Hearst's Cathie Black Offers Advice for Success in Life and Work

On November 5, Medill welcomed Cathie Black, president of Hearst magazines, as part of the Gertrude and G.D. Crain Jr. Lecture Series. 

Black lectured to a packed McCormick Tribune Center, offering anecdotal advice drawn from her new book, “Basic Black: The Essential Guide for Getting Ahead at Work (And in Life).” In her book, Black explains how to achieve what she calls a “360 degree life,” a balance of personal and professional success. 

In her book Black offers case studies, “black-and-white” tips, and lessons she’s learned about ambition, self-confidence and risk over the course of her 30-plus year career.  She peppered her lecture with funny stories that offered insight into the minds of media and business figures like Rupert Murdoch, Al Neuharth, Gloria Steinem, Oprah Winfrey, Francis Ford Coppola and Harvey Weinstein.  

Black began her career in magazine advertising sales and became president of USA Today in 1983, later advancing to the role of publisher.  She is widely credited for the success of USA Today.  She has also served as executive vice president of marketing at Gannett, the newspaper’s parent company.  As president of Hearst magazines, she has overseen the launches of such successful magazines as O, The Oprah Magazine. 

This year, for the eighth consecutive year, Black was listed among Fortune magazine’s “50 Most Powerful Women.”  She has also appeared on Forbes’ annual list of “100 Most Powerful Women.”