Member Name:

CWatson

Member Since:

September 23, 2009

Last Logged in:

September 24, 2009

A few words about me...

Carlos Watson is an MSNBC anchor and successful entrepreneur.  

He recently hosted "MSNBC Live with Carlos Watson," a fast-paced news, politics and pop culture program.  Prior to joining MSNBC, Carlos co-anchored CNN’s 2004 Presidential campaign coverage alongside Wolf Blitzer, Jeff Greenfield and Larry King.   He has also hosted interview programs for CNN, CNBC and BET.   Carlos’ television guests have included an unusually wide range of leaders and icons including President Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Jack Welch, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Mark Cuban, Eva Longoria, Heidi Klum and many others.  In 2007, Carlos won an Emmy Award for his interview specials.  

Carlos’s success in media is built upon a broad background in business and politics.  After graduating from Stanford Law School in 1995 where he was an editor of the Stanford Law Review, Carlos joined McKinsey & Company as a management consultant, advising a variety of domestic and international corporations on key strategic and operational issues.  For example, while at McKinsey, he helped to plan and execute a $5B merger between two major computer companies; restructure the operations of a $500M video game corporation; and successfully revitalize a $1B product line of a leading pharmaceutical company.  

In 1997, Carlos left McKinsey to co-found Achieva College Prep Services, a venture-backed education company.  As CEO, Carlos built Achieva into a multi-million dollar provider of college prep software, books and workshops to large school districts across the country.   Carlos oversaw all aspects of the business including product development, marketing, sales and finance.  From NY to San Francisco, Carlos’ team built five major product lines, acquired one company, and sold Achieva products into 75 major school districts across 22 states.  Carlos raised four rounds of capital totaling $40M from leading venture capitalists and angel investors.  The New York Times, Time Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and other leading publications lauded Achieva for helping tens of thousands of high school students across the country prepare for and apply to college.  Forbes dubbed Achieva “Kaplan on steroids.”  In 2002, Carlos sold Achieva to the Washington Post Company.  The company continues to thrive today as a key part of the Washington Post’s education unit.

In addition to his work in business and media, Carlos has worked in politics.  After graduating with honors from Harvard, Carlos served as Chief of Staff and Campaign Manager for Florida Democratic Representative Daryl Jones.  He also managed President Clinton’s 1992 Election Day effort in pivotal Miami-Dade County which led to the first Democratic victory in the region in 16 years.  While at Harvard, Carlos also worked for U.S. Democratic Senator Bob Graham, Miami Republican Mayor Xavier Suarez and Former DNC Chair Ron Brown.  

Raised in Miami, Carlos lived in Silicon Valley for a decade and now lives in New York City.  He is a former member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) and is an adviser and investor in several start-ups.  He is also the co-founder of an innovative educational non-profit, College Track, and a frequent speaker at universities and conferences across the globe.