Tom Maney Senior Vice President, Fox Sports en Español
Being Hispanic…Does it have any influence on your business?
I’m not Hispanic, I’m ½ Italian and ½ Irish…. But I love the culture and the warmth of the marketplace. I have embraced the Hispanic culture as one of my own. It has because it has become one of our principal cultures here in the U.S., so I am constantly surrounded by great, caring people, and one cannot help but share in its joy. In general, it makes business more fun and exciting. Being able to connect with such a rich culture is a genuine gift.
In the face of adversity, how do you decide to keep going?
See my favorite quote….. I love challenges and the challenge given to me 10 years ago to build and develop a Spanish language cable sports network has been the most fun and rewarding experience in my 20+ years in media. It’s fun being the underdog…..
What is the biggest challenge you have faced?
I think the biggest challenge I ever faced was training to run the NYC Marathon. I always wanted to do one, but having never run more than 3 miles the 26.2 mile marathon was a huge challenge. In every way it was symbolic to how you need to approach life’s challenges. Setting a goal, developing a plan for success, sticking to the plan despite small set backs, until eventually achieving the goal. I ran it in 4 hours and 30 minutes, and finished with a smile on my face.
If you could change one thing about your life, what would it be?
I would have loved to have lived/worked in Latin America or Europe for a period of time. I love different cultures….
What was your childhood ambition?
To be an Oceanographer, to study ocean and sea life. I love the water, I could swim before I could walk, and am fascinated by the under water world.
Tell us about three people that you admire?
I’m not Hispanic, I’m ½ Italian and ½ Irish…. But I love the culture and the warmth of the marketplace. I have embraced the Hispanic culture as one of my own. It has because it has become one of our principal cultures here in the U.S., so I am constantly surrounded by great, caring people, and one cannot help but share in its joy. In general, it makes business more fun and exciting. Being able to connect with such a rich culture is a genuine gift.
In the face of adversity, how do you decide to keep going?
See my favorite quote….. I love challenges and the challenge given to me 10 years ago to build and develop a Spanish language cable sports network has been the most fun and rewarding experience in my 20+ years in media. It’s fun being the underdog…..
What is the biggest challenge you have faced?
I think the biggest challenge I ever faced was training to run the NYC Marathon. I always wanted to do one, but having never run more than 3 miles the 26.2 mile marathon was a huge challenge. In every way it was symbolic to how you need to approach life’s challenges. Setting a goal, developing a plan for success, sticking to the plan despite small set backs, until eventually achieving the goal. I ran it in 4 hours and 30 minutes, and finished with a smile on my face.
If you could change one thing about your life, what would it be?
I would have loved to have lived/worked in Latin America or Europe for a period of time. I love different cultures….
What was your childhood ambition?
To be an Oceanographer, to study ocean and sea life. I love the water, I could swim before I could walk, and am fascinated by the under water world.
Tell us about three people that you admire?
My father- An early pioneer in television and my best friend in life.
Rupert Murdoch- His vision to build and launch new media outlets and his determination to succeed despite many challenges.
Larry Bird- A consummate professional who had an incredible work ethic to be #1 and to lead a team in winning.
For meetings: breakfast, lunch, or dinner?
Breakfasts are great, I am an early riser. Lunch doesn’t work, too much time taken from the busy day. Dinners are great especially at great restaurants with fabulous wine.
Larry Bird- A consummate professional who had an incredible work ethic to be #1 and to lead a team in winning.
For meetings: breakfast, lunch, or dinner?
Breakfasts are great, I am an early riser. Lunch doesn’t work, too much time taken from the busy day. Dinners are great especially at great restaurants with fabulous wine.
What sacrifices on your personal life did you have to make in order to become a business success?
Being away from my family with the amount of travel I have to do for my job. I have two beautiful daughters ages 7 & 10 who I love to be with every day.
Obstacles are what you see if you take your eyes off your goal!
Is it difficult to be unconventional?
Not at all. Being unconventional leads to new thinking and being innovative.
Biggest mistake made?
Not taking a 40% pay cut with a huge options package for an internet company back in 1996. The company was Yahoo and the options would have been worth a few million today…. LOL!!!
Do you consider yourself an innovator? Why?
Absolutely. From my start in Independent television in the ‘80’s to cable in the 90’s to developing and building Fox Sports en Español as the leader in Spanish language cable television marketplace, I have always sought out the opportunity to be innovative and to develop new business segments.
About the Company
Fox Sports en Español features more than 1,500 hours of live, exclusive sports programming in Spanish and, with few exceptions, English SAP each year, including InterLigaTM, the Copa Santander Libertadores, Copa Nissan Sudamericana, and the FIFA Club World Cup soccer tournaments; the Major League Baseball regular season, divisional playoffs, All-Star Game and World Series; and premier combat sports including championship boxing from Mexico and the U.S, Ultimate Fighting Championship® and kickboxing. The channel reaches more than 13 million cable and satellite households in the country, of which 4.5 million are U.S. Hispanic households.
Fox Sports en Español is distributed by Fox Cable Networks Group and operated by Fox Pan American Sports LLC, an international sports programming and production entity jointly owned by HM Capital Partners, LLC and News Corporation's (NYSE: NWS) Fox Sports International. For more information, visit Fox Sports en Español online at foxsportsla.msn.com.
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