Cablefax The Magazine - November 2017 - 12

Most Powerful Women 2017: The Top 50
25. Kathy Payne
Head of Content Acquisition
Management, Video Channels
Amazon
Amazon has been on a content
expansion bender, and cable veteran
Payne-who joined the company
in April-is leading the acquisitions
charge. The company is spending a reported $2.5 billion on
programming this year. Which is great news for the house of
Bezos as it continues to flex its muscle and draw subscribers
in the intensely competitive video services field. After 20-plus
years at Cox and a stint at Suddenlink, Payne knows a thing
or two about negotiating carriage deals. Payne's current
female character muse is " Game of Thrones' " Daenerys Targaryen.
" She is fearless, the mother of dragons, and has some
of the best clothes and lines on television, " Payne says.
26. Gwen Marcus
EVP & General Counsel
Showtime Networks
Marcus has been with Showtime for
more than 30 years, so it's safe to say
she has enviable institutional knowledge
of the company and the industry.
As Showtime's chief legal officer,
she spent the past year overseeing legal matters surrounding
the series " The Circus, " the Mayweather vs McGregor fight,
the launch of Showtime in India and the expansion of its OTT
service, among other highlights. Known for her emotional IQ
as well as her intellect, her sense of fairness has created a
collaborative workplace and strong employee loyalty. Asked
which famous woman she'd like to dine with, Marcus points
to two: writer Nora Ephron, and " women's and LBGT rights
pioneer Billie Jean King, " adding, " Need I say more? "
27. Kathy Zachem
EVP, Regulatory State & Legislative
Affairs, Comcast Corporation
It's been a big year for Zachem, who
has been climbing the Comcast
corporate ladder since she joined
the company in 2008. She took on
her new title this spring as well as
expanded responsibilities overseeing Comcast's advocacy
before federal and state agencies, and other environments. Not
long before that, she received the Vanguard Award for Government
and Community Relations from NCTA. Zachem's job can
be stressful, but she has an ace up her sleeve when it comes
to unwinding: playing poker. " Not a single thought goes through
my head other than the strategy of the game, " she says.
28. Jennifer Caserta
President
IFC
Caserta excels at innovative multiplatform
initiatives and partnerships, and
shaping IFC's overall brand identity.
Count these as two key contributors
to IFC's banner 2017. The net again
received two Emmy noms for " Portlandia " and " Documentary
Now!, " making it the only network to receive two nominations
in this category for two consecutive years. New comedy
" Brockmire " was the highest-rated new series in IFC history,
and IFC renewed its exclusive agreement to telecast the Film
Independent Spirit Awards in the US through 2020. Caserta
has a balanced formula for stress relief: " 20 minutes of Transcendental
Meditation followed by listening to Howard Stern
every morning on the train into work. "
29. Leigh Anne Brodsky
EVP, Global Enterprises
Discovery Communications
Since joining the company last year,
Brodsky has developed a strategy
enabling team members to maximize
brands in Discovery's portfolio that
have the most promise of success
at retail. Part of that strategy is utilizing the One Discovery
approach, which aims to maximize the company's diverse
portfolio to create robust 360-degree programs that drive
results for the company and its partners. The approachable
Brodsky makes it a point to know her team members personally,
and create a positive environment with the understanding
that creativity is fostered in safe spaces. In order to unwind,
she believes in: " Yoga. Wine. Playing with my dog Pippa. "
30. Susan Swain
President & Co-CEO
C-SPAN
Swain brings a calm, experienced and
educated voice to the goings-on in
the nation's capital as she oversees
programming for C-SPAN's three TV
channels, C-SPAN.org and C-SPAN
Radio. Since March 2012, she has shared responsibility with
Rob Kennedy for day-to-day operations, board relationships
and long-term strategy for the nonprofit public affairs network,
seen in nearly 100 million cable and satellite homes. In
addition to covering eight presidential elections, Swain has interviewed
hundreds of members of Congress, policy experts,
journalists, Supreme Court justices, not to mention a few
presidents and first ladies. Swain also broke a glass ceiling at
Discovery Communications, when the company named her
last fall to its previously all-male Board. Bravo.
12
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