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PROFILE: Jessica Pantanini

Nov 19, 2001  •  Post A Comment

Title: Joint managing director/chief strategy officer, Tapestry, Bcom3 Group’s new multicultural media agency.
Recent interesting deal: “Purchase of the Mexico-Honduras [soccer] game on Telemundo. This is the final game that will determine whether or not Mexico will qualify for the World Cup in 2002. All soccer fans and Mexican-Americans will be watching to find out if this high-profile, national-icon team will indeed make it.”
The next big thing: “Realization that 40 percent of the under-18 population is ethnic, and a more holistic view to planning and buying is desperately needed. While the ethnic populations are growing, they also tend to be concentrated in urban areas and are exposed to the same discrete media. As a result, we believe that there is a need to have a more holistic perspective of what communication is reaching the multicultural consumer segment. Putting together a company that has access to individual expertise in each of the segments, with the objective of maintaining a holistic perspective, was desperately needed in this diversified marketplace.”
Is there anything you wish you had bought less of: “`Cara o Cruz,’ which I expected to be a huge success. Telemundo ended up editing it down so that they could get it off the air due to unexpected poor performance.”
Is there anything you wish you had bought more of: “Novela-ending packages. These final episodes draw both loyal and infrequent viewers, boosting both ratings and sponsor profiles.”
What do you watch? “Mostly CNN, but I hate to miss `ER,’ `Sex and the City’ and `Six Feet Under,’ and I’m always up for a good Thalia novela. [Thalia is an internationally known Mexican actress.] However, with three boys in the house, I’m subjected to a ton of Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon. … You know those `Powerpuff Girls’ are pretty cute!”
If you weren’t in media buying: “I’d definitely be an actress. I enjoy the drama, comedy and sometimes terror scenes in our lives as advertising executives. Clients give us the praise and rejection that a director would — it’s never the same thing twice, and we all think of ourselves as superstars, so I figure I’ve had great training.”