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Meet the 12 power players running HBO Max, AT&T's big bet to take on Netflix and Disney Plus (T)

The generals who will lead HBO Max into battle with Netflix and Disney Plus have started to emerge.

AT&T's WarnerMedia has appointed, in the last few months, a slew of executives to key roles overseeing its forthcoming streaming service, HBO Max, which launches next spring.

More details on the service, including the price, are expected to be announced at an upcoming investor presentation on Oct. 29.

Business Insider breaks down the top execs to know ahead of the event and the release of HBO Max.

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The generals who will lead HBO Max into battle with Netflix and Disney Plus are emerging.

John Stankey, the CEO of AT&T's WarnerMedia, has appointed in the last few months a slew of executives to key roles overseeing its forthcoming streaming service, HBO Max.

The subscription offering, due out in the spring of 2020, is WarnerMedia's bet on the future of TV. As viewers abandon traditional TV services, including AT&T's satellite operator, DirecTV, the company is turning to online-video subscriptions to grow its audience.

HBO Max will be AT&T's "workhorse" on-demand video offering, CEO Randall Stephenson said on its third-quarter earnings call on Monday.

AT&T is expected to give an update on all things WarnerMedia, including HBO Max and its pricing details, at its Oct. 29 investor presentation, which it dubbed "WarnerMedia Day."

The service hits as other legacy entertainment companies including Disney, Discovery, and NBCUniversal are launching streaming services, as are tech companies like Apple.

AT&T is leaning on the legacy HBO brand to compete. HBO Max will merge HBO's programming with movies, TV shows, and specials from other WarnerMedia properties, like Warner Bros. and Turner channels TBS, TNT, and truTV. It's also developing original programming for the platform, and licensing content from outside studios.

It's unclear how much appetite there is for another subscription service that has a little bit of everything, like HBO Max is shaping up to be.

Stephenson vowed on Monday that the product would be unique: "This is not Netflix. This is not Disney. This is HBO Max," he said.

Early consumer surveys suggest that upcoming rivals like Disney Plus and Apple TV Plus, which roll out in November and have more distinct programming lanes, have done better jobs wooing potential subscribers than HBO Max.

HBO Max, of course, still has months to drum up interest ahead of its launch. Management has set an ambitious target of reaching 80 million subscribers by 2025, on par with Disney Plus's goal of 60 to 90 million subscribers by 2024, Reuters reported.

However, parent company AT&T has also been targeted by an activist investor Elliott Management, which is calling for the company to lay out a clear vision, now, for the former Time Warner assets it bought for $81 billion last year. The company is also under more pressure than some of its competitors to make the service profitable, quickly.

Ahead of the event and the release of HBO Max, these are the top execs to watch behind the streaming service. The list does not include execs from HBO, which will play a big part in the success of the streaming service, but also has separate teams within WarnerMedia.

Are you a WarnerMedia insider with a tip or story idea? Email me at [email protected].

SEE ALSO: Meet the power players at Netflix leading the streaming giant's defense against Disney and other rivals

Robert Greenblatt - Chairman

Robert Greenblatt, chair of WarnerMedia's entertainment and direct-to-consumer divisions, was CEO John Stankey's the first big hire after telecom AT&T took the reins at the legacy media company in 2018.

Greenblatt, who joined WarnerMedia in 2019, is leading the company's highest-profile initiative. He is in charge of getting HBO Max off the ground, as well as overseeing the company's legacy TV businesses including HBO and the Turner networks, and the collection of digital media brands that operate under the Otter Media umbrella.

"You're going to get a full dose of Bob Greenblatt tomorrow" at the WarnerMedia Day event, Stephenson said on Monday.

A seasoned TV exec, Greenblatt spent eight years as chairman of NBC Entertainment before WarnerMedia. He helped revive the broadcast network's primetime lineup with shows like "The Voice," "This Is Us," and "The Good Place," and pushed the channel to the top of the broadcast-rating ranks with 18-49-year-olds, Variety reported. He also drove Showtime's move into original programming, with series like "Dexter," "Weeds," and "Californication." And he was a key programming exec at Fox Broadcasting in the 1990s.

Greenblatt joined WarnerMedia just as other top execs, some of whom served at the company for decades, headed for the exit. They included former HBO boss Richard Plepler, former Turner chief David Levy, and former Warner Bros. lead Kevin Tsujihara, who stepped down amid an investigation into allegations of misconduct last year.

Now, the success or failure of HBO Max now rests largely on Greenblatt's shoulders.

Kevin Reilly - Chief content officer

Former Turner exec Kevin Reilly has HBO Max's top content job.

As chief content officer, Reilly is responsible for all the original programming heading to the service, and the licensing deals the company is striking to fill out its library with movies and TV classics, like "Friends" and "The Big Bang Theory."

He's working alongside HBO's programming president, Casey Bloys, who will also funnel programming that airs on HBO to HBO Max, like Joss Whedon's upcoming science-fiction series "The Nevers" and David E. Kelley's "The Undoing," with Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant.

While Bloys is busy producing more of the programming HBO is known for (his programming budget rose 50% year over year), Reilly's team is trying to strike a balance between reaching the core HBO audience that's over 40, and younger crowds who are more accustomed to streaming.

He's focusing on landing high-profile dramas and comedies, like a revivals of classic shows like "Gossip Girl" and "The Boondocks," as well as getting top creators with close ties to WarnerMedia to produce programming for the platform, like JJ Abrams and Greg Berlanti.

Reilly is also continuing to lead the Turner cable channels, as president of TBS, TNT, and truTV. That could mean more overlap between the programming on those TV channels and HBO Max. Reilly announced this month that the TBS comedy "Search Party" would be moving to HBO Max for its third and fourth seasons.

Before his Turner days, Reilly held top roles at major TV networks including Fox, FX, and NBC. He oversaw the launch of shows like "Glee," "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," and "Empire" at Fox. And, as president of TNT and TBS, and chief creative officer of Turner Entertainment, he spearheaded an effort to cut back on the number of commercials in shows.

Sarah Aubrey - head of original content

Sarah Aubrey runs point on original programming for HBO Max, as the head of original content, on Reilly's team.

The mandate handed down to Aubrey is to build on HBO's core adult audience by courting younger adults, as well as kids and families, with buzzy new must-see originals.

It's wide net for a green streaming service.

And Aubrey has been spending her days exploring WarnerMedia's vast ecosystem for projects.

She told Vanity Fair she has been brainstorming ideas with creators who have overall deals with the company, like Ava DuVernay, Mindy Kaling, and JJ Abrams; digging through Warner Bros. back catalog of franchises for revival ideas, like the forthcoming "Gossip Girl" and "Gremlins" spinoffs; and meeting with other WarnerMedia teams from Cartoon Network to the Warner Bros. movie studio to discover projects that be good for streaming.

"There's so much great stuff in all our cupboards," she told the publication.

Before HBO Max, Aubrey was executive vice president of TNT's original programming, where shepherded shows like "Animal Kingdom" and "Claws." She was also a producer on shows like HBO's "The Leftovers" and "Friday Night Lights," which she worked with Reilly on when he was at NBC. She was one of his first recruits when he made the jump to TNT.

Her top deputies include:

Joey Chavez, executive vice president of original drama, another TNT alum

Suzanna Makkos, executive vice president of comedy and animation, who previously led comedy programming and development at Fox

Jennifer O'Connell, executive vice president of nonfiction and kids programming, who joined from Liongsate and has held programming roles at NBCUniversal and the Disney Channel

Jessie Henderson, executive vice president of original feature films, former cofounder and copresident of Paul Feig's Feigoco

Jeniffer Kim, senior vice president of international originals, who was a longtime programming exec at TBS

Tony Goncalves — Overseeing development of the HBO Max platform

Greenblatt selected a trusted AT&T digital exec to build the HBO Max platform.

Tony Goncalves, CEO of Otter Media, is overseeing the development of the digital platform, on top of his work leading Otter Media's digital properties. He reports to Greenblatt.

Goncalves was brought into led the service in May, as his Otter Media group moved under Greenblatt's oversight at WarnerMedia, and HBO Max's former general manager, Brad Bentley, departed.

Goncalves first joined AT&T through its 2015 acquisition of DirecTV, where he served as a longtime exec overseeing the satellite-TV operator's digital efforts, including its TV Everywhere and over-the-top platforms, among other roles.

He rose in the ranks under the phone company. He was CEO of AT&T's digital brands, where he oversaw the relationship between AT&T and The Chernin Group, which operated Otter Media as a joint venture until AT&T bought full control in 2018.

And he led the launch strategy for DirecTV Now, now AT&T TV Now, which was the company's last major digital-TV initiative. The linear streaming service got off to a solid start in 2016, but has hemorrhaged subscribers this year as programming costs ballooned and discounts were nixed in an effort to become profitable.

We'll see if HBO Max has longer legs.

Andy Forssell - EVP and general manager

Goncalves is working closely with Andy Forssell, who is serving as executive vice president and general manager of WarnerMedia's direct-to-consumer businesses, under Goncalves.

Forssell was most recently the chief operating officer at Otter Media, where insiders told Business Insider he was a key liaison between upper management and the individual brands like Crunchyroll, Rooster Teeth, and DC Universe.

Forsell joined Otter Media from its subsidiary Fullscreen, where he had been its chief operating officer. He was also a top player at Hulu for six years, where he held a number of roles, including acting CEO in 2013, before Randy Freer moved into the position.

At WarnerMedia, Forssell is leading the digital team now focused on HBO Max, which also includes:

Sarah Lyons, senior vice president of product experience, and a DirecTV veteran

Katie Soo, senior vice president of growth marketing, who previously held top marketing roles at Warner Bros. Entertainment, DC Universe, Fullscreen, and Hulu

Keith Camoosa, senior vice president of data insights and operations, previously from Warner Bros.

Jess Miller, vice president of project management, who was part of the team that launched DirecTV Now

Reid DeRamus, senior director of business operations, who came from Crunchyroll

Sean Kisker - chief strategy officer

Sean Kisker, formerly of Lionsgate, is also on Goncalves' HBO Max team.

He was named executive vice president and chief strategy officer for Otter Media and WarnerMedia's direct-to-consumer business that includes HBO Max, and Otter Media, earlier this year.

Kisker is working closely with the strategy, financial planning, and tech leads at WarnerMedia Entertainment to get HBO Max off the ground.

Prior to WarnerMedia, Kisker advised founders and CEOs of early-stage tech and entertainment startups, Variety reported.

Between his decade-long tenure leading strategy and other teams at Lionsgate, and taking the WarnerMedia job this year, he held C-suite positions at Otter Media and Annapurna Pictures.

Eric Besner — SVP, business development and strategy

Eric Besner is one of Reilly's top deputies on the business side. He serves as executive vice president of business development and strategy.

Besner is exploring ways to expand distribution for HBO Max and find other growth opportunities for the forthcoming service.

His most recent role prior to HBO Max was at Warner Bros. digital networks, where he lead business development and distribution.

Besner is also drawing on his experience working with established streamers. He spent three years at Spotify where he was head of content acquisition for video and non-music-related audio, like podcasts. He served a stint at Netflix, in original programming, when the streaming giant was just started to explore the opportunity. And he spent nearly six years in content distribution at Lucasfilm.

Sandra Dewey — President, business operations and production

Sandra Dewey is president of business operations and production at HBO Max.

She oversees the business affairs and production teams for all of WarnerMedia Entertainment, including HBO Max, TBS, TNT, and truTV. She reports to Reilly.

Before HBO Max, Dewey was key to evolving the strategy behind Turner's original programming, through a similar role leading business affairs for the Turner Entertainment Channels and Cartoon Networks Originals units. She oversaw deals for popular Turner shows including TBS's "Full Frontal With Samantha Bee," and "Search Party," as well as "The Alienist" on TNT, and "Impractical Jokers" on truTV.

She was also a big proponent of developing more programming with international appeal.

Meredith Gertler — EVP, program strategy and planning

Longtime HBO exec Meredith Gertler has taken up the mantle of executive vice president of programming strategy and planning for HBO Max.

She's in a key role helping determine what shows will go on HBO Max or HBO or Cinemax, and planning and scheduling across the streaming platforms and linear networks.

While a big part of Gertler's focus is HBO Max, she is reporting to HBO programming president Casey Bloys, rather than Reilly.

Gertler has been with HBO since 2004, and has held various marketing, program strategy, and planning roles.

She also knows a thing or two about streaming services. She helped develop the content planning and scheduling strategy for HBO's standalone offering, HBO Now, when it launched in 2015.

Michael Quigley — EVP, content acquisitions and strategy

Michael Quigley as the man behind HBO Max's mega-deal for "The Big Bang Theory."

He oversees content acquisition and strategy in his executive vice president role at HBO Max, as well as TBS, TNT, and truTV.

He reports to Reilly.

Quigley's task is nab the top TV shows and movies from other content owners to fill out the HBO Max library. The task comes at a time when the bidding for top-tier TV repeats, in particular, is fiercer than ever, as content owners see more demand for older content that still commands an audience, and are incentivized to keep more of that content on their own direct-to-consumer offering.

HBO Max has already landed the rights to shows like "The Big Bang Theory" and "Friends," which were both produced by sister company Warner Bros. Television. It's also expected to have shows like "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" and "Pretty Little Liars" in its library.

Before HBO Max, Quigley spent more than a decade at Turner.

Chris Spadaccini — CMO

Chris Spadaccini is the chief marketing officer for all WarnerMedia Entertainment, including the soon-to-launch HBO Max.

He's in charge of redefining the HBO Max, HBO, and Turner brands under his umbrella, and reports up to Greenblatt.

It's a tall order given that the HBO brand is already one of the most iconic entertainment brands on TV.

But Spadaccini should know that better than anyone. He's led HBO's marketing since 2016, and held a top brand and marketing position at the network before that.

Spadaccini helped launch HBO Now, the brand's first standalone streaming subscription in 2015. He also drove countless brand pushes and marketing campaigns for shows like "Game of Thrones" and "Silicon Valley."

Business Insider named Spadaccini one of the 25 most innovative CMOs of 2019 for his work bringing elements of "Game of Thrones" in various real-life activations.

Kevin Brockman — EVP, global communications

Kevin Brockman traded one newly merged legacy media giant for another when he left the Walt Disney Company after 22 years to lead communications for WarnerMedia's entertainment and direct-to-consumer businesses.

As executive vice president of global communications, Brockman is tasked with building a narrative around the upcoming HBO Max service, and the company's other entertainment properties, like HBO and the Turner channels, which recently moved under the WarnerMedia umbrella.

He'll report to Greenblatt, and work closely with Spadacinni, the CMO, as well as the execs from the WarnerMedia brands.

At Disney, Brockman held a number of key roles. He was mostly recently head of global communications for the Disney-ABC Television Group.

source https://www.businessinsider.com/meet-power-player-execs-behind-hbo-max-atts-netflix-competitor-2019-10

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