Ex-NBC head talks of career

Neil Braun doesn't have time for television. This wouldn't be very remarkable, unless you consider exactly who the 1974 College alumnus was up until July -- the president of the NBC television network. Braun -- who said he rarely has time for television since he's always busy with his two kids -- spoke to a group of 18 people Tuesday as part of an informal discussion sponsored by the College. The group, mostly seniors and Communications majors, listened to him give advice on love, family and, of course, work in the entertainment industry. "I didn't feel like I was doing what I was capable of doing," said Braun, 46, describing his reasons for leaving NBC in July after over four years there. And although he is currently unemployed, Braun -- the former chairperson of the Viacom Entertainment Group and president of Ron Howard's production company Imagine Films Entertainment, Inc. -- does not regret his decision to leave NBC. His decision to leave NBC and seek employment elsewhere is completely in line with his personal philosophy on jobs: "Change is good." "I don't believe long-term jobs are in anyone's best interest," he remarked. "For four or five years, you should be doing something new, instead of the same thing every day." Braun's ambitions have taken him from a high-powered law firm in New York City to executive positions in HBO and Viacom, before becoming president of NBC in 1994. "I got where I am by selling myself," Braun said. "Resumes are not going to differentiate you [from anyone else.] A resume says 'I belong in the pool of what you're considering'." But Braun says his academic career was hardly spectacular. "I was lazy academically," Braun admitted about his Penn years. "I was more concerned emotionally and socially. But [I thought] 'Now I can really begin to discover who I am.'" Braun frequently reiterated that one of the most important things that could be taken from Penn is a sense of identity. "There's something liberating about knowing who [I am] and being comfortable with that," Braun noted. "A lot of successful people are miserably unhappy," he continued. "You'll never be happy unless you can realize what makes you happy." Braun's family is an important part of his happiness. To make sure he can teach his children all the lessons he has learned, he is keeping a journal of experiences and thoughts. He has two children, Samantha, 8, and Spencer, 6. Braun also commented that he would like to sample a new industry with lots of changes in store, such as the Internet. "It's the media of the next decade," Braun said. "But it's in a development [phase]? it's going to get reinvented at least two more times." Students at the lecture praised Braun for his candor. College sophomore Jamison Stricker noted, "He was one of the most inspiring speakers? he was so open, in terms of getting in touch with himself. He let himself be vulnerable."