NASA Lets A Talented Emmy Winner Leave

NASA Lets A Talented Emmy Winner Leave Keith’s note: ( reposted from LinkedIn ) Message from Sami Aziz, Head of Live at NASA. Sami and his team snagged some Emmy awards and yet NASA can’t figure out how to retain this proven talent - especially as the agency is about to send a human recon mission back to the Moon. Fair winds Sami. This is baffling. ( Full note below. ) Today is my last official day as a civil servant at NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration. After careful consideration, I opted into the Deferred Resignation Program (DRP). Choosing to leave such a high-profile and public role has been the hardest decision of my career. Working at NASA had been a lifelong dream and one of the most rewarding chapters of my professional life. Over almost five years, my mission as Executive Producer and Head of Live Broadcasts was to elevate how NASA tells its story to the world, leading high-stakes, mission-critical broadcasts seen by hundreds of millions, modernizing live and streaming workflows, and helping set a new standard for real-time storytelling. In that time, we broadcast more than 60 launches, sent more than a dozen crewed spacecraft to the International Space Station and brought them safely home, deflected an asteroid, retrieved pristine samples from another world, and journeyed to the Moon with our next-generation human-rated spacecraft. We pioneered live coverage of commercial payload deliveries to the lunar surface, unveiled the Artemis II crew, introduced the world to a quiet supersonic aircraft, and launched countless science missions, many observing our home planet and others on their way to distant destinations like the Jovian system. Along the way, we captivated millions around the globe with a two-time Emmy-winning solar eclipse broadcast. And that’s just the highlight reel. It’s difficult to step away from a role you care deeply about, especially when the work is so meaningful. I am deeply grateful to the colleagues, partners, friends, and family who supported me, challenged me, and kept my circle strong. Amid the constant noise of the news cycle, I am heartened by the direction set by NASA’s newest administrator, Jared Isaacman, and the leadership team. NASA has always represented something rare, a North Star where science, innovation, and discovery lead. I am hopeful that spirit remains strong. NASA will always be a place I respect and admire. I leave proud of what we built, confident in the bar we set, and hopeful the agency continues to invest in the creative and technical talent required to fulfill its public mission. Onward. 🚀 6 responses to “NASA Lets A Talented Emmy Winner Leave” Leave a Reply Cancel reply You must be logged in to post a comment.

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