On Aug. 31, here! TV named cable industry vet Andrew Tow president and COO of here! Networks, LLC. Besides being an investment partner in the venture, Tow advised the nation’s first premium programming service for gays and lesbians for more than a year before stepping up to run here!’s parent company. Born into the cable industry as the son of Century Communications founder Leonard Tow, the married father of three brings a wealth of hands-on operational experience plus network start-up chops—through his company, Global Media Holdings—to his new role. CW: How are you splitting duties with here! founder Paul Colichman and his team? Andrew Tow: The functions will be split between New York and L.A., where Paul and his crew will handle original production and consumer marketing. And pretty much everything else, including everything relating to the affiliates, broadcast ops and the management and finance of the company, will be handled out of New York. CW: How are your meetings with operators going? Tow: We expect to have completed some agreements with top five MSOs in the very near future. We already have an arrangement with Time Warner Cable. We’ve got an agreement with TVN and with In Demand, so pretty much anybody who distributes VOD or SVOD can receive our services at this point. The bandwidth that we require is server bandwidth, not video bandwidth. CW: How flexible is your business model? Tow: We are a revenue share service, and we’re very flexible on how our service is offered. It can be offered via VOD, via SVOD or via a linear 24/7 feed. CW: Why is here! pursuing the premium linear/VOD route? Tow: Our view is to make the service flexible technically and offer a business model that’s a revenue share and not a cost center, particularly since there—unfortunately in our society—is potentially a sensitivity to content targeted towards a demographic group that unfortunately brings out, at times, animosity. So our objective is to make that content available on an as-desired basis, so it not only generates new revenue for cable and satellite operators but it’s available to the people who want to see it. CW: What attracted you to getting more involved? Tow: What I love about this is it taps into my channel-launching background. This is my tenth channel, and I’ve had my own company for eight years and I inherited my entrepreneurial spirit from my father, so to work with other entrepreneurs who have a vision and share my passion is very important to me. CW: What did you learn from launching Atom Television on VOD? Tow: I’ve learned a lot about how different operators view the VOD business, and now I can apply that knowledge and experience to here! TV. CW: What impressed you when you heard about the here! concept? Tow: Paul’s ability to produce a lot of high quality, original content is what I found to be one of the main differentiators for here! It’s unusual when you can combine the ability to create value with having the opportunity to affect the social climate as well. 30 Seconds With Andrew Tow Proudest Accomplishment: Raising a beautiful family. Favorite TV Shows: SportsCenter, Curb Your Enthusiasm, CSI. Favorite Place Away From Home: In the winter, on a mountain with my snowboard. In summer, standing in a river with a fishing rod in my hand. Personal Motto: It takes a lifetime to build a reputation for integrity, and only one moment to erase all of your hard work. And to always be true to myself.

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