Rick Kupchella is a long time Twin Cities television news anchor & investigative reporter… who began his career in public radio in Kentucky before stints with CBS News in New York & several news organizations in the Reagan White House.

He’s a winner of more than a dozen Emmys & Best of Show at the New York International Film Festival, and led the Minnesota chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists to recognition as top chapter in the nation for the first time in its 50-year history.

He left television in 2009 to launch and partner in a series of digital media companies, including BringMeTheNews, an online & broadcast radio network which sold to the Pohlad Group in 2015.

His current endeavor, i.e. network, produces high value, strategic communications – often through news & brand storytelling – for major corporations seeking to increase market share or educate specific audiences.  Clients include UnitedHealth Group, Cargill, Target, Medtronic, Tennant and several other well-known Minnesota brands.

Kupchella is former Chairman of the humanitarian group, Smile Network International, and the author of a couple Children’s books, including “Girls Can”, written in cooperation with US Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, Olympic great Jackie Joyner Kersee, and America’s first woman in space, Dr. Sally Ride.

John joins i.e. network’s board with decades of experience in media and content leadership. He served as President of Scripps Networks for nine years, where he is credited with guiding the company to become a leading developer of unique content across various media platforms including television, digital, mobile and publishing.

As President of Scripps Networks, Lansing was responsible for strategic and operational oversight of the $2.5 billion division of Scripps Networks Interactive, including the company’s portfolio of six cable networks—Food Network, HGTV, Travel Channel, DIY, Cooking Channel and Great American Country—and the $100 million Scripps Networks Digital division. Prior to joining Scripps Networks in 2004, Lansing was Senior Vice President for Television in the broadcasting division of the E.W. Scripps Company, managing the company’s portfolio of 10 network affiliated television stations.

Earlier, he held various senior management positions at Scripps-owned affiliates, including WEWS TV in Cleveland, Ohio and WXYZ TV in Detroit, Michigan.

Most recently, Lansing was President and Chief Executive Officer of Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing (CTAM), a marketing association comprised of 90 of the top U.S. and Canadian cable companies and television programmers. There, Lansing oversaw the development of business strategies and marketing initiatives that position cable television companies for continued growth as they compete with emerging digital content platforms.

Lansing also brings a deep understanding of journalism from roles as an award-winning Photojournalist and Field Producer, Assignment Manager, Managing Editor, and News Director at several television stations earlier in his career.

Lansing is on the Bellarmine University Board of Trustees and was named to the Bellarmine Gallery of Distinguished Graduates in 2010. He serves on the National Advisory Board of the Bellarmine University’s Institute for Media, Culture & Ethics; National Council for Media and Public Affairs of George Washington University School of Media & Public Affairs; and, until recently, the Poynter Institute for Media Studies Foundation, one of the nation’s top schools for professional journalists.

Lansing began his career at age 17 as a news photographer at WPSD- TV in Paducah, Kentucky.

Peter brings years of leadership experience to i.e. network, having worked across a variety of business categories ranging from media and marketing, to software and technology. 

He has grown startups into multimillion-dollar market leaders, and helped mature businesses establish a growth trajectory, allowing him to understand and provide valuable insights into a wide range of businesses. His expertise with both operations and strategy is a valuable combination, one that has resulted in a number of successful acquisitions and exits.

As a partner and EVP for Novus Media, Peter helped grow a business from a handful of people, into one of the largest print buying companies in the county. It was later sold to Omnicom. Peter expanded his marketing knowledge as co-founder and president of Collectible America, a catalog and online collectible business, and as a founding partner in The DOJO Group, a brand building and business growth agency. Afterward, he took over as CEO of LETG, a software company providing law enforcement agencies with a suite of solutions.

Peter is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, and is a board member for a handful of private companies and nonprofits.

Becky Nahm joined the production staff of i.e. network in October 2014 as managing producer. Previously she served as executive producer at KSTP-TV, the ABC affiliate in Minneapolis-St. Paul. She led a team of reporters, producers and photographers to tell Minnesotans’ stories earning regional and national Emmy awards.

Becky majored in journalism and minored in political science at University of Missouri-Columbia. She completed the Policy Fellows program at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs Center and is an avid rower.

Sean joined i.e. network after leading social and digital content strategy at Fortune 500 organizations like Target and JCPenney. He drove award-winning, innovative, and disruptive campaigns resulting in millions of dollars of earned media buzz and sales lifts.

He has forged strong partnerships with Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and others to maximize their marketing impact.

Sean’s ability to bring a narrative to his marketing campaigns stems from his background in TV news as a reporter. He won multiple awards for his storytelling and drove change by using the people, pictures and sounds in a way that resonated with the viewer.

Sean is a graduate of Gonzaga University, majoring in Broadcast Journalism and a minor in Philosophy.

Nina Bouphasavanh brings two decades of experience in television and online news, video production, and digital marketing to her contracted work with i.e. network. She received her first Emmy award before graduating college, and has since lived in California, New York, and Wyoming, all in pursuit of storytelling with heart.

She is a former television news reporter and anchor who fully transitioned to television and video production when she returned to her hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota in 2008.

Nina has a highly diverse background of leading teams and creating compelling and entertaining content for different networks such as the Travel Channel, History, H2, and ABC and for various social media channels.

Her compassionate storytelling style and fastidious nature has garnered her a positive reputation as an effective and creative producer in the field and in edit, and an overall solid marketing partner when an important story needs to be told.  She deeply connects with clients, subjects, and her audiences, and produces an experience that extends far beyond the camera lens.

Aside from telling stories, Nina is passionate about the outdoors, travel, fashion, live music, writing poetry, and spending time with her family and friends.

Mark Anderson is a two-time recipient of the National Edward R. Murrow Award. He has won over 20 Emmys for his work as a visual storyteller. He is a former National Press Photographer of the Year from the National Press Photographers Association for his work produced at KARE TV. He has produced for several national news outlets including Dateline NBC and The Today Show.

He has extensive newsroom leadership experience when he was the Director of Photography at KSTP where his staff went from worst to first and won twice in 5 years the distinguished honor as National Station of the Year from the National Press Photographers Association.

Mark brings the storytelling with heart approach that has distinguished him as a premiere multimedia producer, photojournalist, cinematographer, director, editor and marketing communications professional to his contract work with i.e. network. As a storytelling partner, he places a premium on the people he is honored to serve.

Maria Reitan deploys more than 20 years of integrated communications experience across public relations, advertising, digital, branding and social engagement for her clients. Her strategic work has driven business-building results for such household names as Trane, American Standard, Tempur-Pedic, Jenn-Air, Calphalon, Mr. Bubble, Gerber, and Hasbro to name a few.

With extensive crisis and issues experience and media coaching counsel, Maria has assisted clients in preparing and dealing with the worst-case scenarios.

For more than 10 years, Maria has hosted a marketing-to-women podcast on webmasterradio.fm. PurseStrings reaches tens of thousands of business professionals and is the longest running podcast of its kind in the country.

Her podcast and client campaigns have been awarded the public relations industry’s highest recognition including the Silver Anvil, Bronze Anvil, PR Platinum, PR Week, Golden SABRE and Minneapolis PRSA.

Prior to her career in integrated strategic communications, Maria spent fifteen years in television news as an Emmy Award-winning news director and producer in Minneapolis, Chicago, Miami, Louisville and both Carolinas.

Maria has a B.A. in journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Leslie is a veteran corporate communications and public affairs professional with extensive experience in both private and public sector environments.  She works with a diverse blend of corporate and non-profit clients to deliver strategic communications and public affairs counsel for internal/employee communications, external communications and media relations, as well as C-suite executive communications, crisis communications and reputation management.

Her political experience includes serving as Press Secretary to Governor Tim Pawlenty and former U.S. Senator Norm Coleman.  She has also held a number of senior communications leadership roles within UHG/Optum and Carlson, in addition to senior roles at both Himle Rapp & Co. and Tunheim Partners.

She currently serves on the Minnesota Super Bowl Communications Committee, and is a founding board member of Empower Girls Leadership Academy and the Indika Alliance.

Steve Wallace is a digital strategist focused on transformation efforts that provide a measurable return for the business. His work with Fortune 500 companies and smaller companies ranges from large-scale e-commerce initiatives to developing complex content eco-systems integration paid, owned and earned media.

Client experience includes 3M, UnitedHealth Group, AT&T, and Best Buy.

Steve is a founding member and past-President of the Minnesota Interactive Association (MiMA) and past-President of the Advertising Federation of Minnesota (AdFed).

He is a graduate of the University of Arizona and like many at i.e. network, was at one time a journalist working with newspaper in Arizona and Forbes magazine.