Jennifer Caserta

As IFC’s President and General Manager, Jennifer Caserta has established IFC as the home for smart and distinctive alternative comedies that are, “always on” and “slightly off,” in keeping with the network’s clearly defined brand and voice.  IFC’s evolution has resulted in strong audience, revenue and distribution gains, pop culture buzz and an expanding slate of fresh original programming that resonates with viewers, advertisers and top comedy talent.

 

IFC’s slate of critically acclaimed and award winning original series feature some of the biggest and best names in the comedy world, both in front of and behind the camera.  Chief among them is Portlandia, an Emmy® Award nominated and Peabody and WGA-winning comedy created by Fred Armisen, Carrie Brownstein and Jonathan Krisel, produced by Broadway Video and executive produced by Lorne Michaels.  Created as an affectionate love letter to Portland, OR, Portlandia expands the boundaries of gentle satire and social commentary.  The show has seeped into the cultural conversation spawning countless online parodies and inspiring local political campaigns.

 

Alongside Portlandia, IFC has built its original programming slate to include the forthcoming series American Documentary (working title) a curated series of half-hour documentaries and biopics, each about a completely fictitious subject, executive produced by Fred Armisen, Bill Hader and Seth Meyers; Comedy Bang! Bang!, a series that riffs on the late night talk show format hosted by Scott Aukerman and featuring his musical cohort, Reggie Watts; Maron, a scripted narrative comedy loosely based on the life of comedian/podcaster Marc Maron; The Birthday Boys, a sketch series executive produced by Ben Stiller and Bob Odenkirk featuring the LA-based comedy troupe of the same name; and Garfunkel and Oates featuring the female comedy-folk duo and real life best friends, Riki Lindhome and Kate Micucci.

 

IFC also recently worked with Will Ferrell and Funny or Die on the epic mini-series The Spoils of Babylon, featuring A-list personalities Tobey Maguire, Kristen Wiig, Jessica Alba, Val Kilmer, Haley Joel Osment, Michael Sheen and Tim Robbins.  Ferrell executive produced the project alongside Adam McKay, Matt Piedmont and Andrew Steele.  IFC also has a rich development pipeline of comedies including projects executive produced by Joel McHale (Community, The Soup), and Teri Weinberg (The Office, Ugly Betty).

 

Ms. Caserta also served as executive producer on the 2009 docu-series Monty Python: Almost the Truth (The Lawyer’s Cut), which secured IFC and the legendary comedy troupe an Emmy® nomination for Outstanding Nonfiction Series – the troupe’s first!

 

Under Ms. Caserta’s leadership, IFC’s comedy focus was implemented alongside a network rebrand in 2010 from an indie film channel to a destination for sharp, smart comedy embodied by the tagline “Always On. Slightly Off.”  The network also shifted its business model from a sponsorship model to a fully ad supported business with public ratings. 

 

Ms. Caserta was recently named one of Fast Company’s “Most Creative People in Business” and included on Variety’s 2014 “Power of Women: New York Impact” list, which features women of influence in all areas of business.  Her alma mater, Hunter College, inducted her into the school’s 2014 Hall of Fame.  As a leader at IFC, Ms. Caserta was the recipient of the NCTA Vanguard Award for Young Leadership and was honored by Multichannel News and WICT in 2010 as a Wonder Woman.  She was also named a “Who’s Next” leader by Fast Company and a “Person of the Moment” by Adweek.

 

Prior to serving as General Manager, Ms. Caserta was IFC’s executive vice president of marketing, communications, scheduling and alternative programming.  In this role, she directed some of IFC’s most innovative, multi-platform marketing and programming initiatives, and multi-faceted partnerships including a longstanding relationship with SXSW®.  She also spearheaded the creation and launch of IFC’s first VOD offering.

 

Previously, Ms. Caserta served as executive vice president and general manager of the music network Fuse.  Under her guidance, the network increased its ratings and web traffic and launched the live studio series The Sauce.

 

Before joining Fuse, Ms. Caserta served as senior vice president of marketing for IFC and oversaw all trade and consumer marketing initiatives for the network, including advertising campaigns, promotions and special events.  Ms. Caserta first joined IFC as vice president of marketing in 2004.

 

Earlier in her career, Ms. Caserta served as vice president of ad sales marketing for Court TV, successfully redefining the Court TV trade brand.  She has also held marketing positions at Oxygen Media, Food Network, Westwood One and the Radio Advertising Bureau.

 

Ms. Caserta earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Hunter College.  She serves on the Board of Directors for the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing (CTAM), and is a member of Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT) and PROMAX, as well as an active mentor.  Ms. Caserta is an alumna of CTAM’s executive management program, CTAM U at Harvard Business School.