SALLY KOHN One of the leading progressive voices in America today. A television commentator on CNN and formerly on Fox News, Sally worked for over 15 years as a community organizer. Her writing has appeared in publications such as the Washington Post, New York Times, New York Magazine, More Magazine,Afar Magazine, and many others. She has recently authored The Opposite of Hate.
1. Name three women that inspire you, and tell us why.
I am inspired byCharlene Carruthers, political thinker and activist and co-founder of the Black Youth Project 100—she’s just an incredibly powerful and thoughtful human being writing and leading at the intersection of queer rights, feminism, and racial justice. Every time I am in her orbit, in person or through her writing like her book Unapologetic, I’m better for it.
Mona Eltahawy is a radical Egyptian feminist scholar who always expands my mind in ways I didn’t know were possible. She has a new book coming out this fall called The Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls and I can’t wait to read it.
And then I don’t wanna name just one but I’m so inspired by all of the new progressive women leaders in Congress! I remember when my friend, the incredible organizer and leader, Pramila Jayapal was elected to Congress and it felt like such an impossible coup and one off and now she’s co-chair of the Progressive Caucus and there’s a giant record number of women, especially women of color, right alongside her transforming the way we think about power in our country and how things actually get done! Amidst all the crap and bad stuff going on in Washington and in our politics in general, this is supremely awesome and worth celebrating!
2. What has been the secret to your success?
I really like people and want to understand what makes them tick; what gets them up in the morning; what gets them down; and what would really make a difference in their lives. Through all the bumps and turns, that curiosity about people has been enduring and driven most if not all of my work.
3. If you were going to pass on one piece of advice to a young woman, what would it be?
Don’t pay attention to social media; it will make you want to be someone you’re not and make you think that’s the only way to succeed. The way to succeed is to be yourself, to find what you’re passionate about, and set your own direction. And then, sure, you can post about that later, but your compass, your direction, has to come from inside.
4. In the fight for equality, what area do you think needs the most attention?
With regards to gender equality, I don’t want to pick one fight because there’s so much that needs to happen. And it’s impossible to separate “gender” issues from race, class, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and so on. I think the area in general that needs the most attention is the fundamental misperception among some in our society that opportunity and progress for some comes at the cost of others. The imperfect, messy history of our country has always been made better—for all of us—when we have expanded opportunity and inclusion. That’s not just how some people move forward. That’s how we all move forward, together.
5. What are you most proud of in your career?
I’ve always wanted to write a book since I was a little kid. And I’m incredibly proud of the work and thinking I put out in The Opposite of Hate: A Field Guide To Repairing Our Humanity — and incredibly humbled by the reactions of readers who are finding the book so useful and impactful in their lives and in their analysis of the world around them.
6. Where do you get your confidence?
I struggle to find it every day, just like most people and especially just like most women. I was lucky to have parents who filled me with a sense that I could do anything, yet I’m always bumping up against the reality of my own constraints and the world around me suggesting otherwise. I don’t think confidence is an attitude so much as an action. Every day I put one foot in front of the other, act confidently, and hope my mind falls in line.
7. What makes a woman beautiful?
I don’t think kindness is everything. I happen to think structural, systemic equality and justice are even more gorgeous. But I also think the simple idea of treating everyone you meet—and everyone you don’t actually meet but simply think about or talk about—with basic respect and dignity, that is a kind of radiant human beauty of the soul that we should all aspire to. And it is damn sexy when you see it being done in real life.
8. What gives you joy?
My daughter. When she laughs, when she learns something new, when out of the blue she hugs me and tells me she loves me. Those are the best moments of my life.
On Mar. 12, CNN took a remarkable step forward on a few levels. With the premiere of Mostly Human With Laurie Segall, the network launched its first CNNgo original series. Unlike anything else on CNN, the new series is led by the two women who run tech at CNN, Laurie Segall and Erica Fink. Mostly Human is best described as a “real-life Black Mirror,” exploring groundbreaking topics in the tech world.
The show’s namesake, Laurie Segall, was recently named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30, having won awards for her investigative coverage. Executive producer Erica Fink has been within the CNN realm for nearly a decade, following a run as Editor-in-Chief of her alma malter’s newspapaper, the Cornell Daily Sun. Downtown had the pleasure of speaking with both Laurie and Erica about Mostly Human and plenty more. Their interviews were done individually, yet the closeness of the two writer/producers shows as their responses were often similar.
To get a taste for Mostly Human With Laurie Segall, you can check out a trailer of the show here. Both Laurie and Erica can be followed directly on Twitter.
How did you two first meet?
Erica Fink: I think the best working relationships develop by filming at swinger parties and hacker conventions. Sex, Drugs & Silicon Valley was our first in-depth series together and it took us to some interesting places — including a swinger party where attendees were scoping out prospects by app ahead of time. Let’s just say, it wasn’t the easiest place to mic guests. Since then, we’ve gone to lots of strange corners of the world in pursuit of stories about the weird ways tech has changed our lives, and the people behind the products. Mostly Human, CNN’s first streaming show, basically takes that approach and puts it on steroids.
Laurie Segall: Erica has been my partner in crime for some time. We started working with each other when I was making my way into the TV world. You get close when you do the work we do, especially the types of stories we cover. I’ll never forget when we were doing a piece on high tech sex workers in Silicon Valley. Years later, we shot a series called Sex, Drugs & Silicon Valley about polyamory, swinger parties, and drug experimentation in the Bay Area. My favorite Erica moment was watching her mic someone up at the swingers party. We’ve been in storms, protests, outside the home of a notorious kidnapper, inside hacker conferences, and at swinger parties — for work, of course. Lots of life happens in between.
Erica Fink: For fashion or Wall Street or most other industries, the interesting story that gets people talking is about a person or event that happened behind the scenes. But for tech, so much of the coverage is focused around product specs and app updates. There’s a unique opportunity to cover tech through the lens of culture. We’re living in a time where tech has changed everything about life — from love to war — and what’s exciting is the prospect of telling the stories of the people behind the innovations, and the weird and unexpected ways those innovations are changing lives.
Laurie Segall: I was fascinated by tech in 2009. I was covering business news and but in my free time started gravitating to tech events. It was a small community of weirdos in the best sense. We were coming off the financial crisis, and all of a sudden, you had this group of creative people who didn’t feel like they had to go to Wall Street to get a job. There was this group of people who just thought they could take an idea and code it into the hands of millions. I loved the creativity in all of it. And I loved the underdogs. I ended up getting to know a lot of folks as they were starting out. Some of my first on-camera interviews were with the founders of Twitter, Instagram, and Uber. It’s been fascinating to watch these ideas shape culture and shift industries.
How would you describe your new series to someone who hasn’t seen it yet?
Erica Fink: Mostly Human is basically the real-life Black Mirror. It’s about the strange and sometimes uncomfortable things that happen when tech and humanity intersect.
Laurie Segall: One episode also feels very Westworld. In the series, you see everything from people turning their dead friends into chatbots through artificial intelligence, to folks falling in love with robots. You’ll see Laurie infiltrate hacker parties, get her life threatened, and get propositioned by a robot. It’s a show about our increasingly-complicated relationship with technology. We ask some more philosophical questions like how much control does your phone have over you and take on topics people don’t really talk about. Behind every fringe story we bring you, there’s humanity. One of our favorite moments of the series is when a French woman is describing how she’s fallen in love with a robot. When asked why, she told me it’s because it would always be safe. It would never cheat, or lie. She prefers errors in script and code — not human flaws. There was something incredible human and vulnerable in that moment no matter how you judged her for her choices.
Do you have a favorite episode of the series?
Erica Fink: “I love you, Bot” is about the most extreme relationships between tech and people. We meet a woman who is madly in love with her robot and attend their engagement party, complete with champagne and macaroons. Later, we visit a pedophile ward where they’re evaluating risk by showing offenders images of children in virtual reality. It has a pretty high quotient of gut-punch moments.
Laurie Segall: “Dead, IRL” was probably my favorite episode. It was incredibly-personal. In the episode, I explore what death means in the digital age and start thinking about my digital legacy. I don’t wan’t want to give too many details but there are some incredibly-uncomfortable moments. A technologist took my personal conversations with my best friends for the last four years and using artificial intelligence, created a chatbot based off of me. Let’s just say my bot went on a bender at one point, saying some pretty insane things. It’s an episode with a lot of heart and one I think a lot of folks will relate to.
Your series isn’t entirely positive about technology’s affects on society. But aside from the series, is your life so tech-centric?
Erica Fink: I’ve probably spent too much time thinking about how my soon-to-be-born child will interact with Alexa — I’m insisting he say “please” and “thank you.” But think about that: he’s going to grow up in a time when he can demand an answer to any random piece of trivia and a cylinder in our kitchen will answer it for him. So, I guess, yes?
Laurie Segall: I would say yes. I spend too much time in front of devices and screens. Perhaps that’s why I wanted to do a series looking at our relationship with tech from another lens. I will say, I used to always love to write in notebooks and do that less with all the screens in front of me. While I love technology, I understand a growing nostalgia to take a step back.
Erica Fink: The whole thing about Mostly Human is that it’ll make you think. It’s actually hard to believe that some of this stuff has really happened. Once Laurie brings you into this world, it’s hard to get out.
Laurie Segall: The hope is every episode will make you think about something you never thought about. Once you watch one, I think you’ll want to keep going. All the topics are completely different — from the first hacker to be killed in a drone strike to the human impact of the Ashley Madison hack and how a company capitalized on human nature to try to convince people to cheat. The goal with this is for people to see something they haven’t seen, and feel like they’re accessing underground stories that they wouldn’t get anywhere else.
Laurie, a lot of your assignments have had elements of danger to them. Is there one that you are proudest of?
Laurie Segall: I’m most proud of a documentary we did on a growing form of harassment called revenge porn where victims have their intimate photos plastered across the web. It’s a horrific problem and so many people — mainly women — are afraid to speak out and feel like they lose control when it happens to them. I confronted a hacker who hacked into a teenager’s Facebook page took private photos, sold them to a website that posted them for everyone to see. I was able to get him on the phone and talk through why he did what he did. It was a powerful interview. He later spent time in jail. The documentary shed light on this type of harassment and when it came out, there were a lot of changes that happened as a result. That’s some of the most rewarding work I’ve done. You always feel like you’ve done your job right when you give someone a voice, and allow a victim to take control back. I do find myself in some odd situations for this line of work, but I love the weird, underground stories, so it’s part of the game.
Erica Fink: I like the creative process. What excites me is finding an amazing story and shaping the narrative. A really good day is when we’ve stumbled on a nugget that I know will resonate, whether it’s a character with a truly unheard of experience; or something smaller, like a clever way to phrase an idea in a script.
When not working with CNN, how do you like to spend your free time?
Erica Fink: I like to try my hand at fiction whenever the opportunity allows. Especially on days when the news business is heavy, it’s fun to come home and dream up funny conversations and circumstances.
Laurie Segall: I’m pretty biased but I have an incredible group of friends and a great boyfriend. When I’m not working, I’m hanging with my renegades or scheming with my boyfriend. I also love to write. Every so often you’ll find me solo at a coffee shop or bar writing.
What is it that draws you to living in Downtown New York?
Erica Fink: The high density of different chocolate chip cookie varietals.
Laurie Segall: A friend of mine, Tracy Malechek, was the chef at Untitled at the Whitney for some time, so I go there quite a bit. The food is amazing. I pretty much follow her wherever she goes to eat. And the bartender Rocky is one of my favorite bartenders in New York. It’s just a great place to be. I also love Meme. I dream of their lemon chicken and the people who work there are nothing short of fabulous.
Do you have tickets to any upcoming concerts or events?
Erica Fink: The birth of my child — due this week…?
Laurie Segall: Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway. It’s my third time seeing it. It’s such an incredibly-timely play, the music is beautiful and it combines everything I love — storytelling, heart, and our complicated relationship with technology.
Finally, any last words for the kids?
Erica Fink: It’s a good time to be a content creator. If you’ve got a story you’re passionate about telling, go tell it!
Laurie: Ask for what you want. It’s sometimes hard to do, but it’s led to some of the best things in my life.
A lifelong New Yorker, Cristina Alesci is an award-winning television and digital correspondent. Even before joining the CNN team in 2014, she had interviewed countless business leaders and tastemakers as a correspondent for Bloomberg. Facebook’s IPO, Dell’s takeover battle, and Gwyneth Paltrow’s “common woman” interview are among the stories that have helped make Cristina one of the go-to New York journalists for breaking stories.
As hosted by Cristina, The American Dream: New York will be premiering on CNN’s digital platforms on Monday, Feb. 13. The American Dream is a multi-part documentary series exploring how living in New York during the first half of the 20th century inspired some of New York’s most successful residents. Interviewees include J. Crew CEO Mickey Drexler, Xerox CEO Ursula Burns, former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, hip-hop legend Russell Simmons, and Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz. The series will also be showing on CNN International shortly after its Feb. 13 premiere.
Downtown spoke with Cristina about The American Dream, daily living as a journalist, and what keeps her based in New York all these years later. She can be followed on both Twitter and Instagram.
Cristina Alesci: Now more than ever, I believe the American Dream is hope. At its core, the American Dream is having the freedom to achieve success as you define it, regardless of where you’re born and who your parents are. While government programs and policies can nurture an environment of possibility, the individual needs ambition, resilience and a decent amount of luck. It’s a struggle and it’s not easy. The American Dream is an ideal we should all aspire to achieve and preserve for future generations.
CA: My family and New York, two of my favorite things. My parents and grandparents inspired it in large part. Like many others in this country, they emigrated to the U.S., in their case from Italy. To me, they embody the spirit of the American Dream, unrelenting hard work and hope. My mother arrived when she was 12 years old and had to learn a new language, a different culture and how to take care of herself in some very tough neighborhoods. The same with my father, who eventually started a successful small business. I’m in awe of what they’ve been able to achieve. Also, New York was a breeding ground for their dreams and so many others who found success in this country. I wanted to understand it, document it and share it so it can inspire others.
CA: I have many, actually, but as a woman covering corporate America eight years was struck by Xerox CEO Ursula Burns‘ observation that despite all the advances women have made in business over the last few decades, men still seem to have the advantage. She made a point about how women sometimes may overlook picking a kind of partner who will help them share the burdens of their personal and family lives.
CA: My younger sister Laura, I was eight. My parents had just bought a video camera and my first thought was, “I want to do an interview for the news.” I actually watched the video over Christmas for the first time in years, and it was a lot different than I remembered. It was more like an interrogation.
You’ve interviewed a lot of big names, but are there people that you’re still hoping to talk with?
CA: The bold-faced names often don’t lead to the most riveting stories. Jimmy Breslin likes to say that the more compelling stories are found in the losing team’s locker room. One of the biggest stories of Breslin’s career, which is still taught in journalism school, was a column he wrote following President Kennedy’s assassination, where he interviewed the gravediggers who would be burying the President. I firmly believe the best way to report on something is by looking in the less obvious places.
Rumor has it that you wanted to pursue a career with the FBI before getting into journalism. What was it that drew you to the FBI?
CA: The rumor mill was right! I was always drawn to the idea of public service. At the time, it seemed like the best way for me to make a difference in the world. Also, Agent Alesci seemed to have a nice ring to it…but I had no poker face, so I wouldn’t have been very good at undercover work.
Have you been able to interview anyone from the FBI?
CA: I do get a lot of late-night calls but breaking a story is rarely that easy. It’s always the product of shoe leather. That, and not taking “no” for an answer—even if you’ve heard it a dozen times. But it can be a lot of fun.
I had a two-year rivalry with another reporter at a major financial newspaper. We were always trying to one up each other on breaking financial news. One time, after a week-long vacation, I scooped him on three stories my first day back. He e-mailed that night and begged me to go back to the beach.
What is a typical day like for you as a reporter? How much of the day is actually spent reporting or writing?
CA: A typical day is five hours of sleep, one hour of eating, one hour in the gym and the rest spent reporting and writing. How much is reporting versus writing changes from one day to the next, but I do both every day.
CA: I’m focused on the nexus of money and politics, and its impact throughout the country. I believe it’s more important than ever to ensure the public understands that relationship.
You’re a CUNY graduate. What is it that keeps you based in New York?
CA: That seems like a trick question! I was born in Brooklyn, raised in Queens and now that I live downtown, I can’t imagine myself living in too many other places.
When not busy with your career, how do you like to spend your free time?
CA: With my family. I have four younger siblings; three sisters and a brother. My husband and I love cooking big meals and having everyone over for dinner — I’m Italian, after all.
Do you have a favorite restaurant in New York?
CA: It’s hard to have one favorite restaurant in New York. I have my top ten, but it’s always changing. Right now I really like Café Altro Paradiso, Via Carota and Le Coucou. I don’t have time for brunch, but for a simple breakfast on a Sunday, I love hitting the Greek bakery Pi in Soho.
Do you have tickets to any upcoming concerts or events?
On Oct. 17, acclaimed artist Magda Love teamed up with the nonprofit organization together1heart, for an evening of fundraising, art and empowerment. The event, dubbed Love Is A Human Right, was held at 117 Beekman Street in the Seaport District in an effort to raise awareness and funds for together1heart. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, together1heart was created by Cambodian Humanitarian Somaly Mam and actress/activist AnnaLynne McCord in the fight against sex slavery and human trafficking.
The event featured a conversation from the organization’s founders Somaly Mam and AnnaLynne McCord, the music of classical pianist Chloe Flower and a silent auction presented by CNN’s Christopher Cuomo. Guests also enjoyed music by DJ Courtney K, cocktails, savory bites and sweets by celebrity baker Sugar Monster. In addition, Magda debuted her solo show, Love Is A Human Right; her work features stories of survivors who touched her life while visiting Cambodia with together1heart earlier this year.
Magda’s exhibit will remain on display at the Seaport through Oct. 22. In addition, on Oct. 22, she will be hosting a master art class from 11:00 AM until 1:00 PM, which people can attend for free.
Other noted supporters of together1heart include Susan Sarandon, Shay Mitchell, Dominic Purcell, Serinda Swan, Briana Evigan, Rick Fox, Nicky Whelan, Tony Richardson, Jill Montgomery, Peter Kim, Sharon Stone, Mandana Dayani, Ariel Winter, Russell Simmons, Nicole Scherzinger, and Sanaa Lathan.
