How She Got There: Tina Brown — Founder & CEO of Women in the World, The Empowering Platform for Women Everywhere

Name: Tina Brown

Job Title and Description: CEO and founder, Tina Brown Live Media/Women in the World

College Name and Major: Oxford University, St. Anne’s College; English literature

It’s hard to pinpoint just one of Tina Brown’s major achievements because there are so many. Whether it’s launching The Daily Beast, serving as editor of Vanity Fair and The New Yorker or writing the NYT bestseller The Diana Chronicles, Tina’s list of media accolades are remarkable to say the least.

On top of these hefty accomplishments, Tina is also the founder and CEO of Tina Brown Live Media which hosts the Women in the World summit. This powerhouse platform showcases and supports the world’s most courageous women, including entrepreneurs, dissidents, CEOs, and more, who are on the front edge of change. Now in its 10th year, the Women in the World Summit brings together exceptional women leaders and activists from around the globe for an unforgettable experience of storytelling and calls to action.  

Here are Tina’s thoughts on navigating the media landscape, and the skill every editor should have.

Her Campus (HC): What was your first entry-level job in your field and how did you get it?

Tina Brown (TB): Editor-in-chief of Tatler, a job I got after writing articles as a Fleet Street freelancer.

HC: What drew you into working in the political media landscape?

TB: A passion for telling stories that I may have inherited from my father who was a film producer.

HC: What are the biggest lessons you learned from writing your own book?

TB: Never stop writing in your diary. It’s something you can draw from again and again.

HC: What was your experience like in being the founder and editor-in-chief of The Daily Beast? What was it like to build and lead such a powerhouse of a media company?

TB: It was wonderful working with many new, talented and younger journalists and it was time to cross over into digital media after serving as editor of Vanity Fair and The New Yorker.

HC: What are the biggest challenges you have faced working within the broadcast and print media industry?

TB: Because I always worked on turnarounds, I had to get funding and hire new talent at warp-speed so that I could convince advertisers to sign on as quickly as readers were.

HC: What has been the most surreal moment of your career thus far?

TB: Having Queen Elizabeth II pin the Commander of the British Empire medal on my lapel at Buckingham Palace for my services to journalism.

HC: What words of wisdom (well-known quotes, an anecdote from your boss) do you find most valuable?

TB: What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

HC: What is one essential skill that every editor in the industry should have?

TB: Curiosity.

HC: What advice would you give to a 20-something with aspirations in the media industry?

TB: Take a job at a small, ailing enterprise and turn it around. You are sure to get noticed.