Red Letter Awards: Global message from Kristin Edwards

Red Letter Awards: Global message from Kristin Edwards

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The Red Letter Awards has been a part of the fabric of this organization for 18 remarkable years, and I can’t wait to see where the next part of this journey will take us.

I want to acknowledge the tremendous efforts of the Southeast Chapter for bringing this program to fruition and giving us that important touchstone of connection. Programs like this gives me a renewed sense of hope and appreciation for our collective community as we look ahead to brighter days. 

 

Allow me to give special thanks to Chapter President, Shelley Hoffmann, along with Vice President, Gimette DeLaughter, Red Letter Awards Senior Director, Crystal Scales and Director, Jay Brown.

As you know, WICT – Women in Cable Telecommunications – has been known for our leadership development programs, powerful stance on diversity, equity and inclusion, and original research through the par initiative, measuring workplace DEI. 

Since our founding more than 40 years ago, we have grown to the largest organization of our kind, and as the industry has evolved, so too has WICT. No longer are member companies simply cable operators and content creators; they are multi-faceted media, entertainment and technology entities, providing a wide range of services to businesses and consumers.  

And while WICT has constantly adapted our business model to ensure we remain relevant, WICT’s name has not kept pace with the times. As a result, “women in cable telecommunications” no longer speaks to the full breadth of who we are and where we are headed. 

So our strategic planning committee and global board of directors worked with our HQ team and together we engaged some of the top branding and naming companies to guide us through a new name and new brand. In doing so, we realized we not only needed to evolve our brand to build a stronger organization; we knew we had an added obligation to our members given how much ground women lost in the workplace during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

More than ever, if we can connect women within our industry to each other and WICT, the better for our industry, and frankly the better for the communities our members serve. 

This conclusion helped us realize that for all the benefits we provide to our members and the industry at large, there is one thing that reigns supreme – it’s all about our network. Which is why we are now: The WICT Network: empowering women in media, entertainment and technology. 

We are being intentional – with our name, logo and actions – widening the circle of our network and our influence to include the vast landscape of media, entertainment and technology. And while our new identity isn’t a revolution, it’s an evolution, recruiting and advancing women in our industry – well, there’s the revolution! 

The WICT Network will continue to provide unmatched peer-to-peer and business-to-business networks through member resources, educational events, and diversity research. We’ll just be doing so with a name that is more inclusive of our industry’s many member companies and multi facets. 

The Red Letter Awards shines a spotlight on several exceptional women and superlative leaders in our industry and we applaud their many accomplishments. Each of the honorees represents all that is right with this industry. And all that is hopeful with our future. 

All of us at the global headquarters for The WICT Network are proud of everything you do and are honored to stand beside you today, tomorrow, and beyond. 

Thank you. 

Kristin J. Edwards | VP, Member & Chapter Development

The WICT Network: Empowering Women in Media, Entertainment and Technology

 

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