Like most people in modern America, Steve Youngwood grew up watching Sesame Street, which debuted in 1969, the same year he was born. Fifty-one years later, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Youngwood became CEO of Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit that produces the show, along with tons of other content that helps kids be the best they can be. “I feel that balance of great opportunity and great responsibility,” says Youngwood, who spent 17 years at Viacom before joining the Workshop, originally as president, in 2015. “It’s a 50-plus-year-old institution, and my goal is to deliver on the work today while making sure it continues to grow and remain relevant for the next 50 years.”
That means not being afraid to make changes, such as rethinking distribution models, growing the brand’s global operations (Sesame Street content now airs in 150 countries), and partnering with like-minded companies. This month, United debuts a collaboration with Sesame Workshop—and specifically Oscar the Grouch—on a campaign to promote its investment in sustainable aviation fuel, which is made from many different kinds of waste, such as used cooking oil, and in the future could be made from Oscar’s favorite thing: trash. Youngwood knows how much power the Muppets wield, whether they’re teaching kids about vaccines, racism, or climate change. What’s the best lesson he’s learned from his fuzzy friends? “If you treat people with respect, they will treat you with respect,” he says. “Everyone deserves respect, everyone deserves opportunity, and if you wrap it up with a little fun and joy, then there’s not much more you need to do.”
On being nimble:
“I always say necessity is the mother of invention. COVID was a moment that transformed how we think of ourselves, but also how we act. March 13 was the Friday that many offices began to shut down. We had one more week of shooting Season 52, but we shut that down, and everyone went home. I remember watching Jimmy Fallon filming his show from a bathtub, and a light bulb went off. I called a couple of people and said, ‘Get the Muppets home, and let’s send some cameras.’ We did a couple of clips on YouTube with the idea that kids are isolated, and we’re their friends, and we want to make sure they know they’re not alone. You could film it and then within a day it would be up live for the whole world—and normally we take a year-plus to do an episode. We went into that with an ethos of: We’ve been doing these 50-plus years; we know enough of what’s going on with families to get it 80 or 90 percent right in the moment, [rather] than 110 percent when the moment has passed. That became a bit of a mantra.”
On being prepared for the future:
“When disruption starts to happen, the clearest thing to do is think about what the world will be like in five or 10 years. When you have a business model that is wedded to one way of delivering content, and the way consumers are consuming it is changing, you need to somehow have the fortitude to take one step backward to go two steps forward. You’re not sure of the timing—if you do it too soon, if you do it too late. It takes what I call a complete rewiring, and that is very difficult to do.”
On collaborations:
“We always say, ‘If you can’t reach, you can’t teach.’ I still call Sesame Workshop a smallish non-profit with enormous ambition, given the educational needs of children and families around the world. We can’t do it alone. Partnership is core to how we deliver on our mission, but we’re careful about it. We say ‘no’ more than we say ‘yes.’ When United came along, this opportunity is completely in line with our values—and with Oscar. Climate change is clearly a very important issue to the future of kids. We know that shaping the mindset of kids today will help in the future, and we also know that if you influence a kid, they will also influence a family to change their behavior.”
On advice for young leaders:
“Earlier in your career, prioritize studying what a good manager is and what your management style is. One of my most impactful classes at business school was interpersonal dynamics, where it was just about being able to get to know your own emotions. If you don’t know your own emotions, it’s hard to connect with your peers or the people that you manage in the workplace.”
