40 Under 40 in Home Entertainment, Class of 2023 - Media Play News
August 28, 2023
Welcome to Media Play News' sixth annual 40 Under 40 — our yearly salute to the promising up-and-comers as well as the smart, savvy and driven young leaders involved in home entertainment.
Now, more than ever, nearly all distribution channels lead to the home. And the executives charged with delivering movies, TV shows and other filmed content to consumers through the three major home distribution channels — streaming, digital purchase/rental, and disc — must navigate a fluid environment where strategies and objectives are developed and defined not just by data and algorithms, but also by intuition and good old common sense.
It's still a fun, vibrant business, but it's more complex and more challenging than ever. And the young executives in our Class of 2023 all play a key role in charting the future course of home entertainment, wherever that will be, and whatever form that will take.
Our honorees this year are listed in random order.
Erin R. Moody, 39
Director, Partnership Management, Global Platforms
Warner Bros. Discovery
Moody leads Apple account strategy, overseeing the management of WBD's digital streaming and transactional businesses with Apple. She is responsible for driving the subscription and transactional revenue from WBD's portfolio of content across digital, streaming and linear networks. She works with internal and external cross-functional teams on the development and implementation of national and account specific programs to maximize revenue across the entire content portfolio. She also serves as global account team lead, sharing best practices and providing insights on promotional strategies and guidance on upcoming opportunities. Moody has more than 16 years of experience in home entertainment and joined WBD in 2015 from Cinedigm.
Jason Cooley, 35
Director, Partnership Management
Warner Bros. Discovery
Cooley leads the partnership management effort for the Amazon Prime Video Channels and transactional businesses, along with Vudu and a few other TVOD platforms. He focuses on revenue, subscriber and engagement growth across these partners. He leads a team of three managers in driving and executing strategic growth initiatives across the entire WBD portfolio, including the first-of-its-kind The Batman global enterprise activation in 2022 on the Amazon platform. Cooley joined Warner Bros. Home Entertainment in 2016, after starting his career in the CPG food category, selling cereals and snacks to Walmart.
Paige Sherman, 29
Director, Video Programming
Shout! Studios
Sherman oversees programming strategy and operations for Shout's 10 FAST channels — four branded channels (Shout! TV, TokuSHOUTsu, Scream Factory TV and Shout! Cult) and six show-specific channels (Mystery Science Theater 3000, Johnny Carson TV, The Carol Burnett Show, ALF, Farscape and Trailer Park Boys). Shout!'s FAST channels are distributed on major platforms including Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, Samsung TV Plus, Freevee, Sling TV and others. Sherman manages a team of four channel managers. She was also the mastermind and conductor of several innovative programming stunts such as Piranhathon and Chopping Mall Black Friday.
Emily Higgins, 32
Content Marketing Manager
Shout! Studios
Higgins develops content, including copy, images, video and livestreams, for a diverse roster of digital channels under the Shout! Studios umbrella, including Shout! TV, Scream Factory and MST3K. She is charged with cultivating relationships with licensors and talent to execute social calendars for voices such as ALF and John Carpenter. She ensures all brand elements are cohesive in targeting and in tone, from newsletters to the website as well as Shout! Studios' social media channels, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and more. Higgins previously worked with comedian Iliza Shlesinger and has crafted social media for Netflix, Mattel, Marvel and Warner Bros.
Tom Gennari, 39
CEO
BB Media
After becoming CEO in 2019, Gennari repositioned BB Media as a leading global data science and market research firm in the media and entertainment industries, with more than 200 employees in six countries. Under his leadership, the company secured two AAM Mercurio Awards and an Innovation Award at the 2023 NAB Show in Las Vegas. Currently, BB Media monitors 4,400 OTT services and 1 million movies and series across 250 countries and territories, overseeing their offer, demand, metadata, prices, plans and trends. In 2022, Gennari initiated a groundbreaking partnership with Digital i (U.K.), launching the first SVOD audience measurement for Latin America.
Jeff Rauseo, 30
Content Creator
Films at Home
Rauseo is a content creator who is amplifying the importance of physical media in a digital age. He reviews discs, talks about trending topics in home entertainment, runs a successful podcast focused on home entertainment, and helps educate people on topics related to DVD, Blu-ray Disc, 4K UHD and streaming services. Over the past six-plus years, Rauseo has built the largest community of physical media lovers on the Internet, with more than 225,000 followers across YouTube, Tiktok, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. His mission is to make sure physical media stays alive, both as a social media influencer and as a creator for major studios and boutique labels across the world.
Kathleen Scott, 35
Senior Manager, Sales Planning
Warner Bros. Discovery Content Sales
Scott has been a film and television licensing specialist at Warner Bros. Discovery since 2015. She is responsible for employing her extensive knowledge of the WBD content library to identify licensing opportunities and develop sales strategies across all major SVOD, AVOD, FAST and cable clients in the United States. Scott and her team lead content licensing initiatives focused on generating third-party revenue, while also working closely with colleagues to successfully manage business with internal partners such as Max and a wide array of Turner and Discovery branded networks. Scott began her career in academia, as a film studies lecturer and teaching assistant at the University of St. Andrews.
Shio Toyoda, 38
Manager, Film Marketing
Warner Bros. Discovery Content Sales
Toyoda leads global new-release marketing strategy and planning for transactional film releases. Collaborating with cross-functional teams and partners, she develops engaging marketing campaigns to drive revenue growth. She played an instrumental role in the successful launch of the studio's first digital movie NFT, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Web3 Movie Experience in October 2022. In 2020, she also worked closely with Warner Bros. Pictures theatrical teams to release Scoob! on PEST/PVOD, the studio's first premium digital release. Prior to taking her current role, she was a part of new technology marketing within Warner Bros., developing and executing promotional initiatives to drive the growth of 4K Ultra HD.
Brandi Wilson, 39
Director, Content Licensing — Inflight Entertainment
Warner Bros. Discovery Content Sales
Wilson is responsible for licensing and distributing WBD theatrical and TV content to airlines worldwide. She and her team drive revenue growth and generate new business by introducing innovative business models in the marketplace and identifying creative ways to showcase WBD content inflight. Before joining WBD in 2021, Wilson spent nearly 15 years at NBC Universal, where she most recently led airline TV sales and operations. She began her career at NBC Universal in home entertainment brand marketing in 2006, focusing on catalog and then TV DVD. Wilson is a graduate of the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business.
Annie Chang, 39
Director, Systems and Workflow
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Chang is a key member of the Systems and Workflow Distribution team at Sony Pictures Entertainment. An advocate for storefront management across all digital platforms worldwide, Chang oversaw the rearchitecting of artwork and metadata infrastructure and distribution and built servicing automation. She helps bridge the communications gap between customer, marketing and distribution. Chang began her career in ad sales at Scripps Networks. She joined Sony Pictures in 2012, beginning her career there in home entertainment brand marketing and operations. Chang worked on such popular shows as "Breaking Bad," "Justified," "Seinfeld" and "Community." She pivoted her career to client services and digital distribution and assumed her present position in 2019.
Kassandra Martinez, 38
VP, Operations
Mansa
Martinez oversees business and content operations at Mansa, a free ad-supported streaming platform highlighting Black content for a global audience. She leads key functional areas across enterprise programs. With a deep understanding of strategies that drive growth and improve performance, she has been instrumental in the strategic management of the organization through strong leadership, planning and program development. She has extensive experience in high-growth industries, focusing on international scale, program management, customer experience and business operations. Prior to joining Mansa, Martinez held leadership roles at Redbox, Facebook and Uber, leading high-performing teams across operations, program management, customer experience, procurement and supply chain.
Seda Melkoni-Boulos, 39
Manager, Commercial Planning
SDS
Melkoni-Boulos has made a significant impact across multiple functional areas at Studio Distribution Services (SDS), the joint venture between Warner Bros. and Universal Pictures to distribute physical media. She has led a team responsible for product manufacturing, planning and execution, and currently manages customer, commercial and financial planning. She also played a large role in developing SDS's social media strategy and manages the ongoing resources to maximize these efforts. A graduate of Woodbury University, Melkoni-Boulos began her career in 2002 at NBC Universal, where she held various positions in distribution services at NBC and Universal Studios and entertainment publicity for NBC television shows.
Lyndsey Hauser, 36
Senior Account Executive
SDS
Hauser leads the development and execution of in-store and online events for Warner Bros. and Universal Pictures' physical home entertainment new-release properties at Walmart and Amazon. Under her stewardship, SDS has delivered record-breaking sales performances on major tentpoles, including The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Jurassic World Dominion and the films in the "Fast & Furious" franchise. A graduate of the Sam Walton School of Business at the University of Arkansas and a nine-year industry veteran, Hauser is highly skilled at bringing comprehensive, fully integrated marketing and merchandising campaigns to life at retail.
Kara McKinney, 33
VP, Global AVOD, Worldwide Television and Digital Distribution
Lionsgate
McKinney leads the international AVOD distribution team and has played an instrumental role in establishing the studio's AVOD footprint across 36 countries. McKinney built a team of nine direct reports spanning the studio's U.S. and U.K. offices, while continuing to source new business development opportunities with both global and local partners. She has closed deals for iconic Lionsgate IP with major platforms, including licensing "Mad Men" and "Weeds" to Freevee, and the "Hunger Games" and "Expendables" franchises to Pluto TV. McKinney also managed the launch of 12 Lionsgate FAST channels in the United Kingdom, Australia, Mexico and Brazil. McKinney has been with Lionsgate since 2012, quickly rising through the TV distribution ranks from assistant to VP.
Kevin Brader, 38
VP, Creative — AV Marketing, Worldwide Television Group
Lionsgate
Brader oversees creative AV marketing for Lionsgate's Worldwide Television Group, including managing the trailers and video production team. Throughout his 13 years at the studio, Brader has worked on distribution campaigns for the TV group's most iconic series, including "Mad Men," "Orange Is the New Black," "Weeds," "Nashville" and, most recently, the highly anticipated "John Wick" prequel series "The Continental," hit show "Mythic Quest" from Rob McElhenney, "Minx" starring Jake Johnson, and more. Brader has also delivered award-winning international campaigns for series such as "Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist," as well as promos for Lionsgate's FAST channels.
Marlon Alvarez, 31
Director of Sales Planning and Analysis, Motion Picture Group
Lionsgate
Alvarez has handled revenue planning for transactional (disc, digital sellthrough, VOD) and licensing (SVOD, AVOD, linear) platforms for Lionsgate since 2015. He helps maximize the value of Lionsgate's library by analyzing industry trends to form a custom strategy for each title across its multi-platform lifetime. From John Wick: Chapter 4 to The Blackening to Sisu, Alvarez's team finds unique opportunities for each title, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. In an extremely fluid post-COVID entertainment environment, Alvarez provides key analysis and information that is crucial to the company's performance targeted strategies. A graduate of Cornell University, Alvarez began his career at Lionsgate as an analyst.
Andy Chilton, 36
Director of Product Development
Crunchyroll
Chilton leads the global home entertainment team's product development group at Crunchyroll, the San Francisco-based SVOD service, owned by Sony, that distributes Asian films and TV series, including Japanese anime. He is both creative and analytical, driving the development of award-winning home entertainment releases such as the Robotech Collector's Edition and the "Dragon Ball Super" Steelbook collection, and leading the globalization of the company's scheduling and forecasting processes. Chilton joined Crunchyroll in 2019 as catalog marketing manager and was promoted to his present position in July 2022. Previously he spent more than seven years at video game retailer GameStop, where he most recently served as marketing manager.
Britt Smith, 30
Executive Director, Business Intelligence
Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment
A full-stack data executive, Smith scales architectures, grows teams, implements governance and democratizes data. At CSSE, she is responsible for establishing robust analytical foundations across AVOD, TVOD, SVOD and FAST services for Redbox, Crackle and Chicken Soup for the Soul properties; democratizing data at the enterprise level; and scaling the company's technical stack while growing the internal BI team. Since joining the company in July 2021, she has introduced data governance and automated reporting processes, while streamlining key performance indicators to unify discourse and simplify analyses cross-departmentally. Prior to joining CSSE, Smith oversaw all data initiatives for Pantaya LLC, a Spanish-language OTT platform and subsidiary of Lionsgate.
Seta Goldstein, 39
Senior Director, Business Development and Partnerships
Vizio
A driving force behind new business and third-party app distribution for Vizio's platform, Goldstein has spearheaded partnerships with streaming services such as AMC+, The Weather Channel, Sling, Sirius XM and Starz. Her contributions have led to 80% growth and upwards of 150 apps. Since joining the company in December 2020, Goldstein also led the launch of WatchFree+ On Demand, which now boasts more than 6,000 titles, as well as Vizio's payment and subscription service with partners, which has not only enhanced the user experience but also attracted new users to the Vizio ecosystem. In addition, she pioneered the inaugural Developer Conference for 250 developers and founded the Preferred Developer Program.
Tiffany Meyers, 27
Senior Marketing and Sales Coordinator
Premiere Digital
Meyers joined Premiere Digital, a media services and software solutions company, in April 2022 with limited entertainment experience. In just a short time, she has become a valued team member by deploying unique communication and marketing strategies and exploiting Premiere throughout the distribution industry and beyond. She works as the driving force to attract new leads via end-to-end marketing campaigns. She has quickly built relationships and established trust with those in the media industry, as well as her colleagues at Premiere. Prior to joining Premiere, Meyers was a digital marketing specialist and social media coordinator at various companies, cultivating website content and creating and growing digital marketing presences for these companies.
Kortney Kesses, 31
Senior Manager, Customer Success
Whip Media
Kesses spearheads the customer success team at Whip Media, an entertainment software platform and data provider. There, she helps illuminate timely TV and film trends thanks to her ability to turn viewership data into compelling stories. She's an expert researcher with a passion for digging deep into consumer behaviors in order to better understand what content resonates with viewers — and why. Prior to joining Whip in May 2021, Kesses worked as an analyst for CBS, Sony Pictures Entertainment and PPI Releasing.
Mathew Levy, 39
Vice President
Bridgestone Multimedia Group/DeskPop Entertainment
After 17 years as the head of Passion River Entertainment, Levy joined Bridgestone Multimedia Group in 2021. He quickly created and launched a new distribution label, DeskPop Entertainment, that has already acquired more than 60 films, including 13 Fanboy and The Mean One. He also has gotten indie filmmakers onto top platforms such as HBO, Starz, Showtime and Peacock. Due to his accomplishments, he has been invited to speak at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and SXSW. Levy has worked in film releasing since 2004 and has a background in film and TV publicity, having worked on campaigns for New Line Cinema, Sony Pictures Classics, Magnolia Pictures, Warner Independent and Picturehouse.
Justin Fujita, 38
VP, Software Engineering
Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment
Fujita has more than 17 years of experience building teams and systems to monetize, deliver and protect premium studio content at scale to consumers. He specializes in leading engineering and support teams in the media and entertainment space. He joined Chicken Soup in October 2018 and subsequently oversaw the successful relaunch of the Crackle streaming platform and the establishment of a portfolio of more than a dozen consumer apps. He maintains several open source media libraries and remains passionate about advancing the boundaries of consumer video experiences through successful testimonial partnerships with Sony, AWS, Elemental, GCP and Mux.
Michael Kosche, 32
VP, International Sales and Operations
Screen Media
Kosche is a key member of the international sales team at Screen Media Ventures, the film and TV distribution and licensing arm of Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment. Appointed to his new post just this summer, he handles new-release and catalog sales for the vast CSSE library in the key territories of Germany, Benelux, Latin America, Korea and China, as well as multi-territory and worldwide licenses. Kosche joined Screen Media's international sales team as an assistant in 2014 and worked his way up through the ranks. Before joining the sales team Kosche worked for Screen Media's ad-supported streaming service Popcornflix, where he managed content curation and ad-exchanges.
Nate Cohn, 34
Director, Global Brand Marketing
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Cohn is responsible for marketing Universal's new-release live-action film slate, overseeing the global strategy and the domestic execution for the transactional home entertainment business across digital and physical. He has overseen such recent home entertainment releases as Jurassic World Dominion, Nope, Cocaine Bear, Renfield and Fast X, managing campaigns across both the premium and traditional windows, and will manage the upcoming home entertainment release strategies for Oppenheimer and The Exorcist. Cohn has been with UPHE for five years. He started his career in home entertainment as an intern while studying for his MBA at the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business. After graduation, he was formally hired as manager of global brand marketing.
Jennifer Suarez, 31
Senior Manager, Financial Planning and Analysis
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Suarez is a key leader in UPHE's commercial finance group, managing the title forecasting process from greenlight through to performance reporting. She has been a vital force internally in helping to inform on the financial impacts of Universal's windowing strategy. Suarez designed many of the studio's models and processes, overcoming the increasing complexities of the business to help provide leadership with added clarity on title performance and expected outcomes. Since joining Universal in 2017, she has been promoted multiple times and currently trains and mentors many of the newly hired finance analysts joining UPHE, many of whom have advanced to elevated roles within Universal.
Darlene Herrera, 37
Director, Global Creative Services
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Herrera plays a key role managing high-profile projects for UPHE's creative marketing team. Primarily working on Universal's family slate of new releases, she most recently led and collaborated on such notable campaigns as Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Minions: The Rise of Gru and Trolls World Tour. She excels at product development, creating and executing exclusive skews for Walmart, Target and Best Buy. In addition to her creative impacts, Herrera is a critical contributor to UPHE's diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Herrera began her career with UPHE in 2015. A graduate of the University of Southern California, she previously held positions at Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and Deluxe.
Tracy Delametter, 38
Senior Manager, Digital Marketing
Paramount Home Entertainment
Delametter for more than five years has managed digital and social media marketing for Paramount Home Entertainment, including new home releases as well as the expansive Paramount catalog. Working with a network of more than 700 social channels, she executes engaging campaigns while constantly streamlining workflows behind the scenes to increase efficiency. Prior to working at Paramount, Delametter led award-winning social media campaigns on the agency side for clients such as Netflix and 20th Century Studios. She has also worked for Honda, and with clients Conde Nast and Estee Lauder.
Ryan Boring, 36
Senior Brand Manager
Paramount Home Entertainment
Boring joined Paramount Home Entertainment in September 2022 after working in independent film since 2016. He leads the global electronic sellthrough strategy for MTV Entertainment Studios, BET and Nickelodeon-produced content, as well as the largest home entertainment TV franchise, "Yellowstone." He works with domestic and international teams to provide strategic thought leadership, develop highly effective marketing plans and assets, and streamline worldwide workflows. Prior to joining Paramount, Boring worked at Samuel Goldwyn Films, where he led marketing, public relations and TVOD sales and ran several Oscar campaigns (Denmark's Another Round won Best International Feature Film for 2020).
Kana Chiba, 37
Director of Sales, Japan
Paramount Home Entertainment
Chiba since 2019 has managed Paramount Home Entertainment's transactional digital business in Japan and has recently expanded her remit to include management of the physical disc business as well. She has built strategic partnerships with customers in the region, nurturing the market and driving revenue growth. Key to Chiba's success is strong collaboration, communication, and the establishment of shared goals, executed with focus and agility. Prior to joining Paramount, Chiba held positions at Sony Pictures and The Walt Disney Co.
Cameron Jewell, 39
Director, Documentary Series
Netflix
Jewell joined the documentary team at Netflix in July 2017 and has overseen a wide range of docs, including American Manhunt; Waco: American Apocalypse; Night Stalker; Bad Vegan; Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich; Pepsi, Where's My Jet?; Conversations With a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes; The John Wayne Gacy Tapes; The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes; Our Great National Parks; Our Planet; and others. Jewell began his career working in narrative and nonfiction feature development and production at film financier Endgame Entertainment, and then at Spanish filmmaker Jaume Collet-Serra's Ombra Films. He continued in narrative and nonfiction television before joining Netflix, working in the TV group at Scott Rudin Productions.
Carly Brady, 33
Manager, Content and Rights Management
PBS Distribution
Brady oversees independent domestic acquisitions for PBS Distribution across all platforms, including streaming channels, digital and disc. She manages content pipelines, analyzes acquisition and sales contracts, and maintains acquisition and rights databases. She also disseminates global rights information and serves as a key contact for content and rights inquiries. Brady joined PBS Distribution in October 2016 after stints at Siren Media, where she oversaw rights and clearances for more than a dozen TV series, and National Geographic, where she oversaw the completion of acquired footage logs, music cue sheets and rights waivers.
Briana Larsen, 36
VP, Content Strategy and Business Development
Xperi