New Conductors at Ovation
Relaunch In Mind, Arts Network Resets Its Executive Team
By Linda Moss -- Multichannel News, 12/3/2006 7:00:00 PM
Ovation Network, ramping up for an expected relaunch in the third quarter of next year, is building a new management team with the recent hire of programming, ad-sales and distribution executives.
The arts channel has named Emmy-nominated Kris Slava, a former Bravo and Trio programming executive, as its senior vice president of programming and production.
Ovation has also recruited Deborah Cuffaro as senior vice president of advertising sales; Dan Casciato as vice president of distribution; Michelle Zajic as director of programming, reporting to Slava; Rob Canter as director of creative services; and Joe Fankhauser as director of planning and control.
The flurry of hiring follows the acquisition in August of 5.3 million subscriber Ovation by an investor group that includes the indie-film impresarios Harvey and Bob Weinstein, as well as ReelzChannel owner Hubbard Media Group. Ovation has relocated from Virginia to Santa Monica, Calif., where the executive team will be based.
“The most important thing right now was to get the key positions in place, because all the key positions are so integral to putting together the overall strategy for the channel,” Ron Garfield, Ovation’s chief operating officer, said last week. “We’re building a foundation right now.”
The networks’ new ownership still hasn’t decided if it will rename the service, according to Garfield. And he was circumspect on exactly what direction, in terms of its arts coverage, Ovation will take with its relaunch next year.
“We’re really just strategizing now in general,” Garfield said. “It’s just a little premature to talk in concrete terms of what we’re going to do.”
Slava was Bravo’s vice president of digital content and acquisitions, where he launched a suite of Web sites, forged major partnerships, oversaw design, created editorial, and acquired and produced video.
Prior to that stint, Slava was Trio’s vice president of acquisitions and program planning, and he was part of the core team that launched the network. Slava’s resume also includes serving as A&E Network’s director of drama and performing-arts programming.
“This category of programming [arts], I’ve been in it for years,” he said. “I love it. I did it at A&E. I did another version of it at Trio. I’ve watched Ovation from afar for a long time.”
Most recently, Cuffaro was vice president of business development for National Cable Communications. Her career also included serving as senior vice president for Rainbow Advertising Sales Corp., a unit of Cablevision Systems.
Casciato most recently served as principal of Casciato Consulting, providing service in pricing and product development, sales and marketing for clients including Metro Goldwyn Mayer. Before that, he had a long history at Universal, now NBC Universal, in numerous positions, most recently serving as vice president of affiliate sales in Chicago.
Zajic joins Ovation after a lengthy run in numerous positions at Hallmark Channel, most recently serving as director of acquisitions and programming.
Canter comes to Ovation from Dalaklis McKeown Entertainment where, as executive in charge of production, he oversaw post production work of all series, specials and interstitials for networks including CBS, Lifetime Television, USA Network and VH1.
And Fankhauser most recently was G4’s director of finance, where he directed all financial activities for the Comcast-owned network.
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