The CW's MJ Pijanowski on Getting Ahead in a More Complex World

"It has been challenging at times, but it is something everyone has had to adapt to, and beyond that, there is no commute, which has been great," she tells MediaVillage during a Zoom chat. Pijanowski lives just across the Hudson River from her NYC office -- when she worked in one -- and was also raised in New Jersey. There, she became a swimmer and, in college, was captain of a Division I swim team at Loyola University, Maryland. That experience, as a team player and a leader, helps guide her.

"It provides a strong foundation for your work ethic, and it's made me a more well-rounded and accountable person," Pijanowski (pictured with family dog Stanley) explains. "It introduces the need to make sure you are always working hard, improving, and exemplifying those qualities. At the end of the day, you have to care about what you are doing. I don't want to have a job just to have a job. I want to make a difference and do well for the company and the people I work with."

Pijanowski began in advertising with NBC, where she worked at Bravo, then moved over to The Weather Channel. The CW was a significant change, going from cable to broadcast, from more niche programming to a broader array of scripted shows. Without knocking more traditional broadcast networks, Pijanowski notes, "The CW is unique because while it's a broadcast network, our content and audiences are very different from the other broadcasters which can be a valuable thing when talking to clients. By being in the broadcast market, we have scale to reach a wide variety of consumers, with unique content that makes us stand out from our competitors. We are always looking to provide programs that make people feel good and want to come back to the network and become fans at the end of the day."

The CW was built to be different and smartly positioned itself to younger adults with shows like returning hits All American, Riverdale and The Flash. Its longest-running success, Supernatural, just ended a 15-year run. Still even when plotlines tackle profound subjects, The CW tends to be, "a little bit lighter, I think that is appreciated, especially at this moment in time," Pijanowski notes.

As this moment commands constant screen time, that translates into her work meetings taking on even greater importance. "I work to make sure that I am asking pointed questions that can sometimes be a little uncomfortable," she says. "But I also want to be sure I understand the client's strategy and that I am using their time efficiently."

Ensuring her meetings are productive is critical because, at its essence, Pijanowski describes her "main role at The CW is just that of a salesperson. I am in place to help the network communicate the strengths and unique attributes that we identify with across all of our platforms. I am communicating those strengths and attributes to clients and advertisers alike to ultimately prove to them that our audience and viewers align with their target consumers."

"What is also really special about representing this network is that many of our talent is really sought after," Pijanowski adds. "They are big names in the entertainment industry, names that people recognize, and people who our consumers can relate to."

One of her biggest clients is Procter & Gamble. Its portfolio, including Bounty paper towels and Cascade dishwashing detergent, enjoyed a boom as the pandemic kept people home and they cooked.

"I was recently involved in a partnership where we used Cascade and CW talent from a few of our different shows -- Batwoman, All American, Nancy Drew -- they were showcasing Cascade through video and talking about it, which was really cool," Pijanowski says. "Some of our partnerships lend themselves to extensions beyond just our typical platforms, where we can weave in a social aspect by working with Instagram and Facebook. Sometimes those things can get a little more complicated because there are so many legal terms involved and contractual agreements that we have to abide by, but I think it just makes the partnerships that utilize all of those things really unique because not everyone has the bandwidth to do that."

Like everyone, the pandemic compelled her to reassess life, and Pijanowski presents a sensible approach.

"My goals today, at this moment in time, are to continue evolving and adapting to the industry," she says. "There are so many rapid changes happening around us, as individuals and as a company, that it's important to keep up with them on a daily basis and in the long-term. Professionally speaking, you can't get comfortable anymore -- especially in the media industry. So many companies are consolidating, and technology is changing, and if you don't keep up, it's difficult to continue moving forward and progress in your career, so I strive to work hard at that.

"That is a big goal of mine," Pijanowski continues. "It would be great to lead a team of my own one day but at the same time, if the past nine months have taught me anything, it's that now more than ever, the importance of establishing a work-life balance is crucial. A balance that truly benefits me and making sure that I can incorporate that in some way is so important. At the end of the day, I only have one life, and I want to make sure it is a happy one that I am proud of. I try not to put too much pressure on myself, whereas in the beginning of my career, I probably would have done so more."

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The opinions expressed here are the author's views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillage.com/MyersBizNet.