BCCA Holding Media Credit & Collections Virtual Workshop

BCCA, the media industry’s premier provider of credit information, education and networking opportunities for media professionals, will hold its annual Media Credit & Collections Virtual Workshop on Jan. 19-20. Under the umbrella of the Media Financial Management Association (MFM), this exclusive online event features experts from across the media industry who will offer insight and guidance on myriad high-level issues faced by the industry’s credit and collection professionals.

The workshop runs each day from 10:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET. The agenda will cover several topics that credit and collections professionals must tackle, particularly as the industry continues to contend with the ongoing pandemic. The workshop is free for MFM and BCCA members and costs $350 for non-members; the non-member rate includes an individual one-year trial membership to BCCA.

Workshop Highlights

The Opening Session on Jan. 19 from 11 to 11:45 a.m. ET, will be led by industry veteran Gordon Borrell, CEO, Borrell Associates; and Corey Elliott, executive vice president of local market intelligence, Borrell Associates. The session is titled “Near-Term Trends: The 2020 pandemic, in retrospect … and Looking at 2022 & 2032.”

“Thriving in Today’s Unconventional World” on Jan. 19 (1:15-2 p.m.), will be presented by Rob Silverstone, VP, business planning and analysis at Dotdash Meredith. Silverstone will share lessons learned from his career in finance and media and offer essential advice to help participants thrive in their professional lives. Topics include management, leadership, personal finance, achieving career goals, and networking.

“Media Industry Credit Evaluation and Approval Post Pandemic” on Jan. 20 (11:05-11:45 a.m.), will cover a wide range of issues credit and collections professionals face, including credit applications; liability agreements/sequential liability; new credit risks; payment agreements/negotiations; and communicating credit decisions. Moderated by Tonya Sorrells, Director of Credit Collections, Hearst Television, the panel will feature a range of credit professionals from across the industry:  Ellen Lehr, director of finance, Audacy; Marguerite Toohey, director, NY Times; Nat McCall, senior manager, credit and collections, Discovery; Ed Ienner, executive director-credit and collections, Dotdash Meredith; and Robert Lahr, consultant, Warner Bros. Entertainment/WarnerMedia.

“Collections and Post-Pandemic Best Practices” on Jan. 20 (11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m.), will cover how to manage credit and collections as the country emerges from the pandemic. Moderated by Christine Lipani, Senior Manager of Credit and Collections, Dotdash Meredith, with panelists Randy Neff, VP, Szabo Associates; Rudy Schatzmann, national account manager, Altus Receivables Management; Jessica Graciano, regional credit and collection manager–West, Hearst Television; Jennie Bara, collections manager, The New York Times; and Clara Li, billing and collections manager, corporate, Audacy.

The workshop also includes a session titled “Technology AI/Automation & Software Outlook” presented by Peter Getchell, EVP, ERP and operational excellence practice, NAVINT.

In addition, a roundtable on Jan. 20 will address numerous topics: sales vs. credit relationship (led by Melissa Balderas, credit and collections manager, WBBM Chicago/CBS); international credit (led by Ed Ienner, executive director-credit and collections, Dotdash Meredith); home vs. hybrid vs. office (led by Dee Stevenson, corporate credit and collections manager, Gray Media Shared Services) and key metrics and incentives.

In addition to the workshop’s educational sessions and roundtable discussions, the event will serve as a networking opportunity for media credit and collection professionals from across the country to meet and virtually share ideas and best practices around the continually changing media credit and collections function.

“Our members will leave this event armed with new strategies and tools to effectively address the growing pressures that media industry credit and collections professionals face daily,” said Ienner, who is also the BCCA Representative on the MFM board of directors. “Thanks to the insights provided by participating industry leaders and our workshop co-chairs, this virtual program offers our members sound new business practices to adopt during a time when we are all managing through new uncertainties brought on by the pandemic, new regulations, and other industry issues.”