Former Librarian Now Head of Canada's Largest Film Distributor
The Toronto Star Sunday edition has a wonderful profile about Phyllis Yaffe, chief operating officer of Alliance Atlantis Communications [article no longer available online].
In addition to its film business, Alliance Atlantis is a major partner in TV production and distribution. It owns 50 per cent of the world's most successful television program, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and owns all or part of 12 specialty cable networks as well as Canadian movie theatres. Among the channels it owns are Showcase, HGTV, History Channel, and BBC Canada.
Yaffe started her career in public libraries in Manitoba before switching to publishing and then broadcasting.
According to her, it is the library world that taught her what she needed to know about leadership and business:
"'Right away I learned how to treat a customer. I learned that service is what it's about,' she recalls. 'If a person phones the library and asks a reference question, I worked until I had an answer.' It wasn't simply about doing a good job, she says. It was about persisting until you could give the customer exactly what they want".
In addition to its film business, Alliance Atlantis is a major partner in TV production and distribution. It owns 50 per cent of the world's most successful television program, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and owns all or part of 12 specialty cable networks as well as Canadian movie theatres. Among the channels it owns are Showcase, HGTV, History Channel, and BBC Canada.
Yaffe started her career in public libraries in Manitoba before switching to publishing and then broadcasting.
According to her, it is the library world that taught her what she needed to know about leadership and business:
"'Right away I learned how to treat a customer. I learned that service is what it's about,' she recalls. 'If a person phones the library and asks a reference question, I worked until I had an answer.' It wasn't simply about doing a good job, she says. It was about persisting until you could give the customer exactly what they want".
Labels: careers
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