Donna Thomas, executive vice president, Vubiquity talks to TVBEurope about how nurturing an early entrepreneurial streak paved the way for her careerBy 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
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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
