Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Brian Norris was named chief revenue officer at The E.W. Scripps Co. last year.
He dreamed of a career as a broadcast journalist but balked at not living in New York, so he pivoted to ad sales, starting at Lifetime and then moving to positions at Dish Media and NBCUniversal.
A football player while at Towson University, Norris is married with an 11-year-old daughter and a 6-year-old son.
As he gets ready to pitch Scripps’s recently acquired sports properties and free, ad-supported television (FAST) channels, as well as its TV stations, at his first upfront with the company, Norris spoke to Broadcasting+Cable business editor Jon Lafayette.
How did you get into the business? During my senior year at Towson University, I was accepted to the IRTS Multicultural Career Workshop where I had the opportunity to interview with so many media companies. Right now I sit on the board of the IRTS as vice chairman of educational programs, so it’s been a full circle moment for me to be able to give back to people who don’t have access to the media industry, people who sometimes feel marginalized.
Favorite TV show of all time? What are the shows I can binge over and over again? It’s definitely Mad Men (pictured) and Married With Children.
Favorite podcast? Pivot with Scott Galloway and Kara Swisher.
Destination on your bucket list? I’ve never been to Asia. I’m looking forward to a tour of China, Japan, Hong Kong,
South Korea, Thailand and the Philippines.
Recent book you’ve read? The Operator: Firing the Shots that Killed Osama bin Laden, by Robert O’Neill.
Favorite app? Tidal. I listen to music while I work and during my commute.
Has your experience playing football proved useful in business? My college football coach would tell us all the time: “You’re either getting better or you’re getting worse. You can’t stay the same.” I use that with my team now. Another thing I use a lot comes from my high school coach. He would say: “Nobody ever said this would be easy. We just said it would be worth it.” What we do is sometimes difficult, sometimes challenging, but if you are disciplined to follow your training, give yourself the grace to make mistakes, to fail but to learn from them, you will be successful.
What do you feel your biggest accomplishment has been since you’ve been at Scripps? We’ve executed a reorg that will help put us in position to win long-term. The structure lends itself to the needs of clients. They’re asking us for fluidity across linear and streaming. They’re asking us for sponsorship and integration opportunities. They’re asking for us to provide them a great opportunity to share that message within and around live sports.
You’ve got a background in advanced advertising. How will that work at a very traditional media company like Scripps? I’ve tried to come into the situation by pushing the team to provide solutions for advertisers and not to think of ourselves as a media company that is over 140 years old with a proud tradition. I think those of us who can balance evolution, technology and automation with customer service at a human level are going to be the ones that win.
How do you balance work and family life? After I got my MBA, I started thinking about the concept of time. I had to find an additional 20 hours a week to complete business school while working, while raising a family, and I found those 20 extra hours. I said to myself, I won’t give that time back. I will do something interesting with that time. And since I’ve graduated, I have taken on an adjunct professor role at Fordham University’s business school. I’ve also started an art collection. At this point in my life, I probably won’t get a pilot’s license, but I love all things that have to do with aviation. The other thing I love to do is fly fish. It’s another one of those hobbies where you have to focus and it takes you away from your day to day.
