In January, Graham Media Group announced that CEO Emily Barr would retire. I remember hearing about Emily Barr for years before I finally met her. She was one of the board members who interviewed me as a candidate for a position at NAB. I had been working in the business for a while and knew about her fantastic reputation as a leader in the industry – I immediately saw why during that meeting. The announcement also named Catherine Badalamente as her successor as the company’s new CEO. Catherine had been serving as Graham Media’s vice president and chief innovation officer. Emily introduced me to Catherine who has also shined as a leader for her company and the industry.
In commemoration of Women’s History Month, these two successful women in broadcasting sat down with WSLS anchor Brittny McGraw for a wide-ranging conversation about their careers and experiences for Graham Media Group’s Women’s Employee Resource Group.
Both women spoke of the value mentorship has played in their careers, both as mentees and mentors. “I think mentors are very important for all of us. It’s very important to have people who believe in you,” said Emily. “I think it was having others believe in me that allowed me to be a little bit bolder.”
“Someone who is in that mentor position is going to get a lot out of it themselves, too,” added Catherine. “Emily’s known in this industry as someone who’s always lending a helping hand. It’s something to aspire to, because so many people can call Emily their mentor.”
Looking back on her career of proven leadership, Emily offered advice to young women looking to take on more leadership roles. “You can practice leadership in a lot of ways without it being a high-wire act,” she said. “If we’re in a group and there’s something that needs to get done, there’s a tendency for the person in charge to say I need someone to take on this task. Many of us don’t want to raise our hands. If you want to be in charge and you want to be the leader one day, take that chance. It comes naturally to some people, and those are the people that everyone tends to look to and to lean on. I just wanted to know more so I would jump in and say I’ll take that, I’ll do that.”
“We have different ways of being able to motivate and lead people, and that’s great,” said Catherine. “We need all different kinds of people leading. You don’t have to compare yourself to others, you just have to know that you have the ability to do great things, especially if you stay true to yourself.”
Looking to broadcasting’s future, Catherine affirmed this commitment to diverse leadership. “Having a diverse team makes us better,” she said. “You have to understand that and believe it. We need to have diverse voices in order for us to be successful.”
NAB offers our sincerest congratulations to Emily Barr on her well-earned retirement, and I am personally honored that I had the privilege of working with Emily Barr directly over the past two years, giving me the opportunity to experience her mentorship skills up close and personal. We also want to extend our congratulations to Catherine Badalamente on her new role at Graham Media Group. We look forward to working with her even more closely in her new position. These two well-respected leaders continue to pave the way for women at all stages of their careers to grow and thrive in broadcasting.
For those looking to move up in the industry, the NAB Leadership Foundation is pleased to offer leadership training to support the broadcast industry’s diverse future. Learn more at NABfoundation.org.
