Lisa Caruso, ESIA BA ’88, little suspected that a chance meeting would jump start her career as a film director, producer, publicist, screenwriter, and industry executive.
The serendipitous encounter took place in the mid-1980s when, through a friend, Caruso happened into conversation with an Elliott School junior. “He told me about international affairs, and I heard ‘travel the world.’ I am fascinated by other cultures and by the idea that there are so many people, viewpoints, and stories.”
At GW, nearly every class sparked Caruso’s imagination: geography, history, international diplomacy. “Learning about the world fascinated me,” she says. But she did not yet see how all her interests would eventually converge to form a rewarding career that included her talent for storytelling.
One day in a film course focused on Vietnam, the germ of an idea came to her. “I was riveted by how storytelling illuminates what happens in the world,” she says.
A short time later, GW diploma in hand, Caruso embarked for New York to enter the media space. Since then, she has traveled the world listening to and telling stories through film. Among her credits are documentary specials and reality series for networks including Bravo, E!, HBO, MTV, and the Discovery Channel, where she teamed up to launch Planet Green.
She also founded a film company, Virago Entertainment, to bring “authentic and courageous female-driven content to the forefront.” Her work attracted attention, and in 2018, the Population Media Center (PMC) tapped Caruso for a position as Head of U.S. Content. At PMC, she oversees domestic content development and production for shows focused on women’s empowerment, human rights, and environmental sustainability.
“It feels as if my career has finally come full circle to the dreams I had while a student at GW to make a difference in the world, even if I didn’t know back then what it would lead to or how I would accomplish it,” Caruso says. “The Elliott School is a passport to adventure.”
With success has come a renewed appreciation for the GW community and a desire to share knowledge gained from her professional journey. No matter your career path, Caruso says, success requires one part each of “flexibility, fortitude, and fierceness, mixed well with focus.”
“If you are flexible, this can help you succeed by considering opportunities you otherwise might not. You also need fortitude, because it is never going to be easy. Although focus can be difficult when you have many ambitions, see something you start through to the end.”
And fierceness? “Fierceness means knowing your value and never forgetting it.”
-Amy Aldrich
