Barbara Williams, VP/GM, TORONTO 1, Toronto
Barbara Williams is very comfortable with new beginnings. While her current position is VP/GM of Toronto 1, Calgary-based Craig Broadcasting Systems’ soon-to-launch Toronto channel, she’s in fact the name behind numerous television launch initiatives and has held posts all over the Toronto television scene.
She’s worked as senior producer of The Dini Petty Show, a project she helped start; she’s also created, developed and produced three series for Life Network; she’s been VP programming for Toronto-based Alliance Atlantis’s Life and HGTV Canada, where she was responsible for the programming launch for HGTV, and later, Discovery Health Channel, which bowed in September 2001.
While she’s in a mad scramble towards the Sept. 19 debut of Toronto 1, Williams recently found 10 minutes to chat with Strategy.
How are your nerves holding up?
There’s a lot of pressure to this and I’m not going to deny that. We’re on a path to Sept. 19 and every single day counts. The list of things to do is very long and every single one of those things on that list is critical. But we’ve also built an incredible team here and that’s why I sleep at night.
What’s the hardest thing about launching?
Being sure you get it all right. One of my jobs is pushing, pushing, pushing so that we never settle for anything. So someone brings up a good idea…but how can we make it a great idea? Or this person is a good candidate for the job, but are we sure there’s not someone else who’d be even better? So it’s pushing all the time, but balancing that with not pushing so hard that you shove them over the edge.
Are you comfortable in launch mode?
I like the energy of it, the creativity and I like living on the edge. You get a real rush out of building something new and the more you do it, the more it becomes a part of how you live. Now I’m also appropriately scared, but at least comfortable with the process.
What shows do you watch at home?
I’m a news junkie and consequently, I’m a flipper. I watch a lot of CBC news – it ranks up there for me in my must-watch television. But I’ve also become a real avid fan of reality television. I’ve watched a ton in the past year and it’s very fun and entertaining.
Your favourite reality series?
That’s hard! I’m a fan of Survivor because it got it so right so early on. But hey, I love The Bachelor too.
How do you spend your Saturday mornings?
The first thing I do is pull the TV magazines out and look at what’s on the covers and read through them to see what the press is about. Then my real life takes over and I have grocery shopping to do and laundry to pick up.
