No surprise Finch continues to be a key power player post Discovery’s acquisition of Scripps in March. Responsible for content across 11 lifestyle brands, she also oversees the company’s Lifestyle Digital Studios, the digital lifestyle incarnation of Discovery. Her accolades and involvement in the media industry are vast, and she also serves on the boards of the Webb School and the Knoxville Metropolitan Airport Authority. “Efforts to get programming directly to viewers is now top of mind for the industry, unlike a few years ago when only a few players contemplated the idea,” she notes. For inspiration, Finch looks to her own mother. “She fought a lot of battles for equality so that my generation would have it easier, and while we still have work to do, I’m very grateful she paved the way for me and my three daughters,” she says.
Who is an inspirational woman you admire, and why?
My mother. She was the first female senior executive at the national retailer she worked for, during a time when very few women led executive teams. She fought a lot of battles for equality so that my generation would have it easier, and while we still have work to do, I’m very grateful she paved the way for me and my three daughters.
What’s been the most dramatic change in your sector of the business today vs. three years ago?
Efforts to get programming directly to viewers is now top of mind for the industry, unlike a few years ago when only a few players contemplated the idea. It will be exciting to see how those advances change the landscape for both viewers and media companies over the next few years.
If there were a reality show based on your office, what would it be called?
“24/7.” Where everyone moves fast and the list of what we want to accomplish keeps getting longer.
