Parisa Khosravi
Parisa Khosravi
Khosravi, Parisa is an Ex-Senior Vice President for CNN Worldwide, founder, and president of Payam Global Strategies. [1] She was born and raised in Tehran, Iran. [undefined]
Early Life and Education
Parisa came to the United States of America just before the Revolution in '79. [undefined] She grew up in Chicago and earned her Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism from Columbia College of Chicago, Illinois and studied French at Université Paris-Sorbonne in Paris and is fluent in Farsi. [666666]
Career
After completing seven experience-rich internships during her Columbia College education in Chicago, Parisa received immediately secured a job as a CNN Video journalist (VJ). [undefined]
"As an Iranian who left Iran just before the revolution, news was a big part of my life," she says . "I wanted to be right in the thick of breaking news events since high school."
Khosravi recently retired from CNN after nearly three decades with the company. [undefined] Throughout her career as Senior Vice President of International news gathering, domestic news gathering and global relations for CNN Worldwide, Khosravi led CNN's historic coverage of countless award-winning news stories. [undefined] As a CNN executive for over two decades, she led CNN's key international editorial relationships and finally as the first-ever global Ambassador for CNN, Khosravi met and liaised with world leaders and decision-makers. [undefined] She is a recognized authority on safety and security matters for her meticulous and decisive management of CNN's teams as they covered the world’s most dangerous hotspots, conflicts, and natural disasters. [undefined] Khosravi is also an expert on crisis management, multiculturalism, and women-in-the-workforce issues. [undefined] With unrivaled commitment and passion for international news, Khosravi orchestrated CNN's largest investment in international news gathering in its history.
On occasion, Parisa performed field duties.
In 1995, she secured an exclusive interview with Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Two years later, she produced CNN's live coverage of the 1997 Iranian elections from Tehran. [undefined]
"Opportunities can come at you from any level at any time," says Parisa. "You can knock on anybody's door." She believes that expectations are beneficial, but stresses working on the basics. "Pay your dues; you don't realize what you're learning. I can now anticipate what will happen in the newsroom because of what I learned in the beginning. Don't be unrealistic, but you can go to the International Desk and ask to observe. You can be writing your own practice versions of scripts all along and find someone to look at them." [8]
Parisa played a vital role in the network’s award-winning coverage of the most significant stories since joining CNN including Tiananmen Square, the live coverage of both Iraq Wars, the Fall of the East Bloc, the End of Apartheid, the Genocide in Rwanda, 9-11 and Hurricane Katrina. [undefined] She directed CNN's coverage of the 2008 Mumbai Terror Attacks, and the award-winning news coverage of the devastating earthquake in Haiti; the Emmy-nominated coverage of the attempted airline terror attack over Detroit on Christmas Day in 2009; and the DuPont-winning coverage of the tsunami disaster in South Asia. [undefined]
Parisa led the network’s Peabody and Emmy Award-winning coverage of the uprisings and conflicts throughout the Middle East and North Africa, including the revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya. [undefined] In March 2011, she simultaneously led the network’s ongoing coverage of the Arab Spring as well as the powerful earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan. [undefined] The news coverage of these stories was simulcast across CNN's networks and platforms around the clock, including live broadcasts from Egypt under a difficult crackdown by the regime on the media, and in close range of Japan's Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant as its reactors failed. She has been a leading force within the industry for incorporating user-generated content into news gathering to bolster seasoned reporting, particularly from countries with limited or no press freedom. [undefined]
She also believes that creativity makes the difference.
*"Once I had to get our equipment and people from Cyprus to Somalia to Mogadishu, but I couldn't find any flights. I asked an airline if they'd make a stop," she says, grinning. "They laughed, then asked how much! I spent 26 hours straight in my seat making contingency plans in case it all didn't work out. Finally, our people boarded the plane. Ironically, the airline was packed full of journalists from London already on their way to cover the same story,"she says, grinning even wider. [21] * Parisa says pursuing a journalism career in the United States had its difficulties in the beginning. "English was my second language. Some of my journalism teachers told me that journalism was such a tough field. If I had listened, I wouldn't be here now." [11]
Parisa orchestrated CNN's largest investment in international news gathering in its history. [undefined] She strategically increased the number of bureaus around the world, placing new operations in emerging global centers and in the Middle East, including in Kabul, Afghanistan; São Paulo, Brazil; Lagos, Nigeria; Nairobi, Kenya; Mumbai, India; Singapore; and Abu Dhabi, UAE. [undefined] Parisa also increased the number of correspondents throughout the world, including in existing bureaus in Tokyo, Japan; Istanbul, Turkey; Beijing, China; New Delhi, India; Islamabad, Pakistan; Johannesburg, South Africa; Abu Dhabi, UAE; Berlin, Germany; and added a senior Latin American affairs editor in Atlanta. [undefined]
She serves as a board member for the International News Safety Institute, and the International Women's Media Foundation. Parisa’s work has brought her recognition and many prestigious awards for both individual and collaborative efforts. [undefined]
After her work experience in CNN Worldwide, Parisa has founded Payam Global Strategies LLC and became a president of the company . She is willing put her experience and global relationships to use in order to make positive change happen and advance humanitarian causes with her new endeavor. [undefined]
Awards
Throughout Parisa's career, she has collected many distinguished industry awards for her individual work and also her collaborative and philanthropic efforts.
Some of the awards include: [666666] [undefined]
2015 Lifetime Achievement Award from IAWF
2014 Peabody Award for CNN's Coverage of The Kidnapped NigerianSchool Girls
2014 Montecarlo Televisión Awards, Best 24 hour News Program -Ukraine unrest
2014 AIB Awards, The Downing of Flight MH17
2013 Headliner Awards 1st place, CNN Coverage of Egypt Unrest Baghdad
2013 Headliner Awards 2nd place, Return to Benghazi
2013 New York Festivals, Silver Medal Best Interview, Amanpour -President Rouhani of Iran
2013 Royal Television Society Award, News Channel of the Year, CNN International
2012 Peabody Award for CNN's Homs of the Syrians
2012 Emmy Award for Outstanding Live Coverage -Revolution Egypt
2012 IRE Medal of Honor for Investigative Reporting -Benghazi: US Consulate Attack
2012 Edward R. Murrow Award, CNN Reporting from Inside Syria
2012 Royal Television Society Award, News Channel of the Year, CNN International
2011 Peabody Award for CNN's Reporting of The Arab Spring
2011 SPJ- Public Service in Television Journalism, The CNN Freedom Project
2010 Peabody Award for CNN's Coverage of Gulf oil spill
2010 Golden Nymph awarded to CNN for its 24-hour news coverage of the earthquake in Haiti
2008 Ellis Island Medal of Honor recognizing Parisa as a distinguished American
2007 Edward R. Murrow Award for CNN's coverage of the Middle East Conflict
2006 Dupont Award for CNN's Coverage of The Tsunami Disaster in South Asia
2005 Peabody Award for CNN: Hurricane Katrina
2004 Overseas Press Club for CNN's Anatomy of a Raid
2002 Overseas Press Club Award for CNN's post 9-11 coverage
2001 Edward R. Murrow Award for CNN's coverage of Sierra Leone
1995 Dupont Award for CNN's coverage of the Moscow uprising
1995 Overseas Press Club for CNN's coverage of the Moscow uprising
1994 Dupont Award for CNN's coverage of Bosnia
1993 Golden CableACE Award for CNN's coverage of The Gulf War
1993 Emmy Award for CNN's coverage of Somalia
1993 Emmy Award for CNN's coverage of Somalia
1992 Peabody Award for CNN's coverage of attempted coup d'etat in The Soviet Union
1991 Peabody Institutional Award: CNN for its coverage of The Soviet Coup
1990 Peabody Institutional Award: CNN for its Coverage of The Persian Gulf War