Lisa Williams-Fauntroy

In addition to structuring and negotiating programming and development deals for Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and Science Channel, in the past year Williams-Fauntroy also has begun managing the business and legal affairs of those networks. A forward-thinking attitude combined with her depth of knowledge about Discovery and its networks makes Williams-Fauntroy a valuable asset to the overall company. Despite a demanding work schedule, she makes supporting Washington, D.C.’s Duke Ellington School of the Arts a personal priority. “The school is a gem and educates and supports the city’s most talented students with a robust and strong arts and academic program,” she says.

The technology that will most benefit cable over the next year is…
Whatever makes accessibility to content easy via mobile devices is critical to keeping up with younger viewers and necessary for success in the future.

What television show/s – cable or broadcast  – best embrace diversity?
It seems predictable to say but “Scandal,” “Black-ish” and “Empire” are my favorites and come to mind as giving viewers a beautiful, bold and robust look at more brown faces on television. All of those series are led by black talent, and the latter two series boast mostly black casts. They also embrace LGBT characters and allow the viewers to step away into a variety of worlds where you see the culture of characters both boldly and more subtly in other ways. I hope these shows are here to stay.

Favorite charity organization you work with?
For years I have been a proud supporter of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D.C. The school is a gem and educates and supports the city’s most talented students with a robust and strong arts and academic program. The school’s teachers are extremely dedicated and the students are incredibly talented. Their performances rival Broadway shows, and I’m rewarded whenever I take part in their events.