Donna Thomas, executive vice president, Vubiquity talks to TVBEurope about how nurturing an early entrepreneurial streak paved the way for her career
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: March 26, 2025 Updated: March 27, 2025
Donna Thomas, executive vice president, Vubiquity talks to TVBEurope about how nurturing an early entrepreneurial streak paved the way for her career
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin>
Talk us through an average day in your role No day is the same in my role, which is one of the reasons that I love what I do! Much of my time is spent in the field with our studio partners. It could be lunch discussing upcoming production schedules or locked in a conference room whiteboarding solutions to meet challenging upcoming launch dates.
Vubiquity is a team environment, so much of my time is spent cross-functionally with my operation and product development counterparts. We are in lockstep when it comes to meeting our objectives of providing world-class service to our customers, and we work together on the company's product roadmap and strategic direction.
Donna Thomas, executive vice president, Vubiquity I also feel allocating time to my team's development is essential. In this post-Covid world, finding mentorship or even a senior in the office to look to for advice is much more challenging. I've given this much thought lately and have committed to stewardship in my role. I had great role models and nonofficial mentors who helped me grow in my career, and I see that this new hybrid office/home environment is lacking. So, I try to allocate part of my day/week to be available to my team or anyone in my company looking for a sounding board.
How did you get started in the media industry? I was still in college and got a 20-hour-per-week temporary position at Discovery Networks in the satellite office in Atlanta, GA. Three weeks into that job, they told me they were closing the office and moving back to Maryland.
When I'm asked about this time in my life now, I say this is one of the most defining moments of my life. I just knew that I had to go with them to Maryland to have the life I wanted. So I asked my boss of three weeks, Kim Martin, to move me too. She laughed and said, You don't work here; you are a temporary employee. I don't remember exactly what I said, but I told her that I wanted to work for her, that I would never let her down, and that she would not regret it. A part of me thinks she saw some of herself in me. We were both beauty queens from South Georgia.
She fought for me to be hired as her administrative assistant. They paid to relocate me to Maryland, and within six years, I was senior vice president of affiliate sales and marketing.
What training did you have before entering the industry? The only training I had before getting that temporary position at Discovery Networks was a Word Perfect and Lotus 123 class. I know, hilarious right?
Why do you enjoy working in the industry? I love everything about our industry. It marries two of my great loves: TV/Movies and sales.
I made my first sale when I was 5 years old. My mother and I were at a gas station, and I asked her for $1 for some candy. She told me no. When I got home, I sat down at my desk and wrote a poem. I then put on my best Sunday dress and my patent leather Mary Janes, and walked down to Mr. and Mrs. Ferguson's house. They were an older couple that lived in my neighbourhood. I knocked on the door, and Mrs. Feguson answered. I said, Hi Mrs. Ferguson, I've written a poem for you and Mr. Ferguson. She said, How lovely. Bill, come to the door. Donna has written us a poem. When he got to the door, she said, Go ahead and read it, to which I responded, That will be one dollar.
TV and movies have been my escape since I was little. I didn't know it was my dream to work in the industry, but I'm lucky to do what I love. I'm also a writer and comedian, so it's a gift to serve my clients by day and fuel my creative interests in my free time.
What piece of advice would you offer someone looking to explore a role similar to yours? The advice I would give is twofold. First, if you can get your foot in the door in your desired role, you should work harder than anyone else. Always raise your hand for new projects, volunteer to work on that team, and, to quote my father, leave the campground better than you found it. Those are table stakes.
Second, find a company that values the gifts that YOU bring to the table. Discovery was a company that valued hard work, scrappy fighters and an entrepreneurial spirit. That was me. Had they valued Wharton/Harvard MBA recruits (for example) then I wouldn't have been a fit and wouldn't have been able to thrive like I did. I think it's critical to find the right company fit, especially in your early years. It can make the difference in having just a job vs. finding the role of a lifetime.
Bonus: Give back. The Thomas Angel Foundation, which I founded in 2001, was initially dedicated to empowering young women from my hometown of Warner Robins, GA, through education. In 2012, the Foundation partnered with the Upright Citizens Brigade in Los Angeles. Our mission focuses on providing scholarships to talented and deserving young women pursuing careers in the entertainment industry. As a woman working in media and entertainment, I wanted to create a programme that not only offers financial support but also fosters opportunities for women pursuing their passions in our field. I'm proud to say that in the last 20+ years we've given away hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships to women pursuing careers in the media industry.
The foundation's mission has always been to support women in the performing arts and foster a sense of community. During my car
Most recent headlines
01/01/2026
Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation Announces 2026 Noel Schajris Scholarship The scholarship will cover tuition and housing for one Berklee College of Music stud...
01/01/2026
New year, new games, all with RTX 5080-powered cloud energy. GeForce NOW is kicking off 2026 by looking back at an unforgettable year of wins and wildly high fr...
31/12/2025
Back to All News
NFL Christmas Gameday on Netflix Scores Again With the Lions-V...
30/12/2025
As the College Football Playoff Enters the Quarterfinals, ESPN Blows Out Its Meg...
30/12/2025
SVG's Best of 2025: Original ArticlesTake a look back at all our coverage of big-time productions, game-changing technologies, and state-of-the-art new faci...
30/12/2025
MELBOURNE, Fla., Dec. 30, 2025 - L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) will release its fourth quarter 2025 financial results before the market opens on Thursday, J...
30/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
30/12/2025
It marked the first civilian operational authorization for a HAPS flight in Europe, led by Space42's subsidiary, Mira Aerospace
The flight demonstrated HAP...
29/12/2025
San Francisco 49ers Strike Gold With Halftime Laser SpectacularStunning display caps $200 million renovation of Levi's Stadium techBy Dan Daley, Audio Edito...
29/12/2025
The Cup's Around the Corner: An Inside Look at Broadcast Preparations for th...
29/12/2025
SVG's Best of 2025: Longform VideoWatch the standout keynote conversations, deep dives, and panel discussions from the year for free on SVG PLAY!By Brandon ...
29/12/2025
From crisper Lossless audio and immersive music videos in beta to new Audiobooks+ plans, custom transitions between tracks, and in-app Messages, we keep levelin...
29/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
27/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
26/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
26/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
25/12/2025
Holiday lights are twinkling, hot cocoa's on the stove and gamers are settling in for a well-earned break.
Whether staying in or heading on a winter getawa...
24/12/2025
What is AI good for? Posted by MTI Film on December 24, 2025
What is AI good for?
What is AI good for?
It's been three years since ChatGPT first cap...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Back to All News
The Boyfriend' Season 2 Unveils Heartwarming Trailer, Key...
24/12/2025
Back to All News
Love, Fights, and Everything in Between: Badly in Love' Returns for Season 2
Entertainment
24 December 2025
GlobalJapan
Link copied t...
24/12/2025
Scripps Research study links sleep variability with sleep apnea and hypertension How consumers' digital activity trackers could enable personalized health s...
23/12/2025
How guilas Cibae as Dominican Winter League Games Are Locally Produced for Glob...
23/12/2025
BitFire's Jim Akimchuk on Supplying Scalability and Customization in the Clo...
23/12/2025
CAMB.AI Enables European Athletics to Offer Multi-Language SupportPlan is to eventually offer translation into all languages spoken in EuropeBy Ken Kerschbaumer...
23/12/2025
Analysis: As sports media values trend negative, scarcity and quality are king By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Monday, December 22, 2025 - 14:08
Print ...
23/12/2025
ESPN, Disney, and NBA Return to the Animated Altcast Fray With Second Edition of...
23/12/2025
End the Year on a High Note and Donate to the Sports Broadcasting Fund Today!By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Tuesday, December 23, 2025 - 12:25 pm
P...
23/12/2025
The year is winding down, the weather outside is frightful, and it's the perfect time to escape into a story that warms the heart. For listeners looking for...
23/12/2025
A Zeus motor is hot fire tested at L3Harris' Camden, Arkansas, solid rocket ...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Lightware will exhibit several major product innovations at ISE 2026, including the new USB-C BOOSTER-V1, Google Meet. integration for various Taurus UCX models...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Taking the Stage at Carnegie Hall-On a Global Scale Boston Conservatory Orchestra students reflect on their epic concert marking the 80th session of the UN Gene...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's The Great Flood and Culinary Class Wars 2 Top Gl...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things By the Numbers: How the Global Phenomenon Shap...
23/12/2025
Experience the power of WO Automation for Radio's newest service, the System Effectiveness Review. Designed to help you achieve more, a System Effectiveness...
23/12/2025
23 Dec 2025
VEON's Beeline Kazakhstan and Rakuten Symphony Collaborate to A...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
How Steamy Can It Get? Single's Inferno' Season 5 Pre...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
33 Million Global Viewers on Netflix Watched Jake Paul vs. Ant...
Donna Thomas, executive vice president, Vubiquity talks to TVBEurope about how nurturing an early entrepreneurial streak paved the way for her career
