Our Team
Media Forward is a unique collaboration of 3 industry heavy hitters joining forces to form a powerful organization with unparalleled experience and resources to help you succeed in any media venture.
Founded by Ken Adelson, an Emmy award winning, nationally renowned broadcasting and digital media leader, in association with Terry Lyons, a global communications specialist, and Ushi Patel, a leading digital & brand strategist, Media Forward will provide the knowledge and solutions to drive your success and be your turn-key media partner.
ABOUT KEN ADELSON
Ken is an Emmy-Award winning sports broadcasting and multimedia executive, innovator, producer and visual storyteller with over 28 years of production, programming and digital media leadership at top tier media organizations.
As Senior Vice President of Production Operations and Planning for NBA Entertainment, Adelson ran the day to day operations for NBA Entertainment and was a key member of the management team that launched NBA TV in 1999, the first cable/satellite network created by a sports league and was instrumental in the development of the NBA’s digital media strategies. He is skilled at leveraging emerging technologies to maximize the use of content to create new revenue opportunities across traditional and new media platforms.
In 2008 Ken launched the Oklahoma City Thunder Broadcasting and Digital Media from the ground up. As Senior Vice President and Executive Producer, he managed the daily operations for the NBA’s newest franchise overseeing HD television broadcasts, the Thunder Radio Network, Spanish Language Radio, “Air Thunder” a weekly magazine show and digital production for web, wireless and in-arena. In 2009, Thunder Broadcasting won the Heartland Regional Emmy for “Best Game Broadcast.”
He began his career as an on-air television anchor, reporter and producer at network affiliated stations in Salt Lake City, Phoenix and Hartford, Ct.
Adelson is a keynote speaker and expert panelist / moderator at national and international conferences, a media coach and educator.
Currently, a Media Industry Senior Advisor for leading sports organizations, he founded Media Forward to help serve the needs of organizations and individuals trying to capitalize on the significant opportunities in a rapidly changing media industry.
ABOUT TERRY LYONS
Terry was responsible for all NBA communications, public relations and media activities outside the USA. He supervised and helped train 15 communications staff stationed in the NBA’s Asia-Pacific and European offices and coordinated for all international public relations activities generated in the NBA’s headquarters in New York and New Jersey.
Lyons had held the position of Director of Media Relations for the NBA before being promoted to Vice President and concentrating his efforts on the NBA’s soaring international growth.
He has worked in conjunction with USA Basketball on the Summer Olympics and World Championships, dating back to the 1992 Barcelona Games and helped coin the slogan “The Dream Team.”
Since the 1980’ Lyons worked every NBA Finals, All-Star Weekend, NBA Draft and international events, over 100 games in all corners of the world. He created and organized NBA Photos to assist NBA Entertainment in chronicling photographically the league’s growth and history. Lyons is a graduate of St. John’s University in New York, where he continues to serve on its Sports Management Advisory Council.
ABOUT USHI PATEL
Ushi has worked with more than 30 niche brands (www.AnOrganicConversation.com, www.UrbanRemedy.com, www.LetLoveOut.com), helping entrepreneurs and knowledge leaders educate, engage their audience, encourage participation and contribution, build community, cultivate influencers, and generate revenue.
She was the West Coast Development Officer for Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) where she built strategic and revenue generating relationships with Silicon Valley funders, executives and entrepreneurs, that later became the foundation of her knowledge and exposure to what works and what’s hot in digital.
Ushi was the Vice President of Brand Strategy and Business Development at Living Networks Media where she developed digital media strategies to capture and continue the vibrancy, relevance and impact of an event long after it had occurred (Sogeti’s yearly executive conference, George Soros’ Institute of New Economic Thinking Summits).
Ushi is a graduate of RIT’s s College of Imaging Arts and Sciences and the Saunders College of Business where she earned her MBA. She serves on the Board of StoryBridges.