Douglas Ponsot of Sony – A 1stFive Profile

Tell us about your hometownI grew up in Chappaqua New York which is a small suburb about an hour north of Manhattan Chappaqua is a relatively closeknit town where you know everyone in your graduating class by their first and last nameWhat were your career aspirations growing upWhen I was very young I wanted to play for the New York Knicks That dream ended when I was old enough to realize I wasnamp8217t going to grow to be 6amp82176amp8221 I always knew that I wanted to make a career out of something that I loved and I was a TV addict so growing up I was focused on getting into the media world in some capacityWhere did you go to school and what did you study What was the most valuable thing you learned in schoolI went to Indiana University Bloomington Go Hoosiers and studied Telecommunications with a focus on Industry and Management and a minor in Business The most valuable thing I learned in school was to take advantage of the resources provided to me In school this meant building relationships with professors and meeting with them regularly and learning how to be successful in the field they were teaching It is just as applicable in the office setting where I try to learn from everyone around me who has years of experience and knowledge to shareWhat is one thing you wish you would have known the day after you graduated from collegeI wish I knew that I would find a job I loved and to not stress about the entire process Everything happens for a reasonHow did you land your first jobI was constantly checking the Sony Pictures Television job board to see if any entrylevel positions had become available knowing that a trainee position would be a great way for me to prove myself and start to build a career I was fortunate enough to get an interview for a research trainee position at SPT and have been with the team ever since over four yearsWhy did you decide on a career in mediaI have always loved watching television and movies so I knew that media would be a career path that I would never get tired of It was very important for me to find a career where I would come to work every day and enjoy what I was doing and I definitely found that at Sony Pictures TelevisionTell me about your company and current roleSony Pictures Television produces and distributes programming worldwide in every genre and for every platform I am a research analyst and support SPTamp8217s ad sales team which handles the commercial inventory and brand integrations in SPTamp8217s syndicated series including The Dr Oz Show Seinfeld The King of Queens Rules of Engagement and Communityamp160 In my current role I track our current programming as well as work on primary research for itWhat about research and data excites youI like to solve problems I always get excited when people come to me with a challenge or question and I am able to be analytical and come up with solutions for themIs there a particular project or assignment you39ve enjoyed at SPT What was it and how were you involvedI have really enjoyed working with our primary research panel which we leverage to get a more qualitative view of our programming from our vieweramp8217s perspective When we conduct panels I write the initial survey program it and then analyze and deliver conclusions using the completed survey dataWhat advice would you give to your 15year old selfI would tell myself to invest in Netflix and Apple when their stock was a fraction of what it is today Seriously though I would tell my 15year old self to do what I love and not to feel pressured to do what other people may have felt I should choose as a career I believe when you do what you love you will ultimately be successful in that field because you are passionate about itDo you have a mentor How have you learned from each otherMy mentor is a former colleague who really helped train me when I started at SPT and helped me develop many of the skills I have today She was always available and accessible to me and always more than willing to help me Over time she began to ask for and value my opinions which gave me confidence to take more ownership of future projectsWhat advice would you give to your superiors as they tackle today39s challenges in the industryI think for anyone the most important thing is to always keep an open mind and accept change In todayamp8217s industry you really have to be willing to adapt quickly and try to stay ahead of the curve or at least on par with it to be successful Just because something has worked in the past does not mean it will lead to success in the futureWhat do you see as challenges in the media business today How do you think they can be overcome One of the biggest challenges in media today is the fact that audiences are watching on their own schedule whenever and wherever they want That39s exciting for viewers but presents all sorts of problems to accurately measure all the viewing that39s happening Measurement companies like Nielsen comScore and Symphony are trying to provide new solutions for crossplatform measurement We39ve explored some of the data and are excited to see more to better understand how audiences are engaging with our programs on different platformsWhat media trends are you most excited aboutI am very excited about the continued growth of SVOD and the fantastic original content available on that platform some of which Sony is producing I think that SVOD allows for some very creative storytelling that would likely not air on traditional broadcast or cable networksWhat is your favorite new trending app or technologyI donamp8217t have much experience using it yet but virtual reality really interests me and I canamp8217t wait to see how it is going to change entertainment in the coming years The one time I sampled the technology it put me on stage at a concert with a 360degree view of the crowd the artist and the venue making me feel like I was really there Iamp8217m excited to see what PlayStation is going to offerWho would be your three ideal dinner guestsKobe Bryant Leonardo DiCaprio and Will FerrellThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet management or associated bloggers

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Douglas Ponsot of Sony – A 1stFive Profile

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