Click here to go straight to the rankings


By Andrew Wallenstein and Matthew Belloni

You can't fight the future.

Hollywood learned that lesson from the music industry. Adaptation is a necessity -- and it requires innovative leadership.

Luckily, showbiz has more than a few hardy souls ready to take some risks. The Hollywood Reporter's first Digital Power issue highlights the individuals and companies plotting the course for content on emerging digital platforms. We've profiled the gatekeepers at the Web portals, the top execs reshaping the online distribution landscape and the stewards reinventing brands we already know -- and creating new ones for the digital era.

Think of this as an informed snapshot of the people and businesses shepherding this nascent corner of entertainment, based on interviews with dozens of industry insiders and THR research. We've broken down the issue into the Digital Power list, which profiles the 50 people most influencing the creation and distribution of content online, as well as a series of digital showcases -- a quick reference guide of leading companies in a handful of digital media categories.

"Digital" gets thrown around a lot these days. But for this issue, the word means online content, not DVD or mobile technology or marketing or ad sales, all of which merit lists of their own. Same goes for music and console video games.

And this issue isn't for the Rupert Murdochs or the Steve Jobses -- they finish atop enough lists. These 50 are the men and women whom the moguls rely on to make good on their mandates for digital-content revenues. Many people in media have some digital responsibilities (if you don't, you may want to reevaluate your job description). But this is for those who are either exclusively devoted to or primarily focused on digital content.

"Power" also merits further explanation. There's the sheer volume of assets managed, a measure by which the sprawling fiefdoms of MTV Networks' Mika Salmi or Fox Interactive Media's Peter Levinsohn certainly score high. But innovation is another index considered, an area where people like Paramount's Tom Lesinski and Disney's Albert Cheng have made their mark. (For video interviews with Lesinski and Cheng, see the video player here.)

Ranking individuals and companies is always tough, but doubly difficult in this sector. For one, performance metrics are still taking shape. Yet even in digital entertainment's awkward adolescence, there are pioneers with distinctive visions worth noting.

And who knows, with the way the industry is evolving, next year's Digital Power issue might look totally different.

Digital Power Sector Showcases:

--Agents of Change
--Broadband Studios
--Broadband Production Companies
--Online Networks
--Media Players
--Video Management
--P2P Networks

Click here for rankings


THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER DIGITAL POWER 50
Click on each person to read a description.

1. Steve Wadsworth: President, Walt Disney Internet Group

2. Peter Levinsohn : President, Fox Interactive Media

3. George Kliavkoff: Chief Digital Officer, NBC Universal

4. Mika Salmi: President of Global Digital Media, MTV Networks

5. Quincy Smith: President, CBS Interactive

6. Sean Carey: Senior Executive VP, Sony Pictures Television

7. David Eun, VP Content Partnerships, Google

8. Tom Lesinski , President, Paramount Pictures Digital Entertainment

9. Ross Levinsohn and Jonathan Miller, Partners, Velocity Interactive Group

10. Albert Cheng, Executive VP Digital Media, Disney-ABC Television Group

11. Eddy Cue: VP of iTunes, Apple

12. Thomas Gewecke: President, Warner Bros. Digital Distribution

13. Dan Fawcett: President of Digital Media, Fox Entertainment Group

14. Bob Bowman: President and CEO, MLB.com

15. Jason Kilar: CEO, Hulu

16. Jordan Hoffner: Director of Content Partnerships, YouTube

17. Jeff Berman: President of Sales and Marketing, MySpace

18. Joanna Shields: CEO, Bebo; Executive VP, AOL; President, People Networks

19. Blair Westlake: Corporate VP Media and Entertainment Group, Microsoft Corp.

20. Dick Glover: President, Or Die Networks

21. Brett Bouttier: Senior VP Digital, Warner Bros. Television Group

22. Erik Huggers: Group Controller for Future Media and Technology, BBC

23. Herb Scannell: Co-founder and CEO, Next New Networks

24. John Kosner: Senior VP and General Manager, ESPN Digital Media

25. Erik Flannigan: Executive VP Digital Media, MTV Networks Entertainment Group

26. Steve Youngwood: Executive VP Digital Media, Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group

27. Harvey Levin: Managing Editor, TMZ.com

28. Keith Richman: CEO, Break Media

29. Michael Eisner: Founder, The Tornante Co.

30. Dan Goodman: President of Digital Media, Media Rights Capital

31. Rob Bennett: General Manager of Entertainment, Video and Sports, MSN

32. Jordan Levin: CEO, Generate

33. Dennis Miller: General Partner, Spark Capital

34. Mitch Gelman: Senior VP and Executive Producer, CNN.com

35. Bill Wilson: Executive VP Programming, AOL

36. Amy Banse: President, Comcast Interactive Media; Senior VP, Comcast Corp.

37. Miles Beckett: CEO, EQAL

38. Scott Moore: Senior VP and Head of Media, Yahoo

39. Teemu Huuhtanen: Executive VP Marketing, Ad Sales and Business Development, Sulake Corp.; President of North America, Sulake Inc.

40. Michael Jackson: President of Programming, IAC

41. Brent Weinstein: CEO, 60Frames

42. Vivi Zigler: Executive VP, NBC Digital Entertainment & New Media, NBC Entertainment

43. Tero Ojanpera: Executive VP Entertainment and Communities, Nokia

44. Albie Hecht: CEO, Worldwide Biggies

45. Randi Zuckerberg: Business Development Manager, Facebook

46. Dmitry Shapiro: Founder and Chief Innovation Officer, Veoh

47. Stan Rogow: Principal, Electric Farm Entertainment

48. Jason Hirschhorn: President, Sling Media Entertainment Group

49. Jon Vlassopulos: Senior VP Digital Media and Branded Entertainment, Endemol USA

50. Yvette Alberdingk Thijm: Executive VP Content Acquisition and Strategy, Joost

Digital Power profiles were written by Andrew Wallenstein and Alex Woodson with additional reporting from Debra Kaufman.



1. Steve Wadsworth
President, Walt Disney Internet Group

One billion dollars in revenue is the brass ring for digital divisions of content companies, and WDIG is holding firm to its projection that it will be the first to get there in fiscal year 2008. This confidence comes from Wadsworth, who seems to be making all the right moves. He rejuvenated prime dot-com real estate like Disney Online, which is now reaching 25 million unique visitors a month, and spearheaded the ambitious $350 million acquisition of virtual world Club Penguin.

"We're pushing ourselves pretty far out front in terms of Internet-unique content," he says. "We're starting to hit our stride."

Wadsworth boasts one simple advantage over his peers: He's been steering Internet strategy at the same company longer than practically anyone else in the business. In 1995, long before Disney CEO Bob Iger or anyone else had heard of iTunes, Wadsworth joined the Mouse House's first Internet operation. He has since learned from just about every mistake a media company could make in digital, from the disastrous Go.com portal to more recent stumbles in the mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) business.

These days, many of Disney's suite of enviable brands have made seamless transitions online, including ESPN, ABC and Disney Channel. And expertise in virtual worlds is spreading to other Disney franchises, including "Pirates of the Caribbean" and the upcoming Fairies.com.

But Wadsworth is prouder of lower-profile global maneuvers. Blink and you may have missed the 2007 acquisitions of Enorbus and Mobile2win in China's mobile gaming market. Obscure as they might sound stateside, the buys could deliver massive upside in a handset-happy region. And there's still more to come in Asia, with Disney's past struggles in MVNOs doing little to deter Wadsworth from trying again in Japan in a joint venture with SoftBank.

WDIG is now 1,700 employees strong and spread across new tech centers from Seattle to Prague, so there's no room for small-bore strategy. "This business is not about what's the next cool application," Wadsworth says. "We've got our eyes on the mass market."

Next
Back to full list



2. Peter Levinsohn
President, Fox Interactive Media

No one in Hollywood can match Levinsohn's reach online: FIM averaged 87.5 million unique visitors in April, according to ComScore, up nearly 7 million from a year ago. He's managing massive digital assets, including the granddaddy of them all: MySpace.

In nearly 20 years at the conglomerate, Levinsohn has taken on point man duties, going back to the early days of VOD as an executive vp at 20th Century Fox. When he stepped into his current role 17 months ago, he found himself with a sprawling empire

of disparate units. Megaproperties like AmericanIdol.com and FoxSports.com were

mingled with well-entrenched niche players like IGN and Rotten Tomatoes, plus properties tied to 60 Fox-affiliated TV stations and, most important, a budding advertising-network operation.

Levinsohn reorganized this embarrassment of riches into three divisions, one for Fox's vast Internet properties and the others focused on building ad networks and Web sites for both Fox brands and third parties. "We've demonstrated we can build amazing platforms for our properties," Levinsohn says. "Now we want to help create Web sites for other (unaffiliated) radio stations, TV channels, newspapers -- and we've been getting a lot of traction."

Last May, Levinsohn made a pair of key acquisitions for FIM -- Flektor and Photobucket -- with an eye on integrating the former into MySpace, one of many ways the Web's biggest attraction has indicated it won't stand pat as competitors like Facebook grow.

FIM won't hit the billion-dollar revenue target Rupert Murdoch once aggressively set for this year. But the 2,700-employee unit is well on its way. "We are not dabblers here," Levinsohn says. "This is a full-fledged Internet business."

Next
Back to full list



3. George Kliavkoff
Chief Digital Officer, NBC Universal

NBC Universal CEO and president Jeff Zucker has made digital a top priority, which is pressure enough for Kliavkoff, a former MLB exec. Now he is more visible than ever with the departure of his boss, Beth Comstock, president of integrated media, in March.

But if Kliavkoff's recent output is any indication, he's up to the challenge. As the first CEO of Hulu, where he is still a board member, Kliavkoff launched the site before hiring Jason Kilar as his replacement and secured $100 million in funding from private equity group Providence Equity Partners.

At least for now he has silenced the skeptics who couldn't wait for this joint venture with News Corp. to fail.

Kliavkoff and NBC also took an industry-leading stand against Apple by breaking with iTunes over pricing and piracy. "The content owners have specifically articulated in private conversations how pleased they are at the fact that we're doing the right thing for the industry," Kliavkoff says. Plus, with a myriad of other distribution platforms in place, the company is arguably in a better place than before.

Up next for NBC's digital group are more projects like the recent investment in DriverTV, which forms the basis of an ad network of auto sites and online content. An ad network focused on health is also in the offing.

"For someone who's dedicated his career to this kind of delivery of video and engaging customer experiences, it's just a great pleasure for me to be sitting where I'm sitting and watching it happen," Kliavkoff says.

Next 4-6
Back to full list



4. Mika Salmi
President of Global Digital Media, MTV Networks

No MySpace? No problem. While the knock on Viacom has always been the lack of a big-fish digital asset, MTV Networks has made up for it with a dizzying array of Web sites, videos, games and virtual worlds. Further investment in early acquisitions like Neopets is just part of the most intensive virtual-world strategy out there (11 different worlds and counting). In mobile, video volume is unmatched.

Salmi, a dot-com veteran who survived the 1990s bubble burst and sold his Atom Entertainment to MTVN for $200 million in 2006, is now tasked with making a seamless transition of Viacom's TV brands to digital platforms and launching new creations. "We're having a fantastic year," he says. "Traffic is up overall, and we're exceeding our goals."

Those goals include deepening online verticals based on brands from VH1 to TV Land and cross-

pollinating among MTVN's far-flung global empire. Most remarkable is the central role gaming plays in Salmi's strategy, whether of the casual, console or virtual-world variety. The most visited of MTVN's 300 Web sites is not MTV.com, but AddictingGames.com. Which isn't to say you can't inject a little Hollywood sizzle, too; witness the megadeal signed in December with Jerry Bruckheimer to develop original games.

"We've really taken a strong position in games," Salmi says. "It's not near the size of our cable business, but it's growing fast."


5. Quincy Smith
President, CBS Interactive

No one spreads the gospel about reinventing old media better than Smith. The former Allen & Co. investment banker joined CBS Corp. in November 2006 and immediately killed short-lived Web destination Innertube. He then took CBS in a 180-degree turn to the CBS Audience Network, which spurned a destination strategy for dispersion of content to approximately 200 (and counting) syndicated partners.

But Smith was just getting warmed up. In May, he pulled the trigger on a $1.8 billion acquisition of CNet Networks, dramatically increasing the company’s Internet reach to 54 million unique visitors — 10th overall (up from 25th). Now the trick will be synergizing CNet’s brands with the CBS stable.

With TV at the core of the company, Smith and his team of Silicon Valley veterans are embedding community-friendly features into video content. And he has the biggest video event on the Internet in the NCAA’s March Madness on Demand, which drew 4.8 million unique visitors and $23 million in revenue this year.

Whether making big acquisitions (Last.fm, $280 million) or small (Dotspotter, $10 million), Smith is not afraid to diversify, which is good news given CBS’ vulnerability on the advertising side.

Look for Smith to deepen his ties to the tech community with a new CBS office opening in Menlo Park, Calif. “We’re not hiring from Fox and NBC,” he says. “We’re hiring from Silicon Valley in a major and quick way.”


6. Sean Carey
Senior Executive VP, Sony Pictures Television

In the cluttered world of online content, introducing new brands is a beast. But no one seems to be doing it better than Sony under Carey.

Perhaps the most creative, low-cost content play in this space came in the form of Sony's Minisode Network, which condensed titles from SPT's voluminous TV library into bite-sized forms that are being snapped up by players like YouTube and Verizon's V Cast.

Carey also engineered the savvy $65 million acquisition of user-generated-content site Grouper (now Crackle), which has increasingly become home to professionally produced video comedy. As with Minisode, a positive sign of Crackle's viability is that it is clicking not just with fans, but marketers. "When you look at the monetization side of things, we have brands like Honda and Epson on these sites spending real dollars," Carey says.

He has also made deals minting new brands like FearNet, a VOD/online combo that has attracted original horror programming from the likes of "Spider-Man" director Sam Raimi, and Pix, a new mobile linear channel for movies that relies on Sony's film library. Movies are also jumping into virtual worlds courtesy of Sony's recent investment in Gaia.

At a company with legs in both software and hardware, the importance of digital platforms is not lost on Carey. Broadband-enabled screens like those of BRAVIA and PlayStation 3 are counting on his output. "All of these devices need our content to fund development of those technologies," he says.

Next 7-10
Back to full list


7. David Eun
VP Content Partnerships, Google

Hollywood tends to feel like Fay Wray in the hands of the media world's 800-pound gorilla. As Google's ambassador to content companies, Eun has the unenviable task of positioning the company as more friend than foe. A veteran of NBC Universal and Time Warner, Eun can speak the studios' language.

But while the allure of YouTube in particular as a promotional and distribution window is undeniable, Eun isn't above a little saber rattling. Last month he drew the line in the sand, declaring Google's willingness to take its $1 billion

legal standoff with Viacom "all the way to the Supreme Court."

Beyond the lawsuit, Eun has to sell media companies on the efficacy of new video-fingerprinting technology aimed at warding off copyright infringement. And he is also instrumental in helping establish Google/YouTube's presence on new devices, whether it's a mobile platform or hardware like HP's MediaSmart TV.

It's not all about video for Eun, who maintains an active role in Google's efforts to digitize books and sets up deals for Google Maps. But with YouTube accounting for 73% of visits to online video sites in the U.S. in April according to Hitwise, Eun will be instrumental in accelerating its monetization efforts. That involves a tricky balance between pumping up ads and not alienating users.

8. Tom Lesinski
President, Paramount Pictures Digital Entertainment

VIDEO: Check out the exclusive interview.

There isn't a movie studio moving as aggressively to exploit new media as Paramount is under Lesinski, a home-video veteran now helming the film world's only freestanding digital division. Landing the requisite deals with iTunes or Xbox comes with the territory, but Lesinski is also taking risks outside the usual distribution windows.

Those experiments include a bold online-first rollout of "Jackass 2.5," a sequel of the successful franchise. Eight million views later, "Jackass'" journey through ad-supported and pay windows before finally hitting DVD has brought plenty of lessons about breaking in a new business model. More multiplex-skipping movies are to come.

Lesinski's strategy has led to a collaboration with virtual world Habbo Hotel for fans of Paramount's "The Spiderwick Chronicles" to decorate their pages with digital merchandise. And the March launch of the VooZoo application on Facebook, virtual world There.com and mobile devices allows users to communicate via hundreds of memorable movie clips. PPDE has been especially aggressive on mobile, creating a separate division to focus on global opportunities.

Lesinski is stocking his team with true technologists from Microsoft and AT&T. "We don't want to be the typical Hollywood player that lets technology drive our decisions," he says. "We want to drive the technology."


9. Ross Levinsohn and Jonathan Miller
Partners, Velocity Interactive Group

Lots of moneymen say they are connecting Silicon Valley with Hollywood. But with Velocity Interactive, launched late last year, former Fox Interactive Media president Levinsohn and former AOL chairman Miller have done just that, pairing the assets, funding and several partners of former Valley VC ComVentures with their contacts in Los Angeles.

Levinsohn and Miller have long straddled the divide between digital and traditional media. Velocity now combines the connections and capital of a conglomerate -- the firm inherited $100 million in assets from ComVentures -- with the flexibility of a venture capital firm. "Doing what we're doing now is the perfect platform for where the media world is going," Levinsohn says.

Early investments in online video have shown this process at work. With Broadband Enterprises, they have a video ad network and syndication company; with Generate, they have a product and talent studio; and with Next New Networks, they have a content company that specializes in a vertical distribution strategy.

Levinsohn calls this "thesis-based investing," noting that online video is just one of eight categories that the company has a business plan for. Moves in the music, publishing and mobile arenas are also upcoming.

"I've never had more fun in my career," Levinsohn says.

10. Albert Cheng
Executive VP Digital Media, Disney-ABC Television Group

VIDEO: Check out the exclusive interview.

In a business where the conventional wisdom holds that content must be spread online like seeds in the wind, Cheng has been a vocal contrarian. Maybe its the influence of Disney's close partner, Apple, but Cheng has played close to the vest, with just a single formal syndication partner: AOL. "Startups have a really hard time dealing with us," he jokes.

But Cheng's high standards have resulted in ABC.com being the premier broadcast destination online, not to mention a branded media player way ahead of the competition, boasting local-advertising insertion and HD picture. What ABC lacks in reach online it has made up for in time consumers spend on the site, a metric he argues advertisers care about most.

At Disney since 2000, Cheng is laser-focused on giving advertisers interactive pods that offer more targetability and engagement than the traditional 30-second spot. No wonder he forecasts that online can eventually achieve the same revenues as TV. "It's always characterized as analog dollars for digital pennies," he says. "For us, it's not that vast a difference."

Even without ESPN under his watch, there's still a handful of other solid brands -- like
Disney Channel and SoapNet -- Cheng has just begun to tap. He also plays a consultory role to other Disney digital endeavors, including budding online content studio Stage 9 and investment group Steamboat Ventures.

Next 11-20
Back to full list

	11. Eddy Cue VP of iTunes, Apple Steve Jobs may be the top dog, but the face staring across the negotiation table at many Hollywood execs belongs to Cue, who has been plenty busy recently. First there was the January announcement that all the movie studios were on board for rentals, followed four months later by an even bigger breakthrough: Consumers can now purchase titles day-and-date with the DVD window. The dominance of iTunes as a digital platform gives Cue extraordinary leverage in negotiating deal points, but with studios pushing back (HBO recently scored variable pricing), Cue's skills will be put to the test. It helps that he's been with iTunes since the beginning.
	12. Thomas Gewecke President, Warner Bros. Digital Distribution It's been four months since Gewecke came over from Sony BMG to oversee Warners' blockbuster film and TV assets on new platforms, but he's already making his mark. Witness the unprecedented simultaneous three-screen deployment of "I Am Legend" on VOD, PC and mobile on April 17. Under his watchful eye, WBDD does plenty overseas to test the limits of day-and-date VOD, which is available for an increasing selection of the studio's titles. Same goes for bundling digital copies of films with DVDs. The combination approach is just the kind of strategy Gewecke believes will educate consumers.
	13. Dan Fawcett President of Digital Media, Fox Entertainment Group While Fox Interactive Media controls MySpace, Fawcett has spent much of his first year as successor to Peter Levinsohn helping Hulu get off the ground. But watching over Fox's digital brand extension gives him plenty to do, including negotiating rights for the broadcast network, 20th Century Fox and cable channels like FX, Speed and Fuel TV. This is Fawcett's second tour with the company; he took a break to be executive vp at DirecTV, where he led program acquisition. Now he is exploring new content opportunities online for FEG. The company already made one acquisition last year in Beliefnet, a religion-focused site.
	14. Bob Bowman President and CEO, MLB.com Since joining Major League Baseball's Advanced Media division in 2000, Bowman has created what might be the most sophisticated online video operation on the planet. Not bad for someone who brought minimal sports experience to the job (he was the state treasurer of Michigan in a former life). Now MLB.tv offers an array of live games, not to mention a host of supplementary features to its coverage on all digital platforms. For $4 a month this season, mobile devices can have video highlights sent to them 90 seconds after they occur. No wonder baseball is expected to surpass the mighty NFL in revenues by 2010.
	15. Jason Kilar CEO, Hulu Kilar might have the most complicated job in the media business. As the head of the much-scrutinized News Corp./NBC Universal video platform, he oversees relationships with more than 50 content companies and counting. His board includes NBC Uni boss Jeff Zucker, News Corp. COO and president Peter Chernin and Providence Equity Partners. He's got a legion of bloggers and pundits looking over his shoulder, waiting for Hulu to make a misstep. Luckily, the former Amazon exec is genuinely humble and completely committed to making Hulu the top destination for premium content. In its early days, at least, Hulu has delivered on that promise. But there's still countless hours of content not on the site, and engineers at the company are still devising ways to make the technology smoother and more user-friendly.
	16. Jordan Hoffner Director of Content Partnerships, YouTube No content company can claim to have maximized its online distribution without establishing a partnership with the Web's dominant video portal. Hoffner is the man who makes the deals that keep YouTube stocked with professional programming from virtually all the major producers. While there's still cawing over pay-for-performance deals, holdouts are few. Having spent most of the 1990s at NBC, he knows where big media brands are coming from. But Hoffner has also brought others in the door and played a key role in events like the CNN-YouTube presidential debates.
	17. Jeff Berman President of Sales and Marketing, MySpace It's been quite a year for Berman. Last June, the exec oversaw the launch of MySpaceTV; in January he was promoted to executive vp content and marketing; and in April he was named to his current role. Along the way, MySpaceTV has become a hub for professional content, with deals with CBS, Hulu and many others, and it has pioneered the shortform genre on the Web. Though "quarterlife" famously bombed on NBC, it was inarguably a success on MySpace and the first Web-to-network crossover story. "Roommates" has been a hit with advertisers and fans of bikini-clad coeds, and with its unique marketer-first approach to "Special Delivery," that series has probably already made its money back. In just one short year, Berman has proven that he has the expertise to see MySpace through these expansions and more.
	18. Joanna Shields CEO, Bebo Executive VP, AOL President, People Networks Competing with MySpace and Facebook is no easy task, but Shields has made Bebo stand out by putting the emphasis on content. No wonder AOL is buying the company for the generous valuation of $850 million and installing her as executive vp and president of the People Networks, which will pair Bebo with the AIM and ICQ chat services and other community platforms. Since coming on board in early 2007, after a high-profile stint at Google, Shields has made serious inroads into the U.S. content community, while continuing to grow its strong base in the U.K. She and Bebo have one of the few successful shortform Web franchises in the soon-to-conclude "KateModern," and the momentum has continued with "Sophia's Diary" and "The Gap Year." The Open Media Platform, which launched last November and encourages companies like CBS and MTV Networks to place their content on Bebo and keep all the ad revenue, perhaps best exemplifies her company's pioneering spirit and user focus.
	19. Blair Westlake Corporate VP Media and Entertainment Group, Microsoft Corp. Westlake is Microsoft's connection to Hollywood (as well as broadcasters, cable/satellite programrs and the music industry). Business development, policies and content licensing are his domain for Microsoft products as diverse as Windows Media Center Edition PCs, Xbox Live Marketplace and Zune. He's earned the industry respect after clocking in more than 25 years at Comcast Corp., Gemstar-TV Guide International and, his longest stint at nearly 20 years, Universal Studios (formerly MCA), where he was chairman of the Universal Television and Networks Group. There isn't a hot-button industry issue Westlake hasn't left his imprint on in all that time.
	20. Dick Glover President, Or Die Networks The former NASCAR marketer has turned FunnyOrDie from a one-trick pony -- Will Ferrell's "The Landlord" -- to a multifaceted entertainment company since joining in January. While continuing to add tons of talent to supplement Ferrell in the flagship's central site, ODN has spawned many more arms utilizing the same celebrity-driven business model, including action-sports hub ShredOrDie with Tony Hawk and BlueCollarOrDie with Jeff Foxworthy's comedy team. And there's still more coming in the food and video game sectors. But Glover has done more than just diversify content; he is busy taking his brands offline as well, including FunnyOrDie's recent comedy tour.

Next 21-30
Back to full list

	21. Brett Bouttier Senior VP Digital, Warner Bros. Television Group Bouttier is blurring the lines between digital and traditional media, with a Web property organically turning into a TV show (TMZ, a co-production with AOL) and its TV properties informing its Internet destinations (the soon-to-launch TheWB.com and KidsWB.com). More experiments are coming: MomLogic, a mother-focused site and ad network, has its eyes on TV. There's also a venture with Essence magazine. Not bad given Bouttier was promoted a little more than a year ago from vp business and sales strategy at Telepictures, where he helped develop TMZ.
	22. Erik Huggers Group Controller for Future Media and Technology, BBC When Huggers joined the BBC a year ago, insiders had him pegged to succeed Ashley Highfield in the top digital job. In April, Highfield left his post; Huggers is now in position to fulfill the promise U.K.'s esteemed broadcast brand has been looking to deliver online for some time. He's already made quick work on BBC's iPlayer, which can now be accessed on Nintendo Wii and will soon be on the TV itself. Having come to the BBC from Microsoft (he launched MSN portals in the Benelux countries), Huggers will likely bring the two brands together for more cooperative efforts akin to iPlayer.
	23. Herb Scannell Co-founder and CEO, Next New Networks Many media execs have jumped into the digital world, but none as forcefully as Scannell. Back in the traditional programming world, the former MTV Networks vice chairman and Nickelodeon president made his name with shows like "Rugrats" and "The Ren & Stimpy Show," and when the Web 2.0 ball got rolling, he engineered Nick's savvy Neopets acquisition. Now Scannell has built Next New Networks with a few simple yet effective propositions: Identify niche communities, provide aspiring Web auteurs and media veterans with resources, and stay platform agnostic. With 16 active channels, including BarelyPolitical, Channel Frederator and VOD Cars, the company says it has reached 200 million views since it launched in early 2006. Earlier this year, it secured $15 million in funding from Velocity Interactive. Scannell has an ultimate goal of 100 niche video sites.
	24. John Kosner Senior VP and General Manager, ESPN Digital Media Few media executives, digital or otherwise, have as much on their plate as Kosner does. As the leader of ESPN's digital strategy, he oversees the Disney company's main sports site, its games divisions and auxiliary sites like ESPNSoccernet, CricInfo and Scrum. If that weren't enough, he's also responsible for ESPN360, the company's broadband TV service, and the ESPN MVP mobile service. Much is made of the traffic and video-viewing metrics of all the major TV networks, but in any given month, ESPN.com dwarfs the traffic of all their official Web sites.
	25. Erik Flannigan Executive VP Digital Media, MTV Networks Entertainment Group Flannigan is the consummate strategist when it comes to strengthening MTV's bevy of brands online. With Comedy Central, he has turned individual shows into verticals, such as TheDailyShow.com, now home to video clips from every episode dating back to 1999. In March, he relaunched SouthParkStudios.com; 46 million streams were viewed in the first two months. With non-TV brands, he's relaunching AtomFilms.com, and he oversaw the integration of iFilms into Spike.com, which launched on May 30.
	26. Steve Youngwood Executive VP Digital Media, Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group Casual gaming guru Youngwood, who joined Nickelodeon/MTVN 11 years ago, has built a major presence in the gaming space; with more than 5,000 games already available, he is heading up the initiative to add another 1,600. He manages kid-targeted Web sites Nick.com and Nicktoons.com, as well as the preschool/parenting sites NickJr.com, Noggin.com and the recently launched ParentsConnect. Virtual worlds are another forte: Youngwood is building upon the success of its Neopets and Nicktropolis sites. He also oversaw three new mobile Web sites with branded content from Nickelodeon, the N and ParentsConnect.
	27. Harvey Levin Managing Editor, TMZ.com For better or worse, Time Warner-owned TMZ has reinvented celebrity journalism, and reporter-host-editor Levin is the brains -- and face -- of the operation. Levin's bulldog (some say amoral) approach to dirt-digging has garnered the site its long list of breaking stories about celebrities in trouble. In the competitive online gossip space, TMZ.com has skyrocketed to huge numbers. Since its 2005 launch, the site's page views have more than doubled every year, reaching almost 11 million unique visitors per month this year. TMZ just went mobile, powered by Quattro Wireless, a sign it has barely begun to tap its potential. And Levin, a former lawyer, is developing the site PeoplesCourtRaw, where feuding friends, co-workers or family members can post video arguments and viewers will decide who wins.
	28. Keith Richman CEO, Break Media Richman knows what attracts the 18-35-year-old male, and his collection of sites is growing fast. Flagship site Break.com -- chock full of hot chicks, weirdos and games -- is among the biggest in viral video, and there's an influx of professional content deals being made, too. Since co-launching Break in 1998, Richman has helped grow the site to its current impressive size: 13 million unique visitors and 600 million page impressions each month -- good enough to make Lionsgate's significant stake in the company look wise. Richman also keeps an eye out for his industry, launching the Online Video Advertising ROI Council in April, with companies ranging from OgilvyOne to Initiative Media in the fold.
	29. Michael Eisner Founder, The Tornante Co. With his messy divorce from Disney behind him, Eisner has turned his hit-making skills to the Internet. Vuguru, the production company housed by his investment firm, the Tornante Co., is one of the few new-media studios that has struck gold in the early days of online video. With "Prom Queen," Eisner and Vuguru, along with series creators Big Fantastic, have established a franchise rivaled only by Lonelygirl15 in Web traction, and it was a hit with advertisers. The company's latest offering, "The All-For-Nots," which focuses on a fake hipster rock band, has also received plaudits and has kept the fickle Web community primed for more shows. With an investment in Veoh, where he also sits on the board of directors, and partnerships with Hulu and MySpace for Vuguru content, Eisner is one to watch.
	30. Dan Goodman President of Digital Media, Media Rights Capital Media Rights Capital has made its name financing the critically acclaimed "Babel" (2006) and the highly anticipated 2008 Sacha Baron Cohen vehicle "Bruno." In the past year, Goodman's digital media team has been equally as selective on the Web front, with Cohen, actress Raven-Symone, "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane, and most recently, the Second City and Amanda Congdon making up its exclusive list of digital partners with projects in the works. Goodman's savvy is also evident in MRC's partnership with Google's video and Gadget Ad networks for content distribution. Its other distribution partners -- YouTube, MySpace, Xbox Live and iTunes, to name a few -- ensure that the company's content will have a strong reach. And with Goodman's background as chief digital officer at Ogilvy, the company is poised to tackle the tricky Web monetization question that has stumped so many online video producers.

Next 31-40
Back to full list

	31. Rob Bennett General Manager of Entertainment, Video and Sports, MSN MSN may still operate in the shadow of its software-making parent company (especially when Microsoft has laid out a massive bid for Yahoo, one of the portal's closest competitors), but with Bennett in charge, MSN's entertainment side can stand on its own. Its video page is one of the marquee sites in the distribution strategies of the CBS Audience Network and Hulu. Its sport page, a joint venture with Fox, is always near the top in traffic in that category. Bennett has also helped MSN emerge as the go-to destination for massive live events. The site delivered more than 62 million streams of last year's Live Earth concert, and its partnership with NBC in streaming the Beijing Olympics this summer could dwarf even those audacious numbers.
	32. Jordan Levin CEO, Generate The former top executive at the WB network is well into his second act as new-media mastermind at Generate, a combination production company and management firm. Although the firm he co-founded in 2006 didn't do much of note in its initial deal with MTV Networks, Generate received a $6 million infusion from Velocity Interactive Group and MK Capital. The company is already putting the money to good use, unveiling a new slate that includes a live-action adaptation of the graphic novel "Pink: The Series," the comedy "LaQuisha," featuring radio personality Ralph Garman, and "Knockers," from sketch-comedy group Good Neighbor.
	33. Dennis Miller General Partner, Spark Capital There's no shortage of venture capitalists hovering around digital entertainment. But Miller knows how to cherry-pick the choicest content-oriented startups, including Next New Networks, EQAL and Veoh. "No idea is too green" is the motto at Boston-based Spark, which has $360 million of its own green from its latest round in funding on top of the $260 million it launched with in 2005. Miller has a track record that makes his Midas touch worth tracking; he made investments in CSTV, TV One and Widevine at his last VC, Constellation Ventures. He's got old-media experience to boot, having served in key posts at Lionsgate, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Turner Broadcasting during the '90s.
	34. Mitch Gelman Senior VP and Executive Producer, CNN.com With Gelman leading the way, no news brand has adapted online as dynamically as CNN. The presidential election has been particularly galvanizing, from its historic collaboration with YouTube for debates to the League of First Time Voters microsite aimed at spurring engagement. In a further move to democratize the news, Gelman dismantled CNN.com's walled garden, letting the site's videos go free. The response has been immediate and dramatic: CNN.com logged a personal-best 37.5 million uniques in February. Gelman's gutsiest move has been iReport -- news central for citizen journalists. Anyone can upload a story, and anyone can rate, comment or share the stories. Pushing social networking further, Gelman inked a deal with branded social news community Mixx.
	35. Bill Wilson Executive VP Programming, AOL Despite an evaporating dialup business, massive layoffs and a complete restructuring of its business plan, AOL's programming side has quietly emerged as a force under Wilson's stewardship. Its news, sports, music and game channels have all seen either steady or explosive growth in the past year, and are all at or near the top of their categories. Its video site is the only portal destination with content from all the major networks, with CBS, Hulu and even the traditionally closefisted Disney coming on board with ABC primetime shows.
	36. Amy Banse President, Comcast Interactive Media Senior VP, Comcast Corp. As the nation's largest cable provider, Comcast probably could have watched the Web 2.0 scene from the sidelines. But thanks to Banse and her team, the company has turned itself into a major player. From launching user-generated site Ziddio to parlaying her company's purchase of Fandango into Fancast -- which has gotten positive reviews since its official launch in January -- Banse and CIM have combined the scale of Comcast with the Web's innovative nature. As Fancast continues to ramp up its offerings and features in the coming months and years, Banse has positioned Comcast to stay relevant in the ever-changing Internet world.
	37. Miles Beckett CEO, EQAL It's tough enough to succeed once in online video, but Beckett has steered his production company to the impossible: two Internet megahits. The seminal "Lonelygirl15" started it all, but then EQAL followed with "KateModern." Now Beckett is taking his company to the next level, thanks to $5 million in funding from investors, including Netscape founder Marc Andreessen, and a first-look nonexclusive deal with CBS that will see EQAL collaborate with the network on digital extensions for existing series and maybe even some new projects. If Beckett & Co. can't show an old dog new tricks, who can?
	38. Scott Moore Senior VP and Head of Media, Yahoo Despite all the turmoil and turnover, one thing remains constant at Yahoo: It has a ton of users. And aside from the managers of its e-mail business, nobody is more connected to them than Moore. Everything from games to news to sports to finance falls under Moore's purview, and with recently launched offerings like Tech Ticker, Primetime in No Time and women's network Shine, his responsibilities grow by the day. A recent deal with Dunkin' Donuts led to Good Morning Yahoo, daily video recaps of sports and entertainment news. Although Yahoo's media group may not have the content ambitions it had under old boss Lloyd Braun, its strategy of content aggregation from the world's top entertainment brands has put all of its sites, even fairly new ones like the OMG celebrity news destination, at or near the top of their categories in unique visitors.
	39. Teemu Huuhtanen Executive VP Marketing, Ad Sales and Business Development, Sulake Corp. President of North America, Sulake Inc. Sulake Corp. and its Habbo Hotel virtual world may not exactly be household names in the U.S., but under Huuhtanen's leadership, the Finnish multimedia company has partnered with some of the most recognizable brands in the world. From brokering a marketing and talent partnership with the William Morris Agency to spearheading a licensing agreement with Paramount to making a games deal with MTV Networks, Huuhtanen has made Hollywood take notice of the growing niche of virtual worlds. With more than 94 million avatars in use in 32 countries, Huuhtanen and Habbo Hotel are poised to be a big part of the next chapter of the Internet.
	40. Michael Jackson President of Programming, IAC IAC's programming division, which launched when Jackson was hired in early 2006, is probably best known for CollegeHumor, the group's first investment. But its reach goes far beyond the influential comedy site and its related businesses, which fall under the Connected Ventures umbrella. Its GarageGames provides a haven for independent game publishers, and 23/6, a collaboration with the Huffington Post, gives news and politics a comedic spin, though its initial reception was rocky. The division shows no signs of slowing down, either. Earlier this year, it launched Black Web Enterprises, and a news site with former Vanity Fair and New Yorker editor Tina Brown is in the works. IAC chief Barry Diller plans to split up the company later this year and remake it as a content provider, an affirmation of the faith Diller has in Jackson, formerly a senior executive at USA Network and, in his native U.K., the BBC and Channel 4.

Next 41-50
Back to full list

	41. Brent Weinstein CEO, 60Frames The former UTA agent moved aggressively with his new company into the uncertain world of online original entertainment. In January, he introduced an entire slate of slickly produced scripted series -- and the best may be yet to come: A horror series featuring Jessica Rose of "Lonelygirl15" fame is coming soon. With a little help from his former agency, Weinstein is letting big names like Tom Fontana and John August try their hand at online originals. No wonder Weinstein already attracted $3.5 million in funding from Tudor Investment and Pilot Group.
	42. Vivi Zigler Executive VP, NBC Digital Entertainment & New Media, NBC Entertainment Formerly a primetime programr, Zigler moved to the helm of NBC's digital creative group in 2006 and has kept NBC.com buzzing with original programming ever since. Sure, DotComedy didn't work, but she has overseen a batch of online fare that puts other TV nets to shame, whether it's "360" digital extensions of franchises like "Heroes," "The Office" and "30 Rock" or animated originals such as "Pale Force." Her next challenge is overseeing NBC Uni Digital Studio's shift toward brand-integrating programming, having signed Omnicom as its first strategic partner. Brands will share screen space with top talent like Rosario Dawson, whose "Gemini Division" premieres this summer.
	43. Tero Ojanpera Executive VP Entertainment and Communities, Nokia Look out, carriers: Ojanpera is playing a major role in reinventing the Finnish handset company -- which owns 40% of the handset market -- into a content powerhouse with compelling Web services. To that end, he established an artist's advisory council aimed at making the company a welcoming place for talent, and brought on musician-producer Dave Stewart as a founding member. Nokia also recently enlisted filmmaker Spike Lee to create a short film based on user-generated content captured by handset cameras. Ojanpera is also in charge of the Nokia Music Store. Next on tap is the launch of ambitious service Comes With Music, whereby users who buy a Nokia handset will be able to download unlimited tracks to their mobile device and computer for 12 months.
	44. Albie Hecht CEO, Worldwide Biggies Hecht is no longer a top Viacom executive, but with the digital studio he founded, Worldwide Biggies, he has remained as relevant as ever. While still doing plenty on TV, he is active in the new-media front, partnering with TMZ for celebrity fantasy league "Star vs. Star," releasing a casual game based on 1987's "The Princess Bride" this month, and its Worldwide Fido online dog-lover community has an awards show scheduled to air on Nickelodeon in July. Hecht, the founder and former president of Spike TV, continues to executive produce "The Naked Brothers Band" for Nickelodeon, where he was once president of film and television.
	45. Randi Zuckerberg Business Development Manager, Facebook This probably isn't the Zuckerberg you were expecting to represent Facebook. Big brother Mark is too busy in the CEO post to bother with petty concerns like Hollywood, so 20-something Harvard grad Randi is the closest thing this essentially open platform has to an executive devoted to content companies. While she may be best known online for posting a spoof of the "Avenue Q" song "Schadenfreude" -- entitled "Valleyfreude," natch -- Zuckerberg is known to have taken an active role in high-profile collaborations with media companies. This includes ABC News' politically focused application, which was a big success in December, covering the presidential campaigns, as well as the "Facebook Diaries" series done with Comcast and producer-director R.J. Cutler. Still, there is plenty of activity outside of Zuckerberg's aegis. The beauty of Facebook is anyone can create an application from the company's developers' kit to tap its massive community -- and most every media company is doing just that.
	46. Dmitry Shapiro Founder and Chief Innovation Officer,Veoh With Michael Eisner on the board of directors and investments from Eisner's Tornante Co., Tom Freston's Firefly3, former Viacom exec Jonathan Dolgen, Shelter Capital, Spark Capital, Time Warner Investments and Goldman Sachs, Veoh has the backing of some of the biggest names in the industry. So when Shapiro says that someday his site could be bigger than YouTube, one has to pay attention. According to Nielsen Online, Veoh had the most engaged user base of any online video site in March. Veoh TV, a device which connects PCs to the TV, is quietly seeing 30,000 installations a day. As the founder of Veoh and, previously, the peer-to-peer network security company Akonix Systems, Shapiro did something not many executives would do willingly: give up the title of CEO. Instead, last July he handed the reigns to Steve Mitgang.
	47. Stan Rogow Principal, Electric Farm Entertainment Veteran TV executive producer Rogow has reinvented himself in the era of broadband TV as one of the principals of Electric Farm Entertainment, most widely known for its hit Internet series "Afterworld." Along with partners Brent Friedman and Jeff Sagansky, Rogow has inked some creative deals that catapult properties into high-profile territory. That includes a just-signed deal with NBC Universal Digital Studio for the domestic rights to Electric's upcoming sci-fi series "Gemini Division," starring Rosario Dawson and targeted for a late-summer launch, and upcoming scripted zombie comedy "Woke Up Dead." These distribution coups follow Electric's sale, to Sony Pictures Television International, of all international TV, Internet, digital sell-through, gaming and mobile rights to "Afterworld."
	48. Jason Hirschhorn President, Sling Media Entertainment Group Melding the PC and the TV is hot stuff. At Sling Media Entertainment Group, Hirschhorn is tasked with making the company's marriage of TV programming with Web-connected devices a compelling experience for its customers with new digital applications and services. For the former chief digital officer at MTV Networks, that should be a piece of cake. At Sling, Hirschhorn already proved his mettle by playing a role in its sale to satellite provider Echostar Communications for $380 million. With the Echostar deal, Sling Media's technology will soon be embedded in millions of set-top boxes. Upcoming is its new Clip+Sling software, which enables viewers to easily clip video and share it with friends. Hirschhorn has been busy making content deals for Clip+Sling with Warner Bros., Sony, the NHL, CBS and IAC.
	49. Jon Vlassopulos Senior VP Digital Media and Branded Entertainment, Endemol USA Like any good businessman, Vlassopulos knows how to diversify his portfolio. Since joining Endemol USA in 2005, he has led a programming partnership with user-generated content site Break, spearheaded a user contest with Comcast's Ziddio, helped to develop interactive late-night TV shows for TBS and BET, and led his company's acquisition of JoeCartoon, the animated site that brought the world "Frog in a Blender." With the NBC hit "Deal or No Deal," he led the development of the "Lucky Case Game," which has seen tens of millions of hits, and a mobile game, which has sold over 1 million units, in conjunction with Mobliss. And with all these projects, he's kept the TV production powerhouse's signature breezy and consumer-friendly attitude intact. Up next for Vlassopulos is a deeper dive into the casual gaming arena, as his group announced a new division devoted to this growing digital sector in February.
	50. Yvette Alberdingk Thijm Executive VP Content Acquisition and Strategy, Joost Joost's star may have fallen since it first entered the public consciousness in early 2007, but that's no fault of Alberdingk Thijm, who's responsible for the company's content strategy. While the online video application has been plagued by the lack of a broadband site and concerns over its peer-to-peer distribution system, it still boasts an impressive roster of content. With MTV Networks, CBS, Sony's Minisodes and offerings from the NHL and the MLB on board, the company has a diverse palate that can appeal to users in the U.S. and abroad. With a broadband site on the horizon, Alberdingk Thijm surely has more busy days ahead.

Back to full list

Digital Power profiles were written by Andrew Wallenstein and Alex Woodson with additional reporting from Debra Kaufman.