Over 20-Year Track Record as Media and Entertainment Industry Leader
Esther Weinberg is a leadership expert who works with media companies to predict, prepare, and plan change. She creates breakthrough strategies for NBCUniversal, Microsoft, Studio71, Turner, Sony, Warner Bros., National Geographic, Univision, Discovery Communications, BET, Endemol Shine North America, Disney / ABC Television Group and MTV Networks.
Thought Leader
Based on her 20-year track record in media industry, she is finishing her book entitled "Leadership Hollywood Style" with Kim Congdon, former executive at the Oscars and current Chief People Officer at Fullscreen, in which they share how to produce, direct and create star performers. Esther’s influential articles on change and leadership includes writing a monthly leadership column for CableFAX.com, reaching 50,000+ unique visitors and is the author of "Become a Successful Leader: 57 Simple Strategies Any Leader Can Implement TODAY!".
Creating Proven Programs That Work
Esther works with high performance teams to achieve the following results:
- Advertising revenues grew to a whopping $135 million (33% increase) when Esther redesigned the sales team and their responsibilities for the U.S. sales staff for Microsoft on the launch of new roles and responsibilities of sales teams.
- Created raving fans out of less than happy peers for a Vice President looking to improve her leadership skills: promoted to Senior Vice President within 6 months.
- An astounding 75% of participants of participants in Esther’s program designed for ESPN were promoted to new positions within the six-month leadership program.
- Transitioned senior executive team from a disparate group into a solid cohesive leadership team that transformed Talent Management and was ready to plan for the company’s future growth.
- Transformed the leadership of the President from a major studio from a disconnected leader to elevating a high performing team and creating fans among his peers.
- Assessed, reorganized, led and coached and a department at Warner Bros. through an entire organizational development process:
- Became key advisors mapping out business opportunities for their television division during the most significant CEO leadership transition in recent years.
- Executive performance improved, impacting critical business decisions.
- Never before implemented strategic planning system.
- Leadership team formed and more connected and cohesively overseeing department’s future.
Sessions that Predict, Prepare and Plan Your Team for Change
Sessions for leadership change include:
- Leading from the Inside Out: 6 Steps to Shifting Perception…and Reality
- The Upside of Change: How to Reassure, Retain & Reinvigorate Your Team
- Celebrity Employment: Transforming Rising Starts Into Rock Stars!
- Leading the Charge for Change: How to Accept, Predict and Plan for Change
Developing Leaders From Africa to America
Esther’s passion for developing leaders globally and building cross-cultural solutions stems from her work abroad including in Botswana, Israel and in Uganda. Esther led strategic campaigns in the areas of children rights, education and health, including implementing an organizational assessment for one of the largest child rights membership based networks in Africa and conducted an assessment of Ugandan child rights, laws and policies.
Media Executive Specializing in Working With Media Executives
While Esther is a thought partner to many media and entertainment companies, she too practices what she shares, standing in the shoes of C-Suite executives as both an interim CEO and a leader at several organizations. Esther was the interim CEO for Spirituality For Kids (SFK) and accomplished more operationally within the last year than the last nine years since the organization formed. Madonna returned to the organization as a large-scale financial backer and spearheaded the newly developed Board of Directors.
Esther has also held executive positions at Disney/ABC Television Group overseeing communication activities for all of Disney’s owned networks including Disney Channel and Disney XD and teaming with executives at Disney’s partially owned networks including Lifetime Television, ESPN, A+E Television Networks and History Channel. She was also an executive at Fox Cable Networks Group.
Esther is a graduate of New York University with a major in Journalism and CoachU. She is a member of Women in Cable Telecommunications, PromaxBDA, and Harvard’s Institute of Coaching at McLean Hospital as well as an Introductory Leader for Landmark.
Contact Esther Weinberg at esther@mindlightgroup.com, 323-424-3474.
