Biographie
An accomplished executive and award winner, Tony brings leadership and passion to media, creative, tech, and business ventures. His multi-platform proficiency and fiduciary leadership showcase his ability to seamlessly navigate both creative vision and technical-budgetary considerations. Tony's journey at KVCR Public Media, a PBS/NPR station, and First Nations Experience (FNX), the sole national TV network dedicated to Native American & World Indigenous content, began in 2017 as a consultant, producing and editing multiple television shows. Demonstrating his leadership prowess, Tony transitioned from a post-production supervisor to interim Director of Broadcast Media Systems, spearheading a $16M station and studio remodel, delivering it on time and $170K under budget. He has expanded his role as Director of Operations, overseeing an annual budget of $11M, encompassing multi-year forecasting and cash-flow management for three business units, thirty-two grants, and a nonprofit foundation. Tony's strategic oversight extended to designing and implementing digital applications and Live-streaming solutions for two television channels and a radio station. Before his impactful role at KVCR Public Media, Tony was an assistant editor-media manager on the National Geographic documentary film Science Fair, which garnered a National Emmy®. For SoulPancake, he managed the technical delivery of VOD TV content to Disney Television and their ABC digital unit. As the producer and editor for The Terry Kath Experience, Tony premiered a feature film documentary at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival, securing worldwide distribution through FilmRise. Tony's creative footprint extends to his work on over 200 ads and videos showcased on platforms such as MTV, Facebook, Sony, Honda Music, Uproxx Media, Vogue Italia, and Vanity Fair. Early in his career, Tony joined the LA start-up Dental Advantage, where his ingenuity in engineering was used to develop a CRM software solution that facilitated monthly communication with over 100K dentists. His efforts contributed to securing nearly $900K in sponsorship and membership sales in a single quarter. From there, Tony landed the enviable position as Employee No. Three at CarsDirect.com, an Idealab eCommerce company, as Vice President of Web development. CarsDirect.com secured over $350 million in funding and played a principal role in transforming the automotive retail industry into one driven by consumer expectations, customer service, and trust. For a comprehensive view of Tony's work, visit tonypapa.tv.
