Fractional / Advisory / Interim  ·  Los Angeles, CA

Stephen B.
Ste. Marie

Fractional Growth & Commercialization Executive

Media · Sports · Subscription Platforms · Digital Consumer Businesses.
Senior commercialization executive with 30+ years building and scaling subscription, media, sports, and technology businesses. Helped take DIRECTV from pre-revenue to $2B+ annually. Commercialized NFL Sunday Ticket and NBA League Pass. Now advising founders, CEOs, and boards on what comes next.

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30+
Years Building
$2B+
Revenue Built
$1B+
Market Opportunity
Stephen B. Ste. Marie

Signature Achievements

The work that defines
his career.

DIRECTV

$2B+ Revenue.
5M Subscribers.

Co-built DIRECTV's entire commercial engine from pre-revenue to scale — sales, distribution, pricing, content packaging, and advertising infrastructure. All of it, from scratch.

Sports Commercialization

NFL Sunday Ticket.
NBA League Pass.

Commercialized two of the most recognized and valuable sports media subscription packages in history. Established the premium sports subscription model that remains the industry standard today.

Intertainer

OTT Pioneer.
A decade early.

Led one of the first IP-based VOD platforms as President — negotiating landmark agreements with Sony, Paramount, and Warner Bros. nearly a decade before Netflix streaming became mainstream.

Elevation Global Advisory

$3–5B Market
Opportunity.

Currently leading commercialization strategy for a first-of-kind content engagement platform to recover content owners' “rightful share” of an annual $12B+ existing market.

Expertise

Where I add value.

Commercial
Commercialization & Revenue Growth
Revenue Models
Subscription & Recurring Revenue Strategy
Media
Sports & Entertainment Media Monetization
Digital
OTT / Streaming / Digital Platforms
Partnerships
Strategic Partnerships & Joint Ventures
Go-to-Market
Go-to-Market Design & Pricing Strategy
AI
AI-Augmented Strategy & Execution
Advisory
Founder & CEO Advisory
Operations
Operating Model Design & Execution
Leadership
Investor & Board-Level Communication
Media Evolution
Media Industry Evolution Advisory
Special Situations
Early-Stage Scaling & Turnaround

His Career

Three decades of
building what's next.

Elevation Global Advisory
2006 – Present
Managing Partner & Co-Founder

Boutique fractional executive and strategic advisory practice. Clients span media, entertainment, sports, healthcare, and digital consumer businesses across the U.S. and Asia.

  • Commercialization strategy, recurring-revenue model design, GTM execution, and market expansion
  • Leading advisory for a first-of-kind content engagement platform targeting a $3–5B annual market
  • Supported medical services roll-up from 4-practice base — commercial infrastructure and growth model
  • Client project portfolio with collective valuations exceeding $1B
Intertainer
2001 – 2004
President

One of the first IP-based, digital cable video-on-demand platforms — a commercialization pioneer nearly a decade before the streaming era.

  • Directed commercialization, content licensing, and platform distribution strategy
  • Negotiated landmark agreements with Sony, Paramount, Warner Bros., and other major studios
  • Established early OTT/VOD operating frameworks that anticipated modern streaming
CareerPath
1998 – 2000
Chief Executive Officer

Leading online career marketplace during the peak of the early digital economy expansion.

  • Led growth strategy, P&L, and commercialization for a top-tier digital career platform
  • Directed strategic merger process culminating in the CareerBuilder transaction
DIRECTV
1991 – 1998
SVP, Chief Marketing & Revenue Officer

Founding executive leadership team. Built DIRECTV's commercial infrastructure from zero to $2B+ annual revenue and 5M+ subscribers in under five years of active operations.

  • Designed and built national sales, subscriber acquisition, distribution, and pricing infrastructure
  • Commercialized NFL Sunday Ticket and NBA League Pass — the industry template that endures today
  • Built advertising sales, content packaging, and marketing infrastructure from the ground up
Earlier Career
American Television & Communications (Time Warner Cable) — SVP

Pepsi-Cola Company — National Brand Director, Diet Pepsi

AI & Media Evolution

A practitioner's
perspective on
what's coming.

"Combines 30+ years in media commercialization with active AI workflow proficiency to deliver a forward-looking perspective on how media businesses should be adapting and competing in an AI-driven landscape."

  • Applies structured prompting and multimodal AI workflows across every client engagement
  • Compresses research, analysis, and strategic execution timelines materially
  • Brings a practitioner's — not theorist's — perspective on AI's impact on media, distribution, and monetization
  • Developed through active daily use, not observation — a genuine operational edge
  • Delivers forward-looking advisory on how media businesses should be adapting and competing now

Boards & Advisory Roles

Active engagement
across the ecosystem.

Corporate Advisor
Grid News Bureau LLC
2023 – Present
Corporate Advisor
VIP Play, Inc.
2021 – Present
Corporate Advisor
TiVo, Inc.
1996 – 2000
Board of Directors
HomeDirector Inc.
2004 – 2006
Board of Directors
iSearch Inc.
1998 – 2001
Education
BS, Industrial Management
Georgia Institute of Technology
 
MBA
Lubin School of Business, Pace University

Let's Talk

Ready to build
something together?

Available for fractional executive engagements, advisory roles, and interim leadership. Los Angeles–based, available nationally.

sstemarie@mac.com 310-614-4875 LinkedIn