President/GM, AMC
Years in Cable: 9
Education: BA, Bucknell University;
MBA, Columbia University
Best Advice: Aiming isn't hitting.
Why Him? For someone who's built a powerhouse
network of brooding, dark hits-ratings
king " The Walking Dead, " The Killing, " " Breaking
Bad " and " Mad Men " -you might expect Collier
to come from a dark, dark place-surrounded
by dark, dark demons. Wrong. Or at least we
think so. This always-upbeat former Court TV ad
sales whiz is a likeable family man whose only
vice is an obsession with sports, which, he says,
can be controlled with medication. Hmmm. One
night, when " Mad Men " had captured yet another
38
cablefaxmag.com
Golden Globe, and Collier's N.Y. Jets seemed
destined for the Super Bowl, we asked which was
the bigger thrill? It's a tossup, he admitted. Well,
one thing not up for debate is AMC's mega-success-and
that's all Collier. Brooding or not.
Apple or Samsung? Speak & Spell.
The one thing I'd do differently if I could go
back to high school: Graduate.
My peers would be surprised to learn that
I... see dead people.
Appetizer or dessert? Let's meet in the middle.
The other subject I wish I'd picked for my
college major: Chemistry, with a concentration
in marketing and distribution.
The movie that should never be remade? Annie
Hall. Who else would you cast as the leads?
My favorite Cable Show memory: Getting free
mints in that booth with the carpeting and the logos.
If I could tell my 21-year-old self something
June 2013
CableFAX: The Magazine
today, it would be... make sure the Flux
Capacitor is working before heading back.
The TV show title that most resembles my
life is... " Full House. " ■
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Cablefax The Magazine - June 2013

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