TheGrio's 100: Christina Norman, executive who rose to the top

TheGrio's 100 - Christina Norman has shattered glass ceilings in media...

Feb 1, 2010

The world of media is often singled out for its lack of opportunity for women and African-Americans, but Christina Norman has shattered those ceilings. In 2009, she became the CEO of the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), Winfrey’s co-venture with Discovery Communications set to launch in January 2011. It’s a position that seems tailor-made for her.

Norman, a New York native who earned her degree in film production from Boston University, began her career in television-advertising production soon after college. Specializing in the “tabletop shot”, the static image of a product in a commercial, Norman mastered one of the industry’s least creative, and therefore most dreaded, jobs.

Freelancing as a production coordinator for MTV Networks turned into a position as a production manager in 1991, overseeing MTV’s in-house promotional spots. Despite being clueless about animation, Norman volunteered to work on Beavis and Butthead. As the show became a pop cultural phenomenon, Norman’s talents did not go unrecognized. Creative campaigns and promotional features for other MTV entities like The Osbournes and the 10 Spot resulted in her appointment as senior vice president for marketing, advertising, and on-air promotion at MTV.

In 2002, parent company Viacom tapped her to become the executive vice president and general manager# of struggling MTV sister network VH1. Norman dug deep into pop culture nostalgia, launching series like Bands Reunited and I Love the ‘80s as well as introducing Best Week Ever, a witty recap of the week’s celebrity and entertainment news.

Under her leadership, primetime ratings for VH1’s key demographic rose from just under 250,000 to nearly 340,000 and Norman was appointed VH1 president in January 2004. A year later, she became president of MTV, supervising all the network’s creative and business endeavors before she surprisingly stepped down in 2008 after serving Viacom for 17 years.

Traveling and personally regrouping for nearly a year before being named the CEO of OWN, the wife and mother of two is very in sync with Winfrey’s mantra of “living your best life” which also serves as OWN’s mission. To fulfill that mission, Norman has promised, in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, varied programming that expands “the notion of what it means to live a life with purpose.”