Uncommon Ground: Men and Women Get Candid About How They Experience Working in the Same Industry

I spoke to two producers: Jason Schneider, who’s worked for Fox Sports, Fox News, AOL and NPR, and Vicky Kuperman, who’s worked for AOL, Ogilvy, the History Channel, and Hearst. We discussed how the job description of a producer varies from show to show, therefore you must be adept at many things; how different and interesting the paths to production can be; and gender in the workplace and other areas of life.

Since anyone can record a podcast, you’d think it would be a democratized medium where people left out of traditional broadcasting could find a voice. So why is it still male-dominated? More women are starting to get behind the mic, but the change is slow, and along with the championing of women in this newer media space also comes the criticism. I talk to two podcasters, Geno Bisconte (host of “In Hot Water”) and Stacey Prussman (host of “The Stacey Prussman Hour”), also both former regulars on the Artie Lange podcast, on what it takes to make it in the world of podcasting.

How much can a viral video change your life? And once you find viral success, how do you capitalize off of it? Today I talked to two comedians who’ve had videos go viral: Lauren O’Brien ("Celebrities sitting in traffic”), and Vic Dibitetto ("Bread and Milk"), about their different experiences in this area. How fast and extreme were the effects? Did it change how they moved forward with their career? We take a look at the aftermath of the viral phenomenon and how it’s different for men and women.

Throughout history female authors have used male pseudonyms to increase their chances of being published. Is this still something that helps to be taken more seriously? Are books written by women being considered and reviewed as equally as books written by men? Today I chatted with Victoria Skurnick, a literary agent from Levine/Greenberg/Rostan Literary Agency, and Jimmy Failla, who recently got his book, “Follow That Car!,” published, about their experience in the industry, and what it takes to go from idea to print.

When you think of past game show hosts, not a lot of women come to mind. In a business where looks, personality and wit are required, it seems women should have just as many opportunities as men. But is that the case? Today I chatted with two talented hosts, Joanne Nosuchinsky and Andy Peeke, about their experience in the industry, how they got to where they are, and where they think things are headed.

Women are inherently bad at math, right? Why does that stereotype persist when it is clearly incorrect? Women currently account for over 50 percent of  CPA’s, though it is true that only about 20 percent become partners. Since it’s clearly not an issue of ability, what accounts for this disparity, and how can it change? I chatted with two partners from national accounting and advisory services firm Marcum LLP, Carolyn Mazzenga and Jim Ashe about their climb to leadership in a major firm, how the profession has evolved, and what’s to come.

Women may have the reputation for doing most of the talking in real life, but how does it play out in TV and film? Not great, it turns out. Women write and direct less behind the camera, as well as talking less in front of it. They also earn far less than their male counterparts. Why is this, and is it getting better…or worse? I chatted with two friends of mine in the business, Emily Tarver from "Orange is the New Black” and Dan Soder from “Billions” about the role of gender in acting.

In a business where trust and strong relationships are imperative, you’d expect to see more women in financial planning. Women make up half the U.S. population, nearly two-thirds of the American workforce, and still remain underrepresented as advisors in the financial industry. With women owning more than half of all US private wealth, and coming into even more inheritance, why are we not seeing more women on the advisor and client side of finance? We talk to two financial advisors, one from each gender, and see how their experiences in the industry have played out.

There are many formats, devices and technologies people can acquire news from these days, and radio broadcasting continues to be a main one. Therefore, what is the responsibility to have an equal number of men and women broadcasters? Are our ideas, viewpoints and experiences being shaped differently because of a gender imbalance in in broadcasting? Listen in as I talk to two Sirius XM broadcasters about this issue.

Women aren’t funny, right? It’s been said time and time again. I talk to two NY comedy bookers, John Trueson and Amy Hawthorne, about men and women in comedy. Are they equally funny? Does one gender draw more than the other? Are their approaches to getting booked the same? We had an interesting and enthusiastic debate.

How do women stack up against men in the world of entrepreneurship? What drives both sexes to stop working for someone else and start working for themselves? I spoke to two incredibly entrepreneurial New York writers, Mandy Stadtmiller, “Unwifeable” columnist for New York Magazine, and Ryan Reiss, contributing writer to Late Night with Seth Meyers and Fox News, about what it takes make a mark in your industry, and to become your own boss.

You'd think the one profession where you'd find complete equality would be the Legal profession, right? I mean, by definition it is supposed to protect and promote just that. The law school/associate positions do, in fact, start out with an equal gender balance ratio, but by the time we get to the partnership level, the results are very different. What happens from associate to partner? I talked to Karen Bergreen and Barry J. Mandel, two New York lawyers, about their experiences in Law, and what they thought about gender differences in the workplace.