David Zaslav

Years in Cable: 25
Education: BS, SUNY Binghamton; JD, Boston University School of Law
Best Advice: Answer every email and return every call.

After seven years leading Discovery, Zaslav’s mantra remains unchanged: Great content drives network performance. No surprise the company cemented his contract for the rest of the decade. Its U.S. nets generated revenue of $3 billion in 2013, Discovery’s primetime viewership was up 4% year-over-year, and Animal Planet delivered its best year ever and is now a top 20 cable net. Newer brands Destination America and Velocity also performed well, and OWN rose double digits in its key demos. International expansion remains top of mind for Zaslav, who closed Discovery’s largest transaction to date, the $1.7 billion acquisition of SBS Nordic. Since the Zaslav era, Discovery nets worldwide have doubled from 100 to nearly 200. Look for more global action as he cements the purchase of sports platform Eurosport, which reaches 133 million homes across 54 countries.

John, Paul, George or Ringo? Paul

My favorite newfound hobby: Vintage cars

One thing I would do all the time if I could: Travel the world with my family

Beach or mountains? Both, depending on the season