5 | KENT STATE
Education: BA, Lehigh University
Why Him? Kent’s responsibilities are diverse to say the least, but he somehow manages to run Turner as one cohesive business by never losing sight of the big picture. The exec celebrates a decade in his current role this year, and he has much to toast. He’s responsible for all of Turner’s domestic and international dealings, and the coming year looks to be the most ambitious yet with TNT and TBS poised to become the first entertainment networks to live-stream all their programming. Meanwhile, a hefty slate of original programming includes development deals with the likes of Steven Spielberg. And although this year’s Upfront was filled with gags and laughs, the continuing slide of CNN is no joking matter. But Kent has launched a bold plan to return the news net to its former glory, including the well publicized hiring of Jeff Zucker and the launch of CNN’s first docu-series, Robert Redford’s “Chicagoland.” ?
