Cablefax The Magazine - June 2018 - 29

47. THE LEGACY
Debra Lee
Chairman & CEO
BET Networks
After more than 30
years at BET Networks,
Lee recently decided
that it was time to step
down from her daily
responsibilities as chairman/CEO.
She's remaining
at the company
48. OPEN TO CHANGE
Linda Yaccarino
that has been synonymous with her name for
decades, taking on more of an outreach position.
Since first joining BET in 1986, Lee has
been the driver behind its growth in awards
shows, scripted programming and live events.
" Her vision and leadership, unmatched intuition
for what audiences want and ability to attract
and foster top talent-both behind and in front
of the camera-have been pivotal " to BET's
success, Viacom president/CEO Bob Bakish
said following Lee's announcement. ■
49. SHEER " GENIUS "
Courteney Monroe
CEO
National Geographic
Global Networks
Years in Cable: 20
Education: BA, Williams
College; MBA, The Wharton
School
Monroe is always looking for-
and finding-ways to broaden
the reach of Nat Geo and Nat Geo
Wild with key talent behind and in front of the camera. She premiered
the network's first scripted series " Genius " from producers Ron Howard
and Brian Grazer, which first chronicled the life of Albert Einstein and
now is tackling Pablo Picasso. Upcoming is doc series " Hostile Planet, "
from executive producer and Oscar-winning cinematographer and
director Guillermo Navarro, " Brain Games Live " and free solo climbing
docs. Monroe reinforces the network's commitment to sciences by turning
27% of its proceeds to the National Geographical Society.
Best advice your mom or dad ever gave you? " The latest you
should ever be to a meeting is on-time. "
What product or service could you not live without? Glamsquad
What's the first thing you read in the morning? Work emails (sadly)
Last show I binged not on my network(s): " Silicon Valley " (HBO)
If you could have a superpower, what would it be and why? To be
in two places at once. ■
Cablefax: The Magazine
Chairman, Advertising Sales & Client
Partnerships
NBCUniversal
Years in Cable: 21
Education: Penn State University
NBCU has been an ad sales powerhouse in recent
years, reaping the benefits of the calculated, forwardthinking
vision of Yaccarino. As the company headed
into this year's upfronts, she announced its properties
will broadcast 10% fewer ads on its primetime
original series this fall and unveiled a partnership in
the OpenAP consortium alongside Fox, Turner and
Viacom. The alliance sees NBCU licensing its audience
data capabilities with OpenAP's standardized datasets,
easing advertisers' ability to target audiences at scale.
Yaccarino also oversaw a new custom video advertising
metric across platforms. And as if figuring out
how today's cable customers are consuming content
doesn't keep her busy enough, Yaccarino has accepted
a two-year term on President Trump's Council
on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition. ■
50. RELATIONSHIP
GOALS
Eric Phillips
President, Affiliate
Distribution
Discovery
Years in Cable: 16
Education: Bachelor's,
Oberlin College; JD,
University of Michigan
Phillips maintains strong
relationships with Discovery's
partners, resulting
in custom, mutually beneficial
promotional campaigns,
TV Everywhere initiatives and agreements such as Discovery's recent
partnership with live streaming service Philo. He negotiates affiliate agreements
for Discovery's 13 U.S. networks and two wholly owned nets in Canada, and
oversees digital distribution strategy across all platforms. In the coming months
he'll face more affiliate negotiations and continue to lead day-to-day management
for the domestic distribution team, among other priorities.
The biggest innovation in cable over the last year? TVE continuing to improve
What would be the name of the reality show based on your company?
Fast N' Loud
What's the first thing you read in the morning? Email
Last show I binged not on my network(s): " I'm Dying Up Here "
Favorite podcast: " New Yorker Radio Hour " ■
June 2018
cablefaxmag.com
29
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Cablefax The Magazine - June 2018

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