Claudia-Teresa Pou

Showrunner, Fusion Network

Pou is the showrunner for Fusion’s “AM Tonight,” one of the network’s top programs. She also has produced ABC’s “This Week” and “World News with Diane Sawyer,” tackling topics such as sexual assault on college campuses and Texas abortion clinics. Her dream job is to be at the forefront of new media, a term that the industry is still struggling to define, she says. “I want to be the one who figures it out.”

What makes you most excited about this industry as you advance in your career?

I am most excited that the industry is in constant flux. I love that the industry as we have known it is in a state of disruption, which allows me (as a content creator) to test new boundaries. I get incredibly excited by the fact that I can experiment with content, the packaging of that content and also the dissemination of the content. We are in a state of experimentation, and the fact that I can be part of the revolution is by far the most exciting part of my career.

What would be your ultimate dream job?

My ultimate dream job is to create a show and/or product that becomes the face for new media. Our definition of new media is still evolving, and we are all still trying to figure it out. The industry is getting close, but we are not there yet. I want to be the one who figures it out.

Who has been your biggest mentor and why?

I have two mentors who helped during two very different stages in my career:
My first mentor is Marc Stewart. He is now a reporter for the ABC affiliate in Denver, Colorado, but I met him when I interned at the NBC affiliate in Nashville. He took me in and gave me a no-BS crash course on working in the industry. He still checks in with me periodically. My second mentor is my former boss/EP at Bloomberg, Jason Farkas, who has helped me later in my career. He is now working at CNN Money. Jason taught me how to be a comprehensive producer, and also how to think of things as “brands.” Since leaving Bloomberg, I often ask myself “What Would Jason Do?” as a guide. He continues to be a mentor.

What three things can’t you live without?

Chocolate, my cell phone and more chocolate

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