When Louisiana’s top business and civic leaders finally close their laptops after a long day of high-stakes decision-making, they often turn to the same digital platforms that millions of other Americans use to decompress. However, for these professionals, the choice of what to stream is more than just a search for mindless entertainment—it is a window into their professional mindsets and their unique approaches to leadership.
In a recent survey of industry executives across the state, a clear trend emerged: successful leaders often choose media that challenges them, reflects their professional realities, or helps them envision the future.
Science Fiction as a Tool for Visionary Leadership
For Connie Fabre, president and CEO of the Greater Baton Rouge Industry Alliance, her viewing habits are deeply rooted in her background as a scientist and engineer. Fabre has become an avid fan of the sci-fi series Silo, an Apple TV+ production.
Fabre notes that she has been a lifelong devotee of the Star Trek franchise, a series she credits with helping her think critically about the future. For leaders in industrial and tech-heavy sectors, science fiction serves as a bridge between current capabilities and future possibilities. Just as classic Star Trek episodes once teased the concept of handheld tablets before they became the industry-standard mobile devices we use today, Fabre views these shows as a way to exercise “possibility thinking.” By analyzing the scenarios presented in futuristic dramas, she maintains the mental agility required to anticipate shifts in the industrial landscape.
The Stress of Success: Finding Reality in Drama
While some leaders use screens to escape, others like Gregory Kallenberg, executive director of the Shreveport-based Startup Prize Foundation, prefer content that mirrors the intensity of their daily lives. Kallenberg has been watching the critically acclaimed series The Bear, which depicts the chaotic, high-pressure environment of a professional kitchen.
Kallenberg argues that there is a strange, cathartic relief in watching characters navigate the “crushing realities” of growth and failure. For an entrepreneur, the show offers a reflection of the grit required to build something from the ground up. He suggests that for those tasked with driving innovation, watching the struggle of others is not just entertainment—it is a validation of the persistent “thrum and excitement” that defines the startup world.
Digital Curation and the “Algorithm Age”
The way these leaders consume media also highlights how modern tech platforms have fundamentally changed how we manage information. Whether it is through the recommendation engines of streaming giants or the archival accessibility of modern documentary platforms, executives are increasingly curating their downtime to align with their lifelong learning goals.
Danielle Mack, chief philanthropy officer at the Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, utilizes her streaming time to explore historical narratives through shows like The Gilded Age. She values the medium for its ability to present complex historical topics—such as the African American experience in 19th-century Brooklyn—with a level of nuance that adds value to her own professional work in philanthropy and community engagement.
Similarly, Ruth Lawson, president of the Jefferson Chamber of Commerce, has shifted her focus toward historical documentaries, specifically those chronicling the events of 9/11. By using streaming platforms to dive deep into these archives, Lawson aligns her personal downtime with her professional commitment to civic duty and historical awareness.
Ultimately, these leaders illustrate that in an era of infinite content, our viewing choices are rarely random. Whether it is the data-driven precision of science fiction, the high-stress mirror of corporate drama, or the educational depth of historical documentaries, these executives are using the power of streaming to sharpen the very skills that make them effective leaders in their respective fields.
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