Kristin Dolan, COO, Cablevision
7:30 – 9:00 AM
As technology evolves and consumer behaviors shift, cable operators have re-examined their business models and product portfolios. Cablevision’s COO Kristin Dolan has been at the forefront of this shift, successfully transforming Cablevision into a leading and innovative service-oriented company.
How have the increasing priorities of customer service, superior high speed internet delivery, addressable advertising and utilizing greater audience data informed Dolan’s definition of cable’s evolving role in the media landscape?
AMC Networks CEO Josh Sapan joined Kristin Dolan to discuss her views on the intersection of entertainment, advertising and technology in a multi-screen world.
Kristin Dolan
COO
Cablevision
As chief operating officer of Cablevision Systems Corporation, Kristin Dolan leads all aspects of the Company's cable and advertising sales operations. This includes responsibility for the entire Optimum customer experience from product development, programming and marketing to sales, customer and field service for the Company's residential and commercial Optimum TV digital cable, Optimum Online high-speed Internet and Optimum voice products. She also oversees Cablevision Media Sales, the Company's advertising sales division.
A 26-year company veteran, Ms. Dolan most recently served as President of Optimum Services where she was responsible for the Optimum products, brand positioning and customer service. Ms. Dolan led the Company's efforts to transform the customer experience by introducing new products and product enhancements, including faster broadband speeds, the full deployment of the Onyx platform and an enhanced multi-room DVR product. Ms. Dolan has also been instrumental in guiding Cablevision's large-scale expansion of its Optimum WiFi network and continued investment in Cablevision's broadband product.
Ms. Dolan previously served as senior executive vice president, product management, marketing and development. In this role, she led the reimagining and reintroduction of the Optimum brand as well as numerous product and service adjustments, including the company's new interactive programming guide and digital cable user interface.
Ms. Dolan began her career in 1990 at Cablevision's programming division Rainbow Media (now AMC Networks) where she worked in a variety of sales and marketing positions with increasing levels of responsibility. In 2000, she joined Cablevision as the company's vice president of field communications and was later named vice president of digital product management, where she led the development, launch and continued evolution of the company's Optimum TV digital cable service. Ms. Dolan was then appointed senior vice president of digital product management, responsible for Cablevision's digital and analog video products, its high-speed Internet product and the strategic direction for the launch of Optimum Voice in 2003.
Over the years, Ms. Dolan has been instrumental in working across Cablevision's properties to maximize opportunity, brand strength and customer experience. She spearheaded a number of initiatives at Madison Square Garden, including the 2008 migration of the national music network Fuse from Rainbow Media to Madison Square Garden, where she was responsible for marketing, creative services and other key functions during and after the transition. Additionally, she played an integral role in the formation of MSG Varsity, Cablevision's interactive service dedicated to covering high school sports across the tri-state area.
Ms. Dolan serves as a member of Cablevision's board of directors, and is also on the board of directors at AMC Networks and The Madison Square Garden Company. Additionally, she has served on the Foundation Board for SUNY Albany and the National Board for Women in Cable & Telecommunications (WICT). Ms. Dolan was recognized by Multichannel News and WICT as a "Wonder Woman" in 2004. CableFAX The Magazine has featured Ms. Dolan in its lists of the top 100 cable executives and the top 50 most influential women in cable.
Ms. Dolan received an M.A. in English literature from Long Island University at the C.W. Post Campus, an M.S. in publishing with a concentration in marketing from Pace University and a B.A. in English from the State University of New York at Albany.
Moderated by:
Josh Sapan
President & CEO
AMC Networks
Lauded by Fast Company magazine as one of the “100 Most Creative People in Business,” Sapan’s record of delivering must-have content to passionate audiences, coupled with his championing of breakthrough distribution models, has transformed cable television and has changed the way people watch TV.
Named CEO in 1995, Sapan is credited with building some of television’s most influential entertainment brands and critically acclaimed shows including: AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” “Mad Men,” “Breaking Bad,” and “Better Call Saul;” SundanceTV’s acclaimed scripted drama “Rectify” and Golden Globe® Award-winning “The Honorable Woman;” and IFC’s “Portlandia” – winner of Emmy®, Peabody, and Writer’s Guild Awards.
Sapan has been instrumental in bringing independent film to wide audiences through award-winning film labels IFC Films, Sundance Selects and IFC Midnight. Recent films include the critically-acclaimed Boyhood, winner of the Oscar® for Best Supporting Actress and the Golden Globe Award® for Best Feature Film; as well as the Oscar®-nominated documentary Finding Vivian Maier. Other notable releases include Sundance Selects’ Oscar®-nominated Two Days, One Night and IFC Midnight’s critical and cultural hit The Babadook. In addition, Sapan opened New York City’s IFC Center, home to DOC NYC, the largest documentary film festival in the United States.
Earlier in his career Sapan spearheaded the development of the Bravo network and culturally impactful programs including “Inside the Actors Studio” and “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.”
Sapan serves on numerous boards, including The Paley Center for Media, the Museum of the Moving Image, People for the American Way, WNYC Radio, among others. He is the author of “The Big Picture: America in Panorama” (Princeton Architectural Press), a collection of panoramic photos from the 20th century.
This event is exclusive to Media Council members and other invited guests. To find out more about Media Council membership, contact mediacouncil@paleycenter.org.
