02 Jun Get to Know Karin Gilford
Canon Club Advisory Board Member Karin Gilford
Movies Anywhere | Senior Vice President/General Manager
IN THIS JOB 11 years
PRIOR EXPERIENCE SVP Digital Media, Comcast; GM, Yahoo Entertainment
HOMETOWN Lockport, Ill.
LIVES NOW Pacific Palisades, Calif.
ENJOYS, OUTSIDE OF WORK Snowboarding, shopping, travel, fitness, pop culture
CURRENT BINGE Pam & Tommy
CONTACT Karin.A.Gilford@disney.com
DEG: Do you have a personal philosophy when it comes to your work? If so, how does it translate into what you do?
KG: It all starts with my team. I strive every day to empower and elevate people on my team. I have found that relentlessly developing talent underneath me and allowing them to run point and be accountable gets my org further, faster. People do amazing things and rise to challenges if you give them some room.
DEG: What excites you about the future of our industry?
KG: I am excited about the mix of content, platforms and services consumers have to choose from. There is something for everyone at a variety of price points and form factors.
DEG: How did you get your start in entertainment?
KG: I have wanted to work in entertainment since I was a teenager and started by working in my local record store in Illinois. I then put myself through college in Los Angeles by working at an independent film company as an accountant. After working at Ernst & Young for a few years after college, I got my MBA and went right into digital media after graduation.
DEG: How have consumers’ content collection habits changed as streaming grows rapidly? Is there a place for both access and collection?
KG: I believe so. There is more content than ever, but it’s also fragmented across several services. I think content collecting, especially of feature films will always have a place with consumers. I think films have an emotional connection with consumers as a category and individually, and to some people, owning them is part of their fan experience and identity.
DEG: How has your role as a company leader changed in the past year? Do you think it’s a permanent change?
KG: I have always taken a very personal approach to leadership but that has been taken to a new level over the past year. I have felt myself shift to be very in tune to the individuals in my group as I am managing the team and the business. I don’t think this is going to change. Attrition is at an all-time high and retaining your high performers is paramount. Taking a bespoke approach to leadership at scale, especially of top talent is something I am thinking more and more about.
Learn more about DEG’s Canon Club here.