CNN's Greg D'Alba: Who Said it Wouldn't Be Fun?

By Lunch at Michael's Archives
Cover image for  article: CNN's Greg D'Alba: Who Said it Wouldn't Be Fun?

Originally Published: December 6, 2004

When CNN's COO Sales & Marketing Greg D'Alba moved to New York from Buffalo in the early 1980s he had one objective: to work for Ted Turner and CNN. "I had studied Marshall McLuhan and realized Ted was creating the global village. I wanted to be a part of it." But Greg spent his first year out of college working as a bartender at Guido's in the Bronx where he "was paid enough and took home enough food every Sunday to last a week," allowing him to go on job interviews every weekday.

Whether it was breaking into the media industry after a year of trying, getting an interview and then a job at CNN after several failed efforts, shifting gears after injuries forced him to lose his full tuition wrestling scholarship at West Virginia (where he was ECAC champion), battling and overcoming cancer, being a divorced parent of three teens, or surpassing aggressive revenue growth goals in the most competitive environment in CNN's history, Greg has constantly battled adversity and won. Through it all, he has never stopped smiling and is proud "not one year has gone by that I wasn't having fun. Fun is a small word with a huge meaning. I can't live without having fun and I think everyone who works with me has fun. It's the foundation of being able to constantly re-energize ourselves and how we do things."

As Greg and I enjoyed our Salad Nicoise and pork loin at Michael's, Katie Couric was clearly having fun with friends and several admirers who stopped by her table. Showtime's Matt Blank traded stories with the permanently jovial Sony CEO Howard Stringer while ad legend Jerry Della Femina hardly cracked a smile and Hearst's Cathy Black engaged in serious lean-forward quiet talk. Looking around, Greg mused "we're all fortunate to be in an industry we can be passionate about. But passion brings happiness and sadness, and sometimes we forget the importance of simply discovering the fun in what we're doing." When Michael's manager Steve Millington stopped by, the conversation turned quickly to motorcycles and the fun of BMW Euro Tours. "When you're looking for it, you can find fun in almost every conversation… every part of life."

Greg acknowledges being a cancer survivor gives him a different perspective, "We haven't been promised tomorrow, and when you're dealing with something as serious as cancer you learn to make the most of every day. I found strengths I didn't know I had. It was a challenge but I was never bummed out for a day. When you get caught up in what you're doing and going at a thousand mile-an-hour pace, remembering the humbling times gives you some perspective. Not a day goes by that I don't walk the halls at work talking to people, taking the time to give a pat on the back and a high five, asking questions and having some fun with my team. You can't just be passionate about your job and where you work; you also need to be passionate about the people you work with and encourage them to have fun every day. I really appreciate the warmth of friendships, being part of a community, and the importance of family."

Greg told me two stories that personify his approach to his work and family. Recently, two young sales planners at CNN, Christine Rivas and Sylvia Torres, approached him for approval to spend time starting a high school mentoring program. "It's wonderful if people are thinking creatively beyond their day-to-day work. If we all feel better about doing something good, there's a better chance we'll do great things in our jobs. Our biggest challenge in this business is not reinventing it because of fragmentation and new technologies. It's putting teams together of the best, smartest and most motivated people who work hard and support each other. Teamwork comes in many dimensions." He not only gave Christine and Sylvia his permission but promised support from CNN.

Greg appreciates the "incredible support" he received from CNN and Turner Broadcasting when he was diagnosed with cancer ten years ago and again five years ago when a recurrence required chemotherapy. Today, "thanks to Bristol-Myers and the fund raising efforts of Lance Armstrong that are really working to help find cures," Greg is cancer-free and he considers his yellow "Live Strong" bracelet "today's hottest fashion statement."

His former boss Larry Goodman was responsible for bringing Greg to CNN and Greg says "his support when I was diagnosed made him my soul brother for life." Larry and Greg had worked together at Selcom Radio Sales, where Greg had finally been hired as a sales trainee "even though I didn’t know anything about radio sales and had originally wanted to become a producer." Greg left Selcom to join CBS Radio and when Goodman joined CNN, D'Alba asked his friend to introduce him to CNN's then sales manager, Joe Uva (now president of OMD, the world's largest media specialist).

"Cable was just starting and I only wanted to be at CNN," Greg recalls. "Joe wasn't interested but I kept going back for eight or nine interviews over six months. Larry, Lou LaTorre and John Popkowsky recommended me and Joe finally gave in. Little did he know I'd be around 18 years later to haunt him."

"Joe, Larry, Lou, 'Pop,' Larry Divney, Gerry Hogan, and others I worked with paved the way," Greg acknowledges. "They built the railroad and we're enjoying the ride thanks to the tracks they laid down and thanks to Ted's vision. We all knew one thing. Win or lose, Ted was going to try and we were going to support him; we drank his Kool-Aid. We knew we were at a special place: the news company of the future. Ted taught us there were no limitations; we worked hard but he also allowed us to have a lot of fun."

Greg shared a second story that reflects his passion for family and belief in the importance of living every day. Just a few days before our lunch, Greg had returned from ten days in Sicily with his 81 year-old Dad, who was the only one of five children born in the United States. "He had never been to the 'old country' and it was a spiritual experience," Greg related. "We went to his family's home town, Bagheria, outside Palermo. "Dad asked a street vendor some questions, speaking Italian, hoping to find information about his family. The next thing we knew, people were gathering around, giving us food and drinks. During the next few days, people were actually driving from nearby towns to meet us. There wasn't a second on the whole trip Dad wasn't smiling."

When you're with Greg, it's tough not to smile. "My first goal is to take care of those around me," he says. "I try to be a good dad and to create a good environment at work. I'm at a point where I can do more to get involved with mentoring kids, helping children with diseases, and making our school systems better." Greg still thinks about becoming a producer one day. "I love what I do, but I would love to run a studio. The entertainment business is intriguing and its future will depend on innovation. The real challenge will be putting teams together that can lead and allow them the freedom to be creative."

As Greg and I walked out of Michael's, I recalled one of my early bosses admonishing me on an exceptionally tough day, "no one said it would be fun!" If anyone ever says that to you, tell them about Greg D'Alba.

Copyright ©2024 MediaVillage, Inc. All rights reserved. By using this site you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.