Cablefax The Magazine - December 2021 - 24

Most Powerful Women
the
Elaine
Frontain
Bryant
EVP & Head of
Programming
A&E Network
A creative risk-taker, Bryant recently
partnered with the WWE on " WWE's Most
Wanted Treasures " plus eight two-hour
" Biography " specials about legendary
wrestlers. She champions diversity,
inclusiveness and equality throughout the
industry, and helped create A&E's Voices
Magnified initiative. " We've come a long
way, especially in the scripted world, in
tackling the gender bias, " she says, citing
the success of series including " The
Queen's Gambit, " " Hacks, " " The Crown "
and " The Handmaid's Tale. " " But I think
there is still a lot of work that needs to
be done behind the scenes to hire more
female directors and creatives to ensure
we are making shows that highlight the
female experience in a nuanced way. "
Vickie
Burns
SVP, Content
Black News
Channel
Burns' experiences
in leading major market TV newsrooms
made her the ideal choice to oversee
BNC's editorial operations. Hired in 2021,
this fierce advocate for diversity is one of
the reasons behind rapid growth at BNC,
where more than 80% of employees are
people of color. While acknowledging
industry progress in combatting gender
bias, she says it's important to remain
vigilant about its shortcomings. " The fallacy
of diversity is that creating space for
a handful of women and women of color
is enough. In reality, it takes several bricks
to build a lasting foundation. "
Susanne
Daniels
Global Head,
Original Content
YouTube
YouTube had one
heck of a 2021 third quarter, with ad
24
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revenue alone climbing 43% to reach
$7.2 billion. And that ad revenue doesn't
even include subscription revenue, which
one could assume is also well into the
billions, considering the app hit 50 million
subscribers for ad-free content and music.
You read that right. It's a new record
for the video platform, and it was in large
part due to Daniels and several significant
strategic changes her team implemented
throughout 2020 and 2021 including moving
YouTube Originals out from behind a
pay wall and narrowing the programming
focus. Daniels is full of advice to her peers
on how to achieve pay equity, including:
" In my experience, women, more often
than men, leave money on the table. Ask
for 20% more than what you believe is the
range for the level you seek. "
Amy
Friedman
Head of Kids &
Family Programming
Warner Bros.
Friedman was
welcomed into the Kids & Family unit last
summer and was soon elevated to her
current role, overseeing the creative and
strategy for kids and family programming
on all of WarnerMedia TV and streaming
platforms, including HBO Max, Cartoon
Network and Boomerang. She helped
drive the launch of WarnerMedia's new
preschool programming block " Cartoonito, "
which represents WarnerMedia's
biggest commitment to preschool in 100
years. Having re-entered the workforce
twice after a hiatus, Friedman has a lot of
advice for those getting back up on the
horse. " Mostly, embrace that unique combination
of deep expertise and beginner's
mind, " she says. " I like to approach a new
work culture as if I am an alien interpreting
it from afar. How do people communicate?
Dress? Do meetings? "
Lauren
Gellert
EVP, Development
& Original
Programming
WEtv
Programming veteran Gellert has helped
December 2021
drive growth at WEtv for nearly a decade.
Of late, she's working to expand the scope
of the network's shows. She spearheaded
the addition of Emmy and NAACP Image
Award winner Loni Love as the new
voice of signature series " Bridezillas, "
and introduced new programs including
docuseries " The Mysterious Death of
Eazy-E. " Nowhere is her commitment to
further propel WEtv more salient than with
" Love After Lockup, " which recently saw a
77% viewership hike. The key to cultivating
male allyship in the workforce, Gellert
says, is " learning how to communicate
the difference in our lives... There is no
such thing as an ally you cannot communicate
with. "
Amy Gravitt
EVP, Programming &
Head of Comedy
HBO
Gravitt's track record
of developing
and driving award-winning series, along
with finding and fostering talent, speaks
for itself in the realm of HBO's comedy
slate. She's at the forefront of inclusive
storytelling and truth sharing in part
because she's not afraid to break barriers
and disrupt the status quo of Hollywood.
Spearheading shows like " I May Destroy
You, " a deeply personal and confessional
series that proves the impact a half-hour
format can have, and " A Black Lady
Sketch Show, " the first series to have a
cast and writers' room of entirely Black
women, are among her crown jewels. Oh,
and let's not forget " Insecure " and " Curb
Your Enthusiasm. " When it comes to
inspiration in book form, Gravitt reaches
for " Educated " by Tara Westover.
Alison
Hellman
SVP, Content,
Strategy &
Marketing,
Spectrum Networks
Charter
Communications
Hellman is relentless in her efforts to
put Spectrum Networks content in front
of as many eyes as possible. She has
continued on page 26
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