Christine Bragan (B.F.A. ’03) is vice president of marketing and communications for AMC Networks, which owns and operates popular and award-winning entertainment brands AMC, IFC, Sundance TV, WE tv, IFC Films and operates BBC America through a joint venture with BBC Worldwide.

Bragan earned an associate’s degree from Suffolk Community College then enrolled in evening classes at New York Tech-Long Island while still working for a cable TV provider. “When my company was faced with a staff shortage, I volunteered to help with public relations,” Bragan says. “I immediately fell in love with the creativity and greater interactions with people.”

One of her most enjoyable student assignments at New York Tech was producing a version of the popular Twilight Zone episode, “Number 13 Looks Just Like You.”  Bragan and her classmates recreated sets on campus and sent out calls for local actors. Other fond memories include learning about media and journalism from professors Don Fizzinoglia and John Hanc, as well as writing for The Campus Slate and working for student radio station WNYT.

Following graduation in 2003, Bragan started working for entertainment company Rainbow Media. The company became a publicly traded company on NASDAQ and rebranded to AMC Networks.  Bragan stayed on and now runs corporate communications and marketing for the company.

“What surprises me the most about the current media landscape is how there is so much content out there across so many devices,” says Bragan. “What technology has allowed beyond portability is the opportunity to share new types of content, including movies and short films, sitcoms, advertising, and user-generated content. There truly is something for everybody.”

But with new opportunities come new challenges. “The more people want, the more people need,” Bragan notes. Thankfully, AMC Networks is home to some of the most popular TV content, with critically-acclaimed shows that include The Walking Dead, Better Call Saul, Orphan Black, and Portlandia.

Bragan also devotes time to mentoring nonprofit work and helping others realize their dreams. For her efforts, the National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC) named her a Next Generation Leader and a NAMIC Luminary. In addition, Bragan is featured in Cablefax’s Most Influential Minorities in Cable: More Execs with Influence (multiple years), Cablefax’s Class of 2009 Women on the Move and was named one of the top 25 local leaders in the fight against HIV/AIDS by Cable Positive.  She is also a board member for NY Women in Film & Television, which is dedicated to creating opportunities for women in entertainment.

“This country is built on the ideals of different points of view and paths that make us great,” she says. “I like talking to people with diverse backgrounds to help them find their own path.”