Staff

Bill Ross, General Manager

Lindy Phannenstiel, General Sales Manager

Colorado Natives are hard to find these days, buy Lindy is proudly one of them! Born and raised in the Denver area, she became an avid skier and outdoors lover at a very early age. She moved to the Vail Valley shortly after graduating from the University of Colorado-Boulder, with a marketing emphasis in 1988.

Lindy joined TV8 during the planning stages of the station in 1990 shortly before it’s first broadcast and has been an integral member of the staff ever since. She is titled the General Sales Manager at TV8, but also wears a wide variety of other hats. . . such as payroll, accounts payable, overseeing all traffic and accounts receivable, primary liaison with the parent company Vail Resorts Inc., website manager. . . you name it and she’ll take care of it or make sure it gets done.

Throughout her tenure at TV8, Lindy has found leading the sales team for the award winning “Good Morning Vail” show and TV8/TV17 to be a very rewarding experience and is ready to assist you with any advertising needs you may have.

Jenny Austin, Account Manager

Jenny joined the TV8 team in November 2006. Jenny, a true “Colorado” girl, skied Vail Mountain from the time her parents bought their first home in Vail in 1963.  After high school, she traveled extensively through the United States, Canada and Europe – landing in Utah working as a pantry chef and skiing the powder.  After a few years satisfying her wanderlust, Jenny went back to college and worked towards being accepted into medical school.  She graduated from Metropolitan State College with a BS in biology and a minor in Chemistry. 

After graduation, Jenny played a pivotal role in growing her brothers business, Englewood Mortgage Co., for 20 years while raising a family.  Believing in the power of giving back, Jenny also impacted many young girls lives through serving Girl’s Inc. of Metro Denver for over 10 years.  Her efforts during that time include chairing different committees and serving on the Executive Committee, which culminated in her Presidency of the Girl’s Inc Alliance, the fundraising arm of Girl’s Inc. Metro Denver in 2005.  During her Presidency, Girl’s Inc Alliance netted over $300,000 that went directly to the girls’ programs.  Jenny currently serves as a 2009 Board Advisor.

The opportunity to work at TV8 and Jenny’s love for the outdoors brought her and her two children: Joey, a student at CU, and daughter Kaley, an avid equestrian who is in high school, to Vail. Most days you can find Jenny and her trusted yellow lab, Ellie, playing at the dog park, or on the sidelines of her kid’s games and horseshows. 

Bettina Lopez, Green Room Coordinator

Originally from Berlin, Germany, Bettina moved to the United States in 2002, settling in various cities on the West Coast, including Seattle, West Hollywood and, most recently, Boulder. She joined the TV8 team in May 2008. 

Her career started in technology and marketing but after relocating to the U.S., she focused on the entertainment industry, working with Mark Burnett Productions, CBS Paramount Television and Serac Adventure Films in international sales, music licensing and marketing roles.  Bettina graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in Communication and an emphasis in Public Relations. She also has degrees in French and English from the Berlin Kant Academy.

While growing up in Germany and Finland, she started skiing at the age of 3 and spent several weeks a year on the slopes of Austria, Switzerland and Romania. Coincidently, her first visit to the U.S. was a ski trip with her husband to Vail. When not managing the Green Room, she spends her spare time hiking with her two Golden Retrievers, Jussi and Max, golfing and skiing, along with many other outdoor activities.

Andrea Theriot, Traffic Coordinator

Andrea, a native Texan, moved to the Vail Valley in 2007 to pursue her dream of living in the mountains.  She grew up in League City, Texas and graduated from the University of North Texas in 2004 with a degree in marketing.

Her job as a traffic coordinator is much different than you may assume. You won't see her directing traffic in the round-a-bouts; instead she organizes commercials and programming for TV8 and TV17. Her previous experience working in advertising and software sales/technical support has given her valuable skills to apply to her current job here in the Vail Valley.

She is very involved with her local church and uses her voice to sing in the music ministry.  Andrea's spirit of adventure drives her to spend her spare time hiking, camping, biking, kayaking, skiing, snowshoeing, rock climbing and training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.  

TJ Davis, Production Manager

TJ joined the TV8 team in June of 2005 as a director and photographer/editor.  Prior to landing the “dream job” he worked as a news photographer for the NBC affiliate in Lubbock, TX, the NBC affiliate in Amarillo, TX and as a news/sports photographer and satellite uplink engineer in Houston, TX.  TJ attended college at the University of Colorado in Boulder as well as Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX.  In his spare time TJ enjoys skiing, fishing, backpacking and four-wheeling in the mountains.  You may email TJ at tdavis1@vailresorts.com.

Mike Wilson, Broadcast Engineer

John Nichols, Producer/Director

While most of the Valley’s residents originally venture to Vail in search of their very own epic “ski bum” season, John is here in search of something else:  the opportunity to make a career in a resort community.  Virginia born and Ohio bred; John developed a love of winter mountain sports at an early age with the assistance of his Dad, a middle school teacher and the school’s ski club advisor.

A 2004 graduate of Asbury College in Kentucky, John comes to TV8 with a plethora of valuable experience uncommon in such a young career.  While a student in Media Communications, he landed a spot as a camera assistant during the 2002 Winter Olympics, covering the Long-Track Speed Skating event.  The contacts established throughout his time in Salt Lake City, quickly led to a position with WinnerComm Productions: a sports production company dedicated to horseracing, soccer, and lacrosse.  Upon graduation, John accepted a director position at WLEX in Lexington, KY, and later moved into a director/editor position at WTVG in Toledo, OH. 

Highlights of his career include working on projects such as the Indy 500, the Kentucky Derby, and, of course, the Winter Olympics.  John has surprised himself a little bit with his spur-of-the-moment decision to move to Vail, but he could not wait to indulge in the outdoorsy, mountain lifestyle.  For such an avid skier, mountain biker, and nature photographer, there couldn’t be a better place for John to live and work than Vail!

Lisa Allen, Editor

Lisa joined the TV8 staff in August of 2008. She graduated from the University of Kansas in May where she double majored in broadcast journalism and communication studies. GO JAYHAWKS! While in school Lisa played women's lacrosse for KU, was a producer/anchor for KUJH-TV and interned in Kansas City as an editor for Metro Sports. As an editor for TV8, Lisa continues perfecting her multimedia skills while also living and playing in the mountains. Growing up in Highlands Ranch Colorado, she spent nearly every weekend on the slopes. Lisa loves being outdoors snowboarding, biking, running and wakeboarding. She has traveled to 10 different countries and hopes to visit more.  Lisa's passion lies in editing stories that show unique perspectives of others lives. She is excited to learn more about the Vail Valley through her position! 

Bob Aubrey, Editor

Obsessive... compulsive...  an eye for detail... exactly what you want in a video editor. Bob Aubrey came to TV8 after an extensive multimedia career.  Websites, commercial advertising, documentaries and film work have been his forte for quite some time. What started simply as a graduate of the University of Colorado Journalism School looking for work has blossomed into a career that has graced all facets of the media realm. From trucks to skis, film to print, Bob has gotten the job done. Trust us, you want this guy working on your next project.

Phil Bossart, Production Assistant

Born in Dallas, TX to parents Steve and Mary Beth, Phil is the youngest of four siblings. He grew up playing soccer and attended Bryan Adams High School where he earned a soccer scholarship to the University of Central Arkansas. Phil received his degree in broadcast journalism with a minor in theatre. Once he graduated he interned at TV8 and then was hired on as a photographer/editor. Phil loves to ski during the winter and play soccer and Frisbee golf during the summers.