In the media business and as a creative executive, if you don't take risks, you're dead in the water. Calculated risk-taking is essential for success.
— Nancy Dubuc
I think it's important for History to keep experimenting with their shows. The more documentary-driven, the returning series, are the bottom of the iceberg under the ocean that keeps it moving, and then it's important to take those swings and see if we can ignite a spark with new audiences.
We need to get rid of bullying. We need to get rid of abuse. We need to get rid of harassment. We need to get rid of the casting couch. Instead, we need to build the bench.
When I stepped into the Lifetime role in 2010, I did a listening tour of what was going on for women in this country. There was such a parallel in Hollywood with women talking about how there are stories that are not getting made and that talented young women are not getting the opportunity to direct and write.
It never seems like a good idea to do something that's way out there. But usually, the thing that's way out there is where we are heading.
We have to take a really close look at making sure that we are more surgical and more tailored in dealing with the production community and our producing partners.
It's easy for the board to say, 'Well, add makeover shows.' The No. 1 show for women in the United States is 'The Walking Dead.' That's not a makeover show.
I think we all have to ask ourselves, as leaders, do we have the right processes in place for complaints to be filed and for people to feel protected?
With a strong foundation in scripted programming firmly established by 'Army Wives' and 'Drop Dead Diva,' Lifetime is aggressively expanding its drama series development plate with powerful programs from creative auspices who have strong pedigrees in producing stand-out programming.
We were an entertainment brand, and if we were going to compete in an era of incredible growth in the cable industry, I felt we actually needed to be entertaining.
We aren't afraid to take creative risks, which is the main ingredient in our recipe for change.
What someone does when viewing content on a tablet is different than the lean-back mentality of watching on the big screen.
When you look at the increase in the number of scripted series and the number of unscripted hours, the pool of producers hasn't grown at the same rate. So I think there's a bit of a creative tax on the system.
I love it when a man knows his place - right, ladies?
It's hard for me to accept the argument that millennials are not watching TV. I'm not one to believe that our culture of TV consumption is changing dramatically. It's just how we consume and where we consume it that's changing.
In the media business and as a creative executive, if you don't take risks, you're dead in the water. Calculated risk taking is essential for success. No one said it was easy.
It's an honor to be the only woman in the room a lot of times, but I wish I weren't the only woman in the room. I still have to think in a calculated way about how to speak and what to speak about.
I think that the strategy around FYI is really a corporate strategy, and that's that every one of our brands that we invest in have to matter and that we need to commit to building brands and investing in those brands, or we need to get out of that business.
Owning content and original content has been our lifeblood - we've never been a suite of brands that's been reliant on a movie library or on rented series from other networks.
My interests were more extracurricular, more external, and more social than they were academic. My birthday is also in December, so I was one of the older kids. That meant I learned social leadership early on. I was always just much better in a team and work environment than I was in a classroom environment.
One of our secret-sauce powers is that our people don't just write checks and place the ads, but our employees go the extra mile to get things done.
It takes a long time for things to get off the ground.
It's my job... to push people out of their comfort zones. But we got to have a reason to do it. We don't do it gratuitously.
There is a lot of content out there for the female demographic.
Taking action against a show because of one individual's behavior could put hundreds of jobs in jeopardy.
It doesn't make any sense for us to do a scripted series if it's not going to be big, so we have to be really disciplined about them.
I'm not a very patient person.
A+E Networks has been my home for over a decade. I am so proud of these brands and my A+E colleagues who are truly the best in the business.
My focus - even before becoming CEO - has always been memorable and unique content. And one of the most important things we did to reinforce that was create A+E Studios.
I would love to see more swings in areas that we haven't explored. I can't necessarily tell you what that is - I think you know it when you see it - but I think we've had a lot of the same-themed shows in broadcast, but those shows are still performing.
TV is our window on the world. It's a powerful medium for great stories that become part of our very, very personal journey.
Obviously, there needs to be parity. I think as more women get to the top, we need to make sure that is the case. It is our responsibility.
The beauty of the media business is all about what is next. You put your mistakes behind you. Learn from them and move on to the next project. Having some degree of success is integral to a risk-taking balance.
I'm a big believer in picking your boss, not the job. Great people create great jobs.
Lifetime never had any unscripted shows, really. It just had 'Project Runway,' which was a bit of an island.
A+E has always looked in places where others didn't want to look. There's a service in that.
I grew up in Bristol, R.I. I had grandparents and great-grandparents nearby, and because I was the only grandchild until I was 12, I was the center of a lot of adult attention.
Writing a check is easy. The opportunity for real change happens when there's a person who comes to you with real passion to create a movement.
There needs to be a bigger focus on creative innovation versus business models and cash flow.
Celebrating failure is key. Half of what we do fails, at least.
I'm enormously proud that I can do a deal with the National Women's Soccer League to showcase the power and passion of women athletes as positive role models, not only for my daughter but also for my son.
One of the epidemics in our industry is the abuse of power.
Sometimes people get fairly obscure just for the creative license of it, and that can backfire. Iconic stories are iconic for a reason, and there are so many incredible, iconic history stories that have not been told that we don't need to go too deep in the well yet.
At our core, we are a content company. That content has to be the very best. You can't be a company of this size and be doing what everybody else is doing.
We've learned that you can't just put your promos up in a digital environment and expect the consumer will accept that as shortform content. It needs to have a unique point of view and style and execution that is tailored to that platform.
A lot of people make hay about 'American Idol's ratings and 'Empire.'
When I think about too much content out there, one of the things that comes to mind for me is just the volume of really outstanding creators there are.
To address what seems like an endless cycle of gender inequity in media, I believe we need to think beyond what our industry has already tried to do through mentorships and internships. We need to stop talking and start moving the needle, and one solution is to simply give women jobs.
I run a creative company, and the best way to support creatives is to make them fearless and willing to take big swings. That is an important part of our culture at A&E Networks.
Personally, I feel a strong responsibility to make sure that we have women equally represented in our executive suites and that we employ women in front of and behind the camera and in our writers' rooms.
