Disruption and transformation are the new normal in nearly every industry. So how do you stay ahead of the curve? Over the past four decades, Bonnie Hammer successfully adapted to massive changes in the media industry, rising from production assistant to leadership roles in broadcast, cable, and streaming. As the former vice chair of NBCUniversal, she has advice on how to get noticed, acquire the right skillsets, make smart decisions, and adjust to shifting corporate and market dynamics. She’s the author of the book 15 Lies Women Are Told at Work: …and the Truth We Need to Succeed.
Key episode topics include: career transitions, leadership, managing uncertainty, decision making, innovation, entertainment industry
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HANNAH BATES: Welcome to HBR On Leadership, case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts—hand-selected to help you unlock the best in those around you.
Bonnie Hammer is the Vice Chairman of NBC Universal, but her role in the media industry wasn’t always that glamorous. In fact, she’s held just about every title there is in the television industry—from production assistant to producer to president. And if you don’t know her name, you definitely know her work. Throughout the 2000s, she led major networks like USA, Syfy, Bravo, and Entertainment Tonight.
Hammer is one of the most influential people in media. She joined host Alison Beard on HBR IdeaCast in 2024 to reflect on her decades-long career, and what it takes to navigate and thrive in one of the most disrupted industries—media.
ALISON BEARD: So at the start of your career, were you looking for a job that would come with a lot of change and dynamism, or was it just something you had to figure out to survive in the industry?
BONNIE HAMMER: Let’s just put it this way, at the start of my career, I was looking for anything to do that gave me a paycheck. I had a passion that I started with, which was photography, and I figured that somehow I’d make a living that way. So my first jobs out of college were working in a dark room at a commercial photography studio, and it led me to a photo editing job, that was kind of boring too. I really worked at finding something with my passion until I tripped into a position that led me to a job, which led me to a career.
So I think the first one was giving up a dream that wasn’t leading me anywhere, and kind of what then became my philosophy in life, following the opportunities, and my first opportunity wasn’t exactly shining. I was the lowest grade production assistant on a kid’s math TV show, on public broadcasting in Boston, literally following a dog around the set and cleaning up his poop. I knew it was an opportunity. I was in a television studio and who knew what it could lead to, and I cleaned up the poop with a smile and realized from then on it was about attitude and following opportunities.
ALISON BEARD: So how did you identify those opportunities that you knew were going to lead you in the direction that the industry was also going?
BONNIE HAMMER: I didn’t look at it towards leaning me to the opportunities that would help me grow, and I think that is one of the obstacles in the way with I think a lot of young people trying to navigate the workplace. What I did was follow opportunities where I would learn, learn almost anything, new skills, how to do something I haven’t done before, meeting new people that I hadn’t met before, with the hope that one of those opportunities would lead me to the next step, as opposed to seeing it as a ladder where you climb rung by rung by rung to get up to the top.
I think if you do that, especially these days when industries are changing so quickly, that the likelihood that, that job, that position or even that industry would still be there in 10 or 20 years, is not realistic. So for me, it was taking on different things that at least sounded interesting or had a new skillset that I could learn, so I could broaden myself. And part of it was sometimes it was the only thing available. So do I not take it and do nothing and complain, or do I take it and just see where it leads me?
ALISON BEARD: And when you could see changes looming, whether it was the rise of cable or the digitization of the industry, I think you went through seven mergers to become what is now NBCUniversal. What did you do to figure out those learning opportunities but also places where you would be safe? How did you try to stay ahead of the change?
BONNIE HAMMER: Well, I think first and foremost, what people have to do is not fear change. Change is going to come. Whether you want it or not, whether you try to control it or not, your boat is going to be rocked, whether you do it or the waves do it, you’re going to get wet.
In our world, change is inevitable. So rather than waste time fearing it and complaining about it and being a naysayer, my gut has always been embrace change. Because you have no control doing anything else. Yes, there’s always a moment of “I can’t believe this is happening again.” And as you said, I’ve gone through seven corporate changes, eight different bosses, and somehow still navigated my way through.
So the first thing was embrace it, meaning, “It’s here, what I have to do is figure out a way that I can fit into this new world.” Which means figuring out what their culture is, doing your homework, talking to people, are they more creative than financial-based? Are they more interested in the bottom line than a great hit? Do they give good feedback and criticism or are they quiet and just watch you? So understand what the culture is and try to accept that.
Then basically try to figure out where the door’s going to be open, meaning, what are your skill sets? What have you done before? What do they need, and how can you fit into their world? And then try to talk to people, get advice on where and how you can fit into this new culture. The minute you become negative, the naysayer, they’re not going to want you around. The minute you seem positive, optimistic, “I want to learn. This is what I’ve done before. I’d love to fit into your world. Show me how.” It empowers the new powers that be to take you under their wing and want to help you grow you, and have you be part of their new regime. That was my way. It was finding a door rather than walls and obstacles.
ALISON BEARD: Yeah, and I think what’s so impressive is that you’ve done that, not just when you were a lowly production assistant, but you’ve done that when you were a really senior executive, trying to figure out what a new regime would feel like and work like.
BONNIE HAMMER: Yes, it happens at every level, and in some ways it’s easier when you’re younger because you can fit in a lot of new areas, but once you have a style of management and you are in a much more senior position, embracing it can be more difficult because you’ve developed your own style. And will that style fit the new regime? Nine out of 10 times, it can, and it will. And I kind of joke that the reason I can be in a room is because I’ve been in so many rooms that I’ve figured out a way where the door is, where a window is, where a crack is, to figure out a way to fit in and join that new culture.
It doesn’t mean I’m not going to have a voice or I’m going to give up my voice, or not be authentic to me or my style of management. It’s just being open to figure out how my style can integrate with the new style, the new tone. I’ve still always remained Bonnie. I’ve still led my team, my people in the same way, but I had to figure out how to translate their values, their bottom line, their definition of success to all of my people so we could still have fun and do what we do, but have it translate in a way that they understand and get it.
ALISON BEARD: Was there ever a time, during the industry ups and downs and the mergers, when you were really worried about the future? And if so, how did you stay focused?
BONNIE HAMMER: You always worry about the future. People keep saying what’s happening now in the business is the biggest change that’s ever happened. AI is going to come in, companies are restructuring, getting smaller and smaller. The truth is that’s happened from the get go. What happened with cable over the decades, that I was lucky enough to be in it, we basically out did broadcast in terms of revenue because we had two sources of revenue coming in, so we were making a lot more money than broadcast was making.
Then everybody said, Peacock or streamers at large, were going to completely blow away linear TV. Guess what? We’re all going to still survive it, but differently. And because I’ve been around so long, each decade, something else was surely going to kill something else. There’ll always be something new, always be something threatening it. See what it is, learn about it, understand it, and then try to figure out how the two can co survive while you’re navigating your way to see where it really ends up.
ALISON BEARD: Yeah. So I do want to talk about NBC’s entrance to streaming with Peacock. It’s always difficult with new technology. You don’t want to enter if it’s not going to pan out. You don’t want to be too early, but then you also don’t want to be too late. NBCUniversal did start a bit behind. So how did you approach that challenge as the person who was tasked with creating Peacock?
BONNIE HAMMER: Well, in hindsight, Steve Burke, Brian Roberts were right to wait. However, for the five years leading up to when we started, I and several other senior people, within the NBC family, were pushing them to jump into streaming. “We’re late, we’re late, we have to do it. Look what’s going on in the world.” And they kind of listened, but not really, until one day Steve said, “Okay, we’re going to do this, and I want you to lead the charges to at least launch it.” And my reaction to him, other than me being one of several who were pushing it was, “Why me?” I am so not a technological buff. I’m a content creator and yes, I’m a leader, but I was very honest saying, “This isn’t my world.” But I think the honesty was what led him to put me in the position.
Because he knew I knew how to lead, he knew I knew content, and he also knew that I didn’t need to be the smartest one in the room, that I will surround myself with people who knew a lot more than I did, and let them teach me and help me grow a team that can launch it.
ALISON BEARD: Talk me through your process for making important decisions, whether it goes back to green lighting a show or hiring a key producer or making your own career move, like saying, “Su