It is a great honor to become Executive Producer of 'Frontline.' David Fanning's mentorship and partnership over the past fifteen years has been extraordinary. I am inspired by his legacy and honored to guide 'Frontline's future.
Raney Aronson-Rath
My daughter Mira's first media experience was with the first-generation iPad more than five years ago. Her speech therapist used this with her to encourage her to talk, as she was speech delayed. I watched as she immediately navigated the iPad naturally, with such ease.
The kind of in-depth investigative journalism we practice at 'Frontline' is thoughtful, rigorous, and time-intensive. It requires us to constantly seek untold stories and to give our producers and reporters the time and resources to dig into them deeply.
We found the appetite for 'Frontline' has only grown as the digital landscape has exploded. The appetite for the reporting we do on our digital platforms to the short films we're doing for our Facebook and YouTube channels. And we're still producing these remarkable long-form films.
There are no silos at 'Frontline.' Our digital team works with our filmmakers, and our filmmakers work with our digital team. They're always in touch, and they're always talking.
'Frontline' started doing digital content in 1995. We started streaming our films in 2000.
I have never worried about 'Frontline' becoming an old-fashioned news brand, because we never were.
I consider the many years I produced 'Frontline' documentaries as the essential building blocks of my success.
My interest in Virtual Reality (VR) films began for me when I began a fellowship with MIT's Open Documentary Lab. It was a profound experience to be on MIT's campus one day a week and to enter a new world of storytelling where breaking convention and traditional methods were expected. This was deeply challenging and inspiring.
Before finding a mentor, I feel it's essential to really find your own calling and passion. From my experience, this will become a guiding bond in this kind of relationship. Be curious and engaged - and push yourself actively. Be as good as you can at what you love to do, and you will certainly get a mentor's attention.
As a leader, I believe it's important to have an open door with your staff. Those who want to learn and to grow in their careers will walk through that door and into your life. I encourage people to come and seek me out at 'Frontline' with good ideas, curiosity, and drive.
I always wish I had a road map for how to navigate my life as a parent and a producer, but in truth, it's a lot of trial and error.
I always say, one way to connect with a working mother is to ask her what she has done before work that day!
A man never apologizes for the fact that he has to work. He might say, 'Hey, I am so sorry my hours were long today,' but he'd never feel he has to explain the very fact that he has a career. Once I stopped apologizing, I noticed both my kids also stopped complaining and asking me 'why' I worked.
As intense as our work is, I try my hardest to live my life so that people in my office feel they can work at 'Frontline' and be parents if they choose to. This goes for the men as well.
