INDUSTRY REWIND
This 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of TTVNews, a big reason to celebrate for our group, which, with the help of our colleagues and friends, has consolidated itself as one of the go-to media platforms in the audiovisual industry in Latin America. To mark the occasion, we’ve invited the executives that have accompanied us during all these years to walk down memory lane, all the way back to when they first started out in the industry.
In this, our 200th edition, we present a small sample of the executives that have shared their anecdotes and experiences with us. We will share the complete list of testimonies on our website, as well as our upcoming special edition for Mipcom Cannes 2024 in October.
Nadav Palti, CEO of Dori Media
Where were you 20 years ago?
I was in Israel 20 years ago, was doing many other things, but one of my jobs already was as CEO of Dori Media. The company had started in 2002 and, three years later, in 2005, we went to the London Stock Exchange and became a public company with Dori Media. We have many other companies in the media, airlines, and so on in our group.
What was your first industry event?
I think the first event I attended was Mipcom. It’s a very nice place, and the memories are good. It was a very active event. I remember we had a lot of meetings, we were running around, and we brought all our clients to a cocktail party that we organized in the evening. It was a day that started very early in the morning and went into the evening.
Ozkan Ipek, founder of Yeşil Yapim / Haciyatmaz Group
Where were you 20 years ago?
I was working in a distribution and production company, so we were buying TV rights of foreign movies for Turkish broadcasters. Plus, we decided that the distribution business was slowing down, so we had to do something new, which was starting a production arm for the company. And we started producing a TV show called ‘Aşkımızda Ölüm Var’, starred by Oktay Kaynarca and Ece Uslu. They were very famous back then and they are still very famous.
What was your first industry event?
It was Cannes Film Festival in 1996.
Beatriz Cea Okan, VP and Director of Sales and Acquisition of Inter Medya
Where were you 20 years ago?
Twenty years ago, I was working as a flight attendant in Spain. Now, after twenty years, I am living in Turkey, married to a Turkish man, and selling Turkish content. I never thought this could happen to me in my life.
What was your first industry event?
My first event was Mipcom.
Erik Jensen, Managing Director and Partner at CDC United Network
Where were you 20 years ago?
It seems to me that it was exactly 20 years ago when I partnered with Alexandre [Lippens] at CDC, which shows how fast time goes by. I think it was 2004 when I moved from Los Angeles to Brussels to partner with him.
And that’s where I’ve been ever since.
Now I’m back in Los Angeles, and yes, it’s been 20 years with CDC.
What was your first industry event?
My first international market was probably the Cannes Film Festival in 1996 or something like that. Perhaps it was a MIFED market in Milan, also around 1996.
Patricia Jasin, SVP Content Sales, Latam & Country Manager, Colombia at WBD
Where were you 20 years ago?
About 20 years ago, I was working in a company called Sixtus, which was a company that distributed films, with very beloved people who stayed in the industry. We were in that company with Daniel Rodriguez, Francisco Morales, Rosma Morales, Javier Salgado; we were a group of younger people and it was very fun. Professionally it was a very fun time and personally, my daughters were little, I had just arrived in the US, so I had all these challenges. I was a very busy woman and my life, in general, was a chaos, but I have very good memories of those years.
What was your first industry event?
I can’t remember what year I participated in my first international event, but it was a long time ago and I’m certain it was a Mipcom.
Alex Marin, Director of RCN Distribution
Where were you 20 years ago?
In 2004 my hair had already fallen out. I was working at Sony and was based in Mexico City. I was the Director of the Northern cone for the studio’s distribution.
What was your first industry event?
The first event I attended in the industry was Natpe 1993, in San Francisco. I didn’t like Las Vegas, because it was too many miles to walk, while New Orleans was fun, because culinary-wise, it’s a great city; but I also remember that in 1994 Natpe was held n Miami Beach and it was very well done
Pablo
Mancuso, General Manager of Distribution at Condista International
Where
were you 20 years ago?
The good thing is that I can answer that I was already in the industry practically 20 years ago. I’m 42 now, and I was 22 at that time. I was working in Accion Group, a company very similar to Condista, led by my father, Alberto Mancuso. We were the agents for Hispanic television in the southern cone, and we had other products. I was dedicated more to the technical part; I was managing the inventory and logistics of decoders. Little by little, I was starting to get into sales.
What was your first industry event?
The first event I attended in the industry was a regional meeting, organized by Jorge Jacobi, in Rosario, Argentina. Later came Jornadas in Buenos Aires, which was already a major event. This coincided with a time in the industry when there were a lot of events. At my age, it was a lot of fun; giant stands, celebrities, great gifts and good parties.
Julio César Gómez, CEO of Canal DHE
Where were you 20 years ago?
Twenty years ago, I had just graduated as a Telecommunications Engineer. I was working in a company that represented channels like Discovery Channel, travelling all over Colombia, selling these signals and learning a lot about the market. I was taking my first steps to get here.
What was your first industry event?
My first big event in the industry was Andina Link, where I met many people in the industry, friends that I still have today. However, the first event I attended was held in Medellín, organized by Colombia’s community television services, some 20 years ago.
Sibel Levendoğlu,
Sales Manager for the Americas and Iberia at Kanal D International
Where were you 20 years ago?
20 years ago in 2004, I was working at Hilton Istanbul as a receptionist. I totally changed industries as you can see.
What was your first industry event?
My first international market when I started working in this industry was Miptv in Cannes in 2011. It was very exciting for me because I was just starting this new work.
Fidela Navarro, CEO of Dopamine
Where were you 20 years ago?
I had just arrived in Mexico. I organized an International Festival of Journalists at the Guadalajara International Book Fair, and from there, I founded a career in journalism. I worked with many young people in television stations until my position as Director of Content Distribution at TV Azteca about 11 years ago.
What was your first industry event?
My first event was a Mipcom, and I fell in love with the market, colleagues, industry, stories, and activity. To this day, we still see each other, and I am sure we will see each other for another 20 years. Why? Because we live in a global world with increasing diversification of players and content, more opportunities to produce, more windows to mount formulas, and above all, more and more audiences. We live in a very buoyant world where TTVNews is always and will always be there. Congratulations again to the team, and may there be much more news.
Delmar Andrade, International Sales Director of the Record TV Network Group
Where were you 20 years ago?
The telenovela department didn’t exist yet, so I was working as Vice Director of the television channel. We started Record Group 22 years ago, we were in Brazil facing the great difficulties that we all faced 20 years ago; the government was a little more complicated. When we acquired the Record Group, we had the opportunity to make a revival and this meant for the audience an opportunity for new programming, something new that came from the best producers in the world, Record TV began to bring the best products from the U.S. and Europe. So 20 years ago when TTV was starting, we were also starting the Record TV Network project.
What was your first industry event?
The first event in which we participated was in Cannes.
Fernando Muñiz, Head of Distribution and Strategic Alliances of TV Azteca
Where were you 20 years ago?
Twenty years ago I was director of Programming and Content at Sky in Mexico. I think at that time we were redoing the channel nomenclature and organizing it, putting the movie channels, entertainment channels and sports channels together. We were the first ones to do it and from there everyone copied us.
What was your first industry event?
My first event in the industry was Tepal, in 1994.
Zasha Robles, CEO of Spiral International
Where were you 20 years ago?
When your publication started in 2004, I was working in Etcétera, a company started by my parents. My whole professional career has been in Etcétera, and I was working in the dubbing area of the company. I was also starting the expansion of the company towards Europe and the distribution area.
What was your first industry event?
I am the second generation of Etcétera, and my first event was a Natpe, when I was seven or eight years old. At that time, I was going just to collect toys, not content. It was in the 80s. My first market as an executive, that was much more recent, in 1997.
Hasan Köroğlu, Founder and CEO of Kadraj Group
Where were you 20 years ago?
Twenty-three years ago, I was just starting my career. In my early beginnings I worked on post-production. I had previous experience in IT infrastructure, which helped me understand the industry and was also part of my motivation for working in audiovisual productions. All the experience gained over the years allows me and my team to provide high-quality audiovisual technical services to clients and audiences worldwide.
What was your first industry event?
My first international event was in 2016. I attended the FICCI Frames in Mumbai, India. It was an eye-opening experience. That event helped me gain valuable insight into the business and learn about innovations in the media, technology, and audiovisual industries. Attending these events enhanced and broadened my perspective on bridging the gap between production and sales.
Kerim Emrah Turna, CEO of MediaHub
Where were you 20 years ago?
I was heading and running my radio station, which I had created during my university years. I was not only the voice, but also the editor-in-chief. It was a pretty small organization, and it was taking its baby steps. I’m still in love with radio, and I still miss my radio days. It was so much fun.
What was your first industry event?
I guess it was at Miptv in 2007. At that time I was in sales, but was also working on acquisitions; more in acquisitions than sales.
Deeny Kaplan, Executive Vice President at The Kitchen
Where were you 20 years ago?
The Kitchen is almost 23 years old, so it’s safe to say that 20 years ago, I was where I am now at The Kitchen. In that time, we have gone from three people to hundreds of people all over the world, with locations throughout Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East. We had tremendous growth and my hope is to be here for another 20 years.
What was your first industry event?
I think the first international trade convention I attended was when I was in college. I was visiting my parents in Washington, DC, and Natpe was being held there. I had a friend who was a little older who was attending, and he asked me to go with him. I had no idea what it was. I went to Natpe and met people from all companies creating hardware for the entertainment industry. That’s when I understood that this was what I wanted to do with my life.
Müge Akar, Head of Global Sales at ATV Distribution
Where were you 20 years ago?
I was in high school in Copenhagen, Denmark, enjoying my teenage years.
What was your first industry event?
Miguel García, Head of International Sales at Atresmedia International
Where were you 20 years ago?
Twenty years ago, I was in high school, about to go to college. It was unclear that I would enter the audiovisual industry; my idea was to be a banker. Even in my last high school years, I considered being a bioanalyst. But life led me to discover this wonderful world of film and television. I was already very passionate about film and television, and I am now very happy and am developing my professional career in this field.
What was your first industry event?
In 2014, I attended my first market, the Cannes Film Festival; I entered in style. I remember perfectly that year, when I was sharing a room with another colleague from Imagina International Sales. I was an intern then, and it was my first experience; it was crazy, but it was wonderful. I discovered what the Palais des Festivals in Cannes was, and years later, I would be tired of visiting it. In addition, I was able to go to several cocktail parties, so I discovered the wonderful part of relationships and networking that this industry has. Another thing I learned very clearly is that if I wanted to go to film premieres, I had to wear a suit and bow tie.
