Navigating Change with Gina Garrubbo

quotThis site was providing women a voice online letting them use the Internet as a tool to be heard and to sharequot she says quotIt was an aha momentquotWith her signature knack for spotting and pioneering market opportunities she took a leap and her careerlong contributions to women in media began The new foray meant changing from the security of a top cable network to spearheading sales for an early stage dot com But Gina thrived on spurring best ad practices for reaching and speaking to women as well as mentoring sponsors and coworkers The payoff was a successful IPO leading to Womencom being acquired by iVillagecom in 2000Gina moved to a more multiplatform evolving voice for women the new Oxygen Media As Executive Vice President ofamp160Ad Sales she tapped her marketing to women savvy and brand advisory skills to triple revenue in three years But thenamp160Lisa Stone a former colleague at Womencomamp160approached her with another femalefocused dot com invite to join her fellow founders at BlogHer amp160Gina recognized that BlogHer was a unique destination that was allowing women to publish important aspects of their lives with finally a feedback loop that enabled other women to join in the conversation amp160from politics to pet care amp160and so Gina jumped quotIt meant actually having a one to one conversation with these bloggers and to have a better perception and higher expectations for how to treat women which was keyquot she saysShe remains proud of helping and educating many Fortune 500 brands on conversing with women via social media and proud of driving money to the pockets of many women In an interview with the BBC in 2008 Gina explained prophetically that quot39Mommy blogging39 is one of the biggest and most influential sectors The influence they have with readers is what will help companies sell the next new car telephone or tomato saucequot BlogHer grew those conversations into a powerful voice that was recently acquired by SheKnowsMediaThe thennew female influencer business model succeeded in part because Gina and the BlogHer core team were scrupulous about sponsorblogger transparency which upped the authenticity of its content providers They were ahead of the curve some years later when the FTC issued disclosure guidelines for sponsored posts and became a proof point that a business based on ethical social journalism could thriveThis experience with authenticity and forging new digital paths has served Gina well in her newest role heading up quotsponsorship with purposequot sales for some of the most trusted media brands today NPR and PBS Public media has let Gina run a parallel path in encouraging major brands to align with authentic voices and be more genuine in their messaging to reap the most respect She explainedquotThe thru line is that it39s about the public trustquot she explains quotI39ve never experienced such a loyal audience or seen a media brand offer such a halo effect amp8230 because the audience truly appreciates the sponsorsamp160 So to work with them is a thrill NPR and PBS sponsors are incredibly respectful of the public media audience and consequently they get rewarded with mutual respect This is an unusual and wonderful paradigm that doesn39t exist anywhere else in mediaquotHas Gina seen progress in the voice of women in media in the 20 years since the early Womencom days quotI do see many of the creative awards going to menquot she observes quotBut never before has creative talent been able to be seen and heard directly on so many platforms amp160and without having to go through a big talent agency or media companyamp160 So that helps drive voices previously unheard to now have a chance to be heardquotAfter advising brands and helping media companies evolve and grow Gina also advises on her personal approach to changeamp160and instinct vs analysisamp160quotWithout enough information no amount of intuition will help youquot she says quotYou can never be overpreparedamp160 It39s critical to know all you canamp8230from hiring someone to joining a company from what former employees say what customers sayamp160 But after a certain intellectual point it39s all instinctamp160 I trust my gut and the energy I get from individuals and the organization It39s served me very well in terms of navigating working with and helping build brandsquotShe39s mentored many but the inspiration that spurred Gina to trailblaze so many femaleempowerment roads in media was found in a family friend amp160a woman who owned a local newspaper who evangelized empowermentamp160 This first womaninmedia role model encouraged Gina to vet decisions properly and make conscious choicesamp160 Gina has influenced many women in this regard as well but closest to home she encourages that same consciousness and evangelizes balance with her teenage daughterquotShe gets to make many of her own life decisionsquot Gina says quotI39ll offer praise and support but challenge her to answer why a result might not have gone well and high honors are great but not if it39s at the expense of sleep healthamp160and physical activityquotFor her fellow media daughters and sisters who are considering a career shift a new job even a new project Gina offers the specific advice she39s followed since listening to her own early role modelMake sure you39re reporting to someone who cares about your wellbeingIf you can afford to take risks now and then you should However amp160amp160Critically review the opportunity and assess if the risk is worth it and if you can afford it for at least six monthsIn all cases don39t take something just for the title and also don39t let your ego get in your way if the title isn39t what you39d hoped forThe emotional side of change and transitions can challenge the balance she evangelizes when fear or anxiety amp160even the excitement of change amp160adds stressamp160 The National Public Media president describes her approach to big decisions almost poetically like something you39d hear on a public radio program quotI conjure each new opportunity and invariably get excitedquot she says quotBut then I step back and let it digest amp8211 emotionally and intellectually I let it sit without judgment It moves from the front of my mind to the back of my mind from the pit of my stomach to the tip of my tongue So by the time I act on it or share it my emotion is gone instead of being caught up in itquotThankfully she has shared many decisions and navigated changes that have positively impacted us allThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecom MyersBizNet Inc management or associated bloggers

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Navigating Change with Gina Garrubbo

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