15. Katherine Pope

It's a small gripe, but Pope believes American Airlines' decision to install WiFi has made her frequent cross-country commutes harder, not easier: "I like to bring a book and read it from start to finish before I land," she says. When that book is Roberto Balano's hefty "The Savage Detectives," that's no small challenge. But Pope is devoted to writers and writing of all stripes, which helped her champion the talent behind such hits as "Chuck," "30 Rock" and "Heroes" in her last post as executive vp at NBC Entertainment.

"I understand that to be a writer's advocate you have to have tough conversations to save them from themselves," she says. "Any writer will tell you I don't shy away from that." Promoted last year to oversee the production company responsible for hits including Fox's "House" and NBC's "Law & Order," Pope says she will continue to mine her relationships with talent ("an embarrassment of riches") in the hopes of creating shows like the upcoming Amy Poehler project from "The Office's" Greg Daniels and Michael Schur that she's developing.