Jessica Fang has spent almost her entire career at Fox, coming on board in 2002, and all of that time she’s been a key part of the team that negotiates distribution deals for Fox’s networks on pay TV platforms. Fang has climbed the ranks steadily as the industry has rapidly evolved.
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“We will sell Fox content to anyone who wants to buy it the way we want to sell it,” Fang said. “We don’t discriminate — the more distributors that are out there, the better for us and for consumers.”
In the past several years, Fang has had to absorb a few shocks.
Rolling With the Changes
In March 2019, The Walt Disney Co. acquired much of what was then 21st Century Fox for $71 billion, leaving the new Fox with a much-leaner portfolio that today includes Fox Entertainment, Fox News Media, Fox Sports, the Fox Television Stations and Tubi, a free advertising-supported streaming television (FAST) channel.
That year, Fang was promoted to executive VP of network distribution and marketing, a move up from senior VP, distribution, with affiliate marketing added to her purview.
Last August, Michael Biard, then president, operations and distribution at Fox, left to join Nexstar Media Group as president and chief operating officer. Biard’s departure after more than 23 years at Fox came as an initial surprise, Fang said, but she’s proud of the way she and her team kept going.
“It was difficult to imagine how we were going to do this without him,” Fang said. “At the time, we were in the middle of our renewal cycle, which spans about two years, with a big chunk of revenue we had to renew. But we really didn’t miss a beat.”
David Espinosa, who was promoted to president of distribution when Biard left in August, said, “Jessica is a well-rounded executive; it’s not just one thing.”
She has developed a great ability to manage people, to take on more, to give responsibility and credit to her team. I think that’s what you need in order to rise in an organization.”
Lisa Richardson, Fox Corp.
Espinosa and Fang have been working together since he arrived at the company in 2006, for much of that time as peers.
“Jessica is incredibly smart,” Espinosa said. “She’s had all of these years of experience and as her role expands, it’s clear she grasps all of the key elements of the business. Along the way, she has built very strong relationships across the industry. She works very hard and what’s amazing to me is that she still somehow finds time to balance work and life.”
Having those strong relationships is the key to success in this role, Lisa Richardson, Fox Corp. executive VP, business & legal affairs and associate general counsel, said. “She’s great at developing relationships with our partners on the other side.”
Richardson and Fang have worked together for nearly 20 years and have a “very collaborative relationship,” Richardson said. “She’s funny and witty and very good at being able to be a tough negotiator while still maintaining friendly relationships with all of these distributors. There’s just a mutual respect there.”
‘You Can’t Do It All Yourself’
“We sort of grew up together, now we’re both very senior here,” Richardson said. “She has developed a great ability to manage people, to take on more, to give responsibility and credit to her team. I think that’s what you need in order to rise in an organization. To be a strong leader you need to know that you can’t do it all yourself.”
Oren Lieber, who has been at Fox since 2001 and worked with Fang the entire time, is one of those long-standing team members.
“Having her as a boss has been really positive,” Lieber said. “It may not be the traditional boss-employee relationship. She and I recognize that we have skill sets that really complement each other. She lets me run with certain things and she does that with other team members as well.”
While Fang’s job can entail long hours as she works through deal details and negotiations, Fang says she wouldn’t be able to do it without her team.
“If you have to work the rest of your life, it should be with a product that you like,” Fang said. “I’d much rather sell TV than plumbing parts. I could be doing anything, but I couldn’t be doing it with the team I have here.”
