Louise Thompson, Executive Director
TBCN’s executive director since May 2003, Louise Thompson is responsible for the recruitment and retention of staff and volunteers, maintaining an operational budget, a 5,000-square-feet facility at the University Mall with a main studio and edit suite, the maintenance and upgrading of a million-dollar inventory of video production equipment, revenue generation activities, community outreach efforts and contract compliance with local government. Since July 2002, Thompson has also hosted a live, hour-long, call-in TBCN series called “Speak Up Presents,” where she interviews panels of three or more guests who are generally related through their work, charitable activities, community leadership or special interests. They convey information of interest to viewers.
The recipient of many awards, she was chosen “2006 Executive Woman of the Year” by the Network of Executive Women and a finalist for Tampa Bay Business Journal’s 2005 “Business Woman of the Year in Media.” In 2003, the national Alliance for Community Media presented her with its Director’s Choice Award for defense of public access and the First Amendment. Tampa’s Italian Club Auxiliary named her 2002 Italian-American Woman in Business. She was previously named “Woman of the Year” by a chapter of Business & Professional Women, “One of the Bay Area’s 50 Most Influential Women” by Tampa Bay Life Magazine and was listed in Who’s Who in Editors, Writers & Poets. Creative Loafing Newspaper named her “Best of the Bay” four times: in 2000, for her efforts on behalf of public access television; in 1996 for women’s issues; in 1994, for community issues and in 1993, for leadership and ethics.
A former employee of General Foods, IBM, Boise Cascade and CNA Financial corporations, Thompson was CEO of an award-winning advertising, marketing and public relations firm for two decades, a freelance writer, author and speaker. Thompson is a USF honors graduate with a B.A. in Mass Communications.
Brian Hill, Technician
Brian joined TBCN in the Fall 2000 as a Master Control Operator, later becoming Assistant Programming Coordinator and then-part time technician under the tutelage of engineer Larry Nadler. In October 2006, he was promoted to full-time technician. He is responsible for the maintenance, repair, modification and installation of video production and computer equipment. Brian provides staff with computer training, manages our equipment inventory database, prepares technical bid specifications for the acquisition of video, audio and computer equipment and operates test equipment. He also serves as a back-up driver and technical director for our Remote Production Vehicle. Brian also helped produce “Community Forum.”
Antonia McCutcheon, Programming Coordinator
A graduate of USF with a B.A. in Philosophy, McCutcheon joined the access center as a community producer in late 1997. She was hired as a Trainer/Liaison in February 1998, when the cable operator managed the facility. After working as a Master Control Operator and Receptionist, she was promoted to Programming Coordinator in 2002. McCutcheon handles our website and produces “Community Forum.” While in college, she served on the Student Broadcasting Association board and co-produced “Bullvision,” the first USF student-run program.
Dora Taylor, Programming Assistant
Dora has been employed with TBCN since June 2004. A graduate of Florida State University, she holds a B.A. in Humanities with an emphasis in Art History. As a Programming Assistant, her responsibilities include program scheduling, quality control monitoring, archiving, external program inventory, website monitoring/content management and overnight bulletin board messages. She has co-produced TBCN’s Community Forum and many of TBCN’s public service announcements. She worked formerly as a gallery director at Michael Murphy Gallery and is a member of Greenpeace International.
