Standing in Her Own Pumps

“I’ll have a mimosa – without the orange juice – if I want to,” laughs Angela Robinson, president and CEO, A.R.C. Media.

She’s earned it.

The award-winning media veteran and entrepreneur has been at the center of game-changing local and national headlines, including the Atlanta Child Murders and the rise and fall of former Washington, D.C. mayor, Marion Berry.

Robinson entered the industry in 1984 as a general assignment reporter and left a senior anchor.

“I’m grateful and blessed to still participate in the industry,” she tells PINK, “and my journey is still progressing.”

She remembers taping scripts on a conveyor belt, the then teleprompter.

“It’s like once upon a time there was black and white and now there’s color,” says Robinson, “but, when you get to the crust, you still have to tell a good story.”

With low barriers to entry, digital media has taken journalism by storm. At the start of 2003, there were less than one million blogs in existence. Today, there are an estimated 100 million on publishing platform newcomer Tumblr, alone, according to the network.

While journalists and marketers would agree content remains king, Robinson believes journalists must stay vigilant in their quest to provide fair and accurate information to consumers amidst the vast amounts of pseudo-journalism.

“What would I look like if I woke up one day and decided I was going to go to the hospital and perform brain surgery,” she asks. “No other industry will allow you to do that.”

She says that confidently standing in her own pumps, aware of her convictions and unconcerned with what others may think or say.

When you allow something bigger than yourself to come in, she says, you can begin to move with “ease and grace.”

Robinson formed her company, A.R.C. Media, under that mantra. “Has it been easy? No. A great adventure? Oh, yeah.”

Recently losing two colleagues, both younger than herself, she’s not wasting time sweating the small things, or allowing them to hold her back.

“Nothing is promised. Time is valuable and I respect it.”

On Wednesday, March 19, she will be a panelist at Power Up Atlanta, an event connecting and empowering Syracuse University alumnae of all ages. Join Robinson and other top-ranking women from First Data, Turner Broadcasting and Georgia-Pacific for an evening of cocktails and conversation at the Georgia Aquarium from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Register today!

What’s holding you back from standing in your own pumps? Tell us!

BONUS PINK Link: What four things do successful leaders do that separate them from the rest? Find out here!

By L. Nicole Williams

“There are no mistakes, no coincidences. All events are blessings given to us to learn from.” Elizabeth Kubler Ross