Cynthia Hudson
Chief among Hudson’s many accomplishments is the re-launch of CNNespañol.com. “This website is one of the key pillars of our business and took years to develop so that we could focus on the needs of Spanish-speaking audiences around the world,” she says. Under her leadership, CNNE won its first two Emmys and two GLAAD Awards, as well as an honorable mention at the Shorty Awards for Best Multi-Platform Campaign for Social Coverage of 2014 Venezuelan Crisis.
What’s your biggest professional accomplishment in the past 12 months?
This year CNN en Español relaunched a new and improved website with more video, more user integration opportunities, a better navigation system and a responsive design. This website allows us to up our game in the multi-platform information world that we live in today. Our audiences are engaged via their mobile devices, their favorite TV shows, their need to stay connected and this allows us to interact with them in a more dynamic fashion. The convergence of information on multiple devices allows us to expand our depth and breadth on any story and provide context and subtext to the issues that matter in people’s lives. This website is one of the key pillars of our business and took years to develop so that we could focus on the needs of Spanish-speaking audiences around the world.
Best Business Advice you’ve received?
My father was a professor of Business Management at the University of Miami and when I got my first freelance job in Spanish Television right out of college, the pay was very low but the work was challenging and a great opportunity. I wondered if I should keep waiting for an opportunity to get into English-language where I knew my first job would be very basic entry level but with higher pay and a longer wait for professional growth. My father told me to “take the job, the money will follow” and that marked my entire career. I have taken the jobs that are most rewarding and offered great opportunities for growth even if they weren’t the “safe route” or the best paid. I have followed my heart to be happy in working on great TV projects and this also led me to being a pioneer in Spanish language TV in the US and Latin America. I thank my dad every day in heaven for having given me this sage advice. In fact, his voice was in my head when I moved to Atlanta to take on CNN en Español (far from my comfort zone, but a job I really wanted to tackle) and it has been rewarding and interesting every day.
What’s been the biggest story in cable this year?
The biggest story in Cable has been America and Americans truly facing Social Identity, diversity and prejudice in a way that has never been seen before. We as Americans must face the demons of the past and embrace our own identity as a Country of diverse people with diverse backgrounds, needs and history. And there are 3 stories that are driving the narratives and converging on one single question: Can we become the nation of rights, tolerance and acceptance that our forefathers envisioned when they created this great nation? Americans are having to face our very diverse country in ways we didn’t imagine. Bruce Jenner, America’s Sports star is now Caitlin Jenner and the voice of the LGBT community is being heard through this very public media lens. Who would have imagined that in 2015, during the tenure of America’s first African-American President, we would have had more racial violence and race confrontation than we had seen in 4 decades and we are facing the fact that there is still simmering fear in our communities and we have to become better citizens so that all American lives matter. And then, there is the Trump TV phenomena which is sparking debates about who is an American and when they are truly citizens of this country. Not since the Irish/Italian protests in the early 20th century has any immigrant population been more maligned or misunderstood. Hispanic Americans, Latinos and undocumented immigrants have contributed so much to the success of our country and yet, this community is being relegated to a negative punch line and campaign rally chant in the biggest reality TV show that has ever been seen on American TV. Perhaps the story isn’t being focused on from a more complex vantage point but these three stories converge to ask two simple questions: What does America stand for and who are Americans?