Mary Culbertson

My success comes from my support systems and determination. I've had great mentors over my career who have reminded me to take care of myself, given me opportunities that were difficult ones, and all-around inspired me. My partner Ian has been incredibly supportive and makes it possible for me to do what I do every day. Ultimately it was me who made sense of all my different experiences and made use of my talent as a natural leader, but it was my support system who gave me the encouragement I needed to believe in myself.

B.J. Novak once told a story that heavily affected me about advice he sought from Albert S. Ruddy, the producer of "The Godfather," on the topic of being a film director. His advice was: "You only need to know two things to direct: what you want and how to get it."

I had heard similar advice before — that you should know what you want and how to get it, in life. But put in the context of a film director's eyes and mind drives the point home more clearly to me. Novak went on: Ruddy suggested a director should have already watched the movie in his own mind millions of times before it is ever made. Shot-for-shot, a great director should know what comes next, where the camera pans, and what kind of audio can be heard.

I think this kind of precision was something I didn't necessarily immediately implement after I heard it, but I used it as a check: "Do I know what I want? Do I know how to get it?"

I find that when it comes to a career, there are often people who go along with whatever their employer wants, whatever their family wants for their career. Your career is your own, and you can direct it as finitely as a film if you put the work into knowing what it is you want out of it.

Not unlike any other industry right now, AI infrastructure is affecting how media is created and distributed across every different publication type you can think of. This means we're competing not just with other news but with influencers and algorithms that feed people the same or similar information, and sometimes disinformation, or completely false imagery or report of events. The core issue is finding and connecting with our audience in new ways, since they are no longer visiting their television sets nightly to get their information.

Family is my first value and having a strong foundation in investing in those relationships with unconditional love. Treating people supportively and putting others first while also balancing my own needs and considering everyone in the room. Being kind costs nothing and the repercussions can be healing or saving someone. I strive to never push other people down to get ahead.