Bridget Baker is a valued strategic advisor, corporate board director, and executive strategist to media, entertainment and technology companies. She has proven success and deep expertise in deal negotiation, subscriber growth, strategic partnerships, and diversity advocacy. Ms. Baker is a dynamic and high capacity operating executive with broad experience in both early and late stage public and private companies.
As principal of independent consultancy Baker Media, Bridget Baker advises and represents major media and technology companies. Prior to establishing Baker Media, Ms. Baker had a distinguished 23-year career at NBCUniversal where she was a co-founder of CNBC and the company’s first president of TV Networks Distribution from 2006 - 2013. She was instrumental in building and later overseeing a $5 billion content distribution business that firmly established some of the most highly rated and valuable network assets in history. Included among the company’s top 1% of senior executives as a member of the management committee, Ms. Baker was at the forefront of a wide range of strategic initiatives from expanding coverage of the Olympic Games to creating Hulu. She was tapped by parent company General Electric to develop the first-ever corporate affinity group for women in 2006, and in 2008 her division contributed the largest consolidated operating profit at the company. Ms. Baker played a key role in nearly $50 billion of mergers and acquisitions from 2002 - 2013, culminating in Comcast’s integration of NBCU.
In 2019, Ms. Baker was the first woman named to the board of LiveOne Media Inc. (NASDAQ: LVO), Headquartered in Los Angeles, LiveOne is a global digital media company focused on live entertainment. From 2013 - 2018, Ms. Baker was the first and only woman to serve on the board of directors of General Communication Inc., Alaska’s largest telecommunications company. In April, 2018 the company completed a $2 billion merger with John Malone’s Liberty Interactive and during the year-long diligence process and deal transaction, Ms. Baker served on the 3-person Special Committee representing shareholders. Ms. Baker was pivotal in raising the profile of the company’s female executives and played a key role in creating the GCI Women’s Network, the company’s first ever employee resource group. In 2020 GCI Liberty merged into Liberty Broadband (NASDAQ: LBRDA).
In 2016 Ms. Baker was nominated to the board of directors of Yahoo! which garnered her national and international coverage in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, CNBC, Bloomberg, and Investor Business Daily as, “the person who helped build NBC’s cable empire;” “a media expert;” and “one of nine extremely impressive media and tech execs who will not only give Yahoo a serious run but could be on Google’s board right now.”
Ms. Baker serves as a trustee of her alma mater, Pitzer College, where she received a BA in Political Studies and in 2010 was the “Distinguished Alumni Award” honoree. Ms. Baker was the only woman inducted in 2008 to the “Cable TV Pioneers Association” and in 2012, she was awarded NCTA’s “Vanguard Award for Distinguished Leadership,” considered one of the industry’s highest honor. In 2020, Ms. Baker was the 25th woman inducted into the prestigious “Cable Hall of Fame.” Ms. Baker grew up in Alaska’s remote capitol city of Juneau and began her career on Capitol Hill as an aide to the late US Senator Ted Stevens.
California Cable Television Association
Keynote Panel: “Diversity, Mentorship & Advancing”
February 2020
Center for Women in Leadership
Keynote Speech
Graziadio School of Business, Pepperdine University
February 2018, 2019, 2020
Women in Cable & Telecommuncations
“How to be a Leader and Influencer”
Los Angeles, CA
September 2019
StreamTV Show
Fireside Chat
Denver, CO
May 2019
Women on Boards 2020
National Lunheon
Los Angeles, CA
November 2017, 2018, 2019
Syndeo Institute at The Cable Center
Annual Keynote, Intrapreneurship Academy
Denver, CO
December 2018 - present
Hollywood Radio & TV Society: Women of the West
Keynote panelist
Los Angeles, CA
May 2018
American Cable Association: 25th Anniversary Summit
Keynote panelist
Washington, DC
March 2018
Annual Women’s Leadership Forum
Keynote panelist
Pepperdine Graziadio School of Business
Malibu, CA
February 2018
Board of Advisors – North Fork TV Festival – New York, NY – 2015 to 2020
Founding member of the Board of innovative TV festival in Suffolk County, NY, a celebration of independent scripted TV. Three days of exclusive screenings of independent pilots, industry panels, and presentation of the Canopy Award to an outstanding member of New York’s creative community. (Inaugural Award in 2017 to Chris Noth.)
Board of Directors – The Cable Center – Denver, CO – 2010 to present
Established as an education nonprofit in 1985, TCC is located on the University of Denver campus and plays an integral role documenting and promoting the rich heritage of cable industry entrepreneurs. TCC executes programs such as the Intrapreneur Academy, Customer Care Committee, Cable Hall of Fame, “From the Headend” podcasts, and the ongoing Oral History Project at the Barco Library.
Board of Directors – General Communication, Inc. – Anchorage, AK – 2013 to 2018
Only woman to serve on the Board of Alaska-based GCI, the state’s largest provider of voice, video and data communication services to some of the most remote communities and challenging conditions in North America. Founded in the early 1980’s, GCI’s enterprise value grew to $2.6 billion and was acquired by Liberty Interactive in April 2018, creating GCI Liberty (NASDAQ: GLIBA).
Senior Advisor – Fandor – San Francisco, CA – 2013 to 2016
Senior advisor to principal investor and CEO of Netflix-like SVOD startup that features independent and international films, shorts and documentaries. Fandor delivers 50% revenue share to films’ rights holders and is dedicated to the advancement and preservation of film art and culture.
Board of Directors Nominee – Yahoo! Inc. – Sunnyvale, CA – 2016
One of two women nominated to the Board of Directors of Yahoo by February, 2016 as part of an alternate slate proposed by Starboard Value LP. Yahoo was acquired by Verizon for $4.5 billion in June 2017. Extensive national press coverage in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, CNBC, and Bloomberg TV.
Consultant – (formerly Time Warner SportsNetLA) – Los Angeles, CA – 2014 to 2015
Advised Time Warner Cable's Chief Programming Officer and the President of SportsNetLA on distribution and go-to-market strategies for the LA Dodgers Network.
Consultant – Tennis Channel – Santa Monica, CA – 2014 to 2015
Advised CEO and COO on turnaround strategies for key distribution platforms, linear and OTT, in preparation for $350 million sale to Sinclair Broadcasting in March 2016.
Baker Media, Inc.
Los Angeles, CA
bb@bridgetbaker.com
