28. Frances Berwick
By | November 1, 2013
President, Bravo and Oxygen Media
Lifestyle programming maven Berwick added Oxygen to her plate in September following the transition of Style to Esquire Net and the exit of Jason Klarman from Oxygen’s helm. At Bravo, she’s on an original content tear, greenlighting an unprecedented 17 new and 18 returning unscripted series. Those moves raise the net’s original offerings by 15%, and it’s a formula that’s paying off. Bravo is up 8% in total viewers this year. 2012 marked double-digit ad revenue increases, with 126 new advertisers flocking to the brand. Berwick appreciates that the original content surge across cable has only augmented quality and innovation. There’s “so much to watch, and so many ways to watch it,” she says.
What’s your favorite part of your job?
There are so many fun and challenging things about my role at Bravo and Oxygen Media, but probably the best part is getting to spend my time with smart, fun, passionate and provocative people.
What’s been the biggest story in cable this year?
The continued explosion of original content for all platforms; straight to series orders in the scripted world and the doubling and tripling of original hours in unscripted across broadcast and cable. And despite the growth there’s been a real surge in quality and innovation—so much to watch, and so many ways to watch it.
How do you define success in the workplace?
More consumers of our content, more monetization of that content, increasing loyalty to Bravo and Oxygen and our show brands, and a happy workforce.