Douglas V. Holloway has had the magic touch throughout his decades-long career, finding success on the marketing, sales and programming sides of the broadcast, cable and digital businesses while serving as an industry ambassador to help others achieve success, too.
“Douglas is a true legend in the media business and a humble leader whose vision, creativity and tenacity created and built key brands into powerhouses,” Ann Carlsen, founder and CEO of executive recruiting firm Carlsen Resources, said.
Holloway’s first taste of the television business came as a toddler in his hometown of Pittsburgh, as a guest on Romper Room in 1957. “My mom was all about making a pathway for me to have as much opportunity as possible,” Holloway said. “She must have heard me say I wanted to be on Romper Room. I believe I was the first Black kid on the show.”
Holloway would graduate from Emerson College in 1975 with a degree in mass communications and television production. He enhanced his TV aspirations with an MBA from Columbia University three years later.
“At that point, I wanted to be president of a television company in 20 years, even though I didn’t know much about broadcast television and didn’t know anything about cable,” Holloway said. “But I had a plan and I was determined to see it through.”
After a marketing stint at General Foods, Holloway joined CBS in 1980 as a strategic planner. “The executives there wanted me to focus on new technologies, so I worked on a business plan for the network’s entry into the [cable] business,” he said.
He always looked out for you and always reached out to help pull up the next person.”
Glenn Goldsmith, Mediacom Communications
Holloway would then take his talents to Time Inc. as national accounts manager for startup magazine TV-Cable Week before an opportunity arose in 1983 to create the affiliate relations department at upstart USA Network. By 1988 he would head it up. “[USA Network founder] Kay Koplovitz was looking to set up an affiliate relations group, so I took the opportunity and the rest is history,” Holloway said.
After the 2004 NBCUniversal merger, Holloway would take on the roles of NBCU president, Network Distribution Partnerships and Affiliate Marketing and president of NBCUniversal’s Cable Investments, where he oversaw the launches of cable networks such as Syfy.
Holloway’s welcoming approach to his business dealings endeared him to his clients. “Doug is all about partnership, so he was never pushing an agenda that was not in collaboration with the agenda of his clients,” Mediacom Communications group VP of programming Glenn Goldsmith said. “He always looked out for you and always reached out to help pull up the next person.”
Indeed, Holloway’s influence has also been felt outside the C-suites as a tireless supporter of the television industry’s multicultural efforts. He played a key role developing the National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC), and served as a mentor to executives of color looking to climb the corporate ladder.
Clearing a Path for Others
“Doug is a real pioneer in the business, and he worked very hard to make sure people of color were taken care of in the industry,” HBCU Go president Curtis Symonds said.
During his distinguished television career, Holloway racked up numerous awards and recognitions, including the NCTA’s Vanguard Award for Marketing, inductions into both the Cable Hall of Fame and the Cable Pioneers and a NAMIC Lifetime Achievement Award.
In 2011, Holloway shifted gears and moved to Ion Media Networks as its president of multichannel distribution. He would later realize his entrepreneurial dreams, launching Homewood Media in 2015. The company in 2020 launched multicultural streaming services URBN-TV and UKW Media.
As for the future, Holloway has his sights set on grander aspirations. “I want to put together the largest Black-owned media and entertainment company,” he said.
Those that know him believe he’s capable of doing anything he sets his mind to. “Doug never stopped learning, growing and reinventing himself and his companies … a truly rare thing these days,” Carlsen said. “He’s developed new streaming networks and now owns his own successful media company. He’s done all of this while always remembering where he came from and appreciating
all those who paved the way ahead for him.”
