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It gets better and better!
Did propaganda work in Russia, worked for TBS and with CNN (and NYTimes.com).

DISCOVERY TIMES CHANNEL
Vivian Schiller
As a graduate student studying Russian, Vivian Schiller spent a year in the former Soviet Union leading tour groups for American professionals. She thinks the experience helped her as a TV executive: “I learned public speaking, crisis management, cross-cultural skills.”
At Discovery Times Channel, Schiller draws on those skills and more. She heads a channel co-owned by two powerful media companies, Discovery Communications and The New York Times Co. And, as head of a digital network, she is constantly selling her ideas: to viewers, to cable and satellite operators, and to advertisers.
She started her TV career in Russia, working as a fixer—the person who does myriad odds and ends that need local and linguistic expertise—on documentaries. Soon after, she joined Turner Broadcasting as associate producer and fixer and hit the road with teams making documentaries for TBS Superstation, TNT and CNN. Eager to gain business experience, she also dabbled in international distribution, home video and marketing.
Besides films on Russia, Schiller worked on nature, wildlife and sports documentaries.
In time, the Turner documentary team moved into the CNN operation. Immersed in a newsroom for the first time, Schiller caught the news bug.
Colleagues encouraged her to choose a career path, but she resisted. “People said, ‘Pick the editorial side and become a good filmmaker or the business side and get an MBA,” she recalls. “I kept not choosing, and it turned out well.”
Indeed, at Discovery Times, Schiller flexes her programming and business acumen. At heart, though, she is still a producer. “I still give notes on scripts and cuts, but I am learning to let go a bit.”—Allison Romano
Title: Senior VP/GM, Discovery Times Channel
Born: Sept. 13,1961, New York
Education: BA, Cornell; MA, Russian, Middlebury College
Career builder: Former Discovery Networks U.S. chief John Ford sought out Schiller, then head of CNN’s documentary department, when Discovery and The New York Times Co. partnered to relaunch Discovery Civilization Channel.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/151158-The_Next_Wave_10_Women_to_Watch_in_Media.php