A master dealmaker, Botti oversees complex negotiations and acquisitions involving The Walking Dead Universe and the iconic works of author Anne Rice. Last fall she helped negotiate a news-making deal that brought the company’s tentpole shows and popular franchises to Max’s 50 million subscribers for 60 days and set the stage for a similar year-long partnership with Netflix. Botti is an active member of ChIPs, an organization dedicated to advancing women in the fields of law, technology and policy.
“Peggy Olson from AMC’s iconic ‘Mad Men.’ She starts as a secretary and eventually rises to creative director in the then-male-dominated ad industry. It was so fun to watch Peggy’s evolution throughout the series. In the beginning, she is someone who will do whatever is asked of her without question. But by the end, she’s a leader with the confidence to compete and challenge her male counterparts. While Peggy always had strong opinions, it took her awhile to develop the confidence to voice them. Once she finds her voice you see her transform into an authentic and impactful leader.”
What’s the most significant challenge facing women in leadership today, and how can it be addressed? While women make up approximately half of the workforce, we remain significantly underrepresented in the C-Suite and boardroom. This disparity remains even though study after study shows that companies with more women in senior roles tend to be more profitable, socially responsible, and have higher employee satisfaction. Some of this disparity is due to women not feeling worthy or not having the confidence to speak up about what we want. I believe in the power of mentoring the younger generations of women, so that, hopefully, they can stand on the shoulders of those that came before them and more easily (and quickly) rise to levels of senior roles.
If you could compete in one game or competition series, which would it be and why? That’s easy! I’d want to be a contestant on “The Voice.” Throughout my twenties, I pursued two very different career paths – I was either going to be an entertainment attorney or a professional touring/recording rock artist. I chose law school, but continued to write, record and perform with my band as a hobby. When “American Idol” was in its heyday, I was too old to qualify. And while “The Voice” doesn’t have an age limit, I was originally disqualified when the show first came out because I was employed by NBC. I’d love to see how far I could get. I bet I could get all 4 chairs to turn for me!
What do you believe is the next big disruption facing the industry? Generative AI is clearly the next big disruption facing our industry. It will affect every aspect from content creation to ad sales to how we interact with our customers. It will create greater workplace efficiencies and drive new monetization opportunities. However, generative AI will also create many new legal and moral challenges as well. And if we aren’t careful, it could perpetuate further gender biases (just ask any AI generator to draw a picture of a CEO).