Christine Cook's Great Big Story

Ingrid Laubamp160amp160You started your career in education and then moved to digital media amp160How did that happenChristine Cookamp160 I moved to New York because my husband was coming to get a PhD and I said quotI39ll get a job and support you while you go to schoolquot amp160I didn39t find a position teaching so I looked in the classifieds amp160With my background in literature I thought I could go into magazine publishing amp160I got a job as an administrative assistant reporting to the editor and publisher at a trade magazine portfolio amp160It really was the best thing that could39ve happened because I understood from that vantage point the totality of how to publish a magazine how to lay it out where the ads goamp160and a little bit about prepress technology amp160The publisher recognized the business side of the house was a better fit for me than the editorial side when I questioned why we hadn39t sold ads on the website we launched in 1995 amp160It became my project and that was really how I got into digitalThat foundational understanding of publishing was fostered when I was hired as one of the two founding sales managers to launch The New York Times Company Digital which took my career in a whole other direction amp160It provided training and leadership skills and I learned how to be an executive as a young woman in a very professional organizationIngrid amp160Was there a particular person who had a big impact on your careerChristineamp160 Wenda Harris Millard amp160She joined DoubleClick when I was at The New York Times amp160I went to an Advertising Women of New York AWNY breakfastamp160and there was Wenda with two kids and doing this digital job and I was like quotI can do that tooquot amp160At the trade publication and The New York Timesamp160there were female publishers who mentored me amp160I have an obligation and honest desire to do that for other young women providing guidance and taking time to give people feedback from a caring place both critical and complementary amp160I39ve brought more than a few people along and I remained active in the AWNY mentorship program until I was at Flipboard amp160I39m hoping I have an opportunity to do that in this organizationIngrid amp160How do you describe Great Big Story and video storytellingChristineamp160 Great Big Story invites viewers to wander the world through a lens of the positivity and potential in a way that makes them feel that the world is an okay place amp160There are heavy things that happen around us and we need to know about them but there can also be moments where we feel joy and learn about the wonder of people how things were created or places that we dream about or want to go amp160It39s very emotional and uplifting especially from a global perspective amp160The fact that so many people stay through to the end of our videos creates a fantastic space for advertisers amp160GBS is really pioneering the future of content and how brands go along on that journeyIngrid amp160It39s snackable content but it39s not junk food Christineamp160 It39s highprotein calories amp160What39s really fascinating for me is that positive emotional component amp160What is advertising other than wanting someone to have an emotional connection to a brandIngrid amp160How much of the sponsorship is in the form of branded contentChristineamp160 It39s 5050 amp160There39s editorial sponsorship and branded content in the voice of the brand amp160We can work with brands who do not have content and allow them to travel with our stories via sponsorship or we can produce longform branded contentIngrid amp160You39re in both the domestic and international spaces amp160Why was the dual reporting structure importantChristineamp160 GBS stories connect on a level that transcends cultures and languages amp160A lot of brands want to play on that stage and there aren39t a lot of digital companies available to them outside the Big Three amp160I spent about six years working at Flipboard and we reached a global audience in 26 different languages amp160It39s a different business but in doing that job I started to understand the global customer amp160We have global clients who have been working with CNNamp160and are very excited to have something else to addIngrid amp160There39s certainly no lack of female role models at Turner including Turner Ad Sales President Donna Speciale and Executive Vice President Portfolio Sales and Client Partnerships Turner Ad Sales Katrina Cukaj and the Turner Women BRG Christineamp160 Knowing that Donna was hereamp160and finding out that I was going to be working with Katrina was exciting amp160I also immediately scheduled time with Executive Vice President Portfolio Sales and Client Partnerships Turner Ad Sales Joe Hogan and Executive Vice President Portfolio Sales and Client Partnerships Turner Ad Sales Frank Sgrizzi because we39re all in this together and I have a lot to learn from them as well There are times when it39s important to lean in to women but I got to the stage in my career that I also started to mentor young menIngrid amp160Any advice for young women or men who are looking to get into the businessChristine amp160I see a lot of people who are ready for that next title and that promotion amp160Rapid movement between jobs is pretty common especially in digital amp160I also see people that hop up too quickly then max out before they reach their potential amp160My advice is to find a mentor outside your immediate circle to give you frank feedbackClick the social buttons above or below to share this story with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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Christine Cook's Great Big Story

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Christine Cook's Great Big Story

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