10. Nina Tassler

A keen listener and avid reader ("I read six books at a time," she says), Tassler is known around the industry for being warm and down-to-earth, characteristics she says have actually helped her winning programming streak at the Tiffany network. Since taking the helm in 2004, she's been instrumental in developing the net's primetime slate, which includes the "CSI" franchise, "Survivor" and "How I Met Your Mother." She's also quick on the draw: She delivered a full fall slate despite the WGA strike, upped audiences in current shows like stalwart "NCIS," and can boast the season's top new program, "The Mentalist." Trying to best that next year will be a challenge, but she's working on a comedy for Jason Biggs from "Arrested Development" creator Mitchell Hurwitz, plus a midseason murder mystery called "Harper's Island." A onetime aspiring actress who celebrated her 25th wedding anniversary in November, Tassler says she's "sensitive to the creative process. When someone comes in to pitch, I understand and respect their vulnerability. I've been there."