Expanding CNN's revamped originals strategy

Joining CNN in 2016, Isaacson is tasked with cultivating relationships within the creative community and developing and producing original non-fiction programming across CNN's global platforms. With the WBD-owned news and info network having recently resuscitated its originals push under CEO Mark Thompson and CNN veteran EVP Amy Entelis, Isaacson has worked closely with UK prodcos over the past year to ramp up the net's coproduction efforts, to great results: see Space Shuttle Columbia: The Final Flight, coproduced with Mindhouse and the BBC, and Secrets & Spies: A Nuclear Game, coproduced with BBC Studios and Trilogy Creative Studios. The past year was also notable on the awards front for Isaacson, with the popular CNN Original Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy grabbing its third Emmy. BW

what changes would you like to see, and help create, in the industry?

"In this upside-down marketplace, creativity is key. I would like to see more risks being taken with respect to partnerships and more collaboration across networks, across brands, and across news outlets. When we combine our capabilities, we can break through the noise, produce stronger content, and take bigger swings, allowing us to showcase more diverse creators and uncover stories that wouldn't normally be told."