Rick Mandler, Vice President, Strategy and Digital Media Sales, ABC Television Network is part of the management team responsible for all advertising sales for the ABC Television Network, with a focus on digital sales. Overall, Mandler’s role is to help the sales division navigate through the technological and business developments affecting media today.
Previously, Mandler was Vice President, General Manager, Enhanced TV for the Walt Disney Internet Group (WDIG), responsible for all business development, production, technical, and integrated sales for Enhanced TV fare produced for all Disney-owned broadcast and cable network programming. Mandler assumed that position in March of 2001.
Prior to running Enhanced TV, Mandler had been vice president of WDIG Local and Broadcasting. In that position, he was responsible for developing and managing the Internet efforts of the ABC Broadcasting properties, including ABC-owned television and radio stations across the country, ABC Radio Networks, and the localization of WDIG’s Internet businesses.
Earlier, Mandler was vice president, new media for ABC Broadcasting after serving as general manager, new media for ABC Radio Networks, where he had operational and strategic responsibility for the ABC Radio division's Internet efforts.
Mandler joined Capital Cities/ABC, Inc. (now ABC, Inc.) in 1992 as a general attorney. He was named director of business affairs for ABC News in 1994, where he was responsible for negotiating talent and business agreements.
Prior to coming to ABC, Mandler was an associate at the New York law firm of Patterson, Belknap, Webb and Tyler from 1989 to 1992, and a law clerk for the Honorable Leonard I. Garth, United States Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, from 1987 to 1989.
The winner of two Emmy’s for interactive television, Mandler is a graduate of Wesleyan University and New York University Law School. He is the co-author of “TV for the 21st Century, The Video Ad Model in Transition” in Transitioned Media: A Turning Point into the Digital Realm (Einav, 2010) and an adjunct professor at NYU Stern School of business.
