Tiziana Imbrogno
Director of Creative Operations, Warner Bros. Discovery
Tiziana Imbrogno is the Director of Creative Operations at Warner Bros. Discovery. In her role, she runs operations on their internal Corporate Communications and Brand Experience Team and works closely with their internal partners and networks. We are in AWE!
Thank you for talking to us today, Tiziana. Did you always envision yourself working in Operations? How did you stay focused on your goal or pivot when necessary?
My major in college was communications with a minor in advertising. I always knew from a young age that this was the industry for me. I wanted to be surrounded by creative energy. I never imagined working for a large media company like Warner Bros. Discovery. The pandemic and remote work opened a whole new world and vision for my career since I live in Chicago and the main offices are in Atlanta, New York, and LA. You could say that was a career pivot for me. I spent 25 years in ad agencies and was looking for growth in a different direction and industry.
Name one thing that has contributed to your success.
I truly believe the key to my success has been building and nurturing meaningful relationships with my teams, leadership, and coworkers. I always believed and feel most rewarded if my team is successful, feels supported, and is championed in their roles and as people.
What is your superpower?
Leading with empathy has been my superpower throughout my career. Delivering feedback, communicating, and approaching difficult situations with kindness is so important. Being approachable and accessible is a big reason I have had mentors, sponsors, and co-workers advocating for me throughout my career.
I’d love to hear more about your relationship with your mentors and sponsors. Anyone you want to shout out?
My career has been built by my mentors and sponsors. It started from my internship and meeting a woman name Serena Wolf who helped launch my career. She is still a mentor and dear friend until this day. Throughout my career, all of my jobs have come through my mentors and sponsors. I consider my current boss, Carron Brown, my sponsor. I worked with her years before at a previous job. We hadn’t spoken in a couple of years but we kept tabs through LinkedIn. She reached out to me about the job at Warner Bros. Discovery and has been an inspiration and mentor in my time here.
How have you seen your industry change for women and other under-represented groups since you started?
I have definitely seen a shift in the industry for women and under-represented groups since I started in the early 2000’s. I used to walk in a room and be one of the only women at the table. Now the room is much more diverse and the opportunities for women and diversity in leadership continues to grow. We still have much work to do, but the difficult conversations are finally happening about representation and creating opportunities for diversity and inclusion at all levels.
How has being a part of AWE changed how you show up to work every day? What was your favorite session/training?
The session that stood out for me the most was the one on networking. I had always associated that word with discomfort. Reaching out to people with a purpose felt disingenuous for me. Reframing what networking means as building relationships, was a big relief. Just going for a cup of coffee with an old co-worker and nurturing that relationship, could lead to opportunities in the future.
What is your motivating force in business and in life? Has it changed throughout the years?
I come from a family of immigrants to this country. My parents worked hard to ensure we went to college and always wanted a better life for their children. That has been the motivating force for me in business, then and now. Creating the life I only dreamed of as a child. I always had the drive to be independent and build a career I was proud to work in and make an impact along the way. Having the opportunity to work at Warner Bros. Discovery has been the culmination of that dream realized.
Tell us something interesting about yourself that we can’t find listed on your resume.
During the pandemic I got my real estate license. I have always been interested in real estate and real estate investing but kept pushing it off. I had the opportunity and time to focus on finally taking the classes and getting my license. Building expertise in a completely different field has been so rewarding and exciting.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.