SPECIAL REPORT: WOMENCABLE TV IN PIONEERS THE GAME 54TH CABLE PIONEERS CLASS SCALES acre wildlife preserve with the Teton mountain range as the backdrop. With production support from New England INDUSTRY HEIGHTS Sports Network, the class of 2020’s induction was televised Dec. 4 by Wyoming’s Teton Range provided a majestic C-SPAN3 and C-SPAN.org. Fellows and Kanouff welcomed 22 backdrop for 2020’s virtual ceremony honorees, who joined the more than 700 colleagues inducted since 1966. And for those who didn’t catch the live just before the start of the SCTE-ISBE telecast, the induction ceremony will Cable-Tec Expo in October. But be streamed on cabletvpioneers.com By Erica Stull [email protected] like every other industry celebration starting Monday, Dec. 7 . ● this year, the Cable TV Pioneers 54th annual induction didn’t involve din- he Cable TV Pioneers have made ner in a convention center ballroom. history again. For 50 years, the or- Instead, the 2020 Pioneers were honored ganization’s induction ceremony virtually, direct from Jackson Hole, was held in conjunction with the Wyoming. annual NCTA–The Television & Pioneers Dave Fellows and Yvette Internet Association convention. Kanouff hosted the televised and When that show folded its tent, the streamed ceremony from Spring Pioneers who tuned into the virtual ceremony also T Pioneers induction moved to Denver, Creek Ranch, a resort set in a 1,000- received some champagne for a toast. Piranka/Getty Images 36 Multichannel.com SPECIAL REPORT: WOMEN IN THE GAME SPECIAL REPORT: CABLE TV PIONEERS fiber transmission equipment. point of view on a wide variety of project manager with Henderson He entered cable at the United issues related to delivery of voice and Cable, Daniel Greiner oversaw Kingdom-based consulting company broadband services. He also leads plant buildouts and installation PA Consulting Group, where he NCTA’s telecommunications group. workflow. Three years later, he worked on the satellite antennas for Beyond his industry work, moved to GS Communications, the launch of British Satellite Cimerman holds a leadership role where he oversaw multiple Broadcasting, a predecessor to with the Internet Education dwelling unit construction, BSkyB. With two other engineers and Foundation. high-speed data construction and a $15,000 investment, he launched a capital budgeting. His next stops startup whose first order was for were at EchoStar Communications radio-frequency upconverters that as operations manager and then enabled the delivery of six TV Comcast, where he oversaw cable, channels on Aberdeen Cable’s old 250- voice, and data deployments in Jeff Berenson MHz system. Today, Technetix, Richmond, Virginia. In 2009, An early advocate of advanced video which is affiliated with Liberty Global Greiner was named sales manager, technology, Jeff Berenson’s expertise Ventures, serves cable operators MSO for JDSU (Viavi Solutions), has been invaluable to small cable across Europe, the Americas and the where he worked until 2017. Today, operators seeking to make the most Asia-Pacific region. as director of sales for 4th Wave of their DOCSIS networks. Broadhurst holds 17 patents. He Technologies, he is responsible for Berenson’s career has seen his has held leadership positions with regional and corporate account involvement in a wide range of SCTE Europe and contributed to its management. national and international projects, initiatives. Outside of his industry Greiner has held a number of including video-on-demand, work, he supports Chestnut Tree leadership positions with the set-top box improvements and House, a children’s hospice in the Robert Foote Society of Cable Telecommunica- billing and provisioning technolo- U.K., and serves as a council When Bob Foote joined mom-and- tions Engineers. His spare time is gies at Digital Equipment, Spyglass/ member of the Confederation of pop operator Ipswich Cablevision in devoted to volunteer work with OpenTV, Bearing Point and Vidiom, British Industry. 1980 as a technician, formal training community groups including as well as consulting on integration was not widely available. He learned Little League, Boy Scouts and of large acquisitions for Comcast on the job and relied on the Society of homeless shelters for veterans. and Charter Communications. He Cable Telecommunications Engi- With Tuckahoe (New York) Little was senior VP of engineering and neers as an educational resource. His League, he coached and worked on then SVP of product management involvement with SCTE grew along the group’s annual Challenger for guide products with Rovi, where with his career. He became opera- Day event for children with he filed several patents. tions manager at Ipswich, and then disabilities. As president of consulting firm moved to the supplier side of the ITV Partners, Berenson continues business as a regional sales rep for to assist cable TV vendors and Arris in 1986. He became sales VP at operators and other startup Arris, then joined TriNet Communi- companies in the broadband, OTT, cations as sales VP. In 2012, he was telecom and satellite industries. named assistant VP, MSO sales at A guest lecturer on the video KGPCo, where he continues to industry at Harvard University, support cable operators. Berenson has also addressed Rick Cimerman Foote has served on the SCTE New Institute of Electrical and Electron- A former public utilities telecom England chapter board since 1989, ics Engineers members and MBA director, Rick Cimerman joined including three years as chapter students at Southern New Hamp- NCTA–The Internet & Television president. He received multiple SCTE shire University on pro sports Association in 1995 to help member chapter awards, and was inducted broadcast rights and marketing. companies navigate state telecom into the SCTE national Hall of Fame policy. His expertise was critical in in 2016. In addition to his work in the helping cable companies address industry, Foote volunteers with Big Steve Kaplan the complicated regulatory Brothers and Big Sisters of America. As a subcontractor with requirements involved in entering TelePrompTer in the late ’70s, the telephone business. Steve Kaplan was involved in the Cimerman, now NCTA’s VP, company’s return to franchising external and state affairs, works after many years with the first with member companies’ state- cable system in North Ridgeville, government relations teams to Ohio. In 1983, he founded Multi- coordinate industry policy and build link, a designer and manufacturer coalitions. He also plays a critical of equipment for broadband role with state associations, holding operators worldwide. Under regular advisory meetings with their Kaplan’s leadership as CEO, the government relations leaders. company has grown from a Often representing the industry handful of employees to more than Paul Broadhurst before state legislators and regula- 300. Products include power Starting with a small investment 30 tors, Cimerman testifies across the supply modules and fiber-optic years ago, Paul Broadhurst built U.S. on issues such as network products, fiber distribution Technetix Group into a leader in the neutrality. He has been a strong voice Daniel Greiner hub cabinets and architectural manufacture of headend and access for the cable industry, presenting its Earning his industry stripes as raceway molding. Multilink now 37 Multichannel.com Multichannel.com 37 SPECIAL REPORT: WOMENCABLE TV IN PIONEERS THE GAME holds more than 40 patents. cable history happened. In DirecTV. O’Brien was named Kaplan has been involved with 1980, when she was Louise CEO of HSA, a public high-speed the Society of Cable Telecommuni- Rauscher, she joined HBO to ISP, and led the sale of the cations Engineers throughout his publicize the young network’s company to Charter Communica- career, and has been a board original shows. She then founded tions in 2002. His next move was member of its Alaska chapter for public relations firm Rauscher and CEO of Brief Original Broadcasts 12 years. An active community Associates, with MTV as an early and then chairman of Digital- volunteer, he developed programs client. She established cable smiths, which TiVo purchased in for the Elyria (Ohio) Kiwanis Club, programming with the Television 2014. He now leads Mediashift, a built facilities for the city of Critics Association and helped data aggregator for content Elyria, and built an internet launch the Walter Kaitz streaming companies and system for a local Boy Scouts Foundation. advertisers. camp. Kaplan has also managed As NCTA’s vice president of O’Brien has served on a the local cemetery for 23 years. Ann Montgomery industry communications in 1984, number of NCTA committees and From her early days as a billing Mooney created cable’s first the WICT Foundation board. He is installation consultant with national public-relations program an active adviser with the Compulink to her current position and launched the industry’s first Blackstone Entrepreneurs leading field operations as area VP, national consumer research. In Network-Colorado. central Texas at Charter Communi- 1988, she helped create Cable in cations, Ann Montgomery has the Classroom, and became its delivered results. She oversaw the first CEO after she and NCTA introduction of Tele-Communica- president Jim Mooney announced tions Inc.’s customer service philoso- their engagement. phy, sparking an industry-wide Mooney co-founded JLM transition to focus on customers. Partners in 1998, serving broad- Promotions at TCI and executive band, wireless, consumer roles with Adelphia Communica- electronics and digital media tions and Comcast followed. companies. Throughout her At Liberty Global in Amsterdam, career, she has offered pro bono Craig Leddy she standardized business practices support to the Cable & Telecom- Journalist and entrepreneur for offices in multiple countries, munications Association for Craig Leddy entered the industry work that included consolidating 68 Marketing and other industry in 1982, covering regulatory affairs outsourced call-center vendors into nonprofits. She also volunteers in Washington for Cablevision four partner companies. At Charter, with Seattle nonprofits Common Elaine Partridge magazine.