We sat down today to talk with Veronica Sheehan, SVP Turner Broadcasting, Ann Hart VP Sales Digitalsmiths, and Kathy Hatala, President of WICT (Women In Cable & Telecommunications) and VP Business Development for Speakeasy. Hear us talk about what it takes to be an authentic leader, to articulate our personal brands, and to keep pushing ourselves outside of our comfort zones.
Veronica Sheehan is Senior Vice President of Global Network Operations and International Information Technology (IT) for Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, Inc.), with executive oversight of U.S. Network Operations and International Operations and Technology in the Latin America, Asia Pacific, and Europe, Middle East Africa (EMEA) regions. She is based in Atlanta and reports to Dan Darling, chief information officer for TBS, Inc.
Most recently Sheehan served as Senior Vice President of U.S. Network Operations for TBS, Inc., responsible for leading the broadcast operations, engineering, traffic and media management functions for Network Operations, the division that provides 24-hour technical and operational support for Turner Broadcasting’s entertainment networks, including TBS, TNT, Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Turner Classic Movies, truTV, NBA-TV and NBA-TV International, as well as content offerings and products on numerous other platforms such as portable handsets, tablets, and the Web.
Sheehan joined Turner Broadcasting in 1999 as Director of broadcast operations and later that year moved to TBS, Inc.’s in-house production/post-production division, Turner Studios, where she served as vice president of operations and original productions. Previously, she was director of operations/division services for National Video Center/Recording Studios, Inc. in New York City.
Sheehan earned a bachelors degree in communications and journalism at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, NY and currently serves on the President’s Council, advising the college on the evolution of the cable and broadcast industry. She is the founding chair of TBS, Inc.’s business resource group, Turner Women Today, whose mission is to inspire, encourage and empower women to achieve their full potential. Currently, Turner Women Today has chapters in Atlanta, New York, and Los Angeles and plans to expand internationally. She is a member of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS), the National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE), Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT) and the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE). In 2002, WICT inducted her into the prestigious Betsy Magness Leadership Institute and in 2010, she was awarded the national honor of WICT “Woman to Watch.” For several years, Sheehan has served as the National Chapter Advisor for the WICT Atlanta Chapter and was named 2008 WICT “Chapter Advisor of the Year.” Since 2006, she has been named one of the most powerful women in technology by CableWorld magazine. In 2007, she was named to Atlanta Woman magazine’s “25 Power Women Awards” list and that same year also received WICT Atlanta’s Red Letter Catalyst Award for Women in Technology. Most recently, she was named one of the 2011 Working Mothers of the Year by Working Mother Magazine and was also awarded the 2011 Champion for Success by Dress for Success Atlanta.
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.
Ann Hart is Vice President of Sales for Digitalsmiths, a technology leader in Video Search and Recommendations. Ann is responsible for surfacing sales opportunities within the Telecommunication’s Industry with high caliber content owners and distributors. Ann’s leadership within the Telecommunication’s industry has been spent building a diverse, multi-platform career. The majority of her professional life was spent within the Weather Channel Companies in various Vice President roles in Distribution, Affiliate Sales, Strategic Marketing and Promotions.
She transitioned a 14-year career within the Distribution group and moved over into The Weather Channel Interactive Digital Media Group. This transformation allowed Ann to maximize her skill set and exposed her to Fortune 500 brands where she developed strategies to drive revenue for digital platforms including weather.com and Mobile. After leaving weather.com, Ann was hired by Digitalsmiths to “open doors” within the Cable industry. Throughout her career, she has been recognized for securing strategic partnerships, strengthening value proposition and sales solutions across multiple industries to achieve revenue and marketing goals. Digitalsmiths has opened new doors within the technology side of the business and empowered Ann to grow and transition her skills into a new industry.
Ann has been recognized for her personal and professional philanthropic volunteer work including Women in Cable & Telecommunications and Cable Positive (HIV/AIDS Education). She is a fellow in the prestigious WICT Betsy Magness Leadership Institute and currently serves on the Board of the National Parkinson’s Unity Walk, playing key roles in fundraising on both the local and national level. Ann received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Radio, TV, Film from Oklahoma State University and currently resides in Marietta, GA. Ann is married and has a 16 year-old son. About Digitalsmiths Digitalsmiths is the technology leader in the rapidly growing segment of video search and recommendations. Digitalsmiths Seamless Discovery™, revolutionized the accuracy and ease with which end-users find relevant, personalized entertainment across multiple channels and devices. Digitalsmiths has become a competitive edge and trusted resource for customers such as Warner Bros, Paramount, Technicolor, Turner, the NBA and NASCAR.
Kathy Hatala is VP Business Development for Speakeasy. She has been in the cable television industry for 25 years. Most recently, she was Vice President, Sales and Marketing for Turner Network Sales (TNS), the domestic distribution arm of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. As Vice President, Kathy was responsible for staff management and distribution activities of Turner’s 10 networks, focusing on top cable affiliates: Time Warner, Cox, Cablevision and Mediacom. In addition, she oversaw the execution of strategic marketing promotions designed to maximize exposure for Turner networks through affiliate partnerships. Prior to Turner, Kathy worked for Nickelodeon (MTVN) as VP Affiliate Marketing, MTV Networks as Director of National Accounts, and The Weather Channel as Manager, Local Ad Sales. Kathy has been an active member of Women in Cable and Telecommunications (WICT) serving on the SE Chapter Board as Director of Mentoring for 2 years, Vice President of the chapter in 2010 and now President of the WICT Southeast Chapter for 2011. In 2009, she was a recipient of the WICT Southeast Red Letter Award for Mentoring.
