A million subscribers and counting: A&S alum Cindy Pom captivates YouTube audiences

After more than a decade of reporting for major news outlets in Canada and abroad, Arts & Science alum Cindy Pom (BA 2010) launched Newsthink, a YouTube channel that has grown to more than a million subscribers.

Pom leverages the skills she gained at U of T to ask tough questions and help audiences better understand the people and events that shape our world.

“Studying international relations and political science at U of T gave me a deeper comprehension of global affairs and prepared me for a career in reporting – no matter the platform,” says Pom, who earned her honours bachelor of arts degree in 2010 as a member of Victoria College.

On Newsthink, Pom explores leading-edge technology, examines the fascinating and often perilous lives of history’s transformative thinkers and investigates current events that demand a closer look.

As a foreign correspondent in Europe, Pom covered some of the biggest stories of the 2010s. She reported from the shadow of Notre Dame Cathedral as the iconic spire was consumed by flames and choked on tear gas amid the chaos of the 2018 yellow vest protests across France.

“Documenting that major social and political change is one of the most unforgettable moments of my career,” says Pom, who later joined CBS News in London.

How U of T inspired a career in journalism 

It’s a career sparked by her time at U of T. When Pom arrived as a first-year student, mind-expanding courses and campus experiences illuminated her purpose.

“Professors opened my eyes to political unrest, injustices and humanitarian crises, and I saw journalism as the ultimate tool to tell stories that otherwise wouldn't be told,” she says.

Pom got her first taste of journalism as an Arts & Science student, reading the news on CIUT 89.5FM – U of T’s campus and community radio station, on the air since 1966. The invaluable opportunity enabled her to land her first paying journalism gig while still a student.

On weekdays, she studied. On weekends, she chased stories as a reporter for 680 News in downtown Toronto. “It was very tiring, but very rewarding,” she says. After graduating, Pom spent more than a decade as a broadcast reporter covering crime, politics and human-interest stories for local and international audiences.

Finding a new platform for telling stories

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Pom recognized a shift in how people consumed news. Like many of her friends, she had moved away from cable TV, but the appetite for compelling storytelling remained; it just needed a new platform.

“I didn't have a grand plan when I started my YouTube channel,” says Pom. “But I saw the success of other channels, and I thought: ‘Why not me?’" Within a year of launching Newsthink, Pom’s viewership soared. One of her early videos on the life and times of Nikola Tesla racked up nearly 6 million views.

That early success encouraged Pom to leave traditional journalism and move back to Toronto where she dove into a full-time career on YouTube. “To succeed in this space, you need curiosity and the desire to learn; these are traits I cultivated during my undergraduate degree alongside my classmates at U of T,” says Pom. “You never lose those lasting connections you make at that pivotal age when the world is opening up to you, and you're all learning to live and grow together as you discover who you want to become.”

Pom is a storyteller at heart. The platform – whether TV, YouTube or something yet to come – matters less than doing what she loves: connecting with audiences on topics that matter. “Everyone wants to make a viral video, but ask yourself: would I watch this video? I really encourage people to create content they love and see where it goes.”

Originally published by A&S News