At "I Want Her Job," we love when women find their dream jobs — even more so, when a woman has the courage to go out there and actually create her dream gig. Shira Lazar is the host and executive producer of the weekly live interactive show and 24/7 news hub, "What's Trending." She's also the host and creator of the YouTube talk show, "Partners Project," where she interviews the biggest stars to go viral on YouTube.
But it doesn't stop there.
This year Fast Company named Shira one of the Most Influential Women in Technology and The Huffington Post named her as one of the "Women in Tech to Follow on Twitter." This social media maven also appears regularly on Bloomberg TV, CNN and Fox News Channel discussing what's new and emerging in all things digital. She also contributes weekly to her blog on entrepreneur.com.
But even before she was the go-to girl for all things influencer-based, Shira was a broadcast journalist who knew how to turn a setback into an opportunity. After losing her Nokia n95 camera, a broke Shira decided would call up Nokia and pitch them on the fact that more journalists should be shooting video on the go. And Shira? Well, she wanted to help out with the outreach. Nokia asked her to become the first official vlogger for the Webby Awards summit, and her professional career as a vlogger, brand ambassador and influencer was born.
"We need to know not only how to tell stories, but how to listen, share and respond. Traffic, comments and social media conversation around a story are the new Nielsen ratings," Shira told Fast Company earlier this year. "That's something that some traditional folk might fear, the loss of that control over its audience. For me that's empowering and is why I do what I do."
When Shira is off camera she enjoys eating out with friends, working out, walking on the beach and celebrating any sort of holiday. You can follow her on Twitter here, and don't miss the season finale of "What's Trending," which airs live today at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST. [You'll quickly see why we're so hooked!]