OUR TEAM

Jack Myers is founder of MediaVillage, Advancing Diversity.org and The Myers Report. He’s the nation’s leading media ecologist, having dedicated his career to studying and reporting on the media business. His five decades of behind-the-scenes work with brands, agencies, content publishers, studios, emerging tech companies, non-profit organizations and educational institutions has made Jack one of the most influential leaders in the history of the media and advertising business.

Jack has received the Excellence in Education Award from the Global Forum on Education & Learning, the George Foster Peabody Award, and an Academy Award nomination for Documentary Filmmaking. He’s written five books on the intersection of media and culture, including his visionary 2007 book Virtual Worlds: Rewiring Our Emotional Future; Hooked Up: A New Generation’s Surprising Take on Sex, Politics and Saving the World in 2012; and The Future of Men in 2016.

Through his research on technological and generational trends, Jack anticipated the industry’s need to invest in and train a new workforce, leading to his founding of MediaVillage and AdvancingDiversity.org. Today more than 100 content partners in the MediaVillage Knowledge Exchange connect with thousands of professionals, educators, students and job seekers who subscribe to free daily MediaVillage reports and rely on MediaVillage.com for meeting preparation and professional development.

Jack began his career in advertising sales and marketing with Metromedia Outdoor, ABC Radio, CBS-TV and UTV Cable. He majored in Radio-Television at the S.I. Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University and has a master’s degree in Media Ecology from NYU Steinhardt. Jack is Chairman Emeritus of the International Radio and Television Society Foundation (IRTS), founder of the Newhouse 44 Mentoring Program, serves on multiple advisory boards, and is the recipient of the Mac Dane Humanitarian Award from the UJA. Jack and his wife, Ronda Carnegie, have established the 501C-3 Jacaronda Foundation to provide college loan relief to deserving young professionals.

Mark is responsible for general business management and operations at MediaVillage. He is focused on memberships and our service center. Mark has always been committed to teams and constantly improving organizations. He’s been in media sales, management and executive leadership roles for 40 years and does his best work with organizations committed to growth, education and change. Mark was Vice President, National Advertising Sales at Comcast Spotlight (now Effectv) for 17 years. Here he was part of the start-up team contributing revenue growth of more than 300%.

Earlier in his career, Mark was recruited by several successful start-ups including Group W Sports Marketing, New World Sales & Marketing, audio-internet pioneer, ClickRadio and the Antonelli Media Training Center.

When not working, Mark enjoys family, friends, good health, sports and books. He cooks and specializes in great dinners in 30 minutes.

Ed Martin is editorial advisor of MyersBizNet and its Watch, Listen & Learn platform. He's also the chief television and content critic for MediaVillage.  He is also President (TV Branch) of the Critics Choice Association and has been a member of the Television Critics Association since 1990.

Before aligning in 1998 with Jack Myers, Ed was a television critic and reporter for USA Today and was senior editor of Inside Media magazine. Earlier in his career, he was publicity director for the independent feature film production and distribution company Vestron Pictures, where he orchestrated publicity campaigns for dozens of movies, including the classic Dirty Dancing.

People always ask Ed to name his favorite TV series of all time. The first five positions on his list haven’t changed since 1977. They are, in order: The Mary Tyler Moore Show, All in the Family,I Love Lucy, The Twilight Zone and Green Acres.

Awa joined the MediaVillage team in October 2021 after earning her bachelor’s degree from Lawrence University. Awa works as a content researcher, compiling information on MediaVillage’s members to increase efficiency and generate ideas for content. Awa is also part of the database creation team working closely with Jeff Minsky to ensure all of MediaVillage’s data is accurate and up to date.

During her time in college, Awa was a writing fellow at Lawrence University’s Office of Communications, while contributing and holding leadership positions multiple diversity-focused organizations on campus.

Catherine is a media executive with over 15 years of leadership expertise managing clients and campaigns across marketing channels. In her current role, Catherine is responsible for managing and servicing member relationships along with strategic oversight of delivering their B2B initiatives at MediaVillage. Previously, she held strategic and integrative marketing positions at NBCUniversal, Live Nation Entertainment, experiential agencies, and early in her career at The WB. Catherine holds an MBA in Marketing & Management from Baruch College’s Zicklin School of Business and a BS in Marketing from Bentley University. Catherine enjoys yoga, running, and continuously exploring her hometown of NYC.

Diane Stefani is a results-driven public relations specialist with over two decades of experience garnering top-tier press placements and providing brand strategy for a broad range of innovative organizations, mission-based startups and legacy media companies.

Diane was brought on board to bring awareness to MediaVillage’s AdvancingDiversity.org and annual Advancing Diversity Hall of Honors. The relationship has grown to include publicizing the growing number of content marketing channels, subject matter columnists, and multiplatform journalists.

Prior to launching Diane Stefani Public Relations, the born and bred New Yorker was Executive Vice President at the Rosen Group, managing clients as diverse as the James Beard Foundation, B. Smith Enterprises, One Club for Art & Copy, Barnes & Noble, National Magazine Awards, Etsy, and Fast Company. Stefani credits her earlier career as an entertainment reporter at The New York Post and Director of Communications at Playboy Enterprises for a passion for journalism.

Photo credit: Matt Sutton.

As Editor of the MediaVillage Knowledge Exchange, Janet oversees a host of articles published throughout the work week. They highlight new innovations and deep insights that have developed within media companies. As a key part of that process, she directs an orchestra of fine journalists who uncover those stories.

Janet got her “chops” at the storied showbiz bible “Variety.” She was on staff at a number of business publications over the years, first as a correspondent and later an editor. And she has also worked as a consultant and researcher, specializing in the business of media.

In addition to her work as a journalist, Janet writes science fiction that illuminates the human condition in provocative ways. Her novel, “The Juice,” imagines what the media industry could be like a few decades into the future. It was released by Dragon Moon Press in February 2021 to rave reviews. She won the competition for the  Writers Lab for Women, which is funded by Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman. And her work has also been published by Asimov’s magazine.

Jeff is an award-winning advertising and digital media pioneer, strategist, and media technologist. He is one of only a handful in the industry with not only a strong mix of traditional and digital knowledge and experience, but also experience on all sides of the business, agency, client, and media sales.

Throughout the course of his 25-plus years in the marketing communications industry, Jeff has driven media strategy, internal digital change management, and media negotiation/project management for brands as diverse as IBM, Intel, McDonalds, The CW, CBS, Showtime, Disney, Visa, Hilton, State Farm, Anheuser Busch, and Pepsi. He has been influential in creating the industry frameworks by which digital media is purchased as the coauthor and lead negotiator for the 4As/IAB Industry Standard Terms and Conditions for the Buying of Digital Media.

Juan Ayala is a Brooklyn-based writer, podcast producer and host at MediaVillage. Since 2017, under his column Multicultural TV, he has covered programming aimed toward diverse and multicultural audiences, as well as the LGBTQ+ and Latin communities. Since 2021, he has hosted the podcast “Multicultural TV Talk” for MediaVillage, where he interviews with stars of television and media, focusing conversations on diversity, representation and inclusivity in entertainment. In addition, he hosts “Actors With Issues” a podcast where he chats with rising and established stars from across entertainment, taking mini deep-dives into their careers and the lessons they’ve learned along the way.

He is also a member of the Critics Choice Association.

Justin Paura is the host of the "View from the Grandstand" podcast and head of Audio Content at MediaVillage.com. The Long Island-based podcaster provides insights into rights, production, distribution and advertising strategies wielded by top media companies and executives as they look to score with existing audiences and connect with new ones in the ever-evolving world of sports media. In his role as Director of Content Management, Justin is the liaison between MediaVillage journalists and its members, who are thought leaders in the marketing, media, advertising, and entertainment industries. He graduated from Syracuse University's S.I. School of Public Communications with a degree in Broadcast and Digital Journalism. Justin joined the MediaVillage team as a producer in 2020.

Maryann has been an integral part of the Myers team for over 30 years. She serves as the hub of MediaVillage, ensuring that members, readers, and staff are best served. On a daily basis she manages internal operations, including human resources and accounting; and she oversees such customer-facing operations as content distribution and web management. In her brief moments of "spare time" she dabbles with the company's research, supporting and working alongside the research team to deliver top-notch insights to the industry.

As the person with the most institutional knowledge (besides Jack, of course), she serves as a key mentor and supporter for all new team members. She thoroughly enjoys working with every member of the team to help them succeed individually, and to help them come together to ensure the success of MediaVillage and its members and readers.

As MediaVillage’s member services manager, Robin leads the business relationship with our member companies. She also works to help foster a sense of community for our members by managing events such as the 3rd Advancing Diversity Hall of Honors Induction Experience, the leading diversity & inclusion event at CES.

Robin started her career in movie advertising, working on behalf of New Line Cinema and Dreamworks. She moved to the nonprofit sector, where she worked in partnerships and fundraising for organizations including UJA-Federation of New York, Women in Need, and Urban Dove. Most recently, Robin was able to merge her love of media and entertainment with her passion for bringing people together while at The Paley Center for Media, where she ran membership and events for their industry executive group.

When she’s not working, Robin can be found hanging out with her husband Paul and her kids Quinn and Noah.