This morning’s breakfast honoring The CableFax Most Influential Minorities in Cable in partnership with NAMIC opened to a packed house. Pretty good for 7:15 a.m. and a testament to the caliber of executive the industry was recognizing. While CableFax annually releases the list, it’s sixth annual, it is the first time there was an event associated with it.
The event kicked-off with welcoming remarks from Debbie Vadenos, publisher at Access Intelligence and Kathy Johnson, president of NAMIC. Lots of love for Carlsen Resources and Ann Carlsen, who sponsored the breakfast. For those who don’t know, Ann is an ardent support of diversity for women and people of color. When NAMIC decided to start the L. Patrick Mellon Mentoring Program Ann provided the resources serving as an incubator to jump start what is now an ongoing 16 year program of the organization. And we of course know her commitment to bringing star talent into the industry.
Lots of networking during breakfast and a shout out to my old Jones family including Jim O’Brien and Kent Rice.
After breakfast, Seth Arenstein, Assistant VP, Editorial Director and Mike Grebb, Executive Editor CableFax Magazine took the stage to moderate a panel of senior level executives on the issue of diversity within the cable industry.
Albert Cheng – EVP, Digital Media, Disney-ABC TV Group
Raymond Gutierrez - EVP, HR and Administration Showtime Networks
Cherise Lillie – VP Community Investment, Comcast Corp/EVP Comcast Foundation
A capsule of their Q&A follows:
On bringing diverse talent into your companies
Lillie – Comcast uses a combination of internal and external tools. Certainly NAMIC’s Executive Leadership Development Program and WICT’s Betsey Magness Program provide excellent training that supplements the internal programs at Comcast.
Cheng – Disney too relies on ELDP and Betsey Magness ad training opportunities for its leaders. Also Disney adopted a mentoring program adopted from the former Cap Cities along with other external program.
Cheng went through the ABC mentoring program with Bob Igor, serving as his mentor. Guess that guy had an eye for great talent and according to Seth Arenstein, also for great suites.
Gutierrez – CBS and Showtime believe in a lot of due diligence when making hiring decisions. As CEO Matt Blank requires a diverse slate for top level vacancies.
Impact of the Economy and how Diversity can slip as a priority in tough times
Lillie – Senior leadership has to have a focus to make sure diversity doesn’t fall by the wayside. It’s all about talent management and being able to retain and develop our employees even when we are not actively recruiting new folks.
Ray – our companies will suffer consequences if diversity is not on the agenda. Need to keep it top of mind in the strategic planning process.
Cheng – We need to remember who our consumer is. According to an Ad Age “white paper” there is no “average Joe” Having a diverse employee base helps us understand our diverse consumer.
How does working with NAMIC and WICT help the process
Lillie – It certainly augments the work that we do internally. And the organizations are extremely deserving of industry support
Cheng - Each organization brings a unique enhancement to our efforts and serves in a consultative role. Definitely a resource.
Gutierrez – We can’t do it all and no one can say NAMIC and WICT aren’t huge assets to our organizations.
What role has NAMIC and WICT (or other mentors) played for you personally
Lillie – Only in the industry for five years and was adopted by WICT and NAMIC. The meetings the organizations put together are invaluable and offer us an opportunity to network with great industry talent.
Cheng – It’s all the little things you learn in setting like this that help you grow within a company. Ann Carlsen told me to make sure to join NAMIC and I did. Also, being an ELDP alumni was extremely important.
Gutierrez summed it up when he talked about being selected for his job at Showtime. I knew there were others, both inside and outside of the company, who could certainly have done the job yet they chose “someone like me”. And we each have to take a chance and do the same thing for others coming behind us.
And it didn’t hurt that Gutierrez was a snappy dresser with shined shoes, something he learned from another mentor early in his career who he recently reached out to.
A great morning. Congrats to all the winner and thanks Seth for the Disney comic relief.
Patricia Andrews-Keenan
NAMIC Blogger President
The Tallulah Group
The event kicked-off with welcoming remarks from Debbie Vadenos, publisher at Access Intelligence and Kathy Johnson, president of NAMIC. Lots of love for Carlsen Resources and Ann Carlsen, who sponsored the breakfast. For those who don’t know, Ann is an ardent support of diversity for women and people of color. When NAMIC decided to start the L. Patrick Mellon Mentoring Program Ann provided the resources serving as an incubator to jump start what is now an ongoing 16 year program of the organization. And we of course know her commitment to bringing star talent into the industry.
Lots of networking during breakfast and a shout out to my old Jones family including Jim O’Brien and Kent Rice.
After breakfast, Seth Arenstein, Assistant VP, Editorial Director and Mike Grebb, Executive Editor CableFax Magazine took the stage to moderate a panel of senior level executives on the issue of diversity within the cable industry.Albert Cheng – EVP, Digital Media, Disney-ABC TV Group
Raymond Gutierrez - EVP, HR and Administration Showtime Networks
Cherise Lillie – VP Community Investment, Comcast Corp/EVP Comcast Foundation
A capsule of their Q&A follows:
On bringing diverse talent into your companies
Lillie – Comcast uses a combination of internal and external tools. Certainly NAMIC’s Executive Leadership Development Program and WICT’s Betsey Magness Program provide excellent training that supplements the internal programs at Comcast.
Cheng – Disney too relies on ELDP and Betsey Magness ad training opportunities for its leaders. Also Disney adopted a mentoring program adopted from the former Cap Cities along with other external program.
Cheng went through the ABC mentoring program with Bob Igor, serving as his mentor. Guess that guy had an eye for great talent and according to Seth Arenstein, also for great suites.
Gutierrez – CBS and Showtime believe in a lot of due diligence when making hiring decisions. As CEO Matt Blank requires a diverse slate for top level vacancies.
Impact of the Economy and how Diversity can slip as a priority in tough times
Lillie – Senior leadership has to have a focus to make sure diversity doesn’t fall by the wayside. It’s all about talent management and being able to retain and develop our employees even when we are not actively recruiting new folks.
Ray – our companies will suffer consequences if diversity is not on the agenda. Need to keep it top of mind in the strategic planning process.
Cheng – We need to remember who our consumer is. According to an Ad Age “white paper” there is no “average Joe” Having a diverse employee base helps us understand our diverse consumer.
How does working with NAMIC and WICT help the process
Lillie – It certainly augments the work that we do internally. And the organizations are extremely deserving of industry support
Cheng - Each organization brings a unique enhancement to our efforts and serves in a consultative role. Definitely a resource.
Gutierrez – We can’t do it all and no one can say NAMIC and WICT aren’t huge assets to our organizations.
What role has NAMIC and WICT (or other mentors) played for you personally
Lillie – Only in the industry for five years and was adopted by WICT and NAMIC. The meetings the organizations put together are invaluable and offer us an opportunity to network with great industry talent.
Cheng – It’s all the little things you learn in setting like this that help you grow within a company. Ann Carlsen told me to make sure to join NAMIC and I did. Also, being an ELDP alumni was extremely important.
Gutierrez summed it up when he talked about being selected for his job at Showtime. I knew there were others, both inside and outside of the company, who could certainly have done the job yet they chose “someone like me”. And we each have to take a chance and do the same thing for others coming behind us.
And it didn’t hurt that Gutierrez was a snappy dresser with shined shoes, something he learned from another mentor early in his career who he recently reached out to.
A great morning. Congrats to all the winner and thanks Seth for the Disney comic relief.
Patricia Andrews-Keenan
NAMIC Blogger President
The Tallulah Group
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