It’s been a wild ride for Han Vissering this year, as Nat Geo Wild continues to break its own viewership records on the wings of top-rated original series, specials and events like “Kingdom of the Oceans” in March. Overall she has commissioned more than 150 hours of programming for 166 countries, 330 million homes and 34 languages worldwide. All this, and she even recently got to tour Kathmandu with network pres Howard Owens and TV personality Billy Bush in a journey that’s culminating in special “Wild Nepal.” Her mantra for work-life balance: “Over-promising and under-delivering is disaster for both one’s family and work.”
What’s your favorite part of your job?
I love working with my team. They are really my second family. Through good and bad we always try our best in trying to move our network forward.
How do you define success in the workplace?
Of course hitting your quantitative goals is key but being respected and fair to those you work with is also part of being successful. A successful network isn’t just about one person, it’s about the team. If you have a good team to back you up, then you are halfway to your goal.
Best trick for maintaining the personal-professional life balance?
Wow, I’m not quite sure I’ve found the perfect balance yet. I think being able to prioritize one’s "to do" list for both personal and work life is the first step in mapping out the road to balance. Being realistic with what you can promise to do is also very key. Over promising and under delivering is disaster for both one’s family and work.
Who would you want to swap jobs with for a month and why?
I would want to be Gordon Ramsey on “Master Chef.” To have one month of ordering people around to cook better and to have access to all of Gordon’s cooking toys would be heaven. I’m a secret wanna-be chef.
Discovery CEO David Zaslav has spent the last 15 years building a factual content empire, but a $43 billion merger with WarnerMedia will soon have him overseeing a dynasty with more than 20 traditional cable networks, two young streaming services, and probably a partridge and a pear tree.
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