Donna Thomas
By | November 1, 2013
VP, North American Media Services
Technicolor
Former Ascent Media exec Thomas has been at Technicolor for nearly two years, and she’s making her mark as a leader in the company’s strategy to develop products and services for today’s connected home. Recent releases include a media server that supports multi-room, multi-device connectivity, and a new software framework to enable interoperability between devices and apps within the smart home. “Working alongside of the smartest and capable people in the industry is what gets me excited about going to work at Technicolor every day,” she says.
What’s your favorite part of your job?
My absolute favorite part of my job hands down is the people—both clients and teammates. Being able to provide quality services and solutions to complex problems for our clients is satisfying in and of itself. Working alongside of the smartest and capable people in the industry is what gets me excited about going to work at Technicolor every day.
Best trick for maintaining the personal-professional life balance?
Boy this is a tough one, and I’ve not always had success with balancing work and personal life in the past. In the end for me it just came down to making a choice about priorities in my life and how I wanted to live. The funny thing is once I set boundaries and started to find balance I became even more productive and successful in the workplace. I have a few employees that are struggling with this now and can’t seem to let go of the belief that if you aren’t working every minute of the day, then you aren’t achieving. My answer to them never changes… it’s a personal choice, and once you decide then balance is possible.
Who would you want to swap jobs with for a month and why?
Hands down Amy Poehler. “To me, bossy is not a pejorative term at all. It means somebody’s passionate and engaged and ambitious and doesn’t mind leading.” is one of my favorite Poehler quotes. She’s a trailblazer, a comedian, a content creator, a business owner, an actor and a mom. She has said that when it comes to your career ignore what people think you should be doing and do what you love. As to why I would want to swap jobs with Amy for a month? Well… who wouldn’t!