Following her graduation from the radio and television arts program at Ryerson Polytechnical Institute (now Toronto Metropolitan University) in 1990, Sullivan first pursued a career in journalism with a job in news radio before taking a job at provincial public broadcaster TVOntario (TVO).
fˈɑːloʊɪŋ hɜː ɡɹˌædʒuːˈeɪʃən fɹʌmðə ɹˈeɪdɪˌoʊ ænd tˈɛlᵻvˌɪʒən ˈɑːɹts pɹˈoʊɡɹæm æt ɹˈaɪɚsən pˌɑːlɪtˈɛknɪkəl ˈɪnstɪtˌuːt nˈaʊ tɚɹˈɑːntoʊ mˌɛtɹəpˈɑːlɪtən jˌuːnɪvˈɜːsᵻɾi ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti, sˈʌlɪvən fˈɜːst pɚsˈuːd ɐ kɚɹˈɪɹ ɪn dʒˈɜːnəlˌɪzəm wɪð ɐ dʒˈɑːb ɪn nˈuːz ɹˈeɪdɪˌoʊ bᵻfˌoːɹ tˈeɪkɪŋ ɐ dʒˈɑːb æt pɹəvˈɪnʃəl pˈʌblɪk bɹˈɔːdkæstɚ tˌiːvˈiː ɑːntˈæɹɪˌoʊ tˌiːvˌiːˈoʊ.