When Steve Irwin was killed by a stingray on September 4 while filming Ocean's Deadliest, Discovery Networks was inundated with media attention. The "Crocodile Hunter" had worked with the company for a decade and helped launch Animal Planet.
Over the years, Annie Howell, SVP of communications at Discovery Networks, forged a close bond with the Irwin family. Amid personal grief, she had to lead Discovery through the tragedy.
"It was the most intense thing I've had to work on," Howell says. ...