Cablefax The Magazine May 2022 - 89

IGNITING
GLOBAL
INTEREST
Miguel (Mike)
Roggero
Chairman & CEO
Fuse Media
Years at Current
Organization: 15
EDUCATE
& ADVOCATE
A. Shuanise
Washington
President & CEO
NAMIC
75
Years at Current Organization: 3
First Job in the Industry: Leading NAMIC
Bucket List: Visit the Egyptian Pyramids
At NAMIC, Washington guides strategic planning efforts and uses
the organization's entrenched strengths to shape the industry's
increased commitment to diversity and inclusion. She rolled with
taking NAMIC events virtual again last year, including the association's
35th Annual Conference. The Diversity Week gathering
included an industry townhall to help evaluate DEI efforts and
underrepresentation of some communities. Washington's always
looking for ways to expand NAMIC's reach, recently teaming up
with SCTE to create an annual Diversity in Technology Award to
recognize a diverse engineering technology leader.
How many companies have you worked for? 6,
including NAMIC
Boredom buster? Rewatch an old favorite movie
Favorite dish that I can also make myself: Sauteed
brussels sprouts
Q&A
What household chore could you win a gold medal in? Washing
clothes ■
First Job in the Industry:
Working for legendary
TV producer Stephen
J. Cannell's production
company Stephen J. Cannell
Productions
Bucket List: One of the
things that I was able to
cross off my bucket list this
past year was to take the
Fuse brand global. Next up would be to maintain the rapid
growth of the brand, while bringing Fuse to more platforms
and continuing to appeal to young audiences.
As the head of one of the few Latino-owned and -operated entertainment
businesses, Roggero's commitment to growing Fuse Media's
diverse, young and historically underserved audience is reflected in
his actions. The new streaming division he announced a year ago has
already launched the Fuse+ subscription service and added three
new, free, ad-supported brands: Fuse Beat, Fuse Backstage and Fuse
Sweat. Roggero also expanded Fuse Media's global reach, secured
international licensing deals and even partnered with ThetaDrop to
launch a series of NFTs.
Q&A
My prediction for NFTs... We see a lot of opportunity
across the board, from collectibles to subscriptions
to real-world activations. We're very bullish on the
future of NFT technology. Our recent partnership with
Theta was the first step towards building larger fan
experiences in this area.
What does the metaverse mean to you? I see the metaverse as an
" always on " virtual 3D experience of our online activity. It's really an
evolution of the way we experience the internet.
The phrase " digital divide " will go away when... There are various
aspects of the digital divide, so I can't say when the general phrase
will disappear. That said, digital inclusion is one aspect of this divide
that Fuse is focused on narrowing. Representation and authentic
inclusion in all aspects of media and experiences, real or virtual, is
our highest priority and paramount to our mission at Fuse.
Boredom buster? Fun, entertaining, powerful content is a true
boredom buster. At Fuse, we are dedicated to serving our diverse,
young audience with content that genuinely reflects their stories and
life experiences. Our content is full of culture, vibrancy and energy.
Our goal is to keep creating optimistic content that entertains and
inspires, while evoking passion and thought-provoking debate. ■
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May 2022
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