Cablefax The Magazine - April 2014 - 42

71 | A Scripted
Sauce
Sarah
Barnett
Title: President/
GM, SundanceTV
Years in Cable:
13
Education: BA (Hons) University of
Warwick, UK
Best Advice: Don't read the comments.
Jennifer
Caserta
Title: President/
GM, IFC
Years in Cable:
16
Education: BA, Hunter College
Best Advice: Trust your gut.
Marc Juris
Title: President/
GM, WEtv
Years in Cable:
21
Education: BS
Best Advice: A " no " is just the first
step in getting to a " yes. "
72 | Geo Targeting
Courteney Monroe
Title: CEO, National Geographic Channels
Years in Cable: 16
Education: BA in Political Science from Williams
College; MBA, The Wharton School
Best Advice in 7 words or less: From my
father, right after college graduation just before I
started my very first day of work at an advertising
agency: " The latest to ever be to a meeting is
on time. " (Ok it's a bit more than 7 words if you
count the prepositions!)
With the departure of David Lyle and Howard T.
Owens in April, Nat Geo Channels tapped Chief
Marketing Officer Monroe to take the full reins
as CEO, adding to her considerably full plate that
already included launching a fully redesigned
website in 2014 and rolling out authenticated TVE
app NatGeoTV. As an industry veteran who ran
marketing for years at HBO before her Nat Geo gig
and has managed staffs of more than 150 people,
she's more than up to the task. At Nat Geo, her
42
cablefaxmag.com
2013 was a big year for newly
branded SundanceTV with its entry
into original scripted programming,
quality shows like " Rectify, " " The Returned "
and the Golden Globe- and
Emmy-winning " Top of the Lake. "
And Barnett, deservingly promoted
to current post last March, isn't
slowing down, with premieres of
" The Red Road " and " The Honourable
Woman " this year. Building on
the success of " Portlandia, " Caserta
continues to attract A-list comics
to IFC such as in recently launched
miniseries " The Spoils of Babylon, "
starring Will Ferrell, Kristen Wiig and
Tobey Maguire. And her success is
evidenced by an increased audience
delivery of 20% over the prior year
among total viewers, not to mention
20 major new advertisers. Juris was
key in AMC's transformation from
a classic movie channel to a top TV
brand, and played an important role
in the launch of Fuse and truTV-
always with an expert eye on the
power of social media to breathe life
into a brand. As WEtv's new chief,
he takes the reigns as the net airs
its first original scripted series, " The
Divide, " and expands its overall slate
of originals.
Barnett
I watch the majority of programming
on this device: Old school
TV, a big, flat, smart one
TV show I'd most like to have a
cameo in: " Mad Men "
John, Paul, George or Ringo?
George
Frank Underwood or Nick
Brody? Neither
Twitter or Instagram? Twitter for
work, Instagram for family
Favorite Restaurant: Mercato,
upstate N.Y.
Favorite vacation spot: Iceland
Beach or mountains? Beach
If someone forced me to cut the
cord and only watch 3 over-thetop
shows, they would be: " The
Square " (Netflix), " Transparency " (pilot
on Amazon), " Moone Boy " (Hulu)
Caserta
TV show I'd most like to have
a cameo in: " It's Always Sunny in
Philadelphia "
John, Paul, George or Ringo? Ringo
creativity has already helped boost the success of
big projects like " Killing Kennedy, " which became
one of the most watched programs ever on Nat
Geo largely because of Monroe's marketing efforts
including a recreation of a 1960s-style newsstand
in New York and Washington, D.C.; reproductions
of front-page articles from Nov 23, 1963; a
second-screen interactive digital experience with
KennedyAndOswald.com; digital news takeovers;
and fan giveaways and sweepstakes. Now that
she's stepping into the CEO role, her scope of
responsibilities will expand considerably. Her new
job may not fulfill her childhood dream of going into
broadcast journalism and anchoring " The Today
Show " (there's still time, Courtney!), but we suspect
this next chapter in Monroe's distinguished career
will offer plenty of exciting challenges and keep her
plenty busy. We'll be watching!
I watch the majority of programming on this
device: Big screen TV. Still nothing better.
The hobby I've been itching to try, but
haven't found time: Yoga. Although truthfully I
don't think I have the patience.
April 2014
Favorite vacation spot: Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
Beach or mountains? See answer above.
Desert island album: Zac Brown Band " The
Foundation. "
My favorite business/motivational book: The
Corner Office by Adam Bryant ■
Cablefax: The Magazine
I wish Congress would just...
behave!
My favorite newfound hobby:
Power yoga. I've mastered a handstand
and headstand.
One thing I would do all the time
if I could: Watch TV
My ideal celebrity partner on Dancing
with the Stars: Channing Tatum
Favorite restaurant: Blue Hill at
Stone Barn
Beach or mountains? Beach
Desert island album? Led Zeppelin's
Physical Graffiti
Favorite TV show as a kid?
" Happy Days "
Juris
TV show I'd most like to have a
cameo in: " Family Guy "
I wish Congress would just...
do a full system reboot back to
original factory settings.
Oscars or Grammys? Are you
kidding? Oscars!!
Favorite TV show as a kid?
" Bewitched "
My favorite business/motivational
book: Hello He Lied by
Linda Obst ■
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Cablefax The Magazine - April 2014

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