LinkedIn has tapped an Emmy winner to guide its original programming strategy

While other platforms scale back their original programming divisions, LinkedIn is preparing to bring a slew of new audio and video shows to its shores. The professionally-oriented social media hub has hired CNN alum Courtney Coupe as its first-ever Head of Original Programming.

Coupe will report to LinkedIn editor-in-chief Dan Roth. She will work alongside the company’s editorial team, which includes more than 180 people across 16 countries. Coupe’s priorities will be the development and execution of original content, which will build on the programming LinkedIn already offers. The platform recently launched a podcast network, where listeners can find shows from LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman (The Startup of You) and author Morra Aarons-Mele (The Anxious Achiever).

Before joining LinkedIn, Coupe spent two years as the SVP of Content Strategy and Operations at CNN, where she worked closely with the network’s audio and streaming businesses. Before that, she played an instrumental role in the launch and growth of Great Big Story, a digital documentary hub funded by CNN. Coupe’s work on that venture earned her an Emmy Award.

Coupe announced her new gig in the only way that made sense: She posted about it on LinkedIn. The digital media vet praised her new employer for providing a sense of community when the pandemic prevented her from going into her office. “LinkedIn has helped fill that void. This is a place that I come to for advice and insight and to find shared experiences,” Coupe wrote

. “I am excited to build and work with the team to turn these stories and insights into meaningful (and hopefully entertaining) videos and podcasts.”

LinkedIn’s push into original programming is an ambitious play for a company that only began offering in-house video sharing five years ago. Back then, the LinkedIn creative community described the platform as having a “Wild West” atmosphere that mirrored the early days of YouTube. Now, LinkedIn’s video capabilities are about as old as YouTube was when it got serious about investing in original content. Since then, the Google-owned platform has experienced ups and downs in its Originals division.

To succeed at her new job, Coupe will have to find a way to develop compelling premium programming on a platform that offers much of its entertainment for free. To do that, she will need to harness the numerous creator-facing tools her team has rolled out. LinkedIn enhanced its Creator Mode to facilitate both video and audio production, and it committed $25 million to influencers last year. It has also helped big-name creators like MrBeast set up their own profiles

These tools have helped LinkedIn creators reimagine what content can look like on a professional platform. Now, with Coupe at the helm, LinkedIn will look to bring some of that imagination in-house.