Todd Mason
Encyclopedia
Todd Mason is a digital media
executive and entrepreneur
based in Washington, DC. He has served as creator, Executive Producer
and Executive in Charge of Production for a number of national broadcast
series and specials.
to Phillip Charles Mason and Virginia Reynolds Harris and was one of three children. Mason’s grandfather, James Reynolds, and grandmother, Mary Reynolds, were both professional golfers - Mary Reynolds being one of the first female professional golfers in the United States.
Mason became an entrepreneur at age 14 by starting his own lawn cutting business. A car waxing pick-up and delivery business soon followed at age 16 where he hired his first two employees. Mason got his first exposure to the television industry at age 15 when his family began attending Grove Avenue Baptist Church in his hometown of Richmond.
From 1998 to 2005, Mason was President and Chief Operating Officer
of Washington, DC-based Atlantic Video, Inc. During his seven years at Atlantic Video, he grew revenue
nearly 400%, enhanced the company’s staff, technology and reputation and acquired two other firms all while expanded into new markets. While with Atlantic, Mason worked to develop relationships with television networks such as Discovery Channel
, PBS
, Comedy Central
and Showtime. Mason was also responsible for launching several hit shows on ESPN
, including “Pardon the Interruption
”, starring Mike Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser
, “Around the Horn
”, "Cheap Seats
" and “Cold Pizza
”. Mason also founded Atlantic Creative, an original program development production company, where he produced several shows and served as co-creator and Executive Producer of Animal Planet’s “Pet Psychic
” starring Sonya Fitzpatrick
.
In 2005, Mason founded his own company, Mason Media Group, LLC, a diversified media holding company
that provides capital investment
and management expertise to businesses specializing in communication. In December 2005, Mason Media Group founded Broadcast Management Group, LLC (formerly Mason Productions), a production management company that actively works with networks such as ESPN
, ABC
, NBC
, Fox
, Franco-German TV network Arte
France and cable network BET
. The company’s first contract was with ESPN to provide production management for “ESPN Hollywood
”. In 2006, Broadcast Management Group was awarded a multi-million dollar contract with the DC Office of Cable Television and Telecommunications (OCTT) to design a full-service, high definition broadcast operation. The company was also contracted to market OCTT’s broadcast facilities and to bring in commercial projects such as PBS’s Think Tank
with Ben Wattenberg and various shows for CNN
.
In November 2007, Mason founded FaceTime Strategy, LLC, a marketing and advertising agency headquartered in Washington, DC.
Mason has also been called on by the Washington, DC business community to serve in a number of capacities: serving on the Committee for Economic Development
with Mayor Anthony A. Williams
’ transition team, as a founding board member of the Washington, DC Technology Council and serving on the board of the DC Economic Partnership.
Digital media
Digital media is a form of electronic media where data is stored in digital form. It can refer to the technical aspect of storage and transmission Digital media is a form of electronic media where data is stored in digital (as opposed to analog) form. It can refer to the technical aspect of...
executive and entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
based in Washington, DC. He has served as creator, Executive Producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
and Executive in Charge of Production for a number of national broadcast
Broadcast
Broadcast or Broadcasting may refer to:* Broadcasting, the transmission of audio and video signals* Broadcast, an individual television program or radio program* Broadcast , an English electronic music band...
series and specials.
Early life
Mason was born in Richmond, VirginiaRichmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
to Phillip Charles Mason and Virginia Reynolds Harris and was one of three children. Mason’s grandfather, James Reynolds, and grandmother, Mary Reynolds, were both professional golfers - Mary Reynolds being one of the first female professional golfers in the United States.
Mason became an entrepreneur at age 14 by starting his own lawn cutting business. A car waxing pick-up and delivery business soon followed at age 16 where he hired his first two employees. Mason got his first exposure to the television industry at age 15 when his family began attending Grove Avenue Baptist Church in his hometown of Richmond.
Career
In 1988, Mason began his broadcasting career in his hometown of Richmond where he was a partner in a start-up company, Delmar Communications, Inc. As CEO of Delmar Communications, Mason successfully acquired the company’s largest competitor, Virginia Productions, in 1989.From 1998 to 2005, Mason was President and Chief Operating Officer
Chief operating officer
A Chief Operating Officer or Director of Operations can be one of the highest-ranking executives in an organization and comprises part of the "C-Suite"...
of Washington, DC-based Atlantic Video, Inc. During his seven years at Atlantic Video, he grew revenue
Revenue
In business, revenue is income that a company receives from its normal business activities, usually from the sale of goods and services to customers. In many countries, such as the United Kingdom, revenue is referred to as turnover....
nearly 400%, enhanced the company’s staff, technology and reputation and acquired two other firms all while expanded into new markets. While with Atlantic, Mason worked to develop relationships with television networks such as Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
, PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
, Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
and Showtime. Mason was also responsible for launching several hit shows on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
, including “Pardon the Interruption
Pardon the Interruption
Pardon the Interruption is a sports television show that airs weekdays on various ESPN TV channels, TSN, ESPN America, XM, and Sirius satellite radio services, and as a downloadable podcast. It is hosted by Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon, who discuss, and frequently argue over, the top stories...
”, starring Mike Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser
Tony Kornheiser
Anthony Irwin "Tony" Kornheiser is an American sportswriter and former columnist for The Washington Post, as well as a radio and television talk show host...
, “Around the Horn
Around the Horn
Around the Horn is a daily, half-hour sports roundtable on ESPN filmed in Washington, D.C. It airs at 5:00 pm ET, as part of a sports talk hour with Pardon the Interruption. The show is currently hosted by Tony Reali.-History:Around the Horn premiered on November 4, 2002, hosted by Max Kellerman...
”, "Cheap Seats
Cheap Seats
Cheap Seats without Ron Parker, commonly shortened to Cheap Seats, is a television program broadcast on ESPN Classic hosted by brothers Randy and Jason Sklar...
" and “Cold Pizza
Cold Pizza
Cold Pizza was a television sports morning talk show that aired weekdays on ESPN2. The show's style was more akin to Good Morning America than SportsCenters straight news and highlights format. It included daily sports news, interviews with sports journalists, athletes, and personalities, and an...
”. Mason also founded Atlantic Creative, an original program development production company, where he produced several shows and served as co-creator and Executive Producer of Animal Planet’s “Pet Psychic
Pet psychic
A pet psychic, animal communicator, or pet whisperer is a person who claims to be able to communicate psychically with animals. Some pet psychics claim to be able to communicate with long-dead animals, while others are more like animal communicators or animal psychologists...
” starring Sonya Fitzpatrick
Sonya Fitzpatrick
Sonya Fitzpatrick is a British television and radio personality and a pet psychic. She hosted the now-defunct television show, Animal Planet's The Pet Psychic...
.
In 2005, Mason founded his own company, Mason Media Group, LLC, a diversified media holding company
Holding company
A holding company is a company or firm that owns other companies' outstanding stock. It usually refers to a company which does not produce goods or services itself; rather, its purpose is to own shares of other companies. Holding companies allow the reduction of risk for the owners and can allow...
that provides capital investment
Investment
Investment has different meanings in finance and economics. Finance investment is putting money into something with the expectation of gain, that upon thorough analysis, has a high degree of security for the principal amount, as well as security of return, within an expected period of time...
and management expertise to businesses specializing in communication. In December 2005, Mason Media Group founded Broadcast Management Group, LLC (formerly Mason Productions), a production management company that actively works with networks such as ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
, ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
, Franco-German TV network Arte
Arte
Arte is a Franco-German TV network. It is a European culture channel and aims to promote quality programming especially in areas of culture and the arts...
France and cable network BET
Bet
Bet or BET may refer to:* A wager in gambling* Basic Economics Test * Bet , the second letter in many Semitic alphabets, including Aramaic, Hebrew, Phoenician and Syriac* Brunauer-Emmett-Teller isotherm. See BET_theory...
. The company’s first contract was with ESPN to provide production management for “ESPN Hollywood
ESPN Hollywood
ESPN Hollywood was a television program that aired on ESPN2 in 2005. The daily 30-minute show was centered on the convergence between the sports and entertainment worlds, and was a part of the network's ESPN Original Entertainment programming effort, which was intended to spread the network's...
”. In 2006, Broadcast Management Group was awarded a multi-million dollar contract with the DC Office of Cable Television and Telecommunications (OCTT) to design a full-service, high definition broadcast operation. The company was also contracted to market OCTT’s broadcast facilities and to bring in commercial projects such as PBS’s Think Tank
Think tank
A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
with Ben Wattenberg and various shows for CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
.
In November 2007, Mason founded FaceTime Strategy, LLC, a marketing and advertising agency headquartered in Washington, DC.
Mason has also been called on by the Washington, DC business community to serve in a number of capacities: serving on the Committee for Economic Development
Committee for Economic Development
The Committee for Economic Development is an independent, non-profit, non-partisan think tank based in Washington, DC. Its membership consists of some 200 senior corporate executives and university leaders...
with Mayor Anthony A. Williams
Anthony A. Williams
Anthony Allen "Tony" Williams is an American politician who served as the fifth mayor of the District of Columbia for two terms, from 1999 to 2007. He had previously served as chief financial officer for the District, managing to balance the budget and achieve a surplus within two years of...
’ transition team, as a founding board member of the Washington, DC Technology Council and serving on the board of the DC Economic Partnership.