The Fierce Video editorial team is proud to present its third annual Emerging Leaders Awards, recognizing the brightest young professionals rising up the ranks of the streaming TV industry. Throughout the month of May we’ll be featuring these profiles with each of our finalists. We will announce the winners during our StreamTV Show with a live awards ceremony in Denver on June 6 at 7:30 p.m. MT. Not yet registered for the StreamTV Show, running June 6-8? Be sure to register now!
Nicole Baio/Vizio:
Nicole Baio is on the Business Development team at Vizio where she oversees partnerships for WatchFree+ and manages various CTV app and tech partner relationships and development. Previously, Nicole was at Game Show Network, a Sony Pictures Television Company, where she held various roles in content distribution and partner marketing, managing distribution of multiple networks and creating collaborative marketing campaigns with Xfinity, Spectrum, Verizon and more.
For years, she has been actively involved with WICT SoCal as a board member, programming director and mentor for the SoCal chapter. Nicole is committed to the mentorship and development of younger professionals and is particularly passionate about her work with the T Howard Foundation. In her personal time, Nicole loves hiking, camping and expanding on her knowledge as a certified holistic nutritionist.
What her colleagues are saying:
"We've worked with a number of different folks at Vizio over the past few years, and I can't think of anyone who's been as thorough and conscientious as Nicole. Not only does she come across as a skilled negotiator, but she's clearly an effective operator." - Calvin Berman, director of business development at Studio71
"If I was starting a new initiative, a new company, taking over a company, Nicole would be my first hire. She has a bias for action like no one else. Her work ethic, commitment and collaborative spirit are unmatched. Plus she's a pleasure to be around. We all want to do great work and work with great people. That's Nicole." - Dale Hopkins, CEO at iNDEMAND
Streaming Industry Q&A:
What streaming services do you subscribe to?
HBO Max, Apple TV+, Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video and of course, Vizio WatchFree+ (no subscription required).
Describe your biggest career highlight so far.
Having the privilege of being the face of Vizio to all of our WatchFree+ content partners is a huge highlight. I joined the company only a few days after the WatchFree+ rebrand, and it's been such a thrill to witness the growth of our platform and our partners since then, including the launch of AVOD. A close second would be hosting a corporate event with Joey Fatone. If you told 8-year-old me that I would be spending two full days in lockstep with a member of NSYNC, I would have lost my mind.
What has been your biggest career learning experience?
Early in my career, I made the tragic assumption that everyone knew more than me. There were countless times that I bit my tongue or didn't share my ideas, out of fear of being wrong. A lot of missed opportunities taught me that no one starts out an expert and that putting yourself out there shows how passionate you are about what you do.
What's next for you in terms of new challenges in streaming TV?
For me, leaning into product. The CTV space is ripe with opportunity to learn and build. Having a good handle on the holistic goals and strategy of the company and a planned, tactical approach to get there heavily influences the value I can provide to our partners and ultimately, our viewers.