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🌍 how I got my start at CNN: Samson Desta

If you took a tour of the CNN Center in Atlanta in the late 1990s, there’s a chance that current CNN Vice President Samson Desta showed you around. Desta began at CNN as a tour guide before rising through the ranks to his role overseeing International Newsource. His teams manage the partnerships between CNN and its international affiliates -- TV networks that have access to CNN’s vast array of video reports, interviews and live events.  If there is breaking news in a region of the world where CNN does not have a reporter, these affiliates provide CNN with editorial information, content and sometimes even a live reporter.  

As part of an occasional series, we asked Desta to share his fascinating tale of success, the most memorable news stories he’s covered and his advice for aspiring journalists:

Tell us when and how you started at CNN 

When I was a senior at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, my business administration professor divided the class into groups and asked us to meet a representative from an Atlanta-based company to discuss quality control within its organization. I have always been a news junkie, so I convinced my group to select CNN. 

After we met with a CNN human resources representative, they asked each of us what we wanted to do after graduation. I told them that I had spent my earlier years living across different continents:  I grew up in Ethiopia and speak Amharic, moved to Sweden when I was 8, so I speak Swedish, as well, and then I went to high school in Swaziland. I wanted to be part of and contribute to an international news organization that had real impact.  

The HR rep called me the next day and asked if I would be interested in an opening with CNN’s Turner Temp program. (These were freelance positions across the organization). I was about to graduate, so I accepted the job and started two weeks later. It was one of the best jobs I’ve ever had, because it allowed me to work across different departments and quickly learn the functions of each of them. It also allowed me to meet a lot of people within the organization. After my Turner Temp job ended in 1994, I needed a full-time job so I applied as a CNN tour guide.  I did that gig for another year or so, until I was able to get a position in CNN’s international news division.

Desta, right, and former CNN news executive Terence Burke in Haiti in 2010.

What's your most memorable breaking news moment, and why? 

There are so many.  Perhaps the most impactful story was the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti. I was visiting family in Atlanta when the news broke, and I received a call from Roger Clark, director of coverage on the International Desk. He told me that CNN would be sending in a lot of journalists and asked if I could go to oversee the operations. I was hesitant at first, as I had just finished a six-week stint in Pakistan and Afghanistan, but Roger explained that this was a massive earthquake and set to be one of the biggest news events in history. So I went home, packed what I could and got on a flight to Miami that night.

At the airport in Miami, we had two chartered planes -- one to carry personnel and one to carry broadcast equipment, food and water. As we prepared to touch down, we saw the vast destruction across the capital city, Port-au-Prince. On the way to the hotel to set up our operations, we drove past many residences that had been flattened. One scene that I will never forget was the arm of a victim underneath the debris of their house. It was as if they were reaching out for help but couldn’t make it all the way out to get assistance in time.

Another memorable news event was the 2008 suicide bombing of the Marriott hotel in Islamabad, Pakistan. That year, I had moved to the Middle East to work as bureau chief in the United Arab Emirates, and shortly afterward I was on assignment in Pakistan. Three days after I checked out of the Islamabad Marriott, a truck filled with explosives detonated at the gates of the hotel, killing over 50 people. On a personal level, that hit a little bit close to home.

Desta, center, on a reporting trip in Pakistan in 2010.

How has starting as an entry-level employee shaped your perspective today?

I was fortunate enough to start my career at the entry level. As a Turner Temp and as a tour guide, I learned about the fundamentals of values -- mine and the company’s -- culture, results, human resources, team mentoring and the various components that make up the need for growth, change and development.

It’s as simple as the need to do and understand algebra if you want to be good at trigonometry or calculus.  If you understand the fundamentals of bricklaying, you can build a stronger house. A leader’s role is to influence his or her team to do what they would like for them to do.  

What advice do you have for the upcoming generation of journalists?

Patience, patience, patience. We grew up in a different generation, when, by nature, it took time to do things and to get things done. Nowadays, there is so much focus on instant gratification and results. We want things now. Secondly, continuously be curious. If you’re not curious for information and knowledge, your search for the next thing in life diminishes. Lastly, embrace change — change in your environment and change in your own circumstances. Without change, there is no growth, progress and innovation.

📸 NFTs to benefit humanitarian aid in Ukraine

Brought to you by Vault by CNN

Last week, at a gallery event in New York City, Vault by CNN debuted its latest NFT collection chronicling powerful stories from 51 Ukrainian citizens during wartime. It's the culmination of work by Pulitzer Prize finalist Cheney Orr, who travelled Ukraine for 6 weeks with a Polaroid camera and a small scrapbook to document the perspectives of people on the ground.

Vault presents this gripping work along with NFT art gallery Superchief, who is donating 100% of the profits to humanitarian efforts in Ukraine. Browse the full collection on our website and bid on the items to aid people affected by the war.

🏖️  a farewell from our editor

Adcock at a photo shoot for a fall edition of Inside CNN.

It's a bittersweet week for the Inside CNN team. Our dear friend and fearless editor, Beryl Adcock, is retiring from CNN this Friday. We're thrilled for her and her next adventure, but we will also miss her sorely. Below, she shares a few thoughts with you, our readers, before signing off: 

As I worked this month on the last few editions of Inside CNN that will include my name at the bottom, I’ve reflected on how much fun it has been bringing you behind-the-scenes stories of CNN’s talented, hardworking – and, to a person, incredibly nice – workers of all stripes.

When we sent out the first edition of this newsletter 10 months ago, featuring anchor and chief political correspondent Dana Bash dishing on her earliest days at CNN, we held our breath to see what sort of reception you would give it. And we were delighted to learn that you enjoy reading about our people, shows and stories as much as we love telling you about them.

Further, our features about CNN’s unsung heroes behind the scenes – camera operators, producers, IT experts, photo editors and the like – get just as warm a reception as those on our better-known folks in front of the cameras. And you are brimming with ideas for who and what we should tell you about next. Thank you for sending them – and please keep it up!

So as I retire Friday from a four-decade journalism career, it’s this weekly adventure with the Inside CNN team unveiling CNN’s inner workings for our most loyal audience that I’ll miss the most from my nearly five years with the company.

That dedicated newsletter team will keep bringing you insider stories and pictures about CNN, and I’ll be enjoying them right along with you. Thank you for making our first year – and my last year -- so spectacular! 

📢  before you go

🎧  Listen: Are we headed toward a recession? Are we already in one? These are scary questions, but recessions are an unavoidable part of the economy. And they don’t have to be the end of the world – especially if you’re prepared. This week on CNN's "Diversifying" podcast, host Dellyanne Barros helps you recession-proof your life now.

🎆  Watch: CNN is celebrating this Independence Day with "The Fourth in America" special, hosted by Dana Bash, Ana Cabrera, Don Lemon and Sara Sidner. Catch musical performances and fireworks shows across the country starting at 7 p.m. ET on July Fourth. 

📖  Read: It's a nightmare scenario, but unfortunately not unheard-of: The pilot of your flight is incapacitated and someone has to get in their seat and land the plane. Could you do it?

👋 Farewell, Christi Paul: After almost 20 years with CNN and HLN, "New Day Weekend" anchor Christi Paul signs off for the last time. Watch highlights of her career and listen to her final goodbye.

✉️  talk to us

Who or what would you like to see spotlighted next? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you.

- Written and edited by Beryl Adcock, Tricia Escobedo and Jessica Sooknanan