Events

The Gracies Interview Series provides access to winners who speak on their experience and the impact that winning a Gracie has had on their career. The next session will feature multi-Gracie Award winner Nik Robinson, Founder & Executive Producer, Written by Ink in conversation with Gracie Award winner Alex Duda, Co-Founder and Executive Producer/Showrunner, Story Monster Entertainment. The video will be available here as well as the AWM YouTube Channel starting October 28th through November 30th. AWM Members can access past episodes through the Knowledge Center. Please email info@allwomeninmedia.org with questions.

Nik Robinson is a five-time Daytime Emmy Award-winning writer and producer and a three-time Gracie Award honoree, with more than two decades spent shaping some of television’s most recognizable talk and documentary programming.

Most recently, she served as Co-Head Writer and Senior Supervising Producer of The Kelly Clarkson Show for all seven seasons. Before that, she served as Senior Script Producer for Steve Harvey, earning the 2015 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Informative Talk Show. Her credits also include Pickler & Ben and The Tyra Banks Show.

Nik began as a print reporter in Florida before moving into broadcast news and documentary. Her work on A&E’s Intervention earned a Prism Award for its accurate portrayal of addiction. Whether writing for an iconic host or shaping someone’s hardest moment, her throughline has stayed the same: helping people feel seen.

Now she’s turning that instinct toward audio. Nik is the creator and executive producer of 3 Percent Excited, a limited series documentary podcast from her production company Written by Ink. The series chronicles her own career reinvention after the show’s final season. A proud University of Florida journalism graduate, Nik lives in Los Angeles.

Alex Duda is an Emmy Award-winning television producer, showrunner and creator who has developed and produced successful primetime and daytime programming across multiple genres, including talk, docusoap, game shows and live specials. Most recently, Duda served as executive producer and showrunner of the critically acclaimed, award-winning syndicated talk series, The Kelly Clarkson Show, which completed its seven-season run in 2026.

Duda’s philosophy, whether developing new programming or fostering new talent, is rooted in curiosity and a genuine belief in the power of great storytelling to inspire and entertain, with a commitment to finding the unexpected.

Duda championed the unique formula of The Kelly Clarkson Show, combining music, celebrity conversations, compelling stories and everyday people making a positive difference in their communities. The show’s signature “Kellyoke” performances became a defining element of the series and a cultural phenomenon in their own right.

Duda’s leadership earned The Kelly Clarkson Show 24 Daytime Emmy Awards over its seven-season run, three Gracie Awards and two People’s Choice Awards, along with multiple nominations for Best Talk Show, including Critics Choice, an honor historically associated with late-night talk shows. In its final season, the show received an additional 11 Daytime Emmy nominations. Duda herself was honored with a 2020 Gracie Award for Showrunner, Talk Show, for the series.

Among her additional talk series credits, Duda was executive producer of two other Emmy-winning talk shows, Steve Harvey, which ranked consistently among the top four syndicated talk shows during its five years on air, and The Tyra Banks Show.

Duda has worked with Endemol USA (now Banijay), where she created and served as executive producer of the Style Network’s megahit Jerseylicious, as well as Chicagolicious, The Glam Fairy, Built and the Oxygen series Find Me My Man. Prior to Endemol, Duda worked with Telepictures Productions, where she created and served as executive producer of the long-running late-night dating strip show Elimidate.

Duda is also an experienced producer of primetime specials. She served as executive producer and showrunner of NBC’s four-episode primetime series Songs & Stories with Kelly Clarkson, which brought the signature music-and-conversation format of The Kelly Clarkson Show to primetime, featuring intimate conversations and performances with the Jonas Brothers, Gloria Estefan, Teddy Swims and Lizzo. Duda also served as executive producer and showrunner for the Kelly Clarkson NBC holiday special, Kelly Clarkson Presents: When Christmas Comes Around, a festive, celebrity-filled holiday spectacular, which first aired in 2021. Other specials credits include the Chef’s Table Honors for You Tube in 2026, as well as specials for the TV Guide Channel, including Joan Rivers Red Carpet Coverage and Fashion Wrap, and specials for ABC, E! and Style.

Duda began her career at E! Entertainment Television and was part of the development team that created the comedic strip show Talk Soup, where she won her first Emmy as executive producer. Duda also served as the Director of Programming and Development at E!, where she created and produced the makeover series Fashion Emergency and Model, both of which helped launch the Style Network.

Duda is from Cleveland, Ohio. She calls both New York City and Los Angeles home.

If you have a suggested topic of speaker for a future interview, please email info@allwomeninmedia.org.

Gracies Interview Series Archive

About The Gracies Interview Series

While loved by millions, few knew the real Gracie Allen as she was always in character when in public. The Gracies Interview Series, presented by NCTA – The Internet and Television Association, serves to strip away the persona and share the grit and wisdom of today’s media professionals. The Alliance for Women in Media has interviewed women and men in media across every industry and job function who have blazed trails for those to come. 

If you have someone to suggest for a future Gracies Interview Series, we would love to hear from you. Please send ideas to info@allwomeninmedia.org.

Past Gracies Interview Series Guests:

  • Jennifer Whalen and Meredith MacNeill, the co-creators, writers, executive producers, co-showrunners, and stars of Small Achievable Goals
  • Pamela Brown, CNN Anchor and Chief Investigative Correspondent
  • Suzanne Rico, Award-Winning Journalist, Writer, and Podcaster
  • Katie Couric, Award-Winning Journalist and Founder of Katie Couric Media
  • Colleen Wheelahan, Morning Host on SiriusXM Symphony Hall and Host of Evening Classics on WUOL-FM, and Laura Atkinson, Host at Louisville Public Media
  • Julia Whelan, Author, Screenwriter, Actor, and Acclaimed Audiobook Narrator
  • Claudia Uceda, Congressional Correspondent with Univision Network News
  • Katrina B, Producer for Nessa On Air on HOT97
  • Emily Turner, Anchor & reporter with Action News Jax
  • Melissa Gibbs, Director of Journalism News Lab, Brigham Young University School of Communications and BYU graduates and Gracie Award winners Aubree B. Jennings, Alexa Elliott Johnson, and Anna LaTour Youngs
  • Jessica Cordova Kramer and Stephanie Wittels Wachs, Co-Founders of Lemonada Media
  • Deborah Parenti, President & Publisher, Radio Ink, RBR, and TVBR
  • Jess Morales Rocketto and Stephanie Valencia, Founders of the Latino Media Network
  • Beverly Chase, VP, Current Programming & Development and EP & Showrunner, VICE on Showtime
  • Chesley Maddox-Dorsey, CEO of A Wonder Media Group, LLC (AURN – American Urban Radio and SupeRadio)
  • Paula A. Kerger, President & CEO, PBS
  • Cathy Hughes, Founder and Chairwoman of URBAN ONE, Inc.
  • Julie Talbott, President, Premiere Networks
  • Jessica Cordova Kramer, CEO, Lemonada Media
  • Marcia Cruz, VP Content Acquisition Latam, Vrio Corp.
  • Susan Larkin, Chief Operating Officer, Entercom
  • Jill Frederickson, Senior Vice President, Production & Content Strategy, ESPN
  • Dr. Susan R. Bailey, M.D., President of the American Medical Association (AMA)
  • Julie Moos, Executive Director, National Press Club Journalism Institute
  • Jason Bailey, President, Sun Broadcast Group and AWM Honorary Trustee
  • Vicki Lins, President & CEO, CTAM
  • Elaina Smith (Nights with Elaina Host)
  • Nicole Schuman & Seth Arenstein, PR News Editors
  • Annie Howell, Founder & Managing Partner, The Punch Point Group
  • Michelle Rice, General Manager, TV One
  • Mike McVay, President, McVay Media
  • Elizabeth Smart, Author, Founder of the “Elizabeth Smart Foundation” and Children’s Advocate
  • Libby Geist, Vice President & Executive Vice President, EPSN Films and Original Content
  • Shayna Sharpe, CEO of Regional REps Corp.
  • Karen Brodkin, President of Business Affairs and IMG Worldwide
  • Lauren McHale, Vice President and Director of Sales, Katz Sports Marketing
  • Hannah Storm, Award-Winner Journalist, Producer & Director
  • Suzyn Waldman, First Full-Time Female Color Commentator in the Major Leagues
  • Mickey Wilson, Chief Marketing Officer at WideOrbit

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