Vice President, APT Syndication and Premium Service

Reports To: Executive Vice President, Content

Summary – Job Objective:

The Vice President, APT Syndication and Premium Service leads the development and management of a content development and acquisition, sales and administrative team seeking a broad range of quality content from a variety of domestic and foreign sources to be sold to public television stations, via Syndication and Premium Service (a membership-based pledge program service), and has a dynamic role in the content and management teams.

Essential Functions:

Overall Leadership and Management

1. Serve as highly engaged member of APT management on matters including strategic planning; broadcast and digital initiatives; diversity, equity and inclusion; and mapping the future of APT.
2. Lead, manage and motivate the organization’s leading prime time content department as well as others throughout organization in various projects.
3. Develop, manage and forecast annual budgets and updates.
4. Maintain and grow key relationships with local public media stations and external content suppliers.
   

Content Leadership

5. Evaluate content (individual programs and series) for viewer appeal, availability, affordability and sale to public television stations for APT Syndication via one in-person and multiple on-line marketing events, plus periodic special-offer opportunities.
6. Execute Zoom/pre-recorded and in-person sales and promotion presentations to the PTV community
7. Evaluate programs and proposals for public television (PTV) pledge suitability, and consider for acquisition or co-production by APT Premium Service (including viable pledge thank-you gifts) to increase station membership support.
8. Negotiate contract terms for APT offers and broadcast/distribution licenses; set national prices for program offers within the context of PTV’s fiscal model.
9. Attend appropriate domestic and international programming markets to seek potential public television content
10. Attend public television industry meetings to assess programming opportunities and facilitate relationships with content acquisition and membership teams at PTV client stations.
11. Supervise staff and consultant(s) and direct vendors in support of departmental functions – management of program evaluation process (including standards and practices and editorial matters), program presentation process (including descriptive material for sales presentations), program confirmation/contract process and add-on sales.
12. Lead annual membership enrollment and renewal process for APT Premium Service.
13. Facilitate and oversee industry advisory groups comprised of key PTV client constituencies.
14. Identify content that will receive special publicity attention, in coordination with APT Communications department.
15. Cultivate relationships with content suppliers (from large suppliers, such as NBCUniversal and All3 Media, to independent producers) and content purchasers (public television licensees across the country).
16. Meet with producers of license-fee-based content to evaluate and shape potential APT co-productions.
17. Secure rights for digital initiatives.
18. Play a key role in the planning of the annual conference (APT Fall Marketplace).
19. Administer APT program underwriting-credit policy, when necessary.
20. Maintain dependable work attendance.

Additional Responsibilities

1. Perform any related duties as assigned.
2. Occasionally train staff.
3. Assist other departments as needed.

Qualifications and Abilities Required
The position requires at least a bachelor’s degree, or the combination of equivalent education and work experience, 5-10 years related media experience, and leadership experience with demonstrated management abilities. Experience in public television programming as program manager, national public media content executive, or international/domestic content sales manager to public broadcasting stations is highly preferred. Experience in program production (as a producer or executive producer) is a plus.

Other Knowledge, Skills, and Experiences

• Ability to assess completed programs, pilots and projects in development in the context of public television realities: license fee price point, content suitability, production quality, audience potential, pledge appeal, and scheduling/distribution applications.
• Experience working with key PTV prime-time acquisition distributors
• Excellent people management and time management skills.
• Experience negotiating broadcast and production contracts.
• Ability to work independently and with a team, and possess the ability to think creatively in an ever-changing industry environment.
• Demonstrated knowledge of content execution and development
• Ability to attract and recruit top talent, motivate the team, delegate effectively
• Understanding of the public media system
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills
• Skilled in contracts and business affairs
• Knowledge of and/or facility with learning:
  • Lotus Notes software, Google apps, Excel and other PC-based Microsoft-based applications
  • Web content management systems
  • Video editing software for non-broadcast applications
  
  

Personal Characteristics:

• Self-starting, goal and results-oriented, personally-driven
• Positive attitude, collaborative and collegial approach to work
• Thorough and thoughtful
• High executive-function skills, and able to deliver prolific volume of strong work in demanding environment
• Demonstrates excellent judgment and capable of 360 degree thinking
• Big picture thinker who understands the importance of details and accuracy in execution
• Believes in high degree of customer service – for external clients and internal teams
• Recognizes and appreciates importance of, and contributes to, company Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion commitments
• Demonstrated experience in a multi-tasking work environment
• Comfortable working in a small company with a participatory work style

If you have the required knowledge, skills, and experiences, please submit your cover letter, resume and salary requirements to HRVPSyndicationPremiumService@APTonline.org

Resumes will be reviewed on a rolling basis beginning September 7 until the position is filled. The successful candidate may begin November/December for training with predecessor who will remain in the post until December 2021/January 2022. This position offers a competitive salary and generous benefits package.

American Public Television is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.

This job description is intended to be general and will evolve over time. The description is subject to periodic updating. At management's discretion, the employee may be assigned different or additional duties from time to time.

American Public Television (APT), based in Boston, MA, is the leading syndicator of content to public television stations nationwide.