Cablefax The Magazine - September 2012 - 22

The Leaders
67. Toni Judkins
EVP, Original Programming
and Production, TV One
Judkins is the deinition of busy these
days. She oversees a slate of original
programming that has doubled in
2012-including the network's toprated
series " Unsung " -without expanding
her existing team of production executives. A savvy
producer, she knows how to make cost-effective deals
and bring in top-rate production companies that produce
programming that looks every bit as expensive as content
airing on much larger networks-but costs substantially
less. Among the deals Judkins has brought to TV One are
the network's tent-pole Essence Music Festival special and
a more recent spate of reality shows and sitcoms.
68. Karen Wishart
EVP/Chief Legal Officer
and Corporate Secretary
TV One
Pull back the curtain on TV One's recent
foray into scripted programming,
and you'll ind Wishart, who created
the inancial model that allows
the network to move ahead with a new business plan that
should result in two scripted series debuting before year
end 2012. Wishart, who also oversees human resources, is
often the ultimate deal negotiator for TV One and successfully
negotiated TV One's buyout of DirecTV's interest in the
company, resulting in Radio One's taking a majority interest.
Diversity, she says, " just makes business sense. Consumer
focused businesses need to have a workforce that at all
levels is relective of the customers they serve. "
69. Sara Clarke
SVP, Corporate Strategy,
Analysis and Communication
Showtime Networks
An insightful barometer of the challenging
sandbox where Showtime
plays, Clarke led the network's iPad
strategy and identiied a mobile
device management solution that serves the Showtime iPad
community as well as other divisions of CBS Corp. Her team
is now developing custom apps and resources to enhance
sales force productivity and helping multiple departments
discover more eficient ways to do their work on the go. One
of the best pieces advice she's gotten? " Let the past be
your loor and not your ceiling, " she says.
70. Kevin Stephens
SVP, Commercial and Advertising
Suddenlink Communications
Suddenlink may have gotten a fresh
infusion of capital this summer via the
buyout, but Stephens and his team
have been delivering strong growth
levels, particularly in the area of
telecom acquisitions that position the company to provide
network services for cell towers. In fact, commercial revenue
of $60 million in the irst three months of 2012 represented
nearly 12% of Suddenlink's total revenue, and 15.4%
growth over the irst quarter of 2011. Among the reasons diversity
is important? " A diverse employee base and leadership
team will provide more creativity and innovation, which
in turn will lead to greater organizational success, " he says.
71. Rob Simmelkjaer
SVP, NBC Sports Ventures
NBC Sports Group
Simmelkjaer taps into his experience
brokering deals across four continents
to help NBC Sports' international
expansion. Aside from business
dealings, Simmelkjaer hops on-air to
host NBC Sports Report and regularly appears on the NBC
Sports network. Over the last year, he introduced the Red
Bull Signature Series and revamped the Dew Action Sports
Tour. A career-long mentor, he advises job seekers to build
gratitude by helping someone in the industry, however they
can. " Be persistent, " he says. " Not annoying, but persistent. "
72.
Lisa Clark
SVP, Media Strategy
& Marketing Operations
National Geographic Networks
The cable industry's ever-shifting
tides have taught Clark the importance
of continued mental lexibility.
" I never want to be someone who's
married to the phrase, 'That is the way we always do it', "
she says. And with television experiencing a surge in multicultural
viewers, Clark says more diversity is simply imperative.
" Without diversity of perspectives, ideas and people,
we're destined to chase our customers versus attract them
with programming and product that relects their point of
view, " she says.
22
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September 2012
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