December 12, 2007

Digital Content Standouts

Name: Albert Cheng
Title: EVP, digital media, Disney-ABC Television Group
Age: 37
Years in Industry: 8
Years left in Industry: 40+

Name: John Kosner
Title: SVP/GM, digital media, ESPN
Years in Industry: 20

Name: Dan Suratt                   
Title: EVP, digital media & business development, Lifetime       
Age: 36
Years in Industry: “TV 12, Cable just over 1!” 
Years left in Industry: 20?

Name: Jason Klarman 
Title: EVP, Marketing & Digital, Bravo
Years in Industry: 15
Years left in Industry: 30

Why Them? CES 2008 is just weeks away, and the sheer blitz of consumer electronics products will hammer home-as if it really needs hammering-the reality of the digital world we inhabit. Each of these execs has tirelessly devoted himself to getting his respective net’s content on alternative platforms where it can be consumed pretty much however, and whenever, the consumer wants it. No easy feat. Cheng, among the most heralded digital drivers, jumpstarted Disney’s multiplatform machine and constantly shifts it into higher gear like he did with this year’s “HSM 2” digital assault. Kosner’s digital playbook is filled with the vast array of ESPN properties. He not only oversees day-to-day operations of the most-consumed sports site, he is continually looking to bolster ESPN’s digital presence by bringing in big-name personalities and securing new deals like the acquisitions of CricInfo.com, TrueHoop.com and Jayski.com. In just a little more than a year at Lifetime, Suratt has taken the network’s digital business to unimagined heights. He has fostered a record number of visits to LifetimeTV.com—the relaunch of which he’s prepping as we go to press—and initiating streaming of entire episodes of series for the first time, including new series “Army Wives” and “State Of Mind.” It’s no surprise Klarman was named one of the 2006 Entertainment Marketers of the Year by Advertising Age and a Digital Innovator by TV Week. He’s a wiz at melding traditional marketing prowess with digital brain power—as evidenced by the complex and highly successful relaunch of BravoTV.com.  CAO

Albert Cheng
I knew the cable industry was for me when: “It was the first thing I had to sign up for every time I moved.”
The coolest new cable tech is: “No FF thru ads on VOD.”
In my free time, I like to: “Spend quality time with my wife.”
Favorite city: “London”
Favorite line from a movie or TV show: “There’s no crying in baseball” – Tom Hanks, A League of Their Own
Favorite sports team: “San Francisco 49ers”
I wish cable would: “Get me a better EPG.”
Favorite piece of tech: “65-inch 1080P HDTV”
Least favorite piece of tech: “Blackberry”
My perfect vacation goes like this: “Eat, sleep, and the beach.”
The world would be a better place if: “We could all see the big (HD) picture.”
 
John Kosner
I knew the cable industry was for me when: “Disney bought ABC and said a main reason was ESPN.”
Defining career moment: “When John Skipper offered me the GM job at ESPN.com in 2003.”
Biggest cable surprise of 2007: “Bravo. They created and executed a brilliant new multimedia format.”
Top personal achievement in 2007: “Our baby son.”
In my free time, I like to: “Go out to the movies with my wife and children.”
Favorite restaurant: “Dona Rosa in Positano, Italy”
Favorite city: “NYC”
Favorite line from a movie or TV show: “Hack it or pack it,” The Great Santini
Favorite TV show: “Curb Your Enthusiasm”
Favorite movie: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Favorite sports team: “2008 NBA champion Phoenix Suns”
My perfect vacation goes like this: “Sitting on a beach with a book.”
The world would be a better place if: “Tom Friedman ran for president.”

Dan Suratt
Defining career moment: “Switching from being a Producer to Business Development at NBC Olympics.”
Top personal achievement in 2007: “Relaunch of Lifetimetv.com.”
Favorite city: “New York”
Favorite song: “Sweet Thing” - Van Morrison
Favorite TV show: “30 Rock”
Favorite movie: Midnight Run
Favorite sports team: “New York Yankees”
Favorite piece of tech: “iPod and TiVo”
Least favorite piece of tech: “iPod and TiVo”
My perfect vacation goes like this: “Montana, Montana, Montana.”

Jason Klarman
What is your favorite word? “Yes”
What is your least favorite word? “Bureaucrat”
What turns you on? “A challenge”
What turns you off? “Arrogance”
What sound do you love? “Silence”
What sound do you hate? “Lame ring tones.”
What profession other than yours would like to attempt? “Political Science Professor”
What profession would you not like to participate in? “TSA Airport Screener”
If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?  “You again!”


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