Scott S. Weiss

Scott Weiss is an American businessman and author. Weiss was a prominent executive at Turner Broadcasting Corporation for over a decade. He notably worked on a number of major CNN projects, including founding Turner Private Networks, the CNN Checkout Channel, the CNN Airport Channel, and CNN Local Edition. He was also responsible for expanding the company's network distribution expanding viewership substantially with DirecTV and Dish when those platforms launched. In 1994, Weiss moved into the field of spoken communication with Speakeasy Communications Consulting.
In 2012, he released his first book titled, Dare!: Accepting the Challenge of Trusting Leadership, an Amazon Best Seller and the winner of the well respected Axiom Business Book Award on ethics.
==Education==
Weiss attended Michigan State University, receiving his degree from the College of Communications Arts and Sciences. He received the prestigious Alumni of the Year Award in 2019. He also served as an adjunct professor at the Georgia Tech's School of Management.
==Career==
Early in Weiss' career, he worked for four years at The Southmark Corporation, a Wall Street investment bank. He remained at the company until the crash of 1987, which resulted in the company falling into liquidation.
In 1990, while Executive Vice President of Turner Broadcasting, Weiss was responsible for forming a new division for the company, Turner Private Networks. He also pioneered the launch of a new television platform, beginning with the launch of CNN Checkout Channel. The new network was a completely new concept and way of viewing the news while in store. It launched at 150 stores across the US, in partnership with four major brands, A&P, Kroger, Finast and Acme. The channel differed from other news platforms as it was a number of short news segments repeated for in intervals for those waiting at the til. Ads would then be broadcast between each segment for brands that had signed up to the channel, rather than generic CNN advertisements. The launch of CNN Checkout Channel was meant to provide another platform for CNN content besides television at home; Turner Private Networks Executive Vice President Scott Weiss explained that "I think we are reacting to what we believe is an insatiable appetite in our generation for information. They want it live. They want it now, on an instant basis." ActMedia had predicted that CNN Checkout Channel would operate in at least 5,000 stores by 1992, offering at least 60 million impressions per week.
Shortly after the checkout channel was launched, Weiss created a second channel for airports with the launch of CNN Airport Channel in 1991. This was the second pioneering channel into the out-of-home programming market by CNN. The network originally was test launched at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, Hartsfield-Atlanta International Airport and O'Hare International Airport, and officially debuted on January 20, 1992 as the CNN Airport Network. CNN Airport Network airs on 2,500 screen at 85 of the largest airports in North America. CNN Airport alternates between CNN and HLN news programming; it also airs additional weather, business and travel segments designed for air travelers. It also innovated by partnering with sports channels to allow major sporting events to be shown in airports. This included NBA playoff games and the Super Bowl. The network was extremely successful for 30 years in dominating a very important captured audience for CNN. It was shut down in 2021 as a result of the proliferation of news feeds on cell phones. Weiss also created and launched CNN local Edition, allowing local markets a way to insert local news updates to increase viewership. CNN Local Edition was launched nationally in of CNN’s domestic markets.
Weiss joined Speakeasy in 1994 before purchasing the company in 2004. The company now has offices in Atlanta, San Francisco, New York City, Chicago, and Amsterdam, with ongoing operations in London, Dubai, Mumbai, and Singapore. While at Speakeasy, the company became focused on consulting with executives on communication strategy and execution, in addition to spoken communication. The company’s growth under Weiss’s leadership for 30 years was impressive, including the launch of three additional global brands; Speakeasy In-Person, Speakeasy Virtual, and Speakeasy Digital. The company now works with 5,000 executives annually in multiple countries representing 350 companies. The shift of the company to focus on strategy and spoken communication on multiple platforms, meant Weiss regularly offered advice and has become a leading expert in the field.
In 1993, Weiss founded the T. Howard Foundation, a non-profit that develops young minority professionals for careers in media, entertainment, and tech. Over the past 30 years, the Foundation has grown in prominence and size, and is financially supported by a number of Fortune 100 companies. The Foundation’s Board is comprised by some of the most respected and notable executives in the industries the Foundation serves, and is now recognized by the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion influencers as one of the leading game changers in corporate America. Each year the Foundation hosts its annual Dinner for Diversity in New York City at the famous Cipriani’s, attracting some 800 leaders including C-Suite executives from all the major networks, media companies, and studios. Weiss continues to serve as an active Board member as the Foundations Chairman Emeritus.
==Publications==
Weiss wrote a book titled Dare: Accepting the Challenge of Trusting Leadership, released in 2013 which focused on the impact on corporations of communication transparency and honesty.
The book reached #14 on Amazon’s Best Sellers List a week after launch, and received positive reviews in Inc. magazine, Entrepreneur, Forbes, Fortune and CNN Money. The book was also awarded the Axiom Business Book Gold Medal for ethics at a book awards ceremony in 2014. Dare studies a number of different communication problems, including the common theory that often "faking it" in business is a good thing. Weiss studies different examples of how transparency, honesty and integrity result in better outcomes for the individual and the company they serve, and create the critical foundation of trust. A number or prominent executives contributed to the book with their individual stories. Dare has also received acclaim for the way it approaches harsh truths, with many major executives often falling short in speaking engagements because they have never honed their speaking skills. According to Weiss, this is particularly prevalent at business events or major presentations, such as TED. He also speaks about the dangers of the younger generations focus on digital communication becoming a challenge in the future.
Category:American people
Category:Michigan State University alumni
Category:Businesspeople
Category:Author
Category:CEOs
Category:Leaders