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Past
Vigilant Leaders
Thanks for visiting with this month’s Vigilant Leader!
Our goal is to share the unique insights and experiences
of America’s unsung business leaders—the men and women who
walk softly behind the scenes making high morale a high priority,
providing clear and inspiring vision and surrounding themselves with
smart, dedicated people with unstoppable passion.
In his national bestseller, Good to Great, (HarperCollins, 2001),
Jim Collins does a masterful job of revealing the core essence of
good to great leaders. He points out that in "good to great"
companies, (of which Collins discovers very few following five years
of intense research) leaders are not the acclaimed, bigger-than-life
manufactured celebrities—or the smug untouchables who, through
their wizard touch, can spin straw into gold and have that certain
charisma that somehow seduces everyone from wall street to main street.
Rather, they are the quiet, behind-the-scenes, humble people who put
the health of their companies first, their people in the front seat
along side him or her and, together, they move toward achieving shared
vision with relentless diligence.
With great respect for such leaders, in life and in business, Vigilant
is proud to share with you the inspiring philosophies of people who
"get it", have "done it" and actually "live
it".
–Trever
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This Month’s Vigilant Leader
Anne Kreamer
Title: Founder of Design/Build, Former EVP and Worldwide Creative Director of Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite
V: Where do you get your inspiration from?
I get my inspiration in two ways. First, what do I need (or do my kids need) that seems to be missing from the consumer marketplace – this approach led me to create Nickelodeon Magazine, the first real humor magazine for kids since MAD. Secondly, I walk around a lot, ride the subway, go to movies, and theater and read, and travel to absorb how other people are spending their time and to see new stuff. It is really critical to fill the creative well with profoundly new stimuli. If all you do is work you run dry.
V: How would you describe yourself as a leader?
I guess I’d describe myself as the kind of leader who likes people to lead themselves.
V: How are you as a follower?
Not very good.
V: When you’re stressed out, how do you deal with it?
I work out, play with my dogs, do yoga or read mysteries.
V: Whom do you admire and why?
Ah, sheesh. As dopey as it might seem I will say my husband, Kurt Andersen. He’s got a deeply quirky brain that I love, is a spectacular writer, has enormous discipline, is really funny and a genius cook.
V: Who do you usually turn to for advice?
My husband and/or my best friend, Danica.
V: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
My old boss at Nickelodeon, Gerry Laybourne, told me to learn to speak in the language of the people I was working with or presenting to – e.g. it’s different when you’re in a marketing meeting with guys from Blockbuster than it is when you’re meeting with toy inventors, than it is when you’re brainstorming with a director.
V: Did you follow it?
I’ve tried to.
V: What do you believe is the single biggest challenge that leaders face today (in the business world)?
How to help their organizations make reasonable and quick decisions – decision-making is intrinsically related to risk-taking.
V: What difference do you see in yourself now compared to you 10 years ago?
Today it is the small things that give me the most pleasure.
V: What’s your best piece of advice for people in business?
Oh, the usual follow your heart and never complain – just change
Anne Kreamer
Design/Build is a product-focused consulting company started in 2000 by Anne Kreamer to help companies leverage their entertainment/media brand values.
In 1998, Kreamer created Rain, an independent production company for television, film and radio. At Rain Kreamer invented BookVideos: 3 – 5 minute entertaining, informative, fast-moving and attention-getting short film television segments. BookVideos, designed for streaming video and television broadcast, revolutionized the promotion of authors and their work. In 2000 Kreamer sold Rain to Barnes & Noble.
Previously Ms. Kreamer was Executive Vice President & Worldwide Creative Director, Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite.
Ms. Kreamer oversaw all the operating divisions within Nickelodeon: The Works, the company’s consumer products group, where she was instrumental in developing new business ventures for Nickelodeon.
Under Ms. Kreamer, Nickelodeon: The Works, forged relationships with licensees worldwide and had products available through mass merchandisers, toy and gift retailers and theme parks. An extensive Nickelodeon activity toy line, created under Kreamer in partnership with Mattel, represents the first time a trademark was translated into toy product.
Ms. Kreamer oversaw the development and creation of Nickelodeon On-line.
Kreamer formed a multi-divisional partnership with Simon & Schuster Children’s Division to develop and publish books based on existing television series and the Nickelodeon, Nick Jr. and Nick at Nite brands. Under the Nickelodeon publishing division, Nickelodeon Magazine was launched by Ms. Kreamer in June 1993. The magazine remains the fastest growing kids magazine with a circulation of over one million.
Ms. Kreamer formed Nickelodeon Video and Audio Works which released video titles and original cd’s of Nickelodeon branded product.
Prior to joining Nickelodeon, Ms. Kreamer worked for SPY magazine, where she headed Marketing and New Business Development and founded the advertising department, making it one of the most successful magazine launches of the past decade.
Previously Ms. Kreamer respectively held the positions of Director of New Business Development at CBS Educational and Professional Publishing, as well as Associate Director of International Television, Children’s Television Workshop.
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