Shows
GEMA TALKS with Rich BattistaAlex Marquardt, CNNOn this episode of GEMA TALKS with Rich Battista, Alex Marquardt (F '04), Sr. National Security Correspondent, CNN discusses the experience of producing, reporting on and presenting news during the COVID-19 crisis and shares his views on whether there will be a new normal in the news industry going forward. He also raises what he believes will be the most important national security issues over the next few years, discusses his days at Georgetown and career path and lends valuable advice to those looking to break into the news industry.GEMA TALKS is a podcast series from...
2021-07-2546 minGEMA TALKS with Rich BattistaJim McCormickIn this installment of GEMA TALKS with Rich Battista, we speak with Jim McCormick (C '90) who is one of the most prolific songwriters in Nashville and the country music scene. Jim has been nominated for five Grammy awards and has written two #1 Country hits - he has written music for the likes of Keith Urban, Jason Aldean, Tim McGraw, Luke Bryan, Trisha Yearwood, Randy Travis, among many others. In our chat, he discusses how he has harnessed his creativity in new and surprising ways during the Coronavirus pandemic. He gives a sneak peek into his songwriting and collaboration...
2021-07-2543 minGEMA TALKS with Rich BattistaTed Oberwager, KKRIn this episode of GEMA TALKS, Ted Oberwager (C '06), Managing Director, KKR in its TMT division speaks with Mary Ann Halford (C '80) about the private equity landscape and the interesting companies in media and entertainment that KKR has invested in in recent years including UFC, Epic Games (creator of Fortnite), Fan Duel, MSG, RB Media, and others. Ted discusses the impact that Coronavirus has had on media and the outlook for the industry and for private equity over the next 12 months. He also shares his advice to those looking to break into private equity and media.
2021-07-2538 minGEMA TALKS with Rich BattistaJohn Hodges, Jax MediaIn this installment of GEMA TALKS with Rich Battista, we are joined by film production executive John Hodges (C '00), Head of Film at Jax Media and one of the founders of A24, the leading independent film production and distribution company. John discusses the impact of Coronavirus on film production and what a "new normal" may look like, including trends and predictions for the future of film. He also discusses his career path from starting as a management consultant to transitioning to film and the genesis of A24. He also shares career advice for those looking to break into...
2021-07-2441 minGEMA TALKS with Rich BattistaKay MadatiIn this episode of GEMA TALKS with Rich Battista, we are joined by Kay Madati (C '95), former Twitter and Facebook executive who discusses the impact and long-term ramifications of Coronavirus on the digital media/platform space and key companies within it. He also shares his interesting career journey working at such blue-chip companies as Facebook, Twitter, BMW, CNN and BET. In addition, he lends advice to those Georgetown students attempting to navigate the job market during these unprecedented times.GEMA TALKS is a podcast series from the Georgetown Entertainment and Media Alliance (GEMA), hosted by Georgetown U...
2021-07-2444 minGEMA TALKS with Rich BattistaTedd Cittadine, RokuOn this episode of GEMA TALKS with Rich Battista, we are joined by Tedd Cittadine (MBA '00), Vice President Content Partnerships, Roku. Tedd has had a 20 year career in media, including prior roles at AOL and for 11 years at Fox. In our conversation, Tedd discusses his role at Roku and what have been the key success factors of Roku's explosive growth over the past few years as it has become one of the major players in the streaming world. Tedd also shares his thoughts on key trends in the business, what led him to make the switch from Fox...
2021-07-2438 minGEMA TALKS with Rich BattistaSarah Crennan, NBAIn this installment of GEMA TALKS with Rich Battista, we welcome Sarah Crennan (C '05), VP and Head of Content at Yahoo Sports (update, Sarah is now at the NBA). We discuss Yahoo Sports' leading position in the market and its key content initiatives and Sarah shares her thoughts on major trends in sports media, including sports betting. She also highlights the key parts of her career journey, her views on leadership and her days at Georgetown as a Varsity Lacrosse student/athlete.GEMA TALKS is a podcast series from the Georgetown Entertainment and Media Alliance (G...
2021-07-2443 minGEMA TALKS with Rich BattistaChris WilliamsIn this installment of GEMA TALKS with Rich Battista, we are joined by Chris Williams (C '89), one of the more prolific and versatile actor/comedians in Hollywood. In this interview, he talks about his upbringing, his years at Georgetown and what led him to pursue acting after he moved to Los Angeles post-college. He also discusses some of his key film and TV roles including the details around his iconic guest role as rapper Krazee-Eyez Killa in season 3 of Curb Your Enthusiasm, which catapulted his career. He also shares his views on the issue of racial inequality and i...
2021-07-2454 minGEMA TALKS with Rich BattistaMary Ann HalfordIn this episode of GEMA TALKS with Rich Battista, Rich speaks with Mary Ann Halford (C '80), Senior Advisor of OC&C Strategy Consultants who discusses the impact the Coronavirus has had on the entertainment and media industry, the possible short and long-term ramifications of the crisis on the business and on various specific media companies and potential new areas of opportunities. She also shares advice for graduating seniors and recent alumni on how to navigate job opportunities during this time.GEMA TALKS is a podcast series from the Georgetown Entertainment and Media Alliance (GEMA), hosted by...
2021-07-2446 minGEMA TALKS with Rich BattistaTim HanlonIn this GEMA TALKS interview with guest host Mary Ann Halford (C '80), Tim Hanlon (C '88), Founder & CEO of The Vertere Group discusses the impact of COVID-19 on the media advertising business, looking at it from the linear TV, local TV and AVOD TV views. He also shares his thoughts on the potential acceleration of advertising business models in a post-COVID world and other advertising-related predictions over the next 12 months.GEMA TALKS is a podcast series from the Georgetown Entertainment and Media Alliance (GEMA), hosted by Georgetown University alumnus and GEMA Founder/Chairman, Rich Battista (B...
2021-07-2447 minGEMA TALKS with Rich BattistaChris KellyGEMA TALKS with Rich Battista speaks one-on-one with Chris Kelly (C '91), Co-Owner of the Sacramento Kings and veteran tech and media executive and investor. Chris discusses the impact of the Coronavirus on the NBA, the Silicon Valley VC and start-up world and the media industry; he also gives his thoughts on the streaming wars and the lessons and insights from his extraordinary career from being one of the original Facebook employees to the various companies he has invested in or acted as consultant with over the years.GEMA TALKS is a podcast series from the Georgetown...
2021-07-2454 minGEMA TALKS with Rich BattistaLouise LagueIn this installment of GEMA TALKS with Rich Battista, we speak with Louise Lague (SLL '69) who has had a fascinating career as a journalist and author, including an 18-year career as an editor/writer at PEOPLE magazine where she wrote 42 cover stories including 28 on Princess Diana. She has also done freelance writing for many periodicals including the New York Times and Oprah Magazine and is the author of three books and is currently writing her first novel. She discusses her time at PEOPLE and her early days after college in Washington, DC as a reporter/columnist for the...
2021-07-2450 minGEMA TALKS with Rich BattistaJoe Leccese, ProskauerGEMA TALKS with Rich Battista is joined by Joe Leccese (C '82), Co-Chair Sports Group and Former Chair of the Firm, Proskauer. Joe has had one of the more prolific careers in the sports industry as an attorney for over 30 years at Proskauer, one of the premier law firms in sports. As someone who works with virtually every sports leagues and various sports teams, Joe discusses how the leagues were affected by the stoppage of sports due to Coronavirus and shares his views on how they will re-emerge going forward and what the lasting affects could be. He also...
2021-07-2441 minGEMA TALKS with Rich BattistaElizabeth Luciano, A+E NetworksIn this episode of GEMA TALKS with Rich Battista, we are joined by Elizabeth Luciano (C '03), SVP, Consumer Marketing & Media at A+E Networks, which is comprised of brands such as A&E, History Channel and Lifetime. Elizabeth discusses her role and responsibilities and how her role as a marketer has changed over time with the advent of more data analytics and the emergence of streamers. She also highlights some of the key trends in the world of marketing, what current projects she is excited about and her career journey from The Hilltop to now. She also shares...
2021-07-2440 minGEMA TALKS with Rich BattistaDavid AppelbaumIn this GEMA TALKS with Rich Battista episode, we speak with David Appelbaum (C '03), TV Writer/Producer in Hollywood. David discusses the origin and journey of his accomplished career as a TV writer/producer, including his long stint on "The Mentalist" as well as "NCIS New Orleans", and "The Enemy Within" and his first job in Hollywood on "The OC." He also talks about his new drama series, "La Brea" which he created and is executive producing at NBC and the challenges of producing re: COVID-19. He also highlights his filmmaking activities while at Georgetown and shares career...
2021-07-2448 minGEMA TALKS with Rich BattistaAnne Thomopoulos, Legendary GlobalIn this installment of GEMA TALKS with Rich Battista, we talk with Anne Thomopoulos (C '84), Partner, Legendary Global. Anne has had a distinguished career as a TV and film producer and programming executive, particularly in the global arena. In her 15+ year career at HBO, she developed or produced such projects as "Oz", "From the Earth to the Moon", "Band of Brothers" and "Rome" just to name a few. Now at Legendary Global, she is building a mini studio and production entity with an emphasis on developing international projects in international territories. In our conversation, she discusses how she m...
2021-07-2443 minGEMA TALKS with Rich BattistaMelissa Anelli, Mischief ManagementIn this episode of GEMA TALKS with Rich Battista, we speak with Melissa Anelli (C '01), Founder & CEO, Mischief Management, a live events company in the entertainment space. She discusses the impact of COVID on the events/conference business, how she is navigating through it and what the future holds; she also discusses the genesis of her company and the major fan events it produces including BroadwayCon, LeakyCon and Con of Thrones. She also shares her career journey including her big break as a major part of the Harry Potter blog The Leaky Cauldron. She also gives invaluable career ad...
2021-07-2440 minGEMA TALKS with Rich BattistaMark AbbottIn this episode of GEMA TALKS with Rich Battista, we are joined by Mark Abbott (F '86), President & Deputy Commissioner, Major League Soccer. Mark has the distinction of being hired as the first employee of Major League Soccer (MLS) in 1993, three years before the league commenced. In our talk, Mark speaks about how he initially got involved in MLS and developed its first business plan and recounts its tremendous growth over the past 25 years. He also discusses how MLS has skillfully navigated the COVID crisis to re-instate the season and how COVID may impact sports going forward. He also...
2021-07-2451 minGEMA TALKS with Rich BattistaKevin Turpin, National JournalIn this installment of GEMA TALKS with Rich Battista, we speak with Kevin Turpin (C '05), President of National Journal. National Journal serves government affairs professionals and government officials with a variety of advisory services and products to keep members informed of key movements in people, politics and policy. These products and services include media/editorial, custom content, research and insights. In our conversation, Kevin chronicles the interesting and highly successful transformation of the company over the past ten years from a purely media company to the multi-products and multi-services company it is today. Named President at the tender age...
2021-07-1950 minGEMA TALKS with Rich BattistaTeddy ZambettiIn GEMA TALKS' inaugural episode, Rich sits down with alumnus Teddy Zambetti, the Senior Director of Music Production and In-House Composer at Sirius XM Radio. They get into Teddy's musical upbringing in the Bronx, his seminal years at Georgetown, his fascinating career journey including as a touring musician with The Flying Burrito Brothers straight out of college, his time overseeing all music production at The Groundlings improv troupe in Los Angeles and his almost 20 year career at Sirius XM. He also shares his thoughts on the music industry of today and tomorrow and his key pieces of advice to...
2019-05-0451 min