A Conversation with Kristin Dolan

Kristin Dolan is Chief Executive Officer of AMC Networks, a global entertainment company and home to many of the greatest stories and characters in the history of TV and film.

Ms. Dolan oversees a portfolio of distinct and award-winning brands including targeted streaming services AMC+, Acorn TV, Shudder, Sundance Now, ALLBLK and HIDIVE; cable networks AMC, BBC AMERICA, IFC, SundanceTV and We TV; film distribution labels IFC Films and RLJE Films; AMC Studios, the company’s in-house studio, production and distribution operation; and AMC Networks International, its international programming business.

A seasoned executive with more than 30 years of media and entertainment experience, Ms. Dolan has served in a number of leadership roles throughout her career, including as Chief Executive Officer of 605, the audience measurement and data analytics firm she founded in 2016, where she led all day-to-day business operations including key client relationships, product development, sales, research, finance, legal and marketing.

Prior to founding 605 and serving as its CEO, Ms. Dolan spent 16 years in various operating roles at Cablevision Systems Corporation, the country’s 6th largest MVPD, including as Chief Operating Officer. In this role, she led all aspects of the company’s cable operations with oversight of more than 10,000 employees spanning Sales, Customer Service, Field Service, Programming, Marketing, Product Management and Human Resources. She also had oversight of Cablevision Media Sales, the company’s advertising sales division, which was widely recognized for its pioneering data strategy that paved the way for an audience-driven approach to television advertising. Ms. Dolan was a key member of the leadership team that oversaw Cablevision’s 2016 sale to Altice USA for $17.7B, the highest revenue multiple in the history of telecom, and helped to lead the subsequent transition.

Prior to Cablevision, Ms. Dolan held various marketing roles at AMC Networks (then known as Rainbow Media), including in Affiliate Marketing and Distribution, where she began her career in 1989.

Ms. Dolan is a member of the Board of Directors for NCTA – The Internet & Television Association (as well as the NCTA Education Foundation), The Paley Center for Media, The Syndeo Institute at The Cable Center, Sphere Entertainment, and The Wendy’s Company (in addition to serving on Wendy’s Audit, Nominating and Governance and Technology Committees). She also serves on the President’s Councils for the University at Albany and Pace University.

Ms. Dolan has received numerous industry recognitions including being named a Cable TV Pioneer, a Multichannel News Wonder Woman and is a recipient of the NCTA Vanguard Award for Distinguished Leadership.

Co-Editor-in-Chief, Variety

Cynthia Littleton is Co-Editor-in-Chief at Variety. She has covered the television beat for the past 30 years. She began her career at United Press International, followed by stints at Broadcasting & Cable magazine, Variety, and The Hollywood Reporter, where she rose to Editor before rejoining Variety in 2007. At Variety she has also served as Business Editor. Cynthia is the author of TV on Strike: Why Hollywood Went to War Over the Internet (Syracuse University Press, 2013), the definitive account of the 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strike and the impact of the disruptive digital advancements that fueled the labor strife. She is also the co-author with Susanne Daniels of Season Finale: The Unexpected Rise and Fall of the WB Network and UPN (HarperCollins, 2007).