The Team
Mr. Sullivan is co-founder and partner in Bandit Productions. He also currently serves as Chairman of BitFire Networks, Inc., a production and transmission company for television based in Phoenix, AZ. From August 2014 to March 2020, he served as President & CEO of the REV Group, a Milwaukee-based manufacturer of fire and emergency vehicles; commercial, transit and school buses; specialty trucks; mobility vans; construction sweepers and recreational vehicles. From July 2013 to June 2014, Mr. Sullivan was Chairman and CEO of Gardner Denver, Inc., a Milwaukee-based manufacturer of oil & gas, industrial and medical pumps, and compressors.
From 2000 to 2011 Mr. Sullivan was President and CEO of Bucyrus International, a manufacturer of mining machinery located in Oak Creek, WI. Mr. Sullivan retired from Bucyrus in July 2011 after completing the sale of the company to Caterpillar, Inc. for $8.8 billion and growing shareholder value more than 1,800% between 2004 and 2010.
Mr. Sullivan was inducted into the Wisconsin Business Hall of Fame in 2021 and received the P.E. MacAllister distinguished alumnus award from Carroll University in 2021. In 2012 Mr. Sullivan served as a special consultant to Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. He chaired the Wisconsin Governor’ s Council on Workforce Investment, and the Wisconsin Governor’s College and Workforce Readiness Council. In 2012 he also served as an advisor to CCMP, a private equity firm in New York.
Mr. Sullivan currently chairs the board of the Bucyrus Foundation that funds nonprofit organizations, including the St. Ann Center for Intergenerational Care in Milwaukee. He is a past Chairman and Director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Milwaukee, Gardner Denver, Inc., Generac Inc., the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, and United Way of Greater Milwaukee. He is a past Director of Aurora Health Care, Bucyrus International, Inc., Carroll University, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, Cliffs Natural Resources, Inc., Crosby, Inc., GenAlpha, Inc., Greater Milwaukee Committee, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milacron, Inc., Milwaukee School of Engineering, National Mining Association, Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, REV Group, Inc., Southeast Wisconsin Business Health Coalition, and the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Business Advisory Council.
Bob Sullivan brings to Bandit a career that spans more than four decades in television. From production and programming, to senior management and consulting, Sullivan has made an extraordinary impact on all aspects of the broadcast business. As a recognized industry leader, Sullivan’s roles have included SVP of Programming for TEGNA Media overseeing new program development, market research, strategic planning, syndication acquisitions and business development.
While at TEGNA, he created and successfully launched four nationally syndicated programs including Daily Blast Live and the talk show TD Jakes. He held a similar position as VP Programming for Scripps Television where he created and successfully launched three nationally syndicated shows including Right This Minute and The List.
Most recently, Sullivan oversaw the transformation of three new business lines as General Manager for Sneaky Big, a full-production film studio and live production hub for CBS Sports, Turner Sports, The NFL Network, and Bleacher Report for The Alliance of American Football, among others. In addition, he helped create and sell options on three original programs to Discovery, Netflix and NBC’s Peacock Network.
He has held senior broadcast management positions including VP of Television, Gannett Broadcasting; President and General Manager, W*USA-TV in Washington D.C.; and Station Manager, KPNX-TV in Phoenix.
Sullivan owned his own marketing firm, Sullivan and Associates, and served as President of The Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee for Super Bowl XLII played in February 2008 in Glendale, Arizona.
Jen Dahl is a Senior Development Producer for Bandit Productions. Jen is a seasoned media executive with more than 25 years in the industry. She was the Executive News Director at CBS 5/3TV in Phoenix and also led the team at KUTV in Salt Lake City. Jen has extensive experience in television newsrooms across the country, serving as the Director of News and Marketing at Tribune Broadcasting and Local TV LLC. She also served as the West Coast Group News Director for Sinclair Broadcast Group. She worked with newsrooms across the country helping improve their news, digital, programming and marketing products.
Cynthia Lee collaborates with top advertisers, producers and talent to lead the company's sponsorship and branded content monetization across all platforms.
Cynthia has spent her career forging strategic partnerships to create new opportunities for advertisers. Prior to joining Bandit Productions in 2022, she ran Integrated Sales and Marketing at Warner Bros. Before that, she worked in sales development for People en Español at Time Inc., and lastly she was part of the launch group at AOL Time Warner Global Marketing Solutions, the new corporate division dedicated to leveraging the portfolio across multi-media platforms to create customized marketing opportunities for Fortune 500 companies. She resides in New York City with her family.
Kathy Samuels has nearly three decades of experience in lifestyle, news and unscripted programming for television and digital broadcasting. Having worked at the three big networks: NBC, CBS, and ABC, she was an instrumental player as an Executive Producer and studio executive, helping to launch big TV brands like Access Hollywood, Rachel Ray, and Katie Couric.
A creative force, Kathy also developed and produced various primetime TV specials, live shows, and pilots for the networks and TV station groups. From broadcast television to cable, to original programming and e-commerce, Kathy brought her diverse producing and programming background to running production services sales for independent studios. She prides herself on being able to tap into her producer skills to help clients achieve successful outcomes for their projects.
She was one of Bitfire Networks' early clients turned devotees. Now Kathy keeps a foot in each coast dividing her time between California and Georgia with her husband, five grown children and two dogs.
Delaney's current role is Development Coordinator with a heavy focus on Digital Media Management, Production Development, and Marketing. Delaney’s passion for broadcast television production came from her coursework taken at Arizona State University where she received her bachelor's degree in Communication. Delaney is excellent at multitasking several projects at once from content development to social media, to business development. She is well-rounded in the field and enjoys seeing her projects through to the finish line.
Delaney resides happily in Phoenix, AZ, and loves spending time with her friends & family, and of course, her cat - Louis.
Sean Hennessy is an editor for Bandit Productions. He specializes in long format show editing. He is the main editor for the The Luke Branquinho Show. He works with the team to make their vision come to life on screen. Prior to joining Bandit, Sean spent 8 years as a video editor and story producer at Right This Minute, a nationally syndicated show. Sean has a degree in Film and Media Studies from Arizona State University.
In his free time, you can catch him hiking, acting or writing screenplays.