Longtime ABC marketing executive Marla Provencio will be honored with the PromaxBDA 2017 lifetime achievement award at the organization’s annual conference, Variety has learned exclusively.
The network announced in February that Provencio would leave her position later this year. “I am deeply honored to be the recipient of the 2017 PromaxBDA Lifetime Achievement Award from Promax,” said Provencio. “Being part of this creative community is a true privilege. Now, to be acknowledged by my peers is emotionally overwhelming. I am extremely grateful.”
PromaxBDA celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2016 and is a member association representing more than 10,000 companies and individuals from major media organizations, marketing agencies, research companies, strategic and creative vendors and technology providers around the globe. Previous award winners include NBC marketing executive John Miller, producer Brian Grazer, filmmaker Spike Lee, and actress Betty White.
“Throughout her 35+ year career at ABC, Marla has proven to be an inspiration to so many people in our industry not only for her groundbreaking work, but also for the leadership and vision she exhibits every day in a very dynamic business” said Steve Kazanjian, president and CEO of PromaxBDA. “There is no one more deserving of this award and it will be our honor to present Marla with the PromaxBDA Lifetime Achievement Award at The Conference in June.”
Provencio started her career in on-air promotion at ABC in 1979 as production coordinator. Over the years she has held various positions, including producer, senior producer and executive director of Daytime and Children’s promotion; vice president, overseeing all on-air creative for drama and long-form programming; and vice president of marketing for ABC Entertainment. She was named executive vice president of marketing, and chief marketing officer for ABC Entertainment in November 2011. In this position she oversees all marketing activities for ABC’s primetime, daytime and late-night lineups.
Among the shows she helped launch during her time at the network are: “Modern Family,” “Once Upon a Time,” “How To Get Away With Murder,” “black-ish,” “Castle,” “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Lost,” “Desperate Housewives,” “Scandal,” “Dancing with the Stars,” “Shark Tank,” “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette,” among many others.
For her creative endeavors on behalf of ABC, Provencio was named Entertainment Marketer of the Year in 2005 and 2007 by Ad Age. She has also been nominated for numerous PromaxBDA Awards, winning several for on-air promotion campaigns that she developed. These include the “ABC House” branding campaign, as well as campaigns for such series as “Revenge,” “Modern Family,” “Lost,” “Desperate Housewives,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “NYPD Blue” and “Alias,” and the movie and miniseries “Oprah Winfrey Presents: Tuesday’s with Morrie” and “Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows.”
In addition, she was chosen as one of People en Español’s Most Powerful Women for 2013 and was named one of 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014’s Most Powerful & Influential Latinos in Entertainment by the Imagen Foundation. She was also voted one of the 50 Elite Hispanic Women two years in a row by Hispanic Business Magazine.
