A member profile by Chris Davison, davison@intellcap.com
David Mumford is Executive Vice President of Planning and Operations at Sony Pictures Television. David has worked on the broadcast and studio sides and his current position incorporates consideration of production support, programming and ad sales. I recently had a chance to interview David to discuss forecasting, seismic shifts, and the big SPT presence at the 2008 CES.

Q: Can you tell us about your background? what made you want to work in entertainment?
-like other colleagues, I grew up in a small Midwestern town, without a lot to do, and was drawn to TV as a kid because this amazing medium presented a window into a larger, more exciting world.  Then I realized you could actually study TV in college...imagine that! So I graduated with a degree in the department of radio/TV/film at Northwestern University, while our Wildcat football team majored in the department of losing! Based on my college term paper on national sales rep firms (which sent most of my classmates into a deep slumber), it led to a job in ad sales research at the Katz Agency in New York.  Working closely with TV stations and thanks to my boss Marc Schacher, this led me to a Research Director position at Channel 5, KTLA here in Los Angeles and later Director of Programming.  The station programming background led to a job at a studio, in this case, as Syndication Research Director at Paramount Pictures TV.  Then I received a great opportunity (and much more money!) to run the Columbia Pictures TV department (now Sony Pictures TV) as vice president and have since moved up the proverbial ladder to EVP, adding more responsibilities, having worked here for 20 years...I started when I was 18 of course!

Q: What sorts of planning do you do for SPT?
-I am fortunate to be somewhat of a "jack of all trades" guy at SPT and have the privilege of supporting and empowering practically every division, whether it is the office of the president (Steve Mosko, a great leader!), network, cable, syndication and digital production, program and ad sales, marketing and communications, accounting and finance, digital division, business affairs, legal, corporate, etc, and cross-divisionally as well. Specifically, our department provides daily audience and marketplace analysis along with production and sales support and operational and strategic planning with the collective goal of making us the best independent producer and distributor of TV content across multiple platforms in the United States!

Q: How many months or years into the future do you look?
-we assist in the MRP (mid-range plan) process with our finance group and that process looks out five years in advance with marketplace assumptions, audience projections, product flow and business plans to achieve operational goals. It really puts everyone on the same page, offering targets and accountability for senior management and providing a roadmap to where we should be heading on a going forward basis.

Q: How are strategic and operational planning different today than in the past?
-there's no doubt that the pace of our business has dramatically changed. New entertainment industry paradigms, which formerly took years to come to fruition, are now emerging in months.  Look at the explosive growth of DVR usage, the doubling of online video viewership, the increase in short form content, and the extraordinary growth and technological improvement of mobile devices in a very short time.  Now put all this power in the hands of the sought-after younger consumer and you better be able to shift your planning on a dime. That's why any long range planning must take into account sudden, seismic shifts in business models.

Q: SPT is going to have a big presence at the CES in January, why that show?
-today's world is digital. That means technology is driving content and content is driving technology. And as part of one of the world's best known and respected, leading technology companies - SONY - it is only natural for SPT to have a place at the CES table. Our network, cable, TV station and digital clients know that to be successful, you must understand the technology drivers and CES is at the forefront of enabling that understanding.

Q: Any thoughts on the HRTS during its 60th Anniversary year?
-wow...going back to 1947...not so digital back then! My hat’s off to Chris Silbermann and Dave Ferrara who are doing a terrific job this year in keeping this important organization relevant and vital and providing a place where we can connect with colleagues, learn from the leaders in the business and celebrate our industry. One thing we have all learned is never think you know it all.  Because when you think you do, you will get blindsided.  Constantly learning, attending events and asking questions is critical to our success in this fast moving, digital age and HRTS offers one of the world's top entertainment industry destinations to grow your career. Congrats HRTS on your tremendous accomplishments year in and year out!