On this week’s episode, Nora Zimmett, Executive Vice President of The Weather Channel, joins the podcast to talk about her career. She explains how she rose through the ranks of a male-dominated industry, and the lessons she learned along the way. Nora also gives us some tips on hurricane preparedness as we head into another hurricane season.
Nora Zimmett serves as Chief Content Officer and Executive Vice President for The Weather Channel television network. Nora oversees all aspects of the network’s live and original programming, and its world-renowned storm coverage. She also oversees all weather content for the network’s digital platforms. Nora joined The Weather Channel in September 2014 from CNN, but has previously held senior producer and producer roles at Bloomberg Television and Fox News Channel. Nora is an Emmy award-winning journalist.
Transcript
Beverly:
Welcome to She Thinks, a podcast where you’re allowed to think to yourself. I’m your host, Beverly Hallberg. And on today’s episode, Nora Zimmett, executive VP of The Weather Channel joins us to talk about her career. She’ll discuss how she rose in the ranks in a male dominated industry and the lessons learned along the way. Last, she’ll give us some tips on hurricane preparedness as we are on the brink of hurricane season.
But before we bring Nora on, IWF does know that many Americans are facing unprecedented challenges due to COVID-19 and that is more important than ever to show it America is made up. IWF is highlighting American ideals of ingenuity, generosity, and kindness from everyday Americans donating blood to companies, providing free food and housing. It’s a beautiful reminder that we’re in this together. Visit iwf.org or check us out on Facebook and Twitter and follow our campaign using #InThisTogether. That is #InThisTogether to learn more about the campaign.
Now to Nora. Nora Zimmett serves as chief content officer and executive vice president for The Weather Channel Television Network. She’s responsible for the overall editorial direction of the network and helped lead the channel to its first ever news and documentary Emmy award in 2019.
Nora, it’s a pleasure to have you on today.
Nora:
Thank you for having me, Beverly. Pleasure.
Beverly:
And hopefully there won’t be any weather disruptions and we can go straight through this podcast because I know you’ll have to jump off if there is anything that pops up. But I really find your career fascinating. So I work in media. So anytime I can talk to other females who’ve been working in this industry, I’m interested about how they got into it. So can you take us back? I know you’ve worked for CNN, for Fox, for Bloomberg. You’re now at The Weather Channel, as we mentioned, but how did you decide to get into this industry?
Nora:
Well, first of all, thank you again for having me on. I think how I got into this industry was a little different from many of my peers. I was not on the college newspaper. I did not run around as a toddler, holding a microphone. Truth be told when I got out of college, I thought I wanted to get into theater and film and soon decided that that was not for me. It was actually a lot of waiting around for phone calls and auditions, and I just got super bored.
I had known people in the business. I had done some internships in media and I was very, very interested in the idea of producing. I didn’t at first understand what it meant, but I liked the idea of digging behind the scenes and interviewing people and traveling and all of that sounded sort of romantic and sexy to me. I was a 24 year old kid as I would call myself today probably being not 24 anymore. And at the time, I had a family friend who works at Fox News Channel, and they had their Los Angeles Bureau not far from where I lived. I was living in LA at the time.
And I was a very cocky 24-year-old and sort of marched up to their door and handed my resume, which didn’t have a stitch of media experience on it, except for like one internship. And said, “I really think you need to hire me.” And they very understandably laughed in my face and pointed to a stack of resumes that was… I mean, I am not exaggerating, Beverly, when I say it was at least a foot high and said, “All of these people in this stack have media experience and want to come live in sunny, California, and work for us. Why would we hire you over them?” And I said something that, I mean, I’m embarrassed. I cringe now to say it, but I said something along the lines of, “Because I’m smarter than all of them.” I mean, it was so awful. I am shuttering thinking about it. But I was just kind of cocky enough and also desperate enough to break into the industry to say something like that.
And I’m not sure if because they thought I was sort of a novelty that I had the guts to say something like that, or they wanted to get rid of me because I just would not stop calling them. But ultimately they gave me a chance to do some freelance producing as just an associate producer. And they were shorthanded when it came time for the Gray Davis Recall. This was back in early 2003 Gray Davis, Governor of California was getting recalled. Ultimately Schwarzenegger was elected at his place.
Anyway, they were shorthanded. And I just worked around the clock. I said, I’m just going to outwork everybody. And I did, and I worked really hard and ultimately got a staff position and kept moving up through the ranks and got promoted. And that’s really how it began. And Fox was very, very, very good for me and to me. Gave me a ton of opportunities. I did not work on the opinion shows. I didn’t work on the politics, but they really let me do news. And I had some great teachers and it’s a very polarized business right now. But I will always be grateful to people like Ken LaCorte and John Brady and William La Jeunesse and other people who really gave me a shot there.
Beverly:
Now you talked about what you were embarrassed about. So being so brazen and bold, as you told them that they needed to hire you because you were the smartest one. But it seemed to pay off. Your persistence in calling, being very confident in your abilities. Is that something that you do recommend specifically for women that they should do is not just be confident but be very bold in explaining what they do well and being very bold in their persistence of the job that they want?
Nora:
Yes. And I’m glad you brought that up. I think I would rather hear from a woman who was bold and persistent and knew their value in the workplace, rather than someone who is playing it coy and sort of passive and just hoping you would notice them. I think the reason I’m embarrassed is because I didn’t use a lot of nuance and I didn’t use any sort of tact when I said what I said. I think looking back on it, there were ways that I could have presented myself that would have had the same effect and use different language. So for example, one thing I tell people, men and women, when they come in for an interview is be prepared. Whether it’s CNN or The Weather Channel or ESPN, I’m hoping they will have watched a good 18 hours of the programming before they came in.
That’s what I did before I went into the Fox News interview. I mean, I watched so many hours and compared Fox to CNN and MSNBC that I was able to make fairly decent parallels and separations among all the networks. So it looked like I cared enough to do the work. And if someone comes into an interview at The Weather Channel and I asked them what they think of the programming and they say something like, “Well, I haven’t really watched much,” then that just tells me that you’re not that interested in wanting to be here. So I think you can show your persistence and your aggressiveness and how smart you are without necessarily shouting from the rooftops. And that’s where I think I would have done it differently.
Beverly:
And it also shows passion. It shows that you care about this network, the programming they’re aiming for. Maybe you can even bring something fresh to the table. Like you said, you were comparing different networks. So you had an idea of how they were always competing with other networks and of corresponding to have better ratings.
Nora:
That’s the other thing. Oh, I’m so sorry to interrupt.
Beverly:
No, please.
Nora:
That’s the other thing I did. Again, it’s all about the tone, but I think I gave the Bureau chief a lecture on everything they were doing wrong. So again, I always encourage when… And I even asked the question in interviews, what are we doing that you would change tomorrow? What would you bring to the table? What do you not like about us? I always asked that question. I think probably the way I did it and the tone I used when I gave all of the feedback that I thought was just so brilliant at the time. I probably would have changed that messaging.
But that’s another thing. If you think everything we’re doing as a network is fantastic, then why do I need you? I am much more interested in hiring someone who will tell me the opportunity I have to make something better and why their ideas matter then the other way around, just advocating for what we’re already doing.
I recently hired a woman to be an executive producer of a new social media platform we are doing called Pattern, which we’re super excited about. And not only did she come prepared with what she could do differently, but she brought a 20 page deck and it was beautiful. And more than that, a lot of people brought decks. It was so thoughtful about things we hadn’t done or thought about with the brand that it immediately put her to the top of the class. So again, if you’re coming to an interview and telling me that you just love The Weather Channel and you love everything about us and that’s why you want to be a part of it, you’re not adding anything. I would much more have a provocative interview about what we’re doing wrong and how you can help fix that.
Beverly:
And would you say that one of the challenges you have even in your role today is that the media landscape has changed so much, even just from a technological aspect. I remember when I was first learning how to edit, it was analog and not digital. So I went through that phase of reel to reel and cutting tape and all of that. And then you move to the digital format, but now it’s the social media, it’s the digital platforms. And so do you find to that, first of all, is it hard to keep up with the ever changing landscape and how important is it as you’re hiring to find young people who are innovative and thinking out of the box?
Nora:
I think first of all, you’re absolutely right that you’re always having to reinvent yourself and your team as technology develops. One of the bleeding edge pieces of technology that we’re working on, and it’s hard to be alone when you’re at the bleeding edge because you don’t really have anybody to learn from, is this immersive mixed reality that we’ve won some awards for with regards to creating these very dynamic, elaborate 3D weather experiences in the studio using the Unreal Engine that’s used by video games. So even that kind of technology we’ve given up just looking internally in the US. We’ve had to look overseas for the correct talent.
But to your point about social media, yeah. I mean, it’s been a challenge to find the right people because you’re not really just looking for people who understand social media and social storytelling. You’re looking for people with an incredibly strong work ethic who care about science and whether, at least in our case, and also know how to be scrappy. When I was growing up in news, it was first to the scene wins. Not necessarily literally to the scene, but you got to be first out the door. Well, now you have to be first out the door for television. You have to be first out the door to social media. You have to be first out the door on your website. And so it’s not enough just to know your way around. You have to be aggressive and you have to be smart and you have to be able to work with others.
We have a saying around here at The Weather Channel, no brilliant jerks. You might be the best in your class at doing what you do on any given platform. But if you’re impossible to work with, we don’t want you here. Our company is too tight knit and there are too many fox holes that we work in, especially during storms like hurricanes to have abrasiveness and cattiness here. So yeah, it’s definitely important to have those skills, but I would rather train someone who’s very smart to have those skills and to learn those qualities rather than just have someone out of the box who knows how to do that, but has no social skills at all.
Beverly:
And as you worked yourself up in the ranks, how did you find being a woman maybe created some unique challenges that men don’t face? What tips would you give to women out there, specifically women who want to work in the media industry, especially during this time of Me Too and films that are out there talking about sexual harassment. I think a lot of women are fearful.
Nora:
So, I think it’s a really good question, Beverly, and I think it’s something… I have a daughter and I think about it for her for her future. And I really hope that she doesn’t face the same issues that our generation face. But I think it’s a little naive to assume that there won’t be challenges.
Some of the things that I really remember were challenges were being in the field. I spent a lot of my early career running all over the country and then actually running all over the world, embedded with the military and South America and doing drug cartel runs with some of the Mexican police. During a lot of that, I was the only woman, and it can feel a little alienating and you got to be careful. And I will definitely tell you abroad there are cultural norms overseas that are very, very, very different than they are in the US, and I really learned how to be very careful in the way I dressed. I never wore makeup. I was very fearful that my career would be impacted if I sent the wrong message to the wrong person.
So, I think from a standpoint of things that women have to deal with that men don’t, I don’t know that men take as much time in their appearance and wondering how they will come across physically in a boardroom or an interview or a lecture as women do. And I will tell you often being the only woman early in my career in these rooms with or the only woman in a Black Hawk embedded with the military, I was very, very careful. And I think that often distracted from the work was doing because if you’re spending even a portion of your brain power considering those kinds of landmines, literally and figuratively, then that’s a portion of your taking away from your work. And I don’t know that the men I worked with thought about it that way.
Beverly:
And I know I do media coaching and help people think about media interviews but also work with reporters who want to get into that field, and I’m often asked the question of just wardrobe, makeup, hair, and asking how they should present themselves. And the one thing I like to ask in response is what do they want their brand to be, and do they want more 15 minutes of fame or do they want longevity? That the stain power is not going to be focused on your looks; it’s going to be focused on how good of a job that you do. And so I completely understand, especially as you’re talking about these war zones, not wanting to wear any makeup. But would you say, from the professional standpoint, think of the United States and the newsrooms, it’s about looking put together but not looking sexy. And that there’s kind of a balance between the two if you want to be taken seriously, especially if you want to move into executive type of roles.
Nora:
I think that’s just reality. I think that there may be women who hear us talk about this and sort of decry the conversation and say, “Well, you should be able to wear what you want.” I don’t necessarily disagree, but I think the reality is as a woman in media and the executive ranks today, you are going to be taken seriously if you’re not wearing all the low cut blouses and see through skirts. I think that’s just the way it is. I don’t know that that’s different from any industry. I mean, obviously I’ve never been in the biomedical field or the educational field, but I think that the over sexualization of women and their appearance has been something that has been ingrained in our culture since the beginning of time, if you will. And it’s certainly not just an American phenomenon.
And I think women are protecting themselves by having their appearance be less of a distraction. I mean, I am sort of cringing as I say it, but I would be dishonest if I said that that wasn’t a factor every day when I wake up in the morning. Making sure that I am dressing to be professional and up to the times but never to be provocative or shine attention on my appearance. And I think there is a difference between that and just trying to be provocative in the other way, saying, almost challenging people to try to make a comment on your appearance if you have unwashed hair and you’re wearing jeans and a torn t-shirt. That’s not the solution either. The solution is to just take appearance out of it so that people are just focused on your contributions as a leader and on what you can provide through your intellect and your problem solving.
Beverly:
And I know, like you were saying, this part of the conversation isn’t one that I love talking about, but is the reality that we are judged by how we look. And so I think that advice is really sound that taking the image out of it so that people just see your work.
I want to transition with the time that we have left to your work at The Weather Channel. I have a specific question that I’m very curious about, which is how do you make the determination of when a hurricane is too dangerous for your reporter to report on the scene? Is there a measure of, “Okay, this is too dangerous. We have to pull them out,” because we always see them wind almost blowing them over. How do you make those safety decisions?
Nora:
Yeah. You know what, I am so happy that you asked that, Beverly. We had an example of that. And I think the short answer is it’s a case by case basis. And it really depends where the storm is versus where our crews are and how dangerous the winds are or the surge, the storm surge. But I will tell you, in the last couple of years, we had that example. We were in the panhandle of Florida when Hurricane Michael was coming and the storm a few hours before land fall took a turn. And we found that one of our crews was going to basically be intercepting a category four. It was incredibly dangerous. And we knew we would be in “the right spot” for the worst of it. But we had to make a decision. And I got on the phone with the reporter and the crew, and it was Stephanie Abrams who’s unbelievably experienced.
And just to be clear, it was a category four at the time, it ultimately got rated a category five. So, I mean, you don’t survive a category five if you’re directly in it. But she said, “I got to be honest, I’m nervous.” And she’s as brave as they come. And I said, “Get out of there. There is no storm in the world that is worth your life.” And we got her out and we got the whole team out and sure enough where they were standing was absolutely decimated on Mexico Beach. And there were a few reporters who were able to stay off the beach in some high rises that were much stronger and better fortified, but we were on the beach. And we got her out of there.
And my feeling is our purpose is to protect and save lives at The Weather Channel. And I firmly believe that we do that by showing people the dangerous conditions on the ground so that they know not to be there. That said, the goal is never to get so close to a storm to risk our own staff’s personal health and safety. And so we will never be in a position to get that close. And if we find ourselves as we did in Hurricane Michael too close, then we get out. The shot’s never worth it. There’s no award that’s worth it. There’s no rating that’s worth it. It will never be worth it.
Beverly:
And then final question for you as we are approaching hurricane season, one of the things that I have found that’s been popping up more and more as people who want to spread misinformation about storms, weather. I mean, that could be Photoshopping sharks in the streets and then people are terrified to go out in the streets because of that. Obviously people can go directly to The Weather Channel for information, either the broadcast channel or social media. But how do people protect themselves, not just in the day to day how do you protect yourself or prepare yourself for a hurricane, but often the misinformation that is out there?
Nora:
It’s a great question. And I think a lot of people get fooled and sometimes news organizations get fooled. I would suggest to people as exciting and enticing as it can be to grab onto a Twitter handle and just follow everything and take everything as gospel, only read the trusted sources. Read the news organizations you trust, read the NHC, The National Hurricane Center and NOAA and the NWS and the other government authorities whose job it is to communicate the facts.
It is such a, an old trope of trust your source or consider the source. But it’s really true in this situation, especially when it becomes down to life and death situations such as a hurricane. So my best advice is of course always watch and listen to The Weather Channel. But in addition, there are government agencies that should be trusted, certain local news outlets that obviously have dealt with this before in hurricane prone regions and just make sure you consider the source. And if you see that tired, old image of the shark swimming down main street, I can assure you, it is more than likely not real.
Beverly:
Yeah. If anything is especially odd or terrifying and you found it on Twitter, it probably is not a true image.
Nora:
Those are words to live by.
Beverly:
And like you said, people should just follow The Weather Channel if there’s any concerns about what is going on. But we really appreciate you coming on here and talking about women in the media and your own background and experience, and really helpful tips to give aspiring young journalists out there and give them tips on how they can get that job and move up in their career. So, Nora, thank you so much.
Nora:
Thank you, Beverly. I’ve so enjoyed the conversation today. I appreciate it.
Beverly:
And thank you for joining us.
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