Cablefax The Magazine - June 2013 - 7

THE TOP 10
3 | ONES TO WATCH
John Skipper
Title: President/Co-Chairman,
ESPN and Disney Media
Number of Years in Cable: I
have been at ESPN since 1997,
so 16.
Education: BA Literature,
North Carolina; MA, Literature,
Columbia
Best Advice in 7 Words or
Less: Avoid short-form advice.
Anne Sweeney
Title: President, Disney/ABC
Television Group, Co-Chair
Disney Media Networks.
Number of Years in Cable:
30-plus
Education: BA, the College of
New Rochelle; Ed.M, Harvard
University.
Best Advice in 7 Words or
Less: Be curious. Move fast.
Why Them? Skipper and
Sweeney both drove massive
viewing numbers and
pioneering programming for
their respective media makers.
Skipper served up ESPN's
first exclusive Wimbledon
and scored big with the BCS
Championship game, attracting
the event's second-largest
audience ever. Meanwhile,
Sweeney was out launching
new offerings like Disney Junior
and a suite of WATCH TV
Everywhere products. Their talents
came together throughout
the year when they locked up
major long-term agreements
with four of the top 10 biggest
affiliates. They also continued
their networks' push toward
securing a greater foothold
with Spanish-speaking audiences.
Slap on a few highly
profitable digital ventures, and
you've got yourself another
solid year.
Skipper
The one thing I'd do differently
if I could go back to
high school: I cannot imagine
wanting to be that clueless again
even for one day and for the
questionable benefit of having a
fuller head of hair.
The other subject I wish I'd
picked for my college major:
Shooting Guard
I consider this person my
mentor, and here's why:
George Bodenheimer for his
wisdom, patience (with me)
and humanity.
The movie that should
never be remade? I
CableFAX: The Magazine
would hesitate to remake any
film Stanley Kubrick made
first.
I watch the majority of
programming on this device:
The one available when my team
is playing.
Sweeney
Beatles or The Rolling
Stones? Beatles
On a Saturday afternoon, you
can find me... painting.
My peers would be surprised
to learn that I... paint.
Appetizer or dessert? Appetizer
- then you still have
something to look forward to!
Film fest or music festival?
Film fest
The other subject I wish I'd
picked for my college major:
Art History
Favorite decade? The
current one
I consider this person my
mentor, and here's why: My
mother, my first mentor. She
pushed me to achieve more than
I thought I could.
I watch the majority of programming
on this device: iPad
The biggest innovation in
cable over the last year:
WATCH Disney Channel,
WATCH Disney XD, WATCH
Disney Junior ■
June 2013
4 | GLOBAL WARMING
David Zaslav
Title: President/CEO,
Discovery
Communications
Years in Cable: 24
Education: BS, SUNY
Binghamton; JD,
Boston University School of Law
Best Advice in 7 Words or Less: Don't
be afraid to take big swings.
Why Him? Zaslav likes to keep his bases
covered, and the strategy continues to
pay off big-time for Discovery. He recently
gave the thumbs up to a third-year licensing
deal with Netflix and is extending the
empire both at home and abroad. On the
programming front, flagship Discovery
Channel will premiere its first venture
into scripted programming, the drama
" Klondike. " Zaslav's also feeding the
Animal Planet and Investigation Discovery
pipeline, and adding new brands with the
launch of Destination America. This year
also marked the turnaround of Discovery's
Oprah Winfrey hub OWN, which saw gains
in key demos after a bumpy start, and big
year of growth for Hub Network, which
Discovery co-owns with Hasbro. Look
for more global warming for Discovery
in the coming year as Zaslav leads the
integration of SBS Nordic into Discovery's
international portfolio to establish the
combined SBS-Discovery business as a
fifth international region for the company.
Beatles or The Rolling Stones? The
Rolling Stones
If I could tell my 21-year-old self
something today, it would be... go
with your gut.
On a Saturday afternoon, you can find
me... practicing my golf swing.
Favorite business and/or motivational
book? A Curious Discovery by John
Hendricks... hits shelves June 25. It's a
great read.
Favorite vacation spot? Anywhere with
my wife and 3 kids. Recently we traveled to
Australia's Great Barrier Reef-amazing! ■
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Cablefax The Magazine - June 2013

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