Cablefax The Magazine - September 2012 - 30

The Influentials
he serves within the community. King's
irst mentor, renowned journalist Alice
Bonner, taught him that hiding in an
ofice would not advance the cause of
other journalists of color. " She made
sure I understood my responsibilities
to learn, grow, and develop into the
type of leader who could make the
road smoother for other minorities in
the newsroom and the generations to
follow, " he says.
Robyn LattakerJohnson
VP,
Alternative
Programming, Syfy
NBCUniversal
Lattaker-Johnson's
always willing to share
her experience and advise future
leaders within NBCUniversal and from
the cable industry at large. A proliic
producer and programming executive
with more than 20 years of experience
in television and entertainment, she's
responsible for development and oversight
of production on more than 85
hours of original alternative programming
for the top-10 cable channel. On
diversity, Lattaker-Johnson explains,
" As programmers it's important to
understand that people are diverse
within each group... but that the
group, alone, is not 'diversity'. "
Howard Lee
SVP, Production &
Development, TLC
Discovery
Communications
Under Lee's watch,
TLC has crafted a
more diverse programming slate,
with recent series like " All-American
Muslim " and " My Big Fat American
Gypsy Wedding, " and has been
recognized as a NAMIC Next Generation
Leader for creative. He's active
with the Emma Bowen Foundation
and Discovery's Multicultural Alliance
group, which mentors colleagues and
enhances cross-cultural awareness.
30
cablefaxmag.com
" Cable's actually made terriic strides
in diversity, especially on-screen, "
he says, adding, however, that " there
could always be far more creative
diversity behind the scenes-and
there's still not enough. "
Carla LewisLong
VP,
Affiliate
Distribution
nuvoTV
Oversight of nuvoTV's
distribution strategies
fall under Lewis-Long's purview-and
she has a history of success doing
so at the network and throughout the
cable industry. For instance, she engineered
a 30% increase in subscriber
growth for AmericanLife network in
just two years. At nuvoTV, she has negotiated
contracts securing SD & HD
launches in the Eastern region. LewisLong
says some of the best advice
came from a mentor who instructed
her to always take and return phone
calls. " You never know what 'Super
Star' you might ind or what lesson
you may learn from the person, " she
was told. And sure enough, she's uncovered
a super star or two- " and I'm
still learning valuable lessons! "
Ruben Mendiola
VP/GM, Multicultural
Video Services
Comcast Cable
Mendiola's responsibilities
include designing
and implementing the
MSO's multicultural video strategy
and developing competitive product
pricing and marketing strategies.
Ruben recommends empathy as an
indispensable trait. " Understanding
others' points of view and where they
come from has helped me a great deal
in my career-especially in my roles
in the multicultural space, where I am
exposed to so many people from so
many different cultures, backgrounds
and walks of life, " he says.
September 2012
Stewart Myers
VP, Programming
NCTC
One of NCTC's top programming
minds, Myers
helps the group secure
the best deals for smalland
mid-size operators that otherwise
would face much higher prices than their
larger competitors. Myers advises those
seeking to break into cable to be willing
to start at the bottom-and to learn from
it. " You have to be open to any opportunity
that presents itself, " he says. " Your
irst job might not be your dream job,
but use it to learn everything you can in
preparation for moving to the next level. "
Philip Nutsugah
VP, Voice Strategy
and Product
Management, Cox
Communications
Nutsugah oversees
lifecycle management
of the MSO's voice product line and its
strategic progression toward next-gen
communications services, with approximately
2.5 million voice subs under
his purview. An innovation leader at
Cox, he's a consistent driver of positive
results for the company-and elsewhere
as well. When he worked at Verizon and
GTE, he led Verizon's irst iber-to-thehome
deployment in Northern Virginia.
He also spearheaded the launch of
public Wi-Fi hubs in NYC.
Rafael " Rafe "
Oller
SVP, Marketing
nuvoTV
Oller was behind nuvoTV's
rebrand in 2010,
which modernized the
network to appeal to the contemporary
American Latino demographic. Lately
he's been tackling nuvoTV's multiplatform
initiatives, including a revamped
Website and targeted social media.
He's also behind key strategic partnerships,
including one with NBC Latino
CableFAX: The Magazine
http://www.cablefaxmag.com
Cablefax The Magazine - September 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cablefax The Magazine - September 2012
