23. Asheesh Saksena
EVP/Chief Strategy Officer, Cox Communications
24. Louis Carr
President, Broadcast Media Sales, BET Networks
Marketing and media maven Carr successfully hit the books with the launch of BET’s Black College Tour for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, the largest black college tour in the country. To boot, his sales team has 21 straight years of advertising revenue growth under its belt, and he’s currently responsible for 60% of BET’s total revenue. Carr continues to connect new advertisers to the network as he outlines plans for the 2014 BET Experience and sponsor activation. Aside from his leadership role at BET, Carr is president/CEO of TV LLC, a real estate company that invests in multi-family apartment buildings in Chicago he started in part to help redevelop inner city neighborhoods.
25. Laureen Ong
President, Travel Channel
Ong has been at the helm of Travel Channel for more than three years, and her track record speaks for itself. She led the acquisition of Travel Channel International, launched the best-selling The Layover app and began transforming the network into a brand with hits like “Hotel Impossible,” “Baggage Battles” and “Airport 24/7: Miami.” This year, Travel Channel entered the post-Anthony Bourdain era with the addition of four new series: “Adam Richman’s Fandemonium,” wilderness survival series “Get Lost,” “Best Daym Takeout” and “Backroad Gold.” She’s also a dedicated mentor. “I love finding hidden gems in the company and pulling them out of their shell and giving them guidance and pointers to help them grow,” she says.