Last week, I chatted with Bob Hagerty, who just retired after an amazing 45 years at The Wall Street Journal. This week, I talked to Deniz Çam, a young star who, if she decides to keep working, will undoubtedly leave her own mark on the field.
Deniz is a producer with The Problem with Jon Stewart, an Apple TV+ series featuring the star behind The Daily Show. Deniz started her career at Forbes but knew her goal was to eventually get to late-night television. Good for her for making the leap and working to reshape how we receive video content.
I talked to Deniz about what led to this early career shift, how she uses her journalism background and what’s next:
Dawn: Tell me about your job as a producer.
Deniz: It’s a lot of reading, learning new things, talking to experts, and finding ways to make information digestible for my colleagues and Jon. As a journalist, I got to be more of a lone wolf — especially if I was working on a feature or an investigation. But as a producer, there’s a lot more room for collaboration. In the first two seasons of the show, I got to dabble in so many different aspects of production and that’s been just so much fun.
Dawn: What made you move from a reporter on Forbes’ wealth team into working for Jon Stewart’s team?
Deniz: I studied theater at Brown University, so production has always been a passion of mine. After I went to Columbia Journalism School, news comedy really became apparent to me as a venue where I could combine all my interests. I remember during one of my final career advice sessions at Columbia, our dean asked me where I wanted to be five years from graduating, and my answer was immediate: late night TV. And I was lucky enough that ended up being my trajectory.
I learned a lot at Forbes—from how to interview people to how to build a complex narrative. But by the end of my time there, I was ready to do something new and grow in a different way, especially in the way I’ve always thought my passions lay. When I saw that The Problem was building its research team, I jumped on it.
Dawn: How does your journalism background help you today?
Deniz: Journalism taught me how to listen. A lot of being a journalist and a producer is knowing how to communicate with people — whether they’re your sources or your own colleagues. Those who are the best at their job around me are empathetic and amazing listeners.
Dawn: What got you interested in this field?
Deniz: I grew up in Istanbul, Turkey, so I was introduced to the Daily Show once I got to the U.S. for college. My friends and I were — and still are — politics nerds and we’re always trying to keep up with the news. I think people look for accurate information but also a take on it. I’ve found that intersection to be very important and once the opportunity came about, I just was incredibly blessed.
Dawn: What advice would you give to someone starting out in the field?
Deniz: Be a sponge! Learn from those around you. You can have all the degrees but what you learn at the job is so invaluable. Learn from others’ successes and strengths, as well as their mistakes and weaknesses. I sound like Master Yoda, but truly: Anything can be a learning opportunity, especially earlier on in your career. I also have to add this one bit: Steve Coll, who was the dean of the J-School while I was there, gave all of us one of my favorite pieces of advice — Don’t be an a–hole, because people won’t stand for it. I absolutely agree.
Dawn: What have you learned from mentors so far?
Deniz: I think our society, at times, discourages us from caring. But I was lucky enough to have mentors who always told me that being passionate and caring makes one better at their job and makes them stand out.
Dawn: What do you wish you had known a few years ago?
Deniz: Ah, what a good question. That I should have joined the New York Housing Lottery? (Only half-kidding!) I think overall, I wish I was less hard on myself as I tried to push my career forward. As long as you believe you’re doing your best, there’s nothing more you can do. Some things, such as how your career unfolds, are out of your control and that’s okay.
Dawn: Why did you pursue a master’s degree at Columbia?
Deniz: I wish I had a better answer to this besides “I needed a new visa.” I couldn’t get my longer-term work visa sponsored after I graduated from college and my one-year work visa expired. I’m glad I went to J School and I’m not one of those people who’ll tell you “Don’t do it, it’s a waste of time” because education is good. We all need to learn and grow. That said, I don’t think I’d have considered going back for a master’s degree that early on if I didn’t have the visa issues.
Dawn: How do you see AI impacting your work?
Deniz: AI is not very creative and original, is it?
Dawn: How can PR people best work with you?
Deniz: I will respond to this as a journalist and not as a producer: Please look up someone’s beat before you send them a pitch.
Dawn: What do you do for fun?
Deniz: I read and write romance. I also love seeing movies and rewatching Star Wars movies.
Dawn: Finally, what’s next for you?
Deniz: More writing and more producing. This August, I’ll produce and act in a stage-reading of a pilot I created and wrote called 60 Days. It’s about a young Turkish woman in New York, trying to find love. But unlike a Carrie Bradshaw-like situation, she also has to navigate the U.S. immigration system without getting deported. We already performed the pilot at Caveat NYC on July 18 … and we’ll be at the Off-off Broadway Tank Theatre on August 9, 10, and 17 as part of its LimeFest. We have an amazing cast. I highly recommend you see it.
Dawn Wotapka is a former Wall Street Journal reporter who loves to read and write. She lives in Atlanta with her husband and two children. She is a slow runner and an avid Peloton user. Be sure to connect with Dawn on LinkedIn.
