This year’s crop of TV emerging innovators and pioneers was so strong we couldn’t stop at just 40. On June 7 at the Sofitel Los Angeles in Beverly Hills, the editors of B+C Multichannel News will fete 42 executives at the “40 Under 40” program, part of Future’s L.A. TV Week festivities that also include the Advanced Advertising Summit, Wonder Women of Los Angeles and the TV Tech Summit.
For more on 40 Under 40, go to tvweek40under40.com. For the full L.A. TV Week lineup, go to latvweekevents.com.
Nicole Baio
Partnerships
Vizio
Nicole Baio is on the business development team at Vizio, where she oversees partnerships for WatchFree Plus and manages various connected-TV app and tech partner relationships and development. Previously, she was at Sony Pictures Television-owned Game Show Network, where she held various roles in content distribution and partner marketing. As an account director, she oversaw all sales to the NCTC and successfully expanded GSN’s distribution with multiple partners. She also created and executed several collaborative marketing campaigns with major affiliates including Comcast, Charter Communications, Verizon Communications and more, which produced significant media value for GSN and exposure and customer value for partners. She has been an active member of The WICT Network’s Southern California chapter. She is also actively involved in the mentorship and development of younger professionals and is particularly passionate about her work with the T. Howard Foundation. She spends her free time frequenting fitness classes, road tripping, hiking, camping and having dinner parties with family and friends.
Eli Baldridge
Senior VP, Development
A. Smith & Co. Productions
Eli Baldrige spearheads all aspects of development for A. Smith & Co. Productions, the award-winning unscripted television powerhouse. An Emmy Award-winning producer and series developer, Baldrige has produced hundreds of hours of highly-rated unscripted TV shows including Welcome to Plathville (TLC), Pharrell Williams’s Voices of Fire (Netflix) and Canine Intervention (Netflix) since joining the company in 2018. One of his strengths is finding talent and bringing out the best in them in every episode, which was the case with Canine Intervention, a show he conceptualized about a dog trainer. Earlier in his career, Baldrige produced unscripted content including ESPN’s Sport Science and The Weather Channel’s Brainstorm, serving as showrunner. He has also produced several award-winning feature documentaries, including Citizen Soldier and Apache Warrior. After growing up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Baldrige studied journalism and film at San Diego State University.
Michael Bucklin
SVP, Digital Content
Fox Sports
Michael Bucklin manages production, distribution and strategic integration of content across Fox Sports digital platforms, including the Fox Sports app and FoxSports.com, as well as Fox Sports social media, video and audio platforms. His team develops digital content to complement Fox Sports coverage of the biggest events in live sports, including the Super Bowl, the FIFA Men’s and Women’s World Cup, the World Series, top-level college football, NASCAR and more, in addition to the network’s studio programming. Bucklin and his team have also developed several successful original digital franchises, including the NAACP Image Award-nominated Club Shay Shay, hosted by Shannon Sharpe; The People’s Sports Podcast with Mark Titus and Charlotte Wilder; Flippin’ Bats with Ben Verlander; The No. 1 Ranked Show with RJ Young; and Out of Character with Ryan Satin. Prior to joining Fox Sports in 2016, Bucklin spent over 10 years at ESPN, rising to producer of social content and leading social media strategy for SportsCenter, SportsNation, First Take and others. He is a graduate of the University of Georgia.
Jennifer Cavrikas
Director, Partner Marketing
Fox Corp.
Jennifer Cavrikas is responsible for the development and execution of partner
marketing for all networks and digital products in the Fox Corp. portfolio, including Fox, FS1, Big Ten Network, Fox News Channel, Fox Business Channel and a variety of FAST/AVOD services. Her work leverages the company’s sports, news and entertainment brands — with clients like Amazon, Hulu and YouTube TV — to acquire and retain subscribers, increase brand awareness and launch new services. Earlier, she served as manager, creative services, responsible for art direction and event marketing for the 44 national and regional programming services that comprised Fox Networks Group. In previous roles, she executed initiatives for Fox Sports networks, coordinating large-scale and local events and multiplatform media campaigns to drive network visibility and secure distribution and renewal. Cavrikas graduated from the University of California Santa Cruz and serves as board VP of The WICT Network’s Southern California chapter. In 2011, she was chosen as the chapter’s Woman to Watch.
Tal Chalozin
Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder
Innovid
Tal Chalozin is co-founder and CTO of Innovid, a connected TV and video advertising platform for advertisers to engage consumers across all screens and channels. He leads Innovid’s long-term technology vision, global product creation and implementation and business-development efforts, and also identifies and develops
emerging trends and opportunities for product innovation and digital TV/OTT collaborations. He has forged partnerships with Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Samsung, Roku and Hulu, among others, to help advertisers bring interactive video to viewers everywhere. Chalozin is a serial entrepreneur and tireless global leader in video technology. He is a board member for the IAB’s Digital Video Center of Excellence and for the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. He was named a 2018 inductee to the American Advertising Federation’s Advertising Hall of Achievement for his significant impact on the industry via mentorship, inspiration, volunteerism and training. Prior to Innovid, he co-founded GarageGeeks, a nonprofit organization and one of Israel’s largest hacker spaces and innovation hubs. He owns several global patents in digital video technology and is a regular speaker at global events, including Cannes Lion, CES and Wired magazine’s NEXTFEST.
Stephanie Cobian
VP of Media Services and Talent Relations
TV Guestpert
Stephanie Cobian is VP of media services and talent relations at TVGuestpert, a media development and publishing company. TVGuestpert strategizes, manages and communicates messaging for companies and their executives, providing a 360-degree PR plan. She books talent appearances on national TV and local radio, produces shows, develops content for social media and news releases and stages events. She is also co-host and producer of the broadcast podcast Front & Center with Jacquie Jordan, which aired on KSWB San Diego and KTLA Los Angeles, and hosts the media podcast WICT Wisdom. She has booked, prepped and produced “guestperts” for national radio and television appearances, host auditions and studio development pitch meetings. She is in the trenches with the producers and experts working out the details of content and elements to provide the most effective, informative and entertaining appearances. Previously, she held positions with Project: Hollywood Cares and IBN Sports and produced several radio shows for KZSB Santa Barbara. She is active on the programming board for The WICT Network’s Southern California chapter and is a volunteer for several local Los Angeles animal rescues.
Jonny Cogut
VP, Development
Jeff Jenkins Productions
As VP of development at Jeff Jenkins Productions, Jonny Cogut shepherded Netflix’s acclaimed Coming Out Colton and global reality franchise Bling Empire and has produced pilots for Lifetime, TLC, NBCU, HGTV and Discovery. Prior to JJP, Cogut was on the development team at Brian Graden Media, working across its slate of docuseries, game shows and unscripted formats. He has also served as creative director at Refinery29, developing short-form projects for digital platforms. Cogut originally worked with Jenkins when he was co-president of Bunim-Murray Productions. There, Cogut served as producer on hit series including Keeping Up with the Kardashians and Total Divas (E!), Miz & Mrs. (USA) and Lohan Beach House (MTV). Bling Empire, a series following an ultra-rich Asian-American community of friends and families in Los Angeles, was a fast hit for Netflix with a second season set to debut in 2022. On the heels of Bling’s success, JJP launched Netflix’s My Unorthodox Life, also ordered for a second season. The docuseries Coming Out Colton, following former Bachelor star Colton Underwood, is the company’s third show for Netflix. Cogut and team currently have several unannounced unscripted series in development and production for a variety of platforms.
Kelle Coleman
SVP, Global Content and Experiences
Nielsen
Kelle Coleman is responsible for broadening Nielsen’s visibility, corporate strategy and industry influence through U.S. and global event execution, content marketing, innovative marketing strategies, communications, C-suite executive engagement cross-functional collaboration, improving best practices and increasing return on investment. Coleman has always been driven by her interest in marketing, but more specifically by understanding business objectives and driving the company toward those goals in a way that tangibly impacts the bottom line. Prior to Nielsen, she served in national partnership marketing at Macy’s, managing strategic development and procurement of partnerships with brands such as American Express, Unilever and Patron Spirits for key campaign planning and event initiatives such as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the 4th of July Fireworks events and the Annual Flower Show. Before joining Macy’s, Coleman held marketing positions with the New Jersey Nets and Reebok International, where she began her career. She
serves as executive sponsor for Nielsen’s Business Resource Group. She has a
bachelor of science with a business administration concentration from Florida A&M University.
Derek Crocker
VP of Collegiate Sports
Fox Sports
Derek Crocker is responsible for creating the college football and basketball broadcast schedules for Fox Sports, including which games are selected in the football “draft” process — a multifaceted, data-driven analytical process of determining the strategic planning and programming to select which games will air on the appropriate Fox Sports network. Over his 15-year career with the company, Crocker has cultivated relationships with Fox Sports’s collegiate league partners and commissioners and is the “boots on the ground” executive collaborating with Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, Mountain West and Big East football and basketball conferences to navigate big-picture issues, which recently included the unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the past nine years, Crocker has been an integral part in maintaining Fox Sports’s relationship with the Big East as well as a part of the team that landed its Big Ten rights agreement and helped secure a new partnership with the Mountain West Conference. Beyond his corporate success and with a pay-it-forward attitude, he dedicates personal time to foster the growth and student mentorship of those with an interest in careers in sports media.
Angela Dallas
Scripted Television Agent
CAA
Angela Dallas is a television literary agent at Creative Artists Agency (CAA). Based in Los Angeles, she represents many accomplished television writers, playwrights, producers and directors, including Morgan Cooper (Bel-Air), Steven Canals (Pose), Tim Federle (High School Musical: The Musical: The Series), Matthew Lopez (The Inheritance), Rafael Casal (Blindspotting), Dayna Lynne North (Insecure), Karim Amer and Jehane Noujaim (HBO’s The Vow), Victoria Mahoney (Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise Of Skywalker, Lovecraft Country), Tom George (This Country), Dave Hill (Game of Thrones, Wheel of Time), Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg (Fosse/Verdon, The Americans), Lila Byock (Watchmen, Castle Rock, Devil in the White City), David Hollander (Ray Donovan), Catalina Aguilar Mastretta (Everybody Loves Somebody), Andrew Hinderaker (Away, Let the Right One In), Malcolm Spellman’s The 51 (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) and Shawn Ryan’s Middkid Productions (S.W.A.T.), among others. Dallas also helps guide the television efforts of celebrated actors and artists, including Rachel Brosnahan, Billy Porter, Luke Evans, Haim, Todrick Hall, Pentatonix, Norman Reedus, Storm Reid, Emmy Rossum, RuPaul, Yara Shahidi and Kerry Washington. She began her career at ICM and joined CAA in 2011. Dallas graduated from the University of Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio with a degree in business administration and theater.
Aileen Del Cid
Head of Marketing, Samsung TV Plus
Samsung
As head of marketing for Samsung TV Plus, Aileen Del Cid oversees all marketing operations, strategy, branding and strategic partnerships for the global streaming platform. She has more than a decade of experience in entertainment marketing and has led branding efforts, product launches, integrated campaigns and strategic partnerships for multiple organizations throughout her career. Prior to Samsung TV Plus, she held roles as CTV advertising lead marketer for DirecTV Now and digital advertising lead marketer for the DirecTV mobile app. In these roles, she oversaw marketing strategies that grew subscriber bases, managed and grew relationships with entertainment partners and emerging platform partners and was responsible for customer adoption and retention. Earlier, Del Cid worked in distribution marketing at Game Show Network, where she led the sales team through the development and execution of strategic marketing efforts to drive subscriber acquisition. She joined GSN from Universal Sports Network, where she managed and developed strategic B2B and consumer-facing marketing campaigns and governed a
multimillion-dollar marketing budget. She graduated from California State University, Northridge, and has served as a board member of The WICT Network’s Southern California chapter.
Ross Dinerstein
CEO
Campfire Studios
Ross Dinerstein is the founder and CEO of Campfire Studios, a premium production company known for its broad bench of content across scripted and unscripted, for both feature film and TV/streaming platforms. Over the past 20 years, Dinerstein has produced or executive produced more than 50 series and feature films, premiering projects at the most prestigious festivals in the world, including Sundance, SXSW, Tribeca and Toronto. Dinerstein and Campfire’s current and most recent projects include HBO Max’s The Way Down: Part 1 and Part 2 and Heaven’s Gate: The Cult of Cults; Hulu’s WeWork: Or the Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn; FX’s Hysterical and The Most Dangerous Animal of All; Magnolia’s A Glitch In the Matrix; Discovery Plus’s Scream: The True Story; CNN’s The Lost Sons; Voir (executive produced by David Fincher), Neymar: The Perfect Chaos and John Grisham’s The Innocent Man, all for Netflix, as well as the streamer’s Emmy-nominated scripted series Special. Dinerstein’s first foray into the podcast space resulted in the Webby Award-winning series Abuse of Power with David Rudolf and Sonya Pfeifer. Dinerstein has also produced nine Netflix Original features, including Rattlesnake; thriller 1922, based on the Steven King novella; comedy The Package; and the streamer’s upcoming rom-com Players, starring Gina Rodriguez and Damon Wayans Jr. His credits also include IFC’s cult horror movie The Pact and feature documentaries Jiro Dreams of Sushi and Silicon Cowboys.
Lindsey Emerson
VP of Product Management
HBO Max
Lindsey Emerson is VP of product management at HBO Max and leads the Kids & Family, Accessibility, Privacy & Consent, Tools and Sports/Live teams. She joined HBO Max as a founding team member. Her team launched the Kids & Family platform in the U.S. and continues to expand the offering to kids through an autonomous and age-appropriate experience, while giving parents simple-to-understand and transparent controls within each region. Under Emerson’s leadership, her team builds on and improves the HBO Max platform to ensure stories are accessible to everyone through thoughtful and inclusive technology features. Her team has built processes to ensure that accessibility considerations are infused into each new feature on the roadmap, while also being data-compliant within each region as global expansion continues. Her team also launched HBO Max’s sports and live capabilities in 2021, including the ability to stream live soccer, concert series and more in Latin America. Prior to joining WarnerMedia in 2017, Emerson served as director of product management for The Bouqs Co., where she drove ecommerce platform optimization and improved distribution effectiveness, helping to secure a series-C funding round of $24 million. In 2013, she joined Pluto TV as a founding product leader and managed the FAST streaming service’s launch on 15 connected TV, gaming, OTT and mobile platforms, helping to secure investment rounds through series C. She graduated with honors from the media ventures graduate program at Boston University and holds a B.A. in communications from Elon University.
Maura Feerick
VP, Drama Original Series
HBO Max
Maura Feerick, promoted to VP of drama original series in April 2021, is part of the core programming team that launched HBO Max in May 2020, charged with developing an offering geared toward Gen Z and millennial audiences. Among the shows on her slate are The Staircase; Tokyo Vice; Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin, a new generation of the series based on the pop-culture phenomenon from showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa; and Love Life, a romantic comedy anthology starring Anna Kendrick and produced by Paul Feig. She also played an integral role in developing The Suicide Squad spinoff Peacemaker for HBO Max. Prior to HBO Max, Feerick worked on the launch of TNT hit drama series Claws, overseeing three seasons. She also oversaw Patty Jenkins’s period mystery I Am the Night, as well as sci-fi epic Snowpiercer, now in its fourth season. Before joining WarnerMedia, Feerick worked in television production at NBCUniversal, E! and Film 44. She is a graduate of The George Washington University and majored in communications and electronic media and is an active member of The WICT Network.
Joey Femia
VP, Current Programming
Universal Television Alternative Studio
As VP of current programming, Joey Femia oversees a wide range of series including live music competition American Song Contest, hosted by Snoop Dogg and Kelly Clarkson; comedy-variety event series That’s My Jam, hosted by Jimmy Fallon; Weakest Link, hosted by Jane Lynch; and College Bowl, hosted by Peyton Manning. Femia is also responsible for previous notable projects including holiday baking competition series Baking It, hosted by Maya Rudolph and Andy Samberg; LeBron James’s The Wall; Hollywood Game Night; World of Dance; and more. Femia began his career as part of Walt Disney World’s professional internship program. He went on to Blue Man Group as a stagehand at Universal Orlando Resort, followed by a production internship in New York at ABC’s The View. He relocated to Los Angeles in 2013 as a production assistant on programs ranging from NBC’s The Voice to The Academy Awards to The Grammy Awards. He then joined NBCUniversal as a coordinator in the alternative programming division before rising to director of current programming in 2020 at Universal Television Alternative Studio. Femia graduated with a B.A. in radio and television production and a B.S. in event management from the University of Central Florida.
Laura Forti
SVP, Business Operations, HBO, HBO Max TNT, TBS and truTV
Warner Bros. Discovery
As senior VP of business operations for HBO, HBO Max and The TNets (TNT, TBS and truTV), Laura Forti is responsible for business operations for original programming across these platforms and works to support expansion of these businesses. In this recently expanded role, Forti is responsible for coordinating all matters related to the distribution of original content from the four brands as well as creating strategy and executing deals for international original content created for HBO Max. She also works with international partners to expand the global reach of the brands’ U.S. programming and build new partnerships with third parties such as Sky and the BBC. She began working for the company in 2006, when it acquired her previous employer, Court TV. She has held a variety of roles within the international distribution and business affairs divisions. Based in Los Angeles, she reports to Susanna Felleman, executive VP of business affairs. She is a graduate of The WICT Network’s Betsy Magness Leadership Institute.
Carrie Gillogly
SVP, Scripted Programming & Co-Head of AMC Scripted Series
AMC Networks
Carrie Gillogly has overseen such AMC series as Into The Badlands, The Terror, The Son, Dispatches from Elsewhere from Jason Segel and the stop-motion animated Ultra City Smiths, created by Steve Conrad, and currently oversees the production of AMC’s forthcoming animated drama Pantheon, as well as the series Kevin Can F*** Himself starring Annie Murphy and Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, written by Rolin Jones. Based in Los Angeles, Miller shares duties with senior VP Emma Miller and reports to Dan McDermott, president of entertainment & AMC Studios. Before AMC, Gillogly worked as an executive at Gerber Pictures, participating in the development of such projects as Gran Torino and A Star Is Born. Since joining AMC in 2012, Gillogly has risen through the ranks, becoming an instrumental leader of the company’s development team responsible for attracting new voices and stories. A champion of mentorship and inclusion, Gillogly serves as an executive sponsor of Elevate, the AMC Networks employee resource group dedicated to empowering the personal and professional growth of women employees and allies across the organization.
Lindsey Green
SVP, Content Sales
Disney Platform Distribution
Lindsey Green, a 17-year veteran of The Walt Disney Co., is responsible for licensing feature films and television content from The Walt Disney Studios and Disney General Entertainment Content as senior VP, content sales, in Disney Platform Distribution. Her business responsibilities include domestic and global subscription video-on-demand and advertising-supported VOD platforms, West Coast-based cable networks and select pay TV networks. She and her team also manage the company’s distribution of content to its direct-to-consumer streaming services — Disney Plus, ESPN Plus and Hulu — and its linear networks. Her client roster includes Netflix, Amazon, YouTube, Starz, Roku and Tubi. Prior to her content sales role, Green oversaw key distribution agreements across a wide array of media platforms including MVPDs, digital retailers, global airlines and hotels.
Will Gurman
VP, Global Partnerships & Content Strategy
Paramount Streaming
Will Gurman works cross-functionally to optimize the growth and performance of Pluto TV’s content partnerships and Paramount’s vast content library and to expand the global reach and monetization of the content Pluto TV acquires. He sources, evaluates and acquires TV series, films, sports and digital content to distribute across Pluto TV’s expanding FAST platform consisting of ad-supported live, linear channels and on-demand properties. He also manages key partnerships with top entertainment and news networks, major studios and indie distributors by delivering business reviews, optimizing content pipelines and developing and executing against individualized strategic plans. Before Paramount, he was senior director of content acquisition and strategy at Fullscreen, playing a key role bringing Fullscreen’s SVOD service to market by shaping content strategy, budget plan and programming schedule by sourcing and acquiring content for a millennial and Gen-Z audience. He began his career at 20th Century Fox Television in the brand management and strategy group. He graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in political science and earned an MBA from UCLA’s Anderson School of Business.
Rachel Koehler
VP, Original Content
Tubi
Rachel Koehler brings a holistic and creative approach to Tubi’s content strategy, leveraging a wide range of industry experience and expertise across programming development, content acquisitions and digital sales. With a keen eye for splashy and breakthrough content, Koehler most recently helped lead Tubi’s debut into originals, playing an active part in developing more than 140 hours of Tubi Originals in 2021 alone. From script to screen, she has shepherded premium independent-minded titles across the Black cinema, thriller, horror, sci-fi, romance and Western genres. Koehler also led the development of Tubi’s upcoming original movie event Corrective Measures starring Bruce Willis and Michael Rooker, slated to premiere in 2022. She previously led the indie content acquisitions and partnerships team at Tubi, forming partnerships with major studios and brands including Samuel Goldwyn, Lego, Mattel, FilmRise and Magnolia, and she spearheaded Tubi’s content deal with STXfilms. \
Prachi Kohli
Legal Affairs
National Diversity Coalition (NDC)
Prachi Kohli is a lawyer by profession, currently working in legal affairs with the National Diversity Coalition (NDC), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to advocating for greater opportunity, financial equality and economic empowerment for the diverse, minority and LMI communities and to being a voice for the voiceless. NDC partners with cable and telecom companies, program networks, financial institutions and others to bring information and initiatives to low-income communities aimed at creating economic opportunities. With NDC, Kohli also is advocating for Chime TV, the upcoming Asian American-owned network featuring Asian culture and entertainment. Charter Communications is the first launch partner for Chime TV. Raised in India, she has been passionate about working for equal opportunity and has a deep appreciation for diverse cultures. She joined the NDC in 2019. She wishes to use her legal skills to serve and advocate for the right thing and to continue to empower the next generation. Outside of work, she has a keen interest in astronomy and developments in outer space exploration. She also enjoys sci-fi documentaries and Bollywood movies.
Megan Macmillan
SVP, Comedy Development
Universal Television
Megan Macmillan joined Universal Television as manager, comedy development in 2016, promoted to VP, comedy development in 2019 and now is senior VP. While at UTV, she has been involved in developing multiple series for home networks NBC and Peacock, most recently including Grand Crew, Girls5eva, MacGruber, Killing It and the upcoming Pitch Perfect. She focuses on comedy, diversity and inclusion as fundamental aspects of these series. She also has been integral to developing Universal's dynamic streaming slate including Schmigadoon! for Apple TV Plus, Harlem for Amazon Prime Video and the upcoming series Blockbuster, starring Randall Park as one of the employees at the last remaining U.S. Blockbuster Video store, for Netflix. Macmillan came from Davis Entertainment where she served as a creative executive in both television and film and previously had stints at Sony Pictures Television in the comedy development department and CAA.
Patrick McCarthy
VP, Series Publicity & Talent Relations
Universal Studio Group
Patrick McCarthy is VP of series publicity and talent relations at Universal Studio Group: scripted studios UCP and Universal Television, unscripted studio Universal Television Alternative Studio and Universal International Studios. Under the mentorship of executive VP of communications and marketing Tracy St. Pierre, McCarthy leads campaign strategies for programming including Hacks, The Umbrella Academy, American Song Contest, Girls5Eva, Chucky and Dick Wolf’s Law & Order, One Chicago and FBI franchises. Recently, he implemented campaigns for groundbreaking television series including As We See It, featuring a neurodiverse lead cast; and We Are Lady Parts, about a group of Muslim women setting out to be rock stars; as well as Dr. Death and The Girl From Plainville, two limited series with pro-social messages of patient safety and mental health awareness, respectively.He lives in Los Angeles with his husband, film and television writer Tyler Christensen, and their dogs Lambeau and Brom Bones.
Maryam Mehrtash
VP, Integrated Marketing, CBS Entertainment & Paramount Plus
Paramount
Maryam Mehrtash oversees Paramount Plus, CBS Entertainment and CBS Media Ventures and is responsible for driving revenue by proactively positioning the platforms and their programming to the advertising marketplace and overseeing post-sale execution for monetized opportunities. Having spearheaded Paramount Plus’s go-to-market launch strategy in 2021, Mehrtash has led the team through a period of exponential growth by innovating in creating novel opportunities for brands. She brings to her role more than 15 years of experience in content, marketing and sales across entertainment and media. She has driven multimillion-dollar sales strategy and execution from CBS late night to The Grammy Awards to multiplatform franchises including Star Trek, Yellowstone spinoff 1883, The Challenge and the upcoming Halo. Prior to Paramount, Mehrtash led the digital monetization strategy for KTLA Los Angeles, was a consultant and adviser to top media and television agencies and produced two lifestyle television shows. A gifted storyteller, her clear-eyed vision, trailblazing spirit and creative drive have led her to constantly push boundaries to bring custom solutions to brands and the industry at large.
Emma Miller
SVP, Co-Head of AMC Scripted Development
AMC Networks
In her role as senior VP and co-head of AMC Scripted Development and Programming for nine years, Emma Miller focuses equally on developing new series and overseeing current shows. Her credits include Fear The Walking Dead, Hell on Wheels; The Son, Dietland, NOS4A2, Soulmates, The Walking Dead: World Beyond and the upcoming Dark Winds. Previously, Miller was a creative executive at Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Television, where she worked on FX’s The Americans, Under the Dome and Showtime’s The Borgias; and as a creative executive at Grady Twins, Marti Noxon and Dawn Olmstead’s production company. In 2022, AMC Networks will premiere its largest original content slate to date, with Miller at the helm of some of its most anticipated dramas, including Dark Winds, a psychological thriller executive produced by George R.R. Martin and Robert Redford, based on the Leaphorn & Chee book series by Tony Hillerman. The show features a writers’ room staffed entirely by Native American writers, with a cast led by Zahn McClarnon and featuring Native American actors, filmed largely in and around Native American lands, with the full support of the Navajo Nation. Miller began her career as a literary assistant at The William Morris Agency, later WME. Based in Los Angeles, Miller shares duties with SVP of scripted programming Carrie Gillogly and reports to Dan McDermott, president of entertainment and AMC Studios.
Jordan Neyer
SVP, Corporate Strategy
Crown Media Family Networks
Jordan Neyer leads the strategic planning and growth tactics that support the advancement of overall performance at Crown Media Family Networks (Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries and Hallmark Drama; Hallmark Movies Now and Hallmark Publishing). He has been a transformational strategic leader guiding the evolution of the Hallmark portfolio, including linear and OTT platforms, and has been successful in creating new media entities based on existing Hallmark IP. He works directly with company executives and stakeholders to develop both long and short-term strategic initiatives that will improve the business’s growth and profitability. Prior to joining Crown Media, Neyer was VP of media and entertainment at Metrixlab, where he led commercial strategy and new business development. Previously, he was VP of strategy at Fox Networks Digital Consumer Group and held additional strategic roles at Fox Film and Fox Home Entertainment. “What differentiates Jordan from others is his strong collaborative skills, congenial demeanor, and a fearless approach to examining the future state of our business and our industry,” Crown Media CEO Wonya Lucas said.
Sarah Pilla
Multimedia Journalist
Spectrum News 1
Sarah Pilla is an Emmy award-winning multimedia journalist for Spectrum News 1, where she covers lifestyle, entertainment and the environment for the 24/7 local news network. In 2021, she won a Los Angeles Area Emmy Award for “Outstanding Environment News Story” for “Oceana Trash” on the dangers of plastics and their effect on ocean ecosystems. Since joining Spectrum News 1 SoCal, she’s covered national politics, Hollywood awards shows, lifestyle and wellness topics, but she is a passionate advocate for the environment and our changing climate. Pilla is dedicated to helping viewers understand the importance of preserving our planet through everyday lifestyle choices. Prior to Spectrum News 1, she hosted lifestyle shows at Ignite Now Media, and also served as an anchor for One America News Network and as a sports anchor and reporter at KSAN San Angelo, Texas. She holds a B.A. in journalism from California State University, Northridge in 2011 and is a 200-hour registered yoga teacher.
Anastasia Puglisi
SVP and Supervising Producer
Wolf Entertainment
As senior VP and supervising producer for Wolf Entertainment, Anastasia Puglisi is responsible for day-to-day creative and production-related activities for all Wolf Entertainment’s scripted series: Law & Order: SVU, Law & Order: Organized Crime, Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, Chicago Med, FBI, FBI: Most Wanted, FBI: International newly rebooted series Law & Order and all development and operations-related activity at the company. She joined Wolf Entertainment in 2015 and quickly rose through the ranks, advancing from a showrunner’s assistant on Chicago Fire to an executive in just a few years. The Connecticut native graduated from Fordham University with a degree in communications, film studies and business administration and is a classically trained ballet dancer. Prior to joining Wolf, Puglisi was as a freelance production coordinator in independent film in both New York and Los Angeles.
Si Rajadhyax
Multiplatform Producer
Cox Media Group
Originally from Lake George, New York, Si Rajadhyax’s passion for music production took him to Full Sail University in Orlando, Florida, to earn a degree in entertainment business. He began his story with Cox Media Group by pursuing an internship at radio station WPYO (Power 95.3), which eventually led to his current position as multiplatform producer. Over the last 10 years, he has filled different roles at Cox and excelled in digital content creation. His talents and work ethic brought him to Atlanta to join an emerging corporate team focused on OTT content and the evolving media landscape. When not behind the camera, Rajadhyax is as an actor, DJ, podcaster, singer/music producer, host and personality. He has a strong passion for innovation and said his ultimate goal is to stay happy, stay learning, spend more time with family, make people smile and entertain.
Jenny Ramirez
SVP, Unscripted Programming
TBS, TNT, truTV
Over the past five years, Jenny Ramirez has developed a slate of premium nonfiction projects across TNT, TBS and truTV. Highlights include launching four top cable comedies: Snoop Dogg Presents: The Joker’s Wild, The Misery Index, TBS’s reboot of Wipeout and the network’s first cooking competition, Rat in the Kitchen. She oversaw TNT’s live medical series Chasing the Cure and AEW’s first spinoff series, Rhodes to the Top. She is currently leading Rich & Shameless, TNT’s first foray back into the world of true crime since Cold Justice, followed by dating social experiment The Big D and comedic variety show Stupid Pet Tricks. Both series will premiere on TBS in 2022. Her passion for storytelling began while serving as assistant editor for legendary book publisher Judith Regan. Then, while working in FremantleMedia’s nonscripted development department, she adapted formats for the U.S. and modernized game shows from the Mark Goodson library. She developed series for A&E, NBC, Fox, MTV, CBS and Syfy.
Lynzie Riebling
VP, Insights
Revolt TV
Lynzie Riebling, VP of insights at Revolt TV, has earned a reputation as a creative and effective powerhouse within the insights industry. Specializing in qualitative research, she approaches her work in a way that most don’t — by valuing human behaviors over big data and finding new and unique approaches to reach consumers. She does this using her interdisciplinary background in insights and strategy to keep her finger on the pulse of culture, identify emerging youth trends, track consumer shifts within the millennial and Gen Z mindset, and map out the ever-evolving media landscape. “I thought I wanted to work in fashion — which is what initially prompted my move to NYC, but after taking a market research class my junior year of college I realized it was indeed insights that spoke to my soul and never looked back,” she said. Profiled in Forbes and other publications for her research analysis, she is an expert panelist (for The WICT Network and the California Cable Telecommunications Association, among others). Despite her youth, her research expertise spans more than a decade.
Christina Rieger
Director of Sales, National
Ampersand
Christina Rieger has spent the last 10 years of her career in the addressable TV space engaging with clients and agencies on an audience-first approach to buying and measuring TV media. She is a tireless client advocate and constantly challenges the norms of how traditional television should be measured and bought. As a pioneer in the addressable space, she has had a front-row seat for the convergence of TV and digital. With her role at Ampersand as director of sales, national, she is moving TV forward by simplifying addressable activation for her clients with direct access to audiences at scale across 52 million-plus addressable homes and providing more in depth data and measurement across a client‘s full TV investment. In 2021, Rieger and her team surpassed revenue targets, reaching 160% of its goal for Ampersand’s West Coast unit. She is passionate about reducing her carbon footprint whether it’s recycling, creating less waste or driving zero-emissions vehicles. She also is a passionate animal lover, rescuing multiple cats and dogs and donating to animal welfare charities.
Kimberly Rosenblum
SVP, Business and Legal Affairs
ITV Studios America
As senior VP of business and legal affairs at ITV Studios America, Kimberly Rosenblum serves as a lead negotiator for the production of premium scripted content for distribution via streaming, cable, and broadcast networks and as an adviser to her creative colleagues. A graduate of Stanford University and USC Gould School of Law, Rosenblum began her career at Weintraub Tobin. She lives in Westwood, Los Angeles, with her husband, Eli Greif. She transitioned seamlessly from representing high-end talent at a major California law firm to handling a wide variety of business and legal matters for ITV Studios America. She contributes greatly to ITVSA’s goal of maintaining an independent studio culture rooted in collaboration, ingenuity and supporting its production and creative colleagues. As an experienced talent attorney, Rosenblum is able to look at deals from the talent’s point of view, thereby supporting ITVSA’s mission to foster a talent-friendly environment. She is committed to finding creative and collaborative solutions when making deals.
Andrew Schotz
Head of Development
Anvil 1893 Entertainment
Award-winning producer and director Andrew Schotz serves as head of development of prolific production company Anvil 1893. Having joined the company in 2016, Schotz produced Kids Say the Darndest Things starring Tiffany Haddish for CBS (he also worked on the series’s previous run on ABC) and developed the primetime original series Money Court for CNBC, starring Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary and currently in preproduction on season two. His credits also include CBS’s primetime hidden camera show I Get That a Lot, MTV’s dating show Time’s Up, History’s Transition of Power and Travel Channel’s America’s Secret Swimming Holes. Schotz’s career launched in 2012 when he directed, produced and edited the viral video “Grandmas Watch the Kardashian Sex Tape,” which garnered more than 6 million views and was nominated for Viral Video of the Year. The viral sensation caught the eyes of millions, including Oprah Winfrey, which ultimately led to The Golden Sisters TV series on OWN. He has produced nine national commercial spots and continues producing and directing online content.
Samantha Serigano
National Advanced TV Account Director
Ampersand
Samantha Serigano has been in the ever-evolving TV industry for five-plus years and at Ampersand has helped build the foundation for national and local data-driven TV on digital and linear platforms across the West Coast. She started at Ampersand as a digital account manager, then as a digital account director, cultivating relationships and building strategic partnerships across a wide portfolio of agencies and brands in the media marketplace. She migrated to the Ampersand National Advanced Advertising Team, where she has been responsible for growing the largest portfolio of addressable-TV partnerships across a multitude of brands. Since National Cable Communications rebranded as Ampersand in 2019, followed by its launch of the AND Platform, she has been one of the most visible evangelists in getting clients to adopt a cross-platform, integrated approach. She volunteers at a local daycare center/preschool, teaching art classes, and organizes weekend volunteer events to help local food banks. She also participates in Malibu/Topanga Beach cleanups a few times a year, as she is passionate about a clean environment.
Ariana Tejero
Senior Producer
Spectrum News 1
Ariana Tejero is the senior producer of Spectrum News 1’s weekday evening newscast, Your Evening on Spectrum News 1, in Southern California.
She also manages the news department’s internship program. She has poise and credentials far beyond her years. Previous roles range from intern to executive
producer, the latter position in which she oversaw eight shows and mentored seven reporters at a local NBC station upon college graduation. She started working professionally in 2015, as a sophomore in college, at that NBC affiliate. In 2016, her junior year, she launched an ongoing local talk show there that went on to win an Emmy the subsequent year. Tejero earned a B.A. in screenwriting from Loyola Marymount University, graduating as valedictorian of the School of Film and Television in 2017.
Simon Thomas
President of ITV Entertainment and Head of International Programming
ITV
Simon Thomas oversees ITV Entertainment’s robust slate, shepherding the development, sale and production of splashy formats and live-event programming. At ITV America, Thomas has overseen or executive-produced a range of hit series for broadcast and cable networks, as well as streaming platforms, including Love Island; musical competition The FOUR and American Grit with John Cena for Fox; Pawn Stars and Forged in Fire for History; and HBO Max’s upcoming My Mom, Your Dad; as well as projects for ABC, A&E, Food Network, Facebook Watch, National Geographic, Netflix, NFL Network and TLC. Prior to joining the ITV America group — first as a showrunner for ITV America’s Leftfield Pictures — Thomas had accrued more than a dozen years of experience across all genres of unscripted television, including live, studio, documentary and reality programming. He spent several years at Endemol Australia, where he worked on large format reality hits such as Big Brother and Beauty & The Geek Australia. He also helped develop several shows while producing smaller projects such as the acclaimed series Last Chance Surgery.
Kenny Tsai
SVP, Current Programming
Universal Content Productions
As a senior VP, current programming at Universal Content Productions, Kenny Tsai oversees a roster of shows that include Queer as Folk, The Umbrella Academy and Chucky. He was previously VP of current programming at Universal Television, where he was responsible for overseeing drama and comedy series, including the recently launched Bel-Air on Peacock as well as Netflix’s Master of None and Never Have I Ever; Amazon Prime Video’s Harlem; Peacock’s Saved by the Bell; and the Apple TV Plus anthology series Little America. He started in the industry as the showrunner’s assistant on HBO’s Emmy-winning Boardwalk Empire before moving over to UCP and then Universal Television, where he worked on A&E’s Bates Motel and NBC’s Good Girls. He has been a champion of series focused on diverse stories and characters from the start.
Thomas Wadsworth
Chief Product Officer
Struum
Thomas Wadsworth is co-founder and chief product officer of Struum, a new type of streaming service backed by Michael Eisner’s venture firm Tornante, Canadian-based media company Corus Entertainment and investment firm Gaingels, aimed at creating a simpler way for people to find and uncover programming they may love from across an increasingly cluttered premium SVOD landscape. He oversees all product, user experience, program management and R&D across customer-facing apps and backend tools. He is focused on delivering a product that allows customers to sample content from a wide variety of services and select the ones that they want to enjoy on a monthly basis. As an executive in the digital media and entertainment space, Wadsworth has led the charge on innovations for some of the largest brands. Prior to Struum, he held leadership positions across innovation groups within The Walt Disney Co. for over 12 years, leading product, research and design teams both domestically and internationally to create new product categories and business models that present new revenue opportunities. He held leadership roles within Disney Parks & Resorts, Walt Disney Imagineering, Pixar and Disney Interactive Labs as they expanded into new direct-to-consumer offerings such as voice-enabled devices, smart home products, AR headsets and SVOD across online, mobile, in-park and OTT.
Mary-Hollis Williams
Senior Director, Talent Relations
Fox Sports
Mary-Hollis Williams is an experienced producer and booker of A-list musical artists and talent. She joined Fox Sports in 2018 and oversees all guest bookings for its high-profile live events, celebrity guests for FS1’s daily studio shows and talent bookings across all Fox Sports platforms. Williams currently heads up the talent booking team at Fox Sports for the NFL, MLB, WWE, FS1, college football and the biggest events in live sports, including Super Bowl LIV, the World Series and the 2019 Women’s World Cup. Prior to joining Fox Sports, Williams spent several years producing content for media companies including CBS, Comedy Central, ABC, Fox and Amazon. She has secured celebrities, musicians, athletes, authors and comedians since 2010. In 2014, Williams secured the first ever late-night performance from Metallica at CBS for The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson — a week-long residency of Metallica’s biggest hits. She went on to produce notable episodes with John Mayer, Ed Sheeran, Bob Weir, Ryan Adams and John Legend for CBS guest-hosted episodes.
Elliot Wolf
EVP of Digital
Wolf Entertainment
Elliot Wolf leads all of Wolf Entertainment’s digital initiatives including podcasting, social media, e-commerce and licensing. As a senior executive, he oversees brand strategy and is involved in project development for streaming platforms. Over the past two years, he has overseen the company’s rebrand from Wolf Films to Wolf Entertainment and accumulated over 1.3 million followers for the brand on social media. He serves as the executive producer of IMDb TV’s new half-hour police drama, On Call. Previously, he executive-produced fiction podcast Hunted, starring Parker Posey, in association with Endeavor Content. He also developed and executive-produced The Squadroom, the companion podcast to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. He also oversees development and production of several upcoming audio fiction series. He has launched a successful merchandising business for Wolf and its franchises (Law & Order, Chicago, FBI) while leveraging newly created marketing channels to expand the company into new mediums of storytelling.
Stefanie Zuroff
Director, Business Development & Content Partnerships
Samsung
Stefanie Zuroff has spent the past few years helping to build Samsung’s fast-growing FAST channel platform, Samsung TV Plus. In her current role, she oversees all third-party channel licensing and is responsible for sourcing and negotiating licensing agreements with linear and VOD content owners to enhance the content offering on the platform. Prior to her role at Samsung, Zuroff spent five years working at AT&T/DirecTV in content acquisition, negotiating licensing agreements and managing the day-to-day relationships with traditional and digital-native content partners for DirecTV’s streaming platforms, including TV everywhere, OTT, VOD and mobile. Prior to DirecTV, she worked in content strategy and acquisition at Verizon Fios, helping to launch the Fios TV EST offering and TV-everywhere mobile and web platforms. She also has worked on the content creation/distribution side, in business development at Fuse/MSG Networks and in the music business at Universal Music Group. She has a B.A. in Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business. ▪️
