Marketers in the TV entertainment industry used to dance to a nice, predictable cadence. Programming was synced with the school year and punctuated by regularly recurring ratings periods like the just-completed May Sweeps. Three major networks had a captive audience that obligingly showed up at appointed times and watched programs from end to end.

Last weekend I had the fortune of attending "Wishes in Wine Country," an annual fundraiser benefiting the Greater Bay Area chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. What an amazing day! A croquet-themed event hosted at Sonoma-Cutrer Vineyard, the beauty of the location was only outdone by the quality of the guests. Hundreds of individuals from all walks of life, coming together to support the Make-A-Wish mission of enriching the human experience of children with life-threatening medical conditions with hope, strength, and joy was wonderful to witness. And everyone dressed in white - the standard for a croquet match - was quite …

Entertainment marketers have been savvy adopters of influencer marketing to build buzz, drive tune-in, and entice consumers to make a pre-release purchase.

Like millions of people, I watched the Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao fight. And like many of the other people I watched it with and talked to afterward, I wanted my money back. The bout was touted as the "fight of the century" but was very much a snoozer. The big knock-out was how the fight performed for PPV broadcast companies and a couple of recently launched live-streaming apps.

The entertainment world lost another icon when Roger Mayer passed away on March 24. A long-time executive of Turner Broadcasting, Mayer was loved and respected by just about everyone he came into contact with during his double-digit years in the industry. I certainly loved him-he was my mentor and my hero. He literally saved my life! But that's a story for another day.