Media/Entertainment

Shelby Larkin-Reid

Hello Sunshine, Sales Lead

Shelby Larkin-Reid is an Emmy-nominated television producer and media entertainment executive with more than 20 years of experience in Hollywood. Shelby’s production credits span across syndicated television, news, digital, red carpet and live events and more. Shelby produced for long-running television shows like Dr. Phil and Judge Mathis. She also worked on iconic red carpet and live events such as the Oscars, Grammys, Billboard Music Awards, BET Awards and more. Shelby’s passion for business led her to pursue her MBA. She graduated from Columbia Business School in 2013. Post MBA, Shelby was part of the team that launched the cutting-edge television network Revolt TV, which celebrated its 10-year anniversary in 2023. After Revolt, she successfully transitioned to brand partnerships and sales. Shelby spent nearly 6 years at Warner Bros. Television leading partnerships for nationally syndicated daytime talk show, The Real. During her time there, Shelby successfully tripled annual revenue. Next, Shelby made a pivot into sports and live events as the Director of Global Partnership Development at SoFi Stadium where she packaged and sold partnership deals for the stadium, surrounding retail district and two NFL teams – LA Rams and LA Chargers. In just two years, Shelby closed more than $15 Million in multi-year partnerships with major brands such as Uber and Shell. Ultimately Shelby’s true calling brought her back to media. Shelby is currently in her dream sales role at Reese Witherspoon’s media and entertainment company, Hello Sunshine, where she monetizes the business’s direct-to-consumer brands through strategic partnerships. Personally, Shelby loves all things Peloton and currently resides in Encino, CA with her two children Sophie and Theodore.

Sonie Osagie

Focus Features, VP of Strategy

 is Vice President of Strategy & Operations at Focus Features, the specialty film division of Universal Filmed Entertainment Group. In her role, Sonie manages a team that defines and sets strategy and conducts analysis to drive strategic growth initiatives across the studio.

Prior to joining Focus, Sonie was Senior Director of Strategy & Operations at CNBC, focused on Audience & Membership. During her nearly 7 years at the business news network, she managed teams focused on revenue strategy, audience growth and engagement, strategic planning, and operations for CNBC Events & CNBC Councils. During her time there, she was part of the founding team that planned and launched the Councils for C-suite executive and investor audiences. Before that, Sonie oversaw a portfolio of growth initiatives, including audio. As part of that effort, she worked with an editorial and production team to launch CNBC’s flagship podcast, Squawk Pod, which won a Gracie Award in 2020. Sonie first joined NBCUniveral as part of the Comcast NBCUniversal Rotational Leadership Program after business school. As part of the program, she worked on a number of new and emerging businesses: Audience Insights at Comcast, go-to market strategy for Xfinity Mobile, and business planning for the launch of an NBC News Digital streaming service.

While attending Columbia Business School for her MBA, Sonie worked in digital strategy roles at HBO (during the launch of HBO Now) and at Condé Nast. She also served on the boards of the Media Management Association and the Black Business Students Association, and led the Hermes Society of admissions ambassador as President. Upon graduating, she was honored with the prestigious Heffernan Award for Service by the school and was recognized by Poets&Quants as one of the 100 “Best & Brightest MBAs.” She currently serves as a Columbia Career Coach for MBA students interested in media, entertainment, and technology careers.

Sonie started her career in local news at the ABC affiliate WTVD-TV in her hometown of Durham, North Carolina. She worked in digital ad sales at Google and communications for startups at an agency; two of her clients were later acquired. She is an honors graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where she majored in English with a minor in Hispanic Studies.

In her spare time, Sonie serves on the board of The Garden School for early childhood education in Liberia, West Africa, the country from which her family hails. She enjoys reading, podcasts, and FaceTiming with her nieces and nephew. She currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband and son.

Douglas V. Holloway

President, Homewood Media | President, Rythm-A-Ning Entertainment
Principle, Fort Greene Partners

Douglas V. Holloway ‘76 is a media executive with more than four decades of experience in network, cable and streaming television strategy, sales , marketing and development. He began his career in TV in the early 1980s with CBS TV’s financial strategic planning team, helping to develop and then launch CBS Cable. In 1981, he moved to Time Inc and launched the cable listing guide TV Cable Week. He joined USA Networks in 1983, where he developed and led their affiliate relations division. In 1992 under his direction he developed and launched the SyFy Channel and  in 2004, with NBC’s purchase of Universal and  USA Networks, Holloway was named President of Cable Investments, managing AETN, Peacock Productions, and National Geographic International, among other properties. In 2008 he became President of NBC Televison Networks’ head of Affiliate Relations , Marketing and Strategic Partnerships. He later became President of Multichannel Distribution at ION Media Networks, Inc. In 2020, he launched two multicultural urban streaming channels serving BIPOC communities: UKWmedia and Urbn-tv. He has received a long list of industry awards and recognitions, including Doctorate of Humane Letters from Emerson College, inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame and the Cable Hall of Fame and received the National Cable Television Association’s Vanguard Award for Marketing, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in Communications, and Alumni Achievement awards from both Emerson and Columbia University, where he earned his MBA. In April 2023, he was inducted into The Cable Center’s Cable Hall of Fame, and joined the Broadcasting + Cable Hall of Fame in September 2024 and he is a Cable Pioneer.