¡Sorpresa! expands affiliate & programming team.

¡Sorpresa! announced the appointments of Samantha Brown as Senior Director, Western Division Affiliate Relations and Yvette Sanchez as Programming Manager. Ms. Brown will be responsible for expanding our affiliate base in top West Coast markets as well as strengthening the distribution of ¡Sorpresa! through our existing affiliate relationships. Ms. Sanchez will be responsible for providing additional programming capabilities including increasing original programming initiatives and co-production opportunities for the ¡Sorpresa! Network and digital community.

Ms. Brown has an extensive background in both cable and broadcast television where through her strong negotiation and marketing talents she has been instrumental in assisting the growth and development of networks both large and small. Over the past fourteen years, Ms. Brown has held executive positions in affiliate sales and marketing for networks such as ESPN Networks, USA Networks, United Paramount Network and Career Entertainment Television. Most recently she served as a consultant for E! Entertainment Networks in their Business and Legal Department. She will be based in Los Angeles and report to Tim Kelly, Vice President for Affiliate Sales and Marketing.

“Having surpassed the million subscriber milestone, we continue to focus our attention on bolstering our programming capabilities and strengthening ¡Sorpresa!’s affiliate relationships; ultimately, increasing our audience base,” commented Leonard Firestone, ¡Sorpresa!’s COO.

Ms. Sanchez brings over seven years of international television programming experience to ¡Sorpresa! attained at Discovery Communications Latin America. She also has unique insights in identifying programs for acquisition and development and, customizing programs for culturally appropriate demographic and language populations in the US. In addition, Ms. Sanchez has experience in network operations and research functions including, program marketing for affiliate and advertising partnerships. She will be based in Miami and report to Maria Badillo, Vice President for Programming.