Michelle (Treiber) Ammirati ’96

Imagine leaving the office for a meeting and running into Mariah Carey in the lobby across the street, wining and dining with network executives, or getting paid to do what you love? This is Michelle (Treiber) Ammirati’s ’96 life as director of pricing and planning for Comedy Central.

Ammirati began working for Comedy Central, located on Broadway in the heart of Times Square, in 2004.

She is in charge of generating revenue by selling commercial airtime to advertisers. Whether it’s during The Daily Show with Jon Stewart or Friday night stand-up comedy, the commercials that air during the broadcasts are the end result of Ammirati’s sales efforts.

Ammirati started out in the TV industry buying commercial airtime nationally for Darden Restaurants, Inc., owner of such chains as Olive Garden and Red Lobster. She bought advertising space from TV networks such as ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX, and cable networks like Comedy Central, MTV and FX.

She also bought airtime from syndicated properties such as Warner Bros., Kingworld and Sony.

Although she had the exciting opportunity to meet famous people like Shannon Dougherty, Michael J. Fox, Calista Flockhart, LL Cool J and Scott Wolf, Ammirati tired of buying commercial airtime, so, she joined the FX network as a sales planner and quickly moved up the ranks.

Ammirati continued pricing commercial airtime at the Food Network, where she was promoted to manager of pricing and planning, and at Odyssey, later re-launched as Hallmark Channel, where she worked as director of commercial inventory and pricing, a more “strategic” sales position.

After three years with Hallmark she was promoted to vice president, but not long after she decided to make a move to her current home at the Viacom-owned Comedy Central network.

Ammirati, 31, is grateful to work at a company like Comedy Central. “People work hard and play hard. It’s not like other sales organizations,” she says.

As director of pricing and planning, Ammirati negotiates with advertising account executives on pricing of commercial airtime to maximize revenue for the network. She manages a five-person staff supporting Chicago, Los Angeles, Detroit and New York; forecasts revenue; builds sales proposals; and establishes pricing.

Comedy’s target market is teens and early 20-somethings. Part of Ammirati’s job is to find out if ad agencies or their clients want to advertise during specific shows, such as Chappelle’s Show or South Park, based on the demographics they’re targeting.

Primetime is the most expensive time slot on network TV, so many advertisers buy their commercial airtime early in bulk quantity. “It’s more expensive to buy in the ‘scatter market’ because it’s closer to air,” Ammirati explains.

And, as in any industry, competition for advertising dollars is tough.

“The greatest part about this industry is its energy. It’s always changing and the content is fun, edgy and exciting.”

While Ammirati describes Comedy Central as “lean and efficient,” a network with a great reputation, it still vies for advertising dollars with competitors both within its own company, like VH1 and MTV, and outside of the company like FX and E!

Hiring great people, says Ammirati, is essential for revenue maximization. She molds good employees by giving them flexibility and empowerment in their jobs – a classic motivational ingredient for employee productivity and efficiency.

With so many responsibilities and the advertising viability of the network in her hands it would seem Ammirati would have a lot of stress associated with her job. But she doesn’t.

Her two-hour commute from Long Island, N.Y., aside, she says, “I don’t have any stress because I like what I do.”

“The greatest part about this industry is its energy,” she adds. “It’s always changing and the content is fun, edgy and exciting. In addition, you can meet a lot of genuine people. I’ve made a lot of long-lasting friendships,” she says.

For students hoping to get into the TV business, Ammirati says, “internships are key.” There is a lot of opportunity in New York City, too.

Networking is also essential to finding a job in the industry. “In order to develop a strong network it is extremely important to build solid relationships,” she says.

Ammirati, a marketing major, says, “Albright made me a more well-rounded individual. I was able to learn how to prioritize and be more independent.”

In addition to her Albright education, her outgoing personality, superior work ethic, and ability to work with people have helped her to get where she is today. “It proves you can do anything you set your mind to,” she says.

Remembering what is was like trying to find a job after college, Ammirati has “an open door policy,” she says, and encourages students to contact her with questions about the business.

Being successful in business “takes confidence, courage,” she says. “Take risks; go with your gut – if it’s wrong you learn from it. You can’t be afraid.”

What’s next for Ammirati? “I think the next job I’ll have is a motivational speaker,” she quips

– Joshua R. Grandy ’06