TECH IT OUT

Jennifer Miles is the President of WICT Southern California and is a 25 year veteran in the entertainment industry. She is currently the Executive Director of Brand Marketing at the Walt Disney Company where she oversees distribution of ABC, FX, Freeform and Disney Channel.

She started her career as a Writer/Producer at ABC before moving to AT&T where she helped launch U-verse television nationally as the head of upgrade and retention efforts. She was also the liaison for AT&T’s joint venture, Otter Media, where she managed the distribution of Fullscreen SVOD as well as other Otter Media SVOD services. In 2016 she developed the acquisition and go-to-market plan for AT&T’s dMVPD service DIRECTV NOW which grew to 1M subscribers in its first year.

Jennifer lives in Burbank, CA with her husband and daughter. She has a BA from California State University, Fullerton and an MBA from California State University, Northridge.

A veteran award-winning media executive, Tara Montgomery is the Head Content Creator for Specials for OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, and oversees all on-air branded content for Oprah Winfrey (including prime time interviews, OWN Spotlight specials, Super Soul, live events).

In 2019, Oprah’s content partnership with Apple launched on Apple TV+, with Montgomery tapped as Executive Producer for the newly branded “Oprah’s Book Club” author interviews as well as creating and launching the NAACP Image award-winning series “The Oprah Conversation,” featuring powerful conversations with high profile guests including President Barack Obama and actor Elliot Page.

In 2020, Montgomery won two Emmys as she led production on the Netflix special “When They See Us Now” featuring Oprah’s interview with the Exonerated 5 and cast of the Emmy award-winning series, and for “Black Women OWN The Conversation” a primetime talk show on OWN.

Recently, Montgomery served as Executive Producer for the global television event “Oprah with Harry and Meghan,” watched by over 100 million people around the world through CBS.

In addition to on-air content, Montgomery oversees Oprah’s presence in the podcast space. In 2017, she launched Oprah’s first podcast, “Super Soul,” which has been downloaded over 380MM+ worldwide. “Super Soul” has consistently ranked in the top 20 most downloaded Podcasts each year since its launch. Additionally, Montgomery was executive producer for the special 8-part podcast series on the New York Times best-selling book Caste: The Origins Of Our Discontents with Oprah and author Isabel Wilkerson for “Oprah’s Book Club,” which won a 2021 Webby Award.

Jamia Bigalow is a dynamic marketer, leader, collaborator and problem solver. She is currently Head of Integrated Partner Marketing at Amazon, working on the Entertainment Devices & Services team.

She has led strategic and creative initiatives at iconic brands such as Fox, Disney and the NFL as well as contributed to the growth and development of emerging startups. Passionate about entertainment, sports and technology, Jamia has led innovative partner marketing initiatives collaborating with leading distributors on top-tier content franchises. She is a thoughtful brand and content marketer committed to informing decisions with data and analytics to achieve objectives and grow revenue pipelines.

Jamia has received numerous awards and accolades throughout her career, including Multichannel News’ Wonder Woman and Forty under Forty list. Additionally, she is committed to lifting women and children in Los Angeles out of poverty through her work as Cabinet member and Committee Co-Chair at Women United, part of the United Way of Los Angeles.

Angela Kozlowski is the Director of Digital Sales Strategy at Cox Media. In her role Angela is responsible for driving revenue through developing and implementing strategies across all Cox Media markets. Angela has been a sales leader in the digital advertising space for over 7 years leading a team of digital consultants and partnering with sales teams to drive digital revenue. Her passion is for our teams to provide expert guidance and technology in the ever-changing digital advertising ecosystem. Angela brings a wealth of knowledge from the cable television, broadcast television and brand direct experience.

In 2020, Angela was selected as San Diego Business Journal’s 40 under 40. In her free time, you can catch her hiking or exploring San Diego with her husband and dog Khloe.

Gio Rodriguez Pino sits on Twitter’s Global Content Business Development team where he leads dealmaking with partners globally across all of Twitter’s Content Partnership verticals to ultimately drive partner content and revenue growth through innovative business solutions. Prior to Twitter, Gio held multiple roles across business and digital growth strategy at VICE Media Group, Univision, and Disney.

Steven Thorpe is Vice President of Video Platforms at Fox Corporation where he is responsible for audience-facing video solutions and operations across the company’s portfolio of sports, news, entertainment, and local apps/websites.

Since joining Fox, Mr. Thorpe has led an overhaul of the video supply chain and content delivery ecosystem focusing on quality of service and delivering a “better than TV” customer experience. Additionally, he led the launch team in the creation of FOX NOW Live, offering a simulcast of the network’s programming across web, mobile, and living room devices, in what was and remains the only broadcast network to offer pay TV customers in all 210 television markets nationwide a live stream of its primetime entertainment and sports programming.

Prior to his current role, Mr. Thorpe worked at NBCUniversal in a variety of positions – including on the NBC.com team responsible for the award-winning iPad app and full episode player.

Mr. Thorpe began his career as part of the College Football production team at Fox Sports while attending the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University.

Monica Williams is Senior Vice President, Digital Products & Operations, for NBCUniversal’s Content Distribution Group. Williams leads the team responsible for how people experience viewing all NBCUniversal network portfolio content across digital platforms. Her role encompasses everything from content delivery of on demand and linear channels through ad integrations to ensuring measurements are in place for product solutions to enhance viewing experience. She reports to Matt Bond, Chairman, Content Distribution.

During Williams’ time in distribution she has been instrumental in enabling monetization for STB VOD through launch of C3 and Dynamic Ad Insertion, building & launching TV Everywhere as well as the rollout of NBCUniversal experiences across vMVPDs. Following where the consumers are going, Williams and her team apply a human-centered design approach and have developed a metadata optimization initiative that drives more efficient content discovery, meeting the needs of our evolving business and product demands.

Williams started at NBCUniversal in 2005 as a Six Sigma Black Belt for Studio Operations. She then transitioned to Universal Studios Digital Services in 2008 as Manager of Digital Media Operations where she leveraged her operational knowledge of Studio Operations to develop and generate business opportunities. Williams later became Director of Technical Accounts for Operations & Technical Services organization within NBCUniversal primarily servicing business clients in the Digital Media realm. From this role Williams was made the Director of Technical Accounts for Operations & Technical Services, where she primarily served NBCUniversal’s Digital Media business clients.

Prior to joining NBCUniversal, Williams started her career as an intern in GE’s Early Identification (EID) program with GE Aviation in Cincinnati and was accepted into GE’s prestigious Operations Management Leadership Program (OMLP) with GE Aviation.
Williams is a founding member of NBCUniversal’s “Asian Pacific Americans @ NBCUniversal” and acted as the Southern California chapter lead and served on the national committee. She is also a founding member of Chief in Los Angeles, a private network designed specifically for women leaders. She currently serves on the advisory board for both the Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT) SoCal chapter and the global advisory board for NBCU TechWomen. Williams regularly speaks at industry events on leadership, women in technology, and diversity.

Williams has received numerous industry awards, including Cablefax Magazine’s “Most Powerful Women in Cable (2016, 2017, 2020), “Most Influential Minorities in Cable” (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020), “Women in Tech – Woman of the Year” by Multichannel News in 2015, Cynopsis’ “Top Women in Media” (2019, 2020) and “Digital IT List” (2020) and Digital Diversity Network’s innovation & inclusion award in 2018. Most recently, Williams completed The Betsy Magness Leadership Institute (BMLI) through WICT.

Williams is a University of Michigan graduate with a B.S. in Industrial Operations Engineering and an MBA graduate from Claremont Graduate University, Peter Drucker School of Management concentrating in Marketing & Leadership and a graduate of Harvard Business School’s Cable Executive Management Program.

Williams and her husband, Jeffrey, currently reside outside of Austin with their three sons, Kingsley, Anderson, Lexington, and their 3 fur babies, Leo, Max and Sebastian.

Lavinia Vasilache is a Principal Technical Partner Manager at Hulu. She has been instrumental in the launch of the first OTT linear television services Dishworld, Sling TV and Hulu Live TV. Lavinia has been a critical liaison in her work bridging external partners – media partners or smart devices – with internal teams. In her current work, one of her focuses is the preparation for major linear live events like Super Bowl, Summer and Winter Olympics, Women’s World Cup, March Madness, and Lollapalooza.

With a degree in computer science and experience in software development, she brings extensive technical skills into complex integrations. She has worked with all levels of leadership, from senior executives to software engineers to create a ‘Can Do’ and positive approach in all her work.

She would like to see more women pursuing careers in computer science field or technical management and Lean In.

Darren Campo is an Adjunct Professor in the Entertainment, Media and Technology. He previously served as Senior Vice President of Programming, Production and Development for TruTV, part of Time Warner’s networks portfolio including HBO, CNN, TBS and TNT. Prior to these roles, he worked in various positions at Court TV and CBS.

Darren Campo is the author of the bestselling Alex Detail science fiction series. His novels include Alex Detail’s Revolution, Alex Detail’s Rebellion, Disappearing Spell and Stingers. He’s been interviewed on various NBC, ABC, and CBS programs, FoxNews.com and The Guardian UK.

Philip Lelyveld runs the Immersive Media Initiative at the University of Southern California’s Entertainment Technology Center, a think tank within the School of Cinematic Arts. He also runs the Executive/Student Coffee program which creates structured, casual discussion and networking opportunities around topics of interest to the industry.

The ETC@USC is funded by the major Hollywood studios, Epic Games, Verizon, Dolby, Microsoft, and other companies to advise them on emerging technology, connect them with potential partners, help accelerate adoption of promising technologies, and work to drive standardization and avoid format wars.

Phil also speaks and consults worldwide on emerging trends, opportunities, and product strategies.

Prior to joining the ETC@USC Mr. Lelyveld spent 10 years coordinating multi-business unit and multi-studio efforts related to entertainment technology including technical lead in major negotiations as Disney’s corporate VP of Digital Industry Relations. Prior to working in entertainment, Philip conducted earthquake prediction and volcano hazard research in the Aleutian Islands, lead the development of Arco International Oil & Gas’s scientific computing infrastructure, and built the Business and the Environment Program at UCLA Anderson School of Management.

He has a BS in Civil Engineering (Tufts), an MS in Applied Geophysics (Stanford), and an MBA (UCLA).

A multi-disciplinary producer, writer, and strategist, Brian Seth Hurst has spent his career at the forefront of innovation and storytelling. His work in theater, television, emerging and new media and now immersive media has enabled the building and extension of story worlds and brands. He has also held leadership positions in the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (Board of Governors and Second Vice-Chair), the Producers Guild of America (Board Member and Chairman of the New Media Council) and the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (Digital Ambassador).

As Chief Storyteller and President of StoryTech® Immersive, Hurst leads the company’s work in cinematic and Live VR, and AR as well as immersive events production. Credits include “My Brother’s Keeper” (VR, PBS, Digital Studios), “The Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth 360” (VR, Showtime) “Gettysburg: A National Divided” (MR, QuantumERA), “The Rolling Loud Hip Hop Festival” (Live 360 broadcast, LivexLive, SamsungVR) “Super Splat Brothers E-Sports Tournament” (Live 360 broadcast, E-Sports Arena, SamsungVR), and Passport to Philadelphia (AR, QuantumERA).

The company also has a growing practice in enterprise XR helping companies across multiple verticals including disaster preparation and restoration, sports training and data center technology.

Hurst is also a co-founder of the “virtual” trade show and event platform Congrego.tech that enabled real business and real sales to happen face-to-face on the trade show floor.

XR subject matter event production and programming have included NAB and NABShow Live, CES, and Shanghai RDR Culture Company (Shanghai XR). StoryTech Immersive has also been responsible for all aspects of the Vancouver International Film Festival’s VIFF Immersed initiative including conference programming, and the International VIFF Immersed Competition.

Hurst is also co-author with Olivia Newton-John of the best selling children’s book “A Pig Tale” from Simon & Schuster and the book “WHOLE,” a collection of essays on life’s challenges.

Sherry is the founding EVP/GM of the Whip Media Exchange, a platform which brings proprietary insights including the industry-first Demand Score into content licensing worldwide. Part of Whip Media’s industry-leading portfolio of Content Value Management and Insights services, the Whip Media Exchange is helping to transform the global content licensing ecosystem.

Sherry has a 30+ year career in the Pay TV business, including nearly 15 years with Fox Networks where she focused on distribution of Fox’s content in new and emerging platforms, content protection, strategic research and optimizing Fox’s content strategy for the digital age. She developed and negotiated the company’s first virtual MVPD deals, and served as Fox’s main liaison with Hulu from its launch until her departure in 2019, negotiating Fox’s deals with Hulu for AVOD, SVOD and linear networks as well as advising Fox’s Hulu Board members and working with many Hulu executives. Sherry has also worked at Cablevision, where she negotiated license agreements with major studios, fight promoters, and other content providers for PPV & VOD, and helped the company develop and launch its landmark digital cable services. She began her cable TV career at Falcon Cable, following a brief stint as a domestic macroeconomic forecaster at the Federal Reserve Bank.

Sherry also serves as a strategic advisor to several startups including Paket TV, The Woolfer, Dooya, and others, and has taught at Drexel University as well as in conjunction with CTAM. She often speaks at industry conferences, acts as a mentor to junior colleagues, and is a Board Member of the non-profit Food Resource Action Center. She has a Master’s Degree in Economics and resides in Los Angeles.

Industry Recognition:
Cynopsis Top Women in Media “Industry Leader,” 2021
Cablefax, “100 Most Powerful Women in Cable,” 2010-2019
ITVT, “ITV All-Star Award,” 2018
Food Resource Action Center, “Distinguished Service,” 2017
Multichannel News, “Top Six Women in Technology,” 2016
Alliance for Women in Media, “Genii Award,” 2016
WICT So Cal, “LEA Award,” 2015
Broadcasting & Cable, “Digital All-Star,” 2014
Multichannel News & WICT NY, “Wonder Woman Award,” 2012

Troy Achong is the Senior Vice President, Technology Strategy & Operations, at ViacomCBS.

Reporting to the CTO, Troy is a critical member of ViacomCBS Tech, and partner to internal and external stakeholders for communicating and advancing transformation programs. She oversees Program Management, Tech Vendor and Asset Management, and Resilience and Business Continuity to deliver on corporate initiatives and drive near-and long-range planning activities across ViacomCBS Tech.

Prior to ViacomCBS, Troy was at Fox Corporation and 21ST Century Fox where she worked directly with executive leadership to oversee, monitor, and measure organizational change management plans and effectively execute technology projects. Troy has held various senior leadership roles at Oakwood Worldwide and ING Advisors Network, and is a Certified Executive Coach.

Troy earned her MBA from the USC Marshall School of Business, an M.S. in Instructional Technology from the New York Institute of Technology-Old Westbury, and a B.S. in Business Administration, Management from Saint John’s University. An accomplished professional in both technology and management, Troy brings a wealth of experience in both change readiness and organizational effectiveness to all she works with.

Troy is a founding member of Chief LA, the esteemed private network of senior women leaders dedicated to connecting and supporting rising executive female talent. She belongs to many professional organizations and is passionate about participating in programs that strive to develop young talent. Troy is the mother of four young women, and lives with her husband in Southern California.

Jennifer Miles is the President of WICT Southern California and is a 25 year veteran in the entertainment industry. She is currently the Executive Director of Brand Marketing at the Walt Disney Company where she oversees distribution of ABC, FX, Freeform and Disney Channel.

She started her career as a Writer/Producer at ABC before moving to AT&T where she helped launch U-verse television nationally as the head of upgrade and retention efforts. She was also the liaison for AT&T’s joint venture, Otter Media, where she managed the distribution of Fullscreen SVOD as well as other Otter Media SVOD services. In 2016 she developed the acquisition and go-to-market plan for AT&T’s dMVPD service DIRECTV NOW which grew to 1M subscribers in its first year.

Jennifer lives in Burbank, CA with her husband and daughter. She has a BA from California State University, Fullerton and an MBA from California State University, Northridge.

Jennifer Cavrikas is Director of Partner Marketing at Fox Corporation and Vice President of WICT So Cal. Fox Corp, Jen is responsible for the development and execution of partnership marketing for all networks in the FOX Corporation portfolio, including: FOX broadcast, FS1, BTN, FOX News Channel and FOX Business Channel. Her award-winning work spans a variety of top content companies across the media landscape – DIRECTV, Xfinity, Hulu, YouTube TV, Amazon, Apple and more.

Before being promoted to her current role, Cavrikas served as Manager, Creative Services, responsible art direction and event marketing for the portfolio of 44 national and regional programming services that comprised Fox Networks Group.
In roles prior, she executed partner campaigns for all Fox Sports networks, coordinating large-scale and grassroots events, multi-platform media campaigns, and promotions to secure networks distribution and renewal.

Cavrikas graduated from the University of California Santa Cruz. She currently serves on the board of WICT SoCal as Vice President. In 2011, she was chosen as Southern California’s WICT “Woman to Watch.”

Lindy Markarian is the Vice President, Distribution, Advanced Services at Fox Corporation. During her tenure at Fox, Lindy has managed sales and marketing initiatives for Fox networks to commercial accounts, global military installations, mobile platforms, and EST. Currently serving as the leader for business operations, Lindy is involved in the technical assessment of new and innovative distribution opportunities and emerging platforms. She has oversight for onboarding digital partners and products, including linear, VOD, TVE, advanced advertising, and 4K. Lindy has broad experience and expertise in the technical vetting and negotiation of cable, DBS, IPTV, OTT, and EST agreements for national cable, regional sports, and broadcast television networks. She is a capable and energetic leader with a high proficiency for cross functional collaboration, and a knack for identifying creative solutions through effective communication and strong relationships.

Prior to joining Fox, Ms. Markarian worked in Corporate Alliances at The Walt Disney Company where she was part of the team that launched integrated marketing initiatives with leading corporate partners, including global licensing that spanned multiple Disney divisions. She spent time as a Database Analyst, Information Technology at BPS Healthcare prior to its acquisition by New York Life.

Markarian is an avid supporter of women’s initiatives serving on the Board of WICT Southern California, the Board of Women of FOX Sports, and is participating in the pilot program KC4i with Women in Technology Hollywood. Lindy holds Bachelor of Arts, Magna Cum Laude, in English with a concentration in Letters, Executive Certificates in Conflict Management, and Negotiation from the University of Notre Dame, and is a graduate of the Half the Sky Executive Leadership Institute. She resides in Southern California with her husband and daughters.

Nicole Baio is on the Content Acquisition and Business Development team at Vizio, working as Partner Manager and managing growth of Channel Partners Watch Free+. Nicole started her career in the entertainment and media space in Los Angeles at Game Show Network, a Sony Pictures Television Company, where she held various roles in Content Distribution and Partner Marketing. Since her entrance into the industry, she has been an active member of WICT as a Board Member, Programming Director and Mentor for the SoCal chapter.

She is actively involved in the mentorship and development of younger professionals and is particularly passionate about her work with the T Howard Foundation. Nicole also moonlights as a Certified Holistic Nutritionist doing consulting and content creation. In her personal time, she is on a mission to visit all 63 National Parks, read each one of the books that have won a Pulitzer in her lifetime (fiction and non-fiction) and try every fitness class she can find. A Connecticut native, Nicole currently resides in Denver, CO with her boyfriend and their two tiny, senior rescue dogs.

With over 15 years experience of marketing and building partnerships, Molly is a true brand connector. Her background includes strategic partnerships, advertising, digital media, content creation, social media, and event activations. Her core business interests are based in creativity, smart business strategy and innovative thinking. She has managed and created successful partnerships for major lifestyle brands including HGTV, Discovery, Food Network and TLC, just to name a few. She currently serves as the College Outreach Co-Chair on the WICT Southern California Board. In her spare time you can find her in the kitchen creating something sweet and delicious. She also loves to spend time in the great outdoors hiking the many trails around L.A. with her family and two crazy dogs.

WICT SoCal Board Member and Mentoring Program Co-Chair.

Stephanie Cobian is VP Of Talent Relations And Media Services and WICT So Cal Programming Chair. Stephanie 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 the experts working out the details of content and elements to provide the most effective, informative and entertaining appearances.

Her contribution at TVGuestpert is in project managing the details of the Guestpert/Author books from manuscript to publication which gives her firsthand experience and support in launching their brand in the media. She leads many of the creative teams at TVGuestpert by working with all the Guestperts on a variety of their projects, including content development, creation of press kits, producing of demo reel/ speaker reels, catalogs, website development, and producing their radio shows, as well as acting liaison to the bookings department at TVGuestpert and to casting agencies and studio development teams worldwide. Through TVGuestpert, she produced and was a co-host of their broadcast podcast, Front & Center with Jacquie Jordan (which aired on KTLA 5 Los Angeles and FOX 5 San Diego).

Stephanie has held positions with “Project: Hollywood Cares” and with IBN Sports where she was in charge of streaming live football games and other events. As writer, she won the student film award for best ‘short’ documentary titled “The Do-it-Center” filmed in Agoura Hills right before she graduated with a BS in Cinema and Television Arts with an emphasis in television from California State University Northridge. Stephanie resides in Los Angeles.

Felicia Felton is a screenwriter who specializes in romantic comedies and holiday-themed features. She creates positive and diverse characters through her unique and colorful voice. Her script Christmas In Cottonwood is featured in the initial development slate at the newly launched Rom Com Pictures.

Felicia is also an alumna of New York City’s prestigious Fashion Institute of Technology and received the first Masters of Arts postgraduate degree program at the University of the Arts London for Fashion and the Environment in England. Felicia’s extensive background in traveling around Europe, Asia, and Africa inspires her multi-cultural viewpoint.

She is passionate about empowering female leaders, she is the Programming Director for Women In Cable Telecommunications, Southern California Board of Directors.

Anita Sarkeesian is a media critic and the creator of Feminist Frequency, a video webseries that explores the representations of women in pop culture narratives. Her work focuses on deconstructing the stereotypes and tropes associated with women in popular culture as well as highlighting issues surrounding the targeted harassment of women in online and gaming spaces. Anita earned her bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies at California State University Northridge and her Master’s degree in Social and Political Thought at York University.

Anita lectures and presents at universities, conferences and game development studios internationally. She’s been a presenter and panelist at various fan, media and technology conferences and has also facilitated and taught multi-day filmmaking workshops. She has been interviewed and featured in publications such as Forbes, Wired, The Guardian, The Globe and Mail and The New York Times. Her videos are freely available via the Feminist Frequency YouTube channel and widely serve as educational tools in high school and university classrooms.

Anita’s first book History vs Women: The Defiant Lives That They Don’t Want You To Know, co-written with Ebony Adams is out now.

You can reach Anita on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @femfreq.

Jennifer Cavrikas is Director of Partner Marketing at Fox Corporation and Vice President of WICT So Cal. Fox Corp, Jen is responsible for the development and execution of partnership marketing for all networks in the FOX Corporation portfolio, including: FOX broadcast, FS1, BTN, FOX News Channel and FOX Business Channel. Her award-winning work spans a variety of top content companies across the media landscape – DIRECTV, Xfinity, Hulu, YouTube TV, Amazon, Apple and more.

Before being promoted to her current role, Cavrikas served as Manager, Creative Services, responsible art direction and event marketing for the portfolio of 44 national and regional programming services that comprised Fox Networks Group.
In roles prior, she executed partner campaigns for all Fox Sports networks, coordinating large-scale and grassroots events, multi-platform media campaigns, and promotions to secure networks distribution and renewal.

Cavrikas graduated from the University of California Santa Cruz. She currently serves on the board of WICT SoCal as Vice President. In 2011, she was chosen as Southern California’s WICT “Woman to Watch.”