Joy. Positive intent. Optimism. How many people would use those terms to describe their current role? Carolyn Bernstein, executive VP of scripted and documentary films at National Geographic, brims with excitement when discussing her current role, colleagues and accomplished career.
“I’m a very optimistic person,” she said. “I think that has helped me weather the ups and downs of this business.”
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She said this infectious optimism is a quality shared by many of her Nat Geo colleagues. It creates a collegial and cohesive working environment.
“At Nat Geo, we always talk about assuming positive intent as we move through our day,” Bernstein said. “It’s because we get to work with this brand, which has so much meaning and history. It doesn’t just entertain but it inspires.”
Overseeing a Packed Slate
Bernstein oversees the award-winning National Geographic Documentary Films banner and the network’s fact-based scripted content. Under her leadership, Nat Geo has garnered critical success with award-winning documentaries like E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin’s Oscar- and BAFTA Award-winning Free Solo, Feras Fayyad’s Oscar-nominated The Cave and Sara Dosa’s Oscar-nominated Fire of Love and Bobi Wine: The People’s President, following the Ugandan opposition leader and musician during his 2021 presidential campaign. She said telling Wine’s story was a career highlight.
Bernstein also spearheaded a robust scripted slate. Under her tenure, the 20-time Emmy-nominated Genius franchise enjoyed four seasons.
She joined Nat Geo in 2016 from Endemol Shine Studios and Shine America, where she was executive VP of scripted television and executive producer of FX series The Bridge.
Prior to Shine America, Bernstein was executive VP of drama development at The WB. She said she enjoyed telling coming-of-age stories and developed Gilmore Girls, Smallville, One Tree Hill and Supernatural.
Many parents panic when they hear their children want to be English or literature majors. But Bernstein, a comparative literature major, believes it’s a great career path. At Brown University, she said, she read numerous influential books and performed critical analyses of what she read.
As an executive, you never want to create obstacles. You want to remove obstacles so artists can do their best work.”
Carolyn Bernstein
After graduating, the native New Yorker moved to Los Angeles to embark on a career in entertainment, starting at CAA in the motion picture literary department.
“I was honing my critical thinking and analytical skills around literature, so it was a hop, skip and a jump to reading screenplays, working on pilots and working with storytellers,” she said. “I was looking at the same things — character, tone and theme.”
Bernstein said one of the best aspects of her current role is figuring out what support the artists need to tell the stories they want to tell.
“I always describe it as removing obstacles,” she said. “As an executive, you never want to create obstacles. You want to remove obstacles so artists can do their best work, and that’s been a huge privilege and a joy for me.”
Others at Nat Geo agree. “Carolyn possesses the rare combination of brilliant creative instincts, strong business acumen, and excellent leadership skills,” Nat Geo president Courteney Monroe said. “She builds tremendous relationships with talent, fostering an environment that enables them to do their very best work.”
Spreading Joy
Life outside the entertainment world is just as joyous for Bernstein. Her husband is FX Entertainment president Nick Grad. They met while working as development executives in the mid-1990s. They have a daughter, Georgia, in high school and a son, Lucas, in college.
She makes it a point to mentor young people. Bernstein participated in The Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment Mentorship Program, which is aligned with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles. This program pairs high-ranking women entertainment executives with high school junior girls from underserved communities, helping prepare them for college and beyond. Bernstein’s mentee graduated from Loyola Marymount University last year.
And she regularly assists undergrads and those early in their careers seeking her advice. Bernstein is paying it forward, honoring those who helped her along the way.
