June 18, 2023

Hena Doba on Making Bold Career Moves, the Reason You Only Need One Person to Believe in You, and Why Great Storytellers Never Make the Story about Themselves

32 minutes

On September 11, 2001, Hena Doba grabbed her camcorder in Queens and started interviewing neighbors on the street. As a small-town producer rather than an on-air journalist, Hena let her journalistic instincts lead her. When she returned to Watertown, NY, her news director kept her on air.

Hena was the first Pakistani anchor in the U.S., but in the post 9/11 fear-based America, her news director was getting a lot of emails demanding the answer to, "Why are you putting a terrorist on air?" As Hena says, it only takes one person to believe in you, and the rest is history.

Not many journalists have the unique experience of reporting/anchoring in major news markets, being a National Correspondent for a legacy network, and seamlessly being able to go into the world of digital and streaming networks, but Hena Doba has done just that. She has covered many major stories in her career, including the 9/11 Terrorist Attack, Sandyhook & Parkland massacre, and The Iran Nuclear Deal at the White House, along with interviewing entertainers and CEO's from around the world.

Currently, she is a host for Cheddar News & anchors "Wake up" & "ChedHer," highlighting the stories of female trailblazers in tech, finance, and entertainment. She joined Cheddar in January 2019 after working as a National Correspondent for CBS News in New York.

During her television career, Hena has simultaneously taught journalism as an Adjunct Professor at Capital Community College and the Connecticut School of Broadcasting. Hena won several awards, including an Associated Press award for Best Spot News, Best Breaking News, and Best Sports Feature.

In this episode, we talk about her decision to jump from traditional TV news to streaming and how to identify what's next. Note: Her agent told her she was making the biggest mistake of her career. Hena shares that a great news storyteller never makes the story about themselves, the importance of building trust with your subjects, staying connected through the years, and her wild work schedule.

...more