Thanda Belker
By | November 1, 2013
EVP, Pay Television, U.S. Distribution, Sony Pictures Television
Belker’s strong relationships with clients and her understanding of the cable pay TV business paid off in a big way—to the potential tune of $2 billion—earlier this year when she played an integral role in extending the agreement between Sony Pictures Entertainment and Starz for another eight years. Next up for Belker is continuing to exploit Sony’s content in the burgeoning SVOD market. How does she define workplace success? “Reading about a deal I worked on and having the first-hand knowledge of all the intricacies around it.”
What’s your favorite part of your job?
Every day is different. The transactional space in SVOD and VOD is always changing, so I’m presented with managing existing licensing models that are constantly shifting as well as analyzing and creating new ways to license to these ever-changing platforms.
How do you define success in the workplace?
Reading about a deal I worked on and having the first-hand knowledge of all the intricacies around it.
Best trick for maintaining the personal-professional life balance?
Having the autonomy to prioritize deals and manage across divisions as necessary. I schedule specific project times and phone call returns times in one of two offices every day. I also schedule in personal time and commit to be present without devices. I also work in an environment that values personal-professional life balance and have a supportive, loving and flexible spouse.
Who would you want to swap jobs with for a month and why?
Tom Brady because he’s the QB of a major NFL team and I’d see teamwork at its finest and being married to a supermodel isn’t bad either.