GEMA TALKS with Rich Battista

In this episode of GEMA TALKS, we speak with Regina K. Scully (I '85), Documentary Film Producer and Founder/CEO of Artemis Rising Foundation. Regina is one of the most prolific documentary film producers today, with over 200 films made, virtually all having a social justice issue at the forefront. We speak at length about her new documentary short film that debuted on Netflix in January 2021, "What Would Sophia Loren Do", a very special project for Regina which chronicles the life of and stars her Italian-American mother Nancy Vincenza Kulik and film legend Sophia Loren. We also discuss how Regina began her film producing career after having already founded and run a very successful marketing and communications agency and having worked in corporate PR/communcations for major fashion brands. We also discuss her days at Georgetown and early career in broadcast journalism.  Finally, she shares some valuable advice for budding filmmakers.

In this talk, Dennis Roche speaks about the genesis of the idea for Burbio, the industry leader in aggregating community event information for digital media, consumers and civic partners that he co-founded and runs with his wife Julie  -- and then describes how interestingly, the company has successfully pivoted during the COVID crisis, utilizing its unique data to offer essential information to cities and towns and b-to-b vendors within communities about the status of COVID and its impact on communities at any moment in time. Dennis also shares his thoughts on building and operating a company with a spouse.

In this installment of GEMA TALKS, we welcome Blair Rich (C '97), Brand & Marketing Advisor, Virgin Galactic and former President, Worldwide Marketing, Theatrical and Home Entertainment, Warner Bros. Entertainment. As one of the leading marketers in entertainment, known for her innovation and franchise building expertise, Blair shares numerous insights on the world of marketing through her nearly 25-year career at Warner Bros where she headed up marketing efforts for some of the most iconic movies and franchises of all time including the Harry Potter Series, the Batman trilogy, Hangover, Crazy Rich Asians, A Star is Born and many, many more. She also discusses her career journey, starting with her initial aspirations at Georgetown of going into politics and government, her distinguished career at Warner Bros. and the exciting brand-building work she is now doing at Virgin Galactic.  Blair also shares thoughts on leadership, including key leadership traits she espouses and employs. Finally, she offers career advice to those looking to break into or advance their careers in entertainment and media.

In this episode of GEMA TALKS, Ted Oberwager (C '06), Managing Director, KKR in its TMT division speaks with Mary Ann Halford (C '80) about the private equity landscape and the interesting companies in media and entertainment that KKR has invested in in recent years including UFC, Epic Games (creator of Fortnite), Fan Duel, MSG, RB Media, and others. Ted discusses the impact that Coronavirus has had on media and the outlook for the industry and for private equity over the next 12 months. He also shares his advice to those looking to break into private equity and media.

GEMA TALKS is a podcast series from the Georgetown Entertainment and Media Alliance (GEMA), hosted by Georgetown University alumnus and GEMA Founder/Chairman, Rich Battista (B '86). In each episode, Rich welcomes a prominent Georgetown University alumnus working in the entertainment and media industry to discuss their career journey, their role in the industry, how the business has evolved and where it’s headed, how being a Hoya propelled them to their place within it and their advice for those looking to break into or rise up in the industry. Producers: Rich Battista and Alex Ghaffari; Music theme: Teddy Zambetti; Logo: Ross Patrick

In this installment of GEMA TALKS with Rich Battista, we speak with Jim McCormick (C '90) who is one of the most prolific songwriters in Nashville and the country music scene. Jim has been nominated for five Grammy awards and has written two #1 Country hits - he has written music for the likes of Keith Urban, Jason Aldean, Tim McGraw, Luke Bryan, Trisha Yearwood, Randy Travis, among many others. In our chat, he discusses how he has harnessed his creativity in new and surprising ways during the Coronavirus pandemic. He gives a sneak peek into his songwriting and collaboration process and relays his very successful, yet non-linear career journey. He also gives valuable advice to aspiring songwriters.

GEMA TALKS is a podcast series from the Georgetown Entertainment and Media Alliance (GEMA), hosted by Georgetown University alumnus and GEMA Founder/Chairman, Rich Battista (B '86). In each episode, Rich welcomes a prominent Georgetown University alumnus working in the entertainment and media industry to discuss their career journey, their role in the industry, how the business has evolved and where it’s headed, how being a Hoya propelled them to their place within it and their advice for those looking to break into or rise up in the industry. Producers: Rich Battista and Alex Ghaffari; Music theme: Teddy Zambetti; Logo: Ross Patrick

On this episode of GEMA TALKS with Rich Battista, Alex Marquardt (F '04), Sr. National Security Correspondent, CNN discusses the experience of producing, reporting on and presenting news during the COVID-19 crisis and shares his views on whether there will be a new normal in the news industry going forward. He also raises what he believes will be the most important national security issues over the next few years, discusses his days at Georgetown and career path and lends valuable advice to those looking to break into the news industry.

GEMA TALKS is a podcast series from the Georgetown Entertainment and Media Alliance (GEMA), hosted by Georgetown University alumnus and GEMA Founder/Chairman, Rich Battista (B '86). In each episode, Rich welcomes a prominent Georgetown University alumnus working in the entertainment and media industry to discuss their career journey, their role in the industry, how the business has evolved and where it’s headed, how being a Hoya propelled them to their place within it and their advice for those looking to break into or rise up in the industry. Producers: Rich Battista and Alex Ghaffari; Music theme: Teddy Zambetti; Logo: Ross Patrick

In this episode of GEMA TALKS with Rich Battista, we are joined by Kay Madati (C '95), former Twitter and Facebook executive who discusses the impact and long-term ramifications of Coronavirus on the digital media/platform space and key companies within it.  He also shares his interesting career journey working at such blue-chip companies as Facebook, Twitter, BMW, CNN and BET. In addition, he lends advice to those Georgetown students attempting to navigate the job market during these unprecedented times.

GEMA TALKS is a podcast series from the Georgetown Entertainment and Media Alliance (GEMA), hosted by Georgetown University alumnus and GEMA Founder/Chairman, Rich Battista ('86). In each episode, Rich welcomes a prominent Georgetown University alumnus working in the entertainment and media industry to discuss their career journey, their role in the industry, how the business has evolved and where it’s headed, how being a Hoya propelled them to their place within it and their advice for those looking to break into or rise up in the industry. Producers: Rich Battista and Alex Ghaffari; Music theme: Teddy Zambetti; Logo: Ross Patrick

In this episode of GEMA TALKS with Rich Battista, we are joined by Elizabeth Luciano (C '03), SVP, Consumer Marketing & Media at A+E Networks, which is comprised of brands such as A&E, History Channel and Lifetime. Elizabeth discusses her role and responsibilities and how her role as a marketer has changed over time with the advent of more data analytics and the emergence of streamers. She also highlights some of the key trends in the world of marketing, what current projects she is excited about and her career journey from The Hilltop to now. She also shares valuable career advice for those looking to break into entertainment.

GEMA TALKS is a podcast series from the Georgetown Entertainment and Media Alliance (GEMA), hosted by Georgetown University alumnus and GEMA Founder/Chairman, Rich Battista. In each episode, Rich welcomes a prominent Georgetown University alumnus working in the entertainment and media industry to discuss their career journey, their role in the industry, how the business has evolved and where it’s headed, how being a Hoya propelled them to their place within it and their advice for those looking to break into or rise up in the industry. Producers: Rich Battista and Alex Ghaffari; Music theme: Teddy Zambetti; Logo: Ross Patrick

GEMA TALKS with Rich Battista is joined by Joe Leccese (C '82), Co-Chair Sports Group and Former Chair of the Firm, Proskauer. Joe has had one of the more prolific careers in the sports industry as an attorney for over 30 years at Proskauer, one of the premier law firms in sports. As someone who works with virtually every sports leagues and various sports teams, Joe discusses how the leagues were affected by the stoppage of sports due to Coronavirus and shares his views on how they will re-emerge going forward and what the lasting affects could be. He also speaks about his career journey from Georgetown to the law profession  and what attributes he thinks are important to be successful. He also shares invaluable advice to those looking to break into law or break into the sports industry.

GEMA TALKS is a podcast series from the Georgetown Entertainment and Media Alliance (GEMA), hosted by Georgetown University alumnus and GEMA Founder/Chairman, Rich Battista (B '86). In each episode, Rich welcomes a prominent Georgetown University alumnus working in the entertainment and media industry to discuss their career journey, their role in the industry, how the business has evolved and where it’s headed, how being a Hoya propelled them to their place within it and their advice for those looking to break into or rise up in the industry. Producers: Rich Battista and Alex Ghaffari; Music theme: Teddy Zambetti; Logo: Ross Patrick

In this installment of GEMA TALKS with Rich Battista, we speak with Louise Lague (SLL '69) who has had a fascinating career as a journalist and author, including an 18-year career as an editor/writer at PEOPLE magazine where she wrote 42 cover stories including 28 on Princess Diana. She has also done freelance writing for many periodicals including the New York Times and Oprah Magazine and is the author of three books and is currently writing her first novel. She discusses her time at PEOPLE and her early days after college in Washington, DC as a reporter/columnist for the Washington Star. She also shares stories of campus life at Georgetown including the turmoil around racial injustice and the war in the late 1960's.  She also discusses her later-career decision to get a masters in counseling and shares career advice.

GEMA TALKS is a podcast series from the Georgetown Entertainment and Media Alliance (GEMA), hosted by Georgetown University alumnus and GEMA Founder/Chairman, Rich Battista (B '86). In each episode, Rich welcomes a prominent Georgetown University alumnus working in the entertainment and media industry to discuss their career journey, their role in the industry, how the business has evolved and where it’s headed, how being a Hoya propelled them to their place within it and their advice for those looking to break into or rise up in the industry. Producers: Rich Battista and Alex Ghaffari; Music theme: Teddy Zambetti; Logo: Ross Patrick