Escobar made the transition in his career from chasing the story to working behind the scenes to train and identify the next generation of reporters, and he’s made it a personal mission to find journalists from all backgrounds. Back in his days at NBC, he was the only senior executive of color and also the youngest VP and News Director NBC News had ever had.
That experience taught him some key things in his approach to scouting and coaching talent today. “First, the importance of having mentors in your life who care about you so much they are willing to tell you the things you don’t want to hear. Second, look at people deeply and completely,” he says. “Life experiences and diversity at times are far more important than experience or college degrees from an Ivy League school. Attributes like resilience, overcoming life challenges and emotional intelligence can be far better indicators of a person’s ability to handle the volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity of the news and media profession.”
At CNN, Escobar has discovered, developed and mentored some of the most respected journalists in the field. Escobar and his team have made strides in increasing diversity of talent at CNN, cultivating a group of diverse up-and-coming stars. In some ways, finding the next generation of anchors, producers and leaders isn’t that different from chasing the story. “I find the best scouts and recruiters held the jobs they are now recruiting. On my great team at CNN, everyone has done the jobs,” he says. “This has allowed us to change the face of CNN in front of and behind the camera resulting the in the most diverse correspondent corps in all of TV news. We also have created the gold standard in journalism workshops in the industry resulting in the hiring of 15 correspondents from these workshops alone.”
Mentorship goes hand-in-hand with Escobar’s job title, but he doesn’t confine that role to CNN. He’s taught several classes as a visiting faculty member at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies, as well as teaching classes at Harvard and Florida International University. Escobar recognizes that journalism has changed since his days as an undergrad at the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism. “I find we need to prepare students for a world that is far more complicated, polarized yet more connected than before,” he says.
Escobar’s advice for reporters just starting out includes cultivating a broad, diverse knowledge base across the news spectrum, honing critical thinking skills and being flexible/willing to take risks. Lastly, he preaches the importance of resilience. “Journalism and media are highly competitive professions filled with unusual pressure, big egos and work/life balance issues,” he says. “It’s critical students understand and learn coping mechanisms and healthy approaches to insure mental, physical and emotional well-being in the long term.”