A Dose of Black Joy and Caffeine: Recent Episodes
Justin Adu
The #1 go-to podcast for Black creative, marketing, PR and tech professionals. A Dose of Black Joy & Caffeine podcast hosted by Adu navigates through super small yet hyper specific conversations within the Black community that bring individuals a dose of Black Joy to keep them going. Conversations range from The Electric Slide, HBCU Experience, NBA 2K Vs. NBA Street and of course Oprah. It’s a delightful happy mess. Tune in!
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About God-is: Throughout her career, God-is has been a strategic executive who is responsible for better serving and engaging diverse communities through digital channels all around the world through brand marketing, campaigns with partners, and events and experiences. As a proud Black American woman hailing from the Bronx, NY, she is passionate about pairing an authentic community care approach with inclusive, culturally fluent marketing, community-integrated product and policy evolution and cultural insights to show there is value in all communities, and that they deserve to be recognized, respected and rewarded—not counted out.
As a marketing executive at Twitter for over 4 years culminating in 2022, she drove strategy to make sure that campaigns and programs were connective, inclusive and reflective of the communities Twitter served. Externally, she both established and built on Twitter's work in developing relationships and programs with community leaders, content partners, influencers, creators, partners and brands.
Prior to joining Twitter in 2018, God-is was Director, Inclusion & Cultural Resonance for VMLY&R. In this newly created role she focused on bridging strategic inclusive marketing and strategy with internal processes and policies to foster an equitable environment at the agency, and produce inclusive work outputs. Earlier, she held lead channel strategy roles at VMLY&R, global agency iCrossing, and Austin-based T3.
God-is has been profiled in digital trade and national publications Adweek, Ad Age, Marie Claire, Forbes, Digiday, Fortune, Campaign US, and The Drum. In 2018 she was named an Ad Age “Woman to Watch” and Adweek “Disruptor” for continuing to fight for representation and equity in the advertising industry. In 2020 God-is was recognized for her work at Twitter amplifying historically marginalized voices as #28 on the Root 100 Most Influential African-Americans list, BET’s Top 100 Most Innovative and Influential Business Executives, and by Fortune Magazine on their esteemed 40 Under 40 list of influential people in the technology category. In 2023 she was recognized by ColorComm as one of the influential 28 Black Women in Communications “Making History Now”. This same year she was also recognized by her hometown, the Bronx Tourism Council, and was inducted in the Bronx Walk of Fame for excellence in the field of marketing. In November 2023 God-is also was chosen to be inducted into the American Advertising Federation’s esteemed AAF Hall of Achievement Class of 2023, a prestigious honor representing an impactful and innovative career in marketing, advertising, and/or media.
In October of 2022 God-is joined The Walt Disney Co. as their first VP, Inclusive Marketing across all Disney streaming platforms and networks including content and IP across ESPN+, Hulu, and Disney+ where she is tasked with developing and leading strategies to connect with diverse audiences and amplify inclusive content.
In June of 2023 God-is joined Essence Ventures as their first-ever Chief Content Officer. Leading content strategy and connection with intersectional global audiences across all Essence Ventures brands including; Essence Publishing, Afropunk, BeautyCon and Essence Studios. As of 2024 she has been active as an independent consultant with top global brands and organizations around the world.
God-is is also a highly sought after keynote speaker and moderator who has spoken for several brands like Netflix and Spotify, and at international events such as The World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, The Cannes Lion Festival of Creativity in Cannes, France, and Brandweek in Palm Springs, CA among many more. God-is resides in the greater New York City area with her husband and daughter
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About Rashan:
Rashan Brown aka Rush (The Mic) is a Spoken-Word Poet & Founder of poetry me, please. Founded in 2019, poetry me, please is a spoken-word poetry platform and content studio that provides a stage for artists across the world to showcase their talents through creative verbal expression.
Featured in Forbes, Time Out, PIX11, News12, NBC, Ebony, REVOLT & The Grio, poetry me, please is the largest poetry showcase in NYC. Averaging 500 guests per show, PMP is on the rise.
Rashan’s voice & brand have partnered with the likes of the NFL, Eventbrite, LLoyd Banks, Harlem's Fashion Row, NY Independent Schools, the Big Four, Columbia Business School, Republic Records, Rupi Kaur, TIER, Microsoft, AfroTech and AfroFuture. Bringing the show to City Winery, The Cutting Room, SOBS and the iconic Apollo Theater where they sold out to a crowd of over 1,500.
The former STEM educator & Bronx native is committed to mentorship and community building. A board member of BUILD NYC, Rashan continues to be a mentor for students at his alma mater University at Albany, SUNY. A member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Rashan carries the values of the organization in this work.
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More about Dante:
Dante Nicholas is a social media strategist, creative entrepreneur, and the founder of the R&B music curation platform YamsThePlaylist. From New Orleans and currently residing in Atlanta – Dante has worked in advertising and social media marketing for 10 years with clients ranging from Spotify and Netflix, to Essence Music Festival and Louisiana Tourism. His career passion has centered around strategically telling diverse Black stories. Dante is also a photographer who has worked with brands like Nike and Athleta. In late 2022, he created an Instagram page called YamsThePlaylist to spotlight R&B music and artists. In just a few short months, the Instagram page went viral and the official Yams brand was born. Today, the brand has over 350,000 followers across social media platforms.
More about Deion:
Deion Thomas is a dynamic individual navigating the realms of finance by day and the world of mixology by night. With a firm foothold in the financial sector, he dedicates his 9 to 5 to managing the complexities of the business world. However, outside of office hours, Deion's passion for mixology takes center stage as he explores the art of crafting cocktails and experimenting with unique flavors.
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Dominique B. Fluker is a dynamic writer, editor, editorial strategist, speaker, moderator, aspiring screenwriter, and interior design storyteller based in Los Angeles. She currently is the Lifestyle Editor at ESSENCE Magazine.
She’s familiar with spearheading editorial strategy, video script curation, and influencer strategies to drive business results and brand awareness. Previously, Dominique served as SMB Marketing Manager at Instagram and Content Marketing Manager, Business Accounts, and SMB Growth at TikTok. Before joining Instagram and TikTok, she led consumer content at Glassdoor, voicing their B2C blog and amplifying employee stories within the Diversity and inclusion space. As a social media content and influencer strategist, Dominique produced high-performing digital content for powerhouse brands such as TIDAL, Adobe, AT&T, eBay, Air New Zealand, and more during her time at MWWPR, Edelman, and WeWork. Dominique consistently engages and inspires millennial women of color by profiling diverse public figures when she isn't supporting leading brands with data-driven digital storytelling.
She's created multicultural content for iconic web and print publications like ForbesWomen, Glamour Magazine, ESSENCE Magazine, Travel & Leisure, Business Insider, and more. As a culture and entertainment enthusiast, she's interviewed legendary celebrities such as Oprah, Toni Braxton, John Legend, Tracee Ellis Ross, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Robin Roberts, Viola Davis, Gabrielle Union, Serena Williams, Regina King, Taraji P. Henson, Issa Rae, Elaine Welteroth, Tia Mowry, and more.
Since 2021, Dominique has found solace in curating physical spaces while creating a name for herself at the intersection of digital content curation and editorial storytelling. She believes interior design is an extension of thoughtful storytelling. With DBF Interiors, Dominique brings her burgeoning interior styling talents to other modern professionals like herself, committing to curating enjoyable, comfortable, and inspirational living spaces for her clients. She has been featured as an interior design expert in Apartment Therapy, Martha Stewart, Hunker, Architectural Digest, and more.
Dominique has a Master of Arts in Specialized Journalism from the University of Southern California. At USC, she was a Charlotta Bass fellowship recipient, Cowan scholar, teaching assistant, and research assistant for New York Times bestselling author Anna Tubbs.
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Dani Jackson-Smith is an award-winning creative powerhouse who champions justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion within the industry and beyond.
Dani’s worn several hats over her career, ranging from her early days as a freelance videographer and reporter at WKBW ABC 7, covering events including the BET Hip Hop Awards and Rip the Runway. After college, she launched Street Knowledge Media with her friends in New York City, helping to launch the career of the late Nipsey Hussle.
Eventually, Dani moved home to Chicago, where she excelled at some of the world's largest agencies, including Leo Burnett, Havas, and Edelman. Most recently, as VP of Influence at Edelman, she led partnerships for brands including Starbucks, Noxzema, Del Monte, Barilla, and Pivotal Ventures. While VP of DEI & Multicultural Marketing, she developed cultural strategies for brands including Foot Locker and Church & Dwight. As a Sr. Producer, she produced experiences with Kellogg’s, Nintendo, and Samsung.
Dani has been recognized as the ADCOLOR Rockstar and Chicago Ad Federation Rising Star. She’s also won a Silver Addy and a Gold Clio for her brand production work. When she isn’t working, Dani volunteers as an auxiliary board member for Chicago’s oldest Boys & Girls Club, Off The Street Club.
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Trent Walters is a Brand Management Principal at TRG (formerly The Richards Group). This May he will celebrate 27 years at the agency. He’s a graduate of the University of North Texas. He graduated on a Saturday and started at TRG the next Monday.
Trent is an alum of the 4A’s Multicultural Advertising Intern Program (MAIP), and he was also named to the inaugural class of the American Advertising Federation’s Top 25 Most Promising Multicultural Students, which led to his job at TRG immediately after graduation.
During his time at TRG, Trent has led and helped grow dozens of brands including AT&T, Starz, Scotts lawn care products, PGA TOUR Superstores, The American Cancer Society and the Southeastern Conference to name just a few. He’s helped the agency partner with groups like The Marcus Graham Project, the Dallas Independent School District, Project Unity, and other organizations as a key leader of TRG’s diversity and inclusion initiatives.
In fact, last summer Trent partnered with his Atlanta-based client, Gas South and Clark Atlanta University to spearhead a one-of-a-kind internship for a deserving HBCU student. The student was able to do half of her summer internship on the “client side” with Gas South in Atlanta, and the other half on the “agency side” with TRG in Dallas, allowing her to see both sides of the marketing board room.
Trent recently published a novel called Exactly How It’s `Posed to Bewhich chronicles the decisions of three young men at fictional HBCU (Winton College) around dating, women and sex…and the consequences of these decisions. (Oooo!)
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Darryl Sharp Jr. is a well versed senior motion designer, currently lending his creative prowess to RCA Records. With a fervent passion for design, music, and culture, Darryl has cultivated a diverse background in the industry. His journey includes notable stints at advertising agencies such as 72andSunny and Laundry Service, where he honed his skills and contributed to cutting-edge campaigns with Beats by Dre, ESPN, and Activision. Venturing into the entertainment realm, Darryl made impactful contributions at renowned production companies like Funny Or Die, leaving his mark on comedic brilliance, and collaborating with industry giants Netflix and Warner Records. His unique blend of artistic flair and a keen understanding of the intersection between creative and culture trends has established him as a dynamic force in the motion design landscape.
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Jasmine Farooq is a Senior Brand Strategist, based in NYC. She has worked in brand planning and strategy for 4 years, having worked across a range of accounts in CPG, Health, and Retail – elevating DEI, brand purpose, and culture. She began her career interning at Deutsch LA, a role she earned through MAIP, a program created to enhance the talent and diversity in the Advertising industry. Since then, she has worked on Publix, Baskin Robbins, and AdventHealth at 22squared, and then made her way to VML, leading brand and multicultural strategy on Advil, Coca Cola, and AstraZeneca. Now, she recently started a new journey at Third Ear, a minority-owned advertising agency. Born and raised in South Florida, she comes from a Jamaican background, with a family full of cooks, singers, artists, and ultimately the best party crew. If you need any advice for Caribbean spots to check out in Miami, she's your go-to. When her laptop is closed, you can find her thrift shopping, perfecting her sewing skills, or feeding her sweet tooth at a cafe in the city!
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Bennett D. Bennett (he/him) is founder and principal at brand and content development consultancy Aerialist, and the co-founder of talent advocacy nonprofit 600 & Rising. Through Aerialist, Bennett uses his multi-disciplined background as creative director, journalist, and content strategist to help future-forward brands create intentional, non-traditional campaigns and content. A career-long advocate of talent equity for media professionals from marginalized groups, he’s also carving out the next chapter of DEI with roles at 600 & Rising and as founding partner of the Allyship & Action platform. Bennett’s decade-plus in marketing and media have has included stints at Interbrand, BBDO New York, The Drum, Saatchi & Saatchi, and 22Squared—all shaping him into a hybrid creative/strategy director and innovation consultant. His most recent included a Cannes Lions’-winning campaign for Google, as well as work for Popeyes, Netflix, Varo, Bacardi, Mass Mutual, Black Voters Matter, and Amazon Prime Video. A 2013 MAIP Alum, Bennett’s been honored as a 2017 ADWEEK Young Influential and one of the 100 People Who Make Advertising Great by the 4As.
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Kenya Parham is the Global Vice President of Community & Partnerships at SPILL, a next generation social platform founded that puts culture, and the people who create it, first. In her role, she is the voice of the SPILL community within the company and also forges partnerships and activations with media partners and brands.
Prior to joining SPILL, Kenya led her own Strategic Communications, Culture & Brand Strategy consultancy, The Legacy Firm, where she worked with major entertainment properties and production studios. She also served as a political strategist & fundraising specialist, where she counseled political organizations and candidates to ensure their viability for office.
In addition, Kenya is a political and cultural TV commentator. Acknowledged as a Founding Ambassador of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Kenya has been honored with special recognition by the Los Angeles Urban League, California State Assembly and Senate legislative bodies. She was also named “Top 40 under 40 Change-Makers to Watch” by The Empowerment Congress.
Kenya lives in Southern California. She is @kenya on SPILL.
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Alex Tyree—artist, creative director and music curator, is in the continual pursuit of mastering the art of living. In between creating award-winning advertising campaigns, curating enriching music experiences, and writing his own songs, Alex credits his journaling and meditation practice as balance.
As founder and host of Feel the SPACE — an emerging music community + curation company centered in mystery & discovery through intentional experiences. We exist to re-inspire a sacred connection to music, our truest selves, and gifted music artists. Alex is excited by uniquely creating ways for each of us to feel more deeply connected.
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About: Kendra Oyesanya Willis is a multi-talented actress and entrepreneur. Kendra started her career as a professional dancer working with the industries top recording artist such as P. Diddy and the Bad Boy family, Beyonce, Chris Brown, Ciara, and many more. In 2017, she transitioned into acting booking her first lead role in the Lionsgate scripted series "Step Up" as Poppy Martinez airing on Starz. Kendra is also the Co-Founder and creator of Krump Fit, a fitness program that incorporates Krump-inspired dance with high-intensity
cardio.
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Etienne Maurice is an actor, content creator, and the founder of WalkGood LA, a community-based non-profit organization dedicated to bringing people together from all walks of life to fight for racial equity and heal in solidarity, through the arts, health, and wellness. Following the death of Ahmaud Arbery and ongoing racial and social injustice against Black and Brown people, Etienne recognized the need for community healing and founded the non-profit organization WalkGood LA in June 2020. The organization's extensive influence has garnered recognition from esteemed publications like the LA Times, CBS News, KTLA, LAist, and much more. Etienne's impact has been amplified through his partnerships such as the global campaign with Propel alongside Michael B. Jordan as well as an ambassador with On Running that is entering it’s 3rd year. Etienne has also created his very own sneaker with On that is being sold globally.
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About Jamilah:
A renowned cultural critic and writer with a focus on issues of race, gender, and sexuality, Jamilah Lemieux is a leading millennial feminist thinker, influencer, and game-changing media maverick. Her written work has been featured via a host of print and digital platforms, including Vanity Fair, the Los Angeles Times, the Nation, Essence, Refinery 29, Playboy, Self, Wired, the Guardian, Colorlines, the Washington Post and the Columbia Journalism Review. She is also a weekly contributor to Slate’s ‘Care and Feeding’ parenting column and co-host of the publication’s Care and Feeding podcast. An important voice in the construction of the Black feminist blogosphere of the early twenty-first century, Lemieux formerly served as the Vice President of News and Men’s Programming for iOne Digital and as the Senior Editor for EBONY magazine She penned the forward for the Verso anniversary edition of Michele Wallace’s Black Macho and the Myth of the Superwoman and the 2017 re-release of Ann Petry’s Miss Muriel and Other Stories.
A native of Chicago, Lemieux has provided news and cultural commentary for CNN, ABC, CBS, and MSNBC. She has been featured on Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah and Desus and Mero, as well asLifetime’s critically acclaimed, Surviving R. Kelly and Surviving R. Kelly 2: The Reckoning. She is currently working on her first book, Baby Mama’s Day: A Black Single Mother on Longing and Belonging (Roc Lit 101/Penguin Random House.)
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“There is no better story than life itself.”
Lewis Williams is EVP, Head of Brand Impact at legendary PR Agency Weber Shandwick. He has had successful careers at iconic agencies Leo Burnett and most recently Burrell Communications where he held the position of Chief Creative Officer. Having over 3 decades of Total Market and Multicultural consumer marketing experience, he’s partnered with CMO’s of some of the world’s best-known brands to create award-winning creative and drive strategic and emotional connections to their customers. Lewis has deep experience working in automotive, food service, beverage, technology, financial, entertainment and consumer goods. Among those that he has represented are Toyota, McDonald’s, Ancestry, The Coca-Cola Company, Google, U.S. Army, Walt Disney World, American Airlines, Disney and Procter and Gamble. Lewis has been recognized as one of Adweek’s Creative 100, The Ad Club of New York’s Icons, Rock Stars and Innovators, winner of creative accolades from The One Show, Communications Arts, London International Awards, Kelly Awards, New York Festivals, Clio Awards and serves on the Creative Review Committee for The Ad Council. He previous served as a PR Cannes Juror and was a juror member of Cannes Lions 70. Glass: The Lion for Change. He also was selected as an inaugural fellow for the Visiting Industry Professionals Fellowship at DePaul University College of Communications. Lewis is an advocate for significant representation for diversity in creative in the communications industry. As part of his commitment to diversity and mentorship, he is an instructor for The One School for African American students, sponsored by The One Club for Creativity.
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With special co-host Makisha Noël, Media Personality, Creator, Global Marketing Strategist | 2022 ADCOLOR® FUTURE, Black @ ADCOLOR, 2023 Legacy Miami 40 Under 40, Marcus Graham Project Alum
About Sheila:
Sheila Marmon has a passion for launching new businesses in the digital media industry and has created and led innovative platforms for over 20 years. With a focus on growth markets her expertise delivers meaningful ROI for creators, investors, and multinational clients.
As Founder + CEO of Mirror Digital, a digital media and publishing company, she helps leading brands tap into the fastest growing U.S. consumer base - multicultural and diverse markets. Sheila has executed over 1,000 digital campaigns in this space for clients including Amazon, AT&T, Comcast, Disney, Ford, General Motors, Macy’s, Procter & Gamble, SheaMoisture Universal Pictures, and Verizon among others.
In addition to entrepreneurship, Sheila’s multi-faceted media career includes leadership roles in operations, new ventures, and finance at TimeWarner (now Warner Bros. Discovery), Morgan Stanley, and Essence Communications.
Sheila has been featured in global publications including the Financial Times and was profiled in a cover story for Minority Business Entrepreneur Magazine. Her board leadership includes serving as Chair for A Better Chance, Chair of the Digital Committee for the American Advertising Federation, and Chair of the Marketing & Strategy Committee for Cate School. She has received numerous industry and civic awards including being named a ‘Top Woman in Media and Ad Tech’ by Ad Monsters & Ad Exchanger and a Trailblazer by the Chamber of Commerce. The Mirror Digital team has also been a standout - the firm has been recognized as a “Best Place to Work ” by several publications including Ad Age and was recognized as one of the fastest growing private companies by Inc. Magazine.
Sheila graduated with a B.A. from Princeton University, cum laude and an MBA from the Harvard Graduate School of Business. She resides in Los Angeles with her husband Steven F. Heuer.
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Perry Fair is one of the few people in Marketing and Advertising who has worked across virtually every level in the industry. He has experience in multicultural, traditional, digital, social, experiential, events, branded content, and entertainment. Perry has worked agency-side as President, Chief Creative Officer, and Chief Digital Officer during his career as well as a Global Head of Brand, Global Head of Creative, Head of Partnerships and Global Head of Production and Events as a client.
In Entertainment, Perry led the creation of the pilot for "The Shop," on HBO as VP, Global Head of Creative at Beats by Dr. Dre. Perry developed branded content and entertainment properties as Head of Partnerships for Red Bull and Red Bull Media House North America. Led and created the first global campaign in over 4 years for Converse at McCann.
Perry has also written and sold a full-length feature, "The Four Horsemen," to Intrepid Pictures and Universal Studios.
He is currently CCO of New Business and Global Director of Entertainment for McCann Worldgroup.
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Jacquelyn is a Social Impact professional and serves as Director of Programs at the 4A's Foundation in New York City. She oversees the advertising industry's premier talent pipeline program, the Multicultural Advertising Intern Program (MAIP), retention programs focused on Black and Latinx mid-level talent, VANGUARD and VANGUARD Latinx, and the 4A's Foundation's scholarships and awards. Jacquelyn is an alumnus of MAIP, and began her career in Corporate PR and Public Affairs. She is passionate about connecting brands to community, and drives projects from ideation to execution to make substantial impact. Her portfolio includes creating a 100% virtual, 12-week engagement experience for diverse talent to maintain access to the industry at the height of the pandemic, creating toolkits for over 400+ industry professionals outlining early talent engagement strategies, and executing a $1.5 million partnership with Spotify to design a professional development program for Black creatives.Jacquelyn is a California native, and holds a bachelor's degree in Public Relations and Advertising from California State University, Dominguez Hills, and a master's degree in Integrated Marketing Communication from California State University, San Bernardino.
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As an award-winning creative leader, she has spent over 20 years moving brands forward with creative solutions that deepen consumer engagement and emotional connectivity. Currently she is the SVP, Creative, New York Times Advertising. As the creative lead of the department, she oversees T Brand Studio, the creative team and operations responsible for building bespoke creative content, bringing brands closer to the prolific storytelling of the New York Times. Previously, she held the posts of Chief Creative Officer at Fake Love and HelloSociety– the Brand Experience and Influencer agencies of New York Times Advertising. Both agencies enabled T Brand to expand its “off platform” capabilities and further enable brands to have impact in the world. In addition to her time with The New York Times, her creative leadership roles at global brand, The Walt Disney Company and advertising giant, DDB Chicago, have fueled her career with a trifecta of publisher, brand and agency side creative experiences. Throughout her career she has serviced blue-chip brands spanning a wide range of consumer categories. She has created award-winning work garnering awards, accolades and recognition from Cannes Lions, The Effies, Communication Arts, The Art Directors Club, Chicago Creative Club, London International Awards and others. She has contributed op-eds to industry publications and provided thought leadership as an award show juror, featured panelist, sought-after mentor, and speaker at national industry events.
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Danny Robinson’s career is a testament to outside-the-box thinking. After all, it’s not common to find a chief executive officer, who was previously a chief creative officer, who was previously a chief client officer who never saw himself in any of these roles. Throughout his career, Danny has been both the tone setter for and champion of creativity, As CEO of Martin, he is responsible for the overall health, vision and growth of the agency. Danny’s blend of creative and business acumen leads to a big-picture perspective that results in breakthrough ideas. He brought this approach with him in 2004 and has since helped lead the agency to back-to-back Adweek Agency of Year wins in 2020 and 2021, Ad Age’s 2023 Agency of the Year, and a spot on Fast Company’s Most Innovative List for 2023.
Prior to becoming CEO in 2024, Danny was both the first Black chief creative officer in Martin’s history and one of the few leading a non-Black-owned agency. Over the course of his three-year tenure, he oversaw work from some of the world’s most beloved brands including UPS, GEICO, Walmart, TIAA, DoorDash and OREO.
Remember when Oprah gave away 276 Pontiac G6s? So does Danny. He was a big part of that history-making brand integration as the chief creative officer at Vigilante, an ad agency he co-founded. While at Vigilante, Danny was the creative leader and writer behind award-winning campaigns for national brands including Sprint, Major League Baseball, Heineken and Johnnie Walker Black Label.Danny is a Hampton University grad with an MBA from Atlanta University, an accomplished artist, a pop culture aficionado, a former DJ and standup comic, and was even once voted by the Stand Up NY Comedy Club as “one of the funniest men in advertising.”
Recognized as a leader in the field of diversity, Tiffany is a talent strategist with 22+ years of championing diverse professionals in the advertising industry. In 2005, she founded ADCOLOR, which has launched the ADCOLOR Industry Conference, ADCOLOR Awards and ADCOLOR University. As President of ADCOLOR, she is deeply involved in the direction the industry is taking around diversity.
As Executive VP, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer for Sony Music Group, Tiffany R. Warren will expand equity and inclusion activities and policies across all Sony Music Group’s (SMG) global recorded music, publishing and corporate divisions, reporting directly to SMG Chairman Rob Stringer.
Previously, as the Senior VP, Chief Diversity Officer for Omnicom Group, Warren oversaw a team of 25+ Chief Diversity Officers and Directors focused on Omnicom-wide change efforts through the award-winning Omnicom People Engagement Network (OPEN) for the support, advancement and retention of top performing talent inclusive of women, people of color and LGBT professionals.
Recognized as a leader in the field of diversity, Warren is a talent strategist with 24+ years of championing diverse professionals in the creative industries. In 2005, she founded ADCOLOR, which has launched the ADCOLOR Conference, Awards, FUTURES program and ADCOLOR in Music. As President of ADCOLOR, she has been widely recognized for the progress and direction the creative industries have taken around diversity, equity & inclusion.
Warren also serves as the 2021-2022 Chair of the National Board of Directors for the American Advertising Federation (AAF) spearheading the expansion of the organization’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts while emphasizing the audio, music and entertainment aspects of AAF’s programing.
She was honored as an Advertising Age Woman to Watch, AAF District 2 “Role Model” Diversity Achievement Award, AAF Hall of Achievement Inductee and The Jack Avrett Volunteer Award Recipient, AAF Pioneer in Diversity Award (Omnicom Group), 4A’s MAIP Gladiator Award, the National Association Black Journalists’ Patricia L. Tobin Media Professional Award Recipient, The European Diversity Awards’ Global Diversity Champion Award, AOL MAKER, the New York Urban League’s Frederick Douglass Medallion and the AAF Barton G. Cummings Gold Medal for Distinguished Service, the 4A’s 100 People Who Make Advertising Great List, Ebony 100 and John A. Reisenbach Distinguished Citizenship Award, Black Enterprise Top Executive in Diversity 2019, DoSomething.org 2020 Empower Player, 2021 Henry Crown Fellow and 2021 Billboard Change Agent.
Jayanta Jenkins is a forward-thinking creative and marketing executive with 20+ years’ experience crafting culture-defining messaging for some of the world’s most esteemed brands. Jayanta prides himself in leading and inspiring multidisciplinary teams by fostering collaboration, fun and bringing out the best in each team member. His ability to blend strategic thinking with creative vision has resulted in timeless storytelling, pushing the boundaries of how brands engage with global audiences.
His dedication to delivering results has garnered industry recognition from every major marketing and advertising awards organization. Noteworthy is that his work has won multiple Cannes Lions, One Show, Clios, D&AD, and Promax awards. In 2017, Jayanta and his creative team at Twitter received a Cannes Lion Grand Prix, which is one of the most coveted and globally recognized awards in the marketing industry. In 2020, Jayanta was named one of Adweek’s Creative 100 top agency leaders. In 2022, Jayanta received further recognition from Cablefax as one of the top marketers of the year.
Presently, Jayanta serves as the Vice President of Creative at Starbucks, he oversees the global brand and creative strategy, ensuring that the company’s purpose and values are communicated effectively and authentically to millions of customers and partners.
In his prior duty, at The Walt Disney Company, Jenkins was Head of Content Marketing for Disney Branded Television and National Geographic. He led a centralized award-winning team responsible for all creative marketing, strategy, digital, publicity, media planning, events, talent relations and award strategies for all content created for promotion on Disney+ and the Disney and National Geographic linear networks.
Jenkins has held top global creative roles at Virgin Galactic, Samsung’s in-house agency, Cheil Worldwide in Seoul, Korea, Apple’s Beats by Dre and Twitter, where he was the social media company’s first global head of creative. Jenkins began his career in the agency world, working on Gatorade at TBWA\Chiat Day, Nike at Wieden+Kennedy and The Martin Agency.
In 2016, Jayanta co-founded SATURDAY MORNING, a non-profit organization that brings awareness and shifts perceptions on racial bias and injustice by partnering with Fortune 500 companies such as Proctor & Gamble, Spotify, and IBM to launch initiatives to create meaningful conversations for the collective benefit of all.
Outside of his profession life, Jayanta enjoys spending time with his son, visiting museums around the world, DJ’ing and listening to as much of Prince’s music as possible.
Oyinda is a hybrid marketing and advertising professional, operating at the intersection of business leadership and multicultural strategy for more inclusive outcomes. She believes in the responsibility of media professionals to shift narratives, overturn stereotypes, and understand that the traditional "general market" of yesterday is actually an "inclusive & diverse market" of today and tomorrow.
Oyinda is currently a Marketing Transformation Group Strategy Director and Culture-First Marketing leader at Accenture Song where she specializes in cross-functional multicultural strategy, communications, and delivery. Previously at TBWA\Chiat\Day LA, she pitched, built, and led a Multicultural Practice & DEI Advisory board that helped transform agency operations & deliverable execution — implementing new processes to ensure that data, cultural intelligence, and insights were represented in the agency’s strategic and creative outputs.
Recognized as a builder and innovator the space of applying principles of DEI to creative for maximum impact, Oyinda was nominated for the ADCOLOR Innovator of the Year award in 2021, and selected as an ADCOLOR Leader in 2022 - the inaugural year of the program. She enjoys mentoring and giving the often unspoken ‘game’ with the next wave of talent to help them thrive as they navigate their careers, and she is currently giving back by serving as an ADCOLOR Champion mentor to an ADCOLOR FUTURE for 2023-2024.
Oyinda’s tenure spans multiple industries with clients such as Moderna, Lexus, Toyota, Nestle, Allergan, DirecTV Stream, JP Morgan Chase, The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture, and more.
She’s been interviewed by the media including Cheddar News and Canadian Broadcasting News. National Board certified and award-winning teacher, Claudine James was very successful using the project-based learning model to engage and inspire her students which led her to receive many awards including the 2019 Henry Ford Innovative Teacher Award. On 12/1/2020, Ms James started posting grammar lessons on TikTok in order to reach virtual students who weren’t watching the videos she posted, and now she has 6 million TikTok followers from 84 countries: ESL learners have learned basic grammar skills needed for language acquisition, others have received academic refreshers, and many study for tests such as the ACT. Her videos also motivate and inspire current/future teachers. Students, not just in her class, but throughout the district, actively engage and participate in video production. Ms. James’ classroom now expands around the world, plus she’s helping to remind other educators how much they are needed in the profession.
Past/current students are educated through her innovative and creative teaching methods and future students can’t wait to be one of her students. “Education is the most powerful weapon used to change the world.” After becoming an influencer on TikTok, her influence in improving the teaching profession skyrocketed. She has become the mentor and inspiration to thousands of teachers who reach out for guidance and help. Many say they duplicate her lessons or teaching methods or just show her lessons to their students. One follower stated, “All of my linguistic professors use your videos; they love the clarity of your lessons.” Her reach is vast and varied and reaches various people – globally.
This combination makes Ms. James’ ELA lessons truly innovative. Using social media to educate is a learning concept students eagerly embraced. Her goal, increasing students’ literacy scores, has become a reality for many. Each new video she produces provides the unique opportunity to enhance not only her students’ learning, but students, old and young – all around the world. She even has thousands of followers on YouTube, FaceBook and Instagram. One TikTok video posted on 1/11/23 now has 99 million views; it’s been shared 270K times, and 675K followers saved the video. The simple lesson was about when to use “a” or “an”. A top comment with 40K likes states, “She thinks she’s teaching a class, but she’s really teaching the world.” Ms. James loves sharing her knowledge around the world; this embodies innovative means of digital influence that leads to real-life action.
-College Board, the organization that administers the ACT test and AP classes, released an article, “Five TikTok Famous Teachers Everyone Should Follow” and @iamthatEnglishteacher was listed as #1. This success was followed by being named the TESOL (Teachers of English and Other Languages) Teacher of the Year for her state, the 2023 Grammar Educator of the Year – a national award under the National Council of Teachers of English and featured in the NYT.
Dzidzoli Quist is an experienced strategic partner manager with a proven track record of fostering impactful collaborations in the dynamic tech landscape. Currently serving as a Strategic Partner Manager at Meta, he specializes in cultivating and nurturing partnerships that drive product growth, innovation and business growth.
Key Achievements:
Successfully led key initiatives resulting in content and product partnerships with Live Nation, Billboard, Complex, including creating the first ever product that tracked real time song conversation on Twitter. He also led Meta becoming the official AR partner of Coachella.
DZ is the former leader of Twitter’s Blackbirds employee resource group. As a Blackbirds lead, he focused on diversity recruiting and community outreach by creating internal support and structure for hiring members of the African diaspora at Twitter.
Stacey Mahoney is a executive coach and business strategist, boasting an impressive track record of over 25 years in the tech industry, diversity and inclusion, and more than a decade in people development. As the Founder of Stacey Mahoney Consulting, she's on a mission to empower professionals from historically underrepresented backgrounds, guiding them to flourish in business and corporate environments through innovative coaching, workshops, and facilitation experiences.
Her early passion for fostering inclusive communities has evolved into a lifelong commitment, driven by the belief that people can "human better together." Stacey actively channels this philosophy into her work by sparking positive internal transformations and championing values-based organizational change. Her extensive background includes transformative endeavors, from reshaping corporate cultures to amplifying the voices of Black, Latinx, and LGBTQ+ professionals and creatives.
Stacey's impact extends beyond her consultancy, as she has served in key leadership roles. She was an executive board member of the National Summit on HIV Prevention and Education, an advisory board member for the ADCOLOR Conference & Awards, and the Global Community Chair for Black at Microsoft. As a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Stacey continues to make a lasting impact in various spheres.
A multifaceted individual, Stacey is not only a respected executive but also a passionate writer, captivating speaker, music enthusiast, and budding potter. Hailing from SE Washington, DC, she currently resides in the vibrant Atlanta, Georgia, Metro area. Stacey Mahoney's journey is a testament to the transformative power of inclusive leadership and the positive change it can bring to both individuals and organizations alike.
A Decade of Accomplishments:
Most Recent:
Certificates
- 2023 Certified Culture Facilitator, INIFAC
- 2023 Certified Diversity-to-Belonging Facilitator, INIFAC
- 2022 ACC Level Credential, International Coach Federation
- 2021 Certified Change Management Professional, PROSCI
- 2021 Certified Professional Diversity Coach, CoachDiversity Institute
- 2020 Associate Diversity Coach, CoachDiversity Institute
Awards & Nominations
- 2023 Living Our Culture - Microsoft Customer And Partner Solutions
- 2019 ADCOLOR in Tech National Finalist, ADCOLOR Awards
- 2019 Member of the Year, Blacks at Microsoft Worldwide
- 2017, 2018 Advisory Board, ADCOLOR Conference & Awards
- 2017 Gold Club, Microsoft Advertising
- 2017 Gail Fonville Distinguished Alumna, Elon University
- 2015 Be Bold Award, Microsoft Advertising
(Season 8 is in partnership with ADCOLOR. ADCOLOR champions diversity and inclusion in creative industries)
"Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up".
With this conviction and attitude, Anthony is committed to servant leadership and advocating for DE&I. Anthony is passionate about creating dynamic work that amplifies black/brown voices and crafting stories with intention and honesty.Anthony is an Account Supervisor at Mischief @ No Fixed Address agency in Brooklyn!
His previous agency experience includes Wieden + Kennedy in Portland, OR, and Translation, LLC in Brooklyn, New York! He's had the pleasure of building brand campaigns for clients including NIKE, Amazon Music, WhatsApp, New Balance, Chili's, and more. Anthony's areas of expertise are brand marketing, social/digital marketing, activations, branded entertainment, client/talent/athlete management, and production.
His strengths include effective communication, project management, and connecting the dots.
Anthony is a 2020 ADCOLOR FUTURES member and served as an ADCOLOR Ambassador in 2023. He credits much of his entry into the industry thanks to the Marcus Graham Project. He is also a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.
(Season 8 is in partnership with ADCOLOR. ADCOLOR champions diversity and inclusion in creative industries)
Aaron is a Blerd, social media enthusiast, sneakerhead, and lover of all things DEI.
He was first exposed to the marketing industry via the 4A's MAIP program, and since then have worked across several verticals including retail, finance, gaming, and tech. Aaron takes pride in fusing cultural nuance and strategic thinking to build impactful, inspirational consumer-focused approaches. In addition to his day job as an Associate Strategy Director, he uses his platforms via social and speaking engagements to cover topics such as building a personal brand, creative strategy, and the future of social media.
In 2022, Aaron founded Black Visionaries, a non-profit 501(c)(3) with the mission to democratize access to resources and community for Black professionals. The organization curated both virtual and in-person experiences for their community including their yearly event The Black Visionaries Brunch
Aaron’s love of community has translated into distinctive honors such as MAIPer to Watch, Mr. ADCOLOR 2022, the inaugural recipient of both the 4A’s x McCann Worldgroup Billy Davis Award & the “Right Hand” Plug Award.
(Season 8 is in partnership with ADCOLOR. ADCOLOR champions diversity and inclusion in creative industries)
Alicia helps transform global brands and talent into cultural icons through creating marketing strategies that help them impact and connect with their audience. She has led brand, engagement and social strategy for some of culture’s biggest brands including BMW, Roc Nation, Pepsi Co, The North Face, Samsung, AT&T and Pernod Ricard while working across Ogilvy, United Entertainment Group and most recently Translation where she currently serves as Group Strategy Director.
Alicia is also the creator and executive producer of The Invisible Thread, a digital content series and community that shines a light on strategists of color to uncover how they've built culture's biggest and most beloved brands.
The Invisible Thread has proven itself to be not only a much needed in-depth look into business and strategy but also a key source of mentorship for strategists and creatives as they navigate their way throughout the field of strategy and the industry as a whole.
(Season 8 is in partnership with ADCOLOR. ADCOLOR champions diversity and inclusion in creative industries)
Tamika is a dynamic leader in the digital advertising and marketing arena, boasting nearly two decades of industry expertise across diverse roles - from publisher, agency, to client sides, within finance, communications, marketing and the majority, advertising sales - in global hubs such as London, Chicago, and her beloved hometown, New York City.
In 2019, Tamika became a part of Walmart history, joining to build their in-house advertising team from the onset. Tamika swiftly ascended to Team Lead/Associate Director within 18 months, showcasing a proven track record in driving revenue growth and establishing strategic partnerships that impact how millions of consumers experience shopping both online and offline. She manages a high-performing team, emphasizing a consultative sales approach with C-suite leaders, all while navigating constant change with ease. Tamika's core expertise lies in a crafting thoughtful, creative approaches, seamlessly collaborating with cross-functional teams in Merchandising, Marketing, Operations, etc. Her focus is on developing scalable strategic solutions for suppliers and ad agencies within Beauty, Personal Care, Health and Wellness, Household Chemicals, Baby, and the Pets category at the Fortune 1 company.
Beyond her professional endeavors, Tamika is a caregiver within her large extended family, a first-generation Caribbean American, and a Brooklyn, NY native. Despite her bustling life, she finds solace in satisfying her avid global travels where she recharges and finds inspiration
(Season 8 is in partnership with ADCOLOR. ADCOLOR champions diversity and inclusion in creative industries)
In a world where evolution is happening at unprecedented rates, ingenuity and innovation are vital to the success of anything that wants to thrive. Aarian J. Forman is a forward-thinking innovator and problem solver. He is handily equipped with the necessary expertise to build leaders, solve complex issues, and create strategies that speak to a need. He is a respected voice throughout the United States on business strategy and process, leadership, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and marketing, to name a few.In a world where evolution is happening at unprecedented rates, ingenuity and innovation are vital to the success of anything that wants to thrive. Aarian J. Forman is a forward-thinking innovator and problem solver. He is handily equipped with the necessary expertise to build leaders, solve complex issues, and create strategies that speak to a need. He is a respected voice throughout the United States on business strategy and process, leadership, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and marketing, to name a few.
(Season 8 is in partnership with ADCOLOR. ADCOLOR champions diversity and inclusion in creative industries)
Carlin Dixon is an award-winning culture-first strategist with experience across brands like Hilton, The Mayo Clinic, and Brooklyn Film Festival. As Associate Director of DEI Strategy at global advertising agency TBWA\Chiat\Day\NY, Carlin works alongside agency leadership to create an equitable and inclusive environment for employees while ensuring the agency’s creative product tells diverse, equitable, and inclusive stories. He currently serves as a co-lead on the Alumni Engagement Committee for the ADCOLOR Advisory Board and has been recognized as a 2018 ADCOLOR FUTURE and one of “50 Rising Stars on Madison Avenue in 2021” by Business Insider. Carlin is a proud Midwesterner from Cleveland, OH, and holds a B. A in Media Production & Studies from Bowling Green State University, where he studied the intersection of media, race, representation, and culture.
(Season 8 is in partnership with ADCOLOR. ADCOLOR champions diversity and inclusion in creative industries)
Danielle E. Wilburn is a Director of Program Management at Meta, leading brand excellence and infusing technology and innovation across the portfolio of brands with over 3.45B users. She sets an environment for fearless creativity to thrive by bringing cultural insights, strategic and operational rigor and motivational momentum. With every initiative, she navigates a multi-functional marketing organization, influences decision-makers, and aligns stakeholders across the company. Prior to switching over to tech, Danielle worked at advertising agencies FCB, Leo Burnett, and Ogilvy & Mather, which all contributed to her becoming an impactful team leader and creative marketer across a range of industries. She has a proven track record of building brands and relationships that drive business growth for Fortune 500 companies including The Boeing Company, Unilever, Kraft-Heinz, Burger King, and Whirlpool Corporation.
Danielle's recognition of the power of diversity has propelled her to be a change maker. Her sphere of influence spans beyond marketing to impact companies’ culture at large. She has influenced many organizations to be anchored in inclusion, empathy, empowerment and solidarity. Danielle has been steadfast in her quest to ensure underrepresented people have a seat at the table to be decision-makers. She sparks honest conversation and creates programming to foster meaningful change around recruitment, hiring, and retention of people of color in the communications industry.
A natural born nurturer, Danielle lends her expertise as a mentor to anyone who asks and in some cases to those who don't. As an alum of the 4A’s Multicultural Advertising Internship Program (MAIP) and ADCOLOR FUTURES program, she is passionate about developing and giving back to young professionals. A testament to this was her receiving the Coalesce Chicago 2015 Champion of Growth award and the ADCOLOR 2019 Unsung Hero award.
Danielle completed her B.S. and MBA at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and currently resides in Atlanta, GA. When not working, you can find her on an island, sipping on whiskey gingers dancing to the beat.
(Season 8 is in partnership with ADCOLOR. ADCOLOR champions diversity and inclusion in creative industries)
Shawn Finnie is an entertainment executive with over a decade of experience and most recently served as the Executive Vice President, Member Relations and Awards to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He oversaw member relations, and global outreach for the organization’s global membership of more than 10,000+ artists, filmmakers and executives as well as overseeing Academy Awards processes for submissions, rules, and voting.
He has created, hosted, and co-produced various pieces of award winning content for the organization such as “Academy Dialogues: It Starts with Us”. Focused on race, ethnicity, gender, history, opportunity, and the art of filmmaking, these discussions featured high-profile figures such as Bryan Stevenson, Whoopi Goldberg, Lee Daniels, Lulu Wang, Eva Longoria, Roger Ross Williams, Delroy Lindo, Anita Hill, Geena Davis, and Ava DuVernay. In addition, he co-produced additional digital content series such as: Academy Greenroom, Academy Panels and Oscar nominee content.
Finnie launched Academy Affinity groups. This member led, staff supported group(s) were created exclusively for members to amplify the voices in the following communities: Black, Indigenous x Native American, Middle Eastern, West Asia North African, LGBTQIA+, Asian, Latinx, and AccessAbility. The focus of the groups is centered around community, advocacy, empowerment and education with the intention to create equity for all voices to impact systemic change.
Finnie’s focus is Community, Culture, and Connectivity. He is signed to United Talent Agency as a speaker and has collaborated with multiple organizations, communities, and leaders to speak and share personal experiences and initiate action-oriented conversations surrounding mental health, personal journey, and dealing with adversity. He is committed to ensuring that solid representation of diverse voices and backgrounds are included, engaged, and activated.
(Season 8 is in partnership with ADCOLOR. ADCOLOR champions diversity and inclusion in creative industries)
Jasmine Clennon is a global marketing manager at Meta, leading the Creators for Business workstream, which is focused on how businesses can unlock the power of creators on Meta platforms. She is responsible for driving the marketing strategy and activation of programs aimed at the business audience on how to best work with creators on Instagram to achieve their goals through inspiration and education.
Jasmine has 13+ years experience in marketing research, ad sales strategy and client & consumer insights, spanning across print, television and digital industries. She has a demonstrated history in leveraging data-driven market research for campaign strategy.
Before joining Meta over five years ago, Jasmine spent five and a half years at Turner (now known as WarnerMedia Discovery) working within Ad Sales Research, Integrated Marketing Research, and was heavily involved in the development of WarnerMedia’s initial audience targeting products. Prior to WarnerMedia Discovery, Jasmine was a Research Analyst at USA TODAY national newspaper. Jasmine began her career as a Marketing Research Analyst for Gannett New Jersey Newspapers, supporting print & digital efforts for five newspapers, three media websites and over 30 brands.
Jasmine is a former Advisory Board Member of both the Advertising Research Foundation’s Young Professionals Board (ARFYP) and the ADCOLOR Advisory Board (AAB). In 2020, Jasmine was named one of Adweek's CMO executive mentees. She is also a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.
Jasmine has a BA in Public Relations and Mass Communications from The Zimmerman School of Advertising at the University of South Florida. Jasmine hails from Pensacola, Florida, but recently relocated to Los Angeles with her daughter and husband after spending the past 11+ years in New York City.
(Season 8 is in partnership with ADCOLOR. ADCOLOR champions diversity and inclusion in creative industries)
Ghee is the Founder and CEO of Expectant Media. A Black Women Owned media company that connects clients to the diverse audiences that fuel their growth while elevating other Black Owned Media.
Ghee has worked for some of the most powerful media companies in the world generating more than a billion $’s in revenue. Including, the CEO of Ebony and Jet, where she helped revive the iconic brand, Allen Media Group, The Weather Channel, CNN, A&E, The History Channel and BET Networks. While at BET, Michele created and ran the first and only network for Black women: BETHer. Her mission is simple: lead people, transform communities and drive revenue.
Ghee has received many honors, authored three books and was honored with an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from her alma mater, Golden Gate University.
Ghee resides in New Jersey and is a proud wife of husband Tony and honored to be the mom of Taylor and Jordan.
(Season 8 is in partnership with ADCOLOR. ADCOLOR champions diversity and inclusion in creative industries)
Aaron Marshall is a copywriter/creative at BBDO NY, working on prominent global brands such as Bacardí, AT&T, and Dewar’s.
In his short but impactful time in the industry, he’s received recognition from One Show, Clios, Webby’s, Epica, ADC, AdWeek, AdAge and earned BBDO’s “Most Valuable People” award.
Living with a life-long stutter, he’s passionate about mentoring kids who stutter and advocating for the community to be accurately seen and heard worldwide— which has gained mainstream attention on NBC’s ‘Today Show.
(Season 8 is in partnership with ADCOLOR. ADCOLOR champions diversity and inclusion in creative industries)
Have you heard of Keesha Jean-Baptiste? If not, you're missing out on the chance to learn from an innovative and effective C-suite leader who made waves in the advertising, marketing, and media industry leaving a lasting impact felt beyond the traditional HR scope. Often described as "quietly fearless," having "a level of energy that never stops," and being "a true visionary and business partner," Keesha is a change agent inspiring the C-suite and other executive leaders.
Her zeal and caliber are evident in her work, as she uses her purpose-driven approach to uncover insights that help organizations align their business strategy through their most prized assets, their people. It is due to her vision and unique perspective that her impact is felt during and beyond her tenure at Digitas, Wieden + Kennedy and Hearst Magazines.
Born in Japan and raised in Virginia as the child of a military father, Keesha's childhood shaped her into a curious, open-minded, and adaptable individual. She earned a Master of Arts in Integrated Marketing Communication from Emerson College and a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communication from James Madison University. She also serves on the board of directors for ADCOLOR.
Most recently, Keesha's global perspective was further enriched during her time living in Switzerland, where she served as a deputy to the Global Chief People Officer at Richemont. Her experience in an international setting broadened her understanding of cultural dynamics in a highly complex organization. With Keesha's extensive experience, innovative mindset, and dedication to transforming organizations, there's no doubt that she will continue to succeed as she pivots out of the corporate world into leading her own practice called The LeaderSHIFT Method.
Beyond her professional endeavors, Keesha is a devoted mother of two children. She has a passion for travel, music, and dancing. Additionally, Keesha is an accomplished writer and has been a columnist for a women's magazine, showcasing her talent for storytelling. It is her ability to be vulnerable and authentic that adds to her magnetism. Currently, she is working on writing her memoir, adding another dimension to her multifaceted career.
If you're looking for inspiration and guidance on how to transform your organization's people strategy, Keesha Jean-Baptiste is the person you need to know. But it’s not until you meet her in person that you realize the magnitude of her firepower, charisma and unwavering commitment to transforming organizations. Take the time to learn from her, and you'll be amazed at the results you can achieve.
(Season 8 is in partnership with ADCOLOR. ADCOLOR champions diversity and inclusion in creative industries)
One of the most innovative and sought-out voices in diversity, equity, and inclusion, author Doug Melville has given three TEDx Talks and has been featured prominently in the media, including PBS NewsHour, USA TODAY, The Washington Post, TIME, The Daily Show, Forbes, and more. A fifth-generation leader, Doug Melville’s family has worked under ten different presidential administrations to advance the safety, equality, and fair treatment of all Americans. Throughout his career, he has served as the global head of diversity for a major luxury goods holding company and global top 10 creative agency. His first book, INVISIBLE GENERALS: Rediscovering Family Legacy, and a Quest to Honor America’s First Black Generals (Simon & Schuster) debuted November 2023 as an Amazon #1 Best-Selling New Release, and has since become the subject of a PBS NewsHour Classroom Daily News Lesson. To learn more, visit DougMelville.com and follow @DougMelville on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter.
(Season 8 is in partnership with ADCOLOR. ADCOLOR champions diversity and inclusion in creative industries)
Makisha Noël is a media personality, creator, and global marketing strategist. She has been gracing stages for 10+ years as a speaker and talent. From being tapped by the U.S. Department of State to speak on community building in Istanbul, Turkey for the Middle Eastern Partnership Initiative to presenting at the Annual ADCOLOR Awards in Los Angeles, California, Makisha's influence spans the globe. As a global marketing strategist, she has consulted on social strategy for brands from Samsung to Mastercard. Her strategies are applicable for businesses large and small, regardless of industry. From consulting on executive visibility as it relates to the personal branding of a CEO, to structuring sound POVs when a national crisis demands a brand’s social media response. She has a strong pulse on culture, coupled with a sharp ability to connect with diverse audiences, ensuring her contributions are consistently timely, relevant, and impactful. Makisha is a community builder as exemplified through The Living Room Project (LRP). Featured in South Florida's WLRN, the organization was started as a response to the then upcoming presidential elections in 2016 to build community through constructive dialogue and debate. Most notably, the organization partnered with Capital One Cafe in DC to strengthen their connection to the DMV's entrepreneurial community, through conversation on economic mobility. She also empowers and equips creators through Creative Culture Tribe (CCT). The platform exists to teach women of color creators and entrepreneurs the business of creativity in Miami and globally. With past partners and supporters such as PepsiCo, Boxed Water, KAZMALAJE, the Museum of Contemporary Art in North Miami and more, for the 2019 CCT Miami Summit, her team is planning for the 2024 CCT Miami Summit. Lastly, her first solo podcast, On The Move With Maki provides rich storytelling through long form content, sharing the intimate stories of multi-hyphenate creatives and world changers. She recently launched a new segment, The Sound Off, focused on music and media, as those industries move culture the most. Makisha is Haitian American and a global digital nomad who resides in Miami, FL where she was born and raised. She is a 2022 ADCOLOR FUTURE and 2023 Legacy Miami 40 Under 40 recipient.
(Season 8 is in partnership with ADCOLOR. ADCOLOR champions diversity and inclusion in creative industries)
Guaranteed is personal to us.
After her dad faced a series of heart attacks and a two-week stay in the hospital, our founder Jessica McGlory heard what millions of Americans are told every year: that he was recommended to enter hospice. Hospice was new to her, but the difficult experience she and her family went through is what led her to create Guaranteed. Together, we’re here to make difficult moments easier by providing the best care experience possible—one she didn’t get to have with her dad.
(Season 8 is in partnership with ADCOLOR. ADCOLOR champions diversity and inclusion in creative industries)
Ayanna Jackson is the SVP, Global Inclusion Strategy for FCB, leading the next chapter of the global network’s inclusion mission. As a member of the Global Leadership Team, Ayanna is tasked with working across global offices and departments to expand FCB’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging initiatives. She works to bring greater scale, impact and connectivity to FCB’s inclusion efforts around the world and further evolve FCB’s industry-leading strategic framework for integrating DEIB into its Workforce, Workplace and Work. She joined FCB from the American Advertising Federation (AAF), where she served for over 7 years, as EVP, DE&I and Advertising Education. As the leader of the AAF’s Mosaic Center for Multiculturalism, Ayanna oversaw the development and promotion of new programs and services aimed to recognize and develop diverse talent and promote broad and realistic portrayals of multicultural communities. These programs include the Most Promising Multicultural Students Program, HBCUs for Advertising, and the Mosaic Awards.
Ayanna began her advertising career in media, starting at The Washington Post in DC and then moved on to The New York Times, where she spent 14-years on the publication’s business side as Advertising Account Manager for the Department Store vertical.
Ayanna resides in Maryland, but will let you know she’s a proud Louisiana native. She’s also an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., cooking enthusiast, has completed eight half-marathons and is profiled in the university textbook, “Principles of Strategic Communication.”
(Season 8 is in partnership with ADCOLOR. ADCOLOR champions diversity and inclusion in creative industries)
Nicole Godreau approaches her corporate and community-driven work through the lens of inclusion and empowerment to shift culture. As a Global Creative Strategist at Spotify, Nicole develops ideas worth talking about for brands by uncovering human truths through cultural insights.
Recently, she was named one of “The Top 50 Black Marketers To Watch” by the African American Marketing Association, as well as recognized as one of the Hispanic Executive's NextGen Collective 2023 30 Under 30 award recipients.
Nicole serves on the ADCOLOR Advisory Board and is honored to be a Cannes Young Lion Academy Alum, Ad Club of NY Fellowship recipient, ADCOLOR Future Alum, AAF Most Promising Multicultural Student, and Emma Bowen Foundation Alum. Her work has been featured in AdWeek, and she has moderated panels at industry events such as “Where Are All the Black People”. She holds a B.S. in Integrated Marketing Communications from Ithaca College.
(Season 8 is in partnership with ADCOLOR. ADCOLOR champions diversity and inclusion in creative industries)
A first generation American by way of Ghana, Paanii is a charismatic and driven leader. He is currently a Brand Director at Wieden+Kennedy in Portland, working on the Nike account.
His passion is to help people realize their full potential; in their personal lives or professional careers. He lives by the mantra “Be the best you, that you can be”. To fulfill his passion, Paanii is an active mentor to aspiring marketers and advertisers.
In 5 years at the agency, he has led and contributed to numerous large projects ranging from Olympics campaigns, championship celebration ads, brand campaigns, and city takeover initiatives. His projects have won many awards from a Cannes Lions Grand Prix to an Emmy. His relentless work ethic is attributed to never being comfortable and leading by example.
(Season 8 is in partnership with ADCOLOR. ADCOLOR champions diversity and inclusion in creative industries.)
Dr. Graves joined the Brandcenter as executive director in 2018. He brings 25+ years of creative, business, and executive leadership experience, having worked with some of the world’s leading global brands (Coca-Cola, Pepsi, MasterCard, Visa, GE, and M&Ms, to name a few). His work has been recognized with numerous industry awards, including Cannes Lions, a Grand London International Award, a Grand Clio, and a D&AD Graphite Pencil. Vann also serves as the Dean of the Cannes Creative Academy.
Graves’ military experience contributes to his approach to leadership; he puts a high value on collaboration and commitment to support innovation and high-quality creative work. Prior to the Brandcenter, he served as a Chief Creative Officer at J. Walter Thompson; EVP, Global Executive Creative Director at McCann New York; VP, Creative Director at BBDO New York; and CoFounder at FL+G, a full-service branding agency in Denver.
A Fulbright scholar, Graves holds degrees from Howard University, the Pratt Institute, Harvard University, and the University of Pennsylvania.
(Season 8 is in partnership with ADCOLOR. ADCOLOR champions diversity and inclusion in creative industries.)
Adrianne C. Smith is SVP/Senior Partner and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at FleishmanHillard. Prior to joining FleishmanHillard, Adrianne was named the first Global Director of Inclusion and Diversity at WPP. Adrianne is also the Founder and Visionary of the Can: Diversity Collective, a non-profit organization created to provide access and exposure to young adults of color and under-represented communities to global thought leadership conferences on advertising, marketing, creativity, economics, innovation and technology. In 2018, she launched the first iteration of the Diversity Collective, the Cannes Can: Diversity Collective (CC:DC) (http://www.cannesdiversitycollective.com/) which provides rising stars in the advertising and creative industry the opportunity to attend and participate in the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. In 2019, she made history by creating the first stand-alone Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Beach in the festival’s 66 years of existence and named it Inkwell Beach – Cannes (http://www.inkwellbeachcannes.com/) after the historic beach on Martha’s Vineyard. In January 2024, she launched the Davos Can: Diversity Collective’s – Inkwell Beach – Davos during the World Economic Forum., making history again by building the first activation committed to conversations on the global impact of diversity, equity and inclusion. Adrianne is on the Advisory Board of the Reykjavik Global Forum and has been recognized as an Outstanding Mentor by the Diversity Action Alliance, a Game Changer in the Quantum Leap category during the She Runs It Game Changers Awards and the 2023 ADCOLOR DEI Executive of the Year.
(Season 8 is in partnership with ADCOLOR. ADCOLOR champions diversity and inclusion in creative industries.)
An award-winning creative, Courtney Richardson is currently Creative Director at Droga5 where she leads creative direction for iconic brands and icons including Sean Combs, Combs Enterprises, The Africa Center, Hennessy, Chase Sapphire and more. She credits her early beginnings watching her uncle direct music videos for the Wu-Tang Clan, Snoop Dogg, & Master P with igniting her passions and creative intuitions.
Formerly Creative Director at PAPER Magazine, it was there she led original ideas and disruptive thinking for brands like Nike, Samsung, Hulu, HBO, VH1 and others; while working with celebrities including Zendaya, Issa Rae, Megan Thee Stallion, Lena Waithe, Taraji P. Henson, Tiffany Haddish, Laverne Cox, Michaela Coel, Colin Kaepernick and more. Recognized and inducted into the 2022 Creative Class of Black thought leaders by The Creative Collective as a ‘Culture Shifter,’ Courtney was named 2021’s ‘Creative of the Year’ by ADCOLOR & The One Club and was recently honored as a ‘Trailblazer’ by the Black Women in Media Awards, alongside esteemed social justice activist Dr. Bernice King and Grammy-award winning singer Deborah Cox.
She has been featured by outlets including CBS Morning News, EBONY Magazine, AdWeek, Refinery29, Bustle, PopSugar and more. Her creative thinking has also been praised and sought after by none other than the one and only, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter.
Courtney’s life goal is to uplift humanity, particularly marginalized communities. She truly believes in radiating self-love and spreading positivity. The world needs more, so she aims to put forth that philosophy first in everything she does.
(Season 8 is in partnership with ADCOLOR. ADCOLOR champions diversity and inclusion in creative industries.)
Tiffany Hardin is an award-winning executive marketer, investor, and educator. Hardin is the CEO & founder of Gild Creative Group (GCG), an influencer marketing agency delivering strategy for brands that desire meaningful influencer/talent integrations for campaigns on and offline. She is known to help create and share culturally relevant stories to build meaningful connections that drive trust, awareness, and impact. Some client work has included brands such as Hulu, Onyx, Black Girl in Om, Victoria's Secret, Airbnb, WeWork, Microsoft & Target.
As an early pioneer in the mid-00s of the influencer marketing industry, Tiffany has been at the forefront of social branded content helping lead curious brands on the power of leveraging talent-driven platforms. As a “culture A&R,” Tiffany can trend forecast to see the waves of culture shift and support her clients in anticipating the wave versus reacting or getting caught in the rip tide.
Tiffany's commitment to educating and creating pathways for the next generation of mindful leaders is illustrated in how she shows up in and for her industry in classrooms and media. Hardin has taught Capstone and Partnership courses at NYU's Tisch and Stern Schools, guest mentored and lectured at AWS Impact Accelerator for Women, and been a featured lecturer for Billboard's Music Industry Essentials Online Certificate Program. She is also a powerful speaker, contributing to stages at SXSW and Adcolor & Advertising Week. Further, she advocates for those seeking an alternative to “hustle culture,” providing the professional development curriculum and lifestyle brand Conscious Hustler™. Currently, Tiffany is building a tech startup, Represent, to support creators at every stage of their careers, leveraging tech-enabled tools and an expert marketplace of professionals.
Additionally, Tiffany has served as a Board member, advisor, or member of community organizations like AdColor, Harlem's Fashion Row, Heal Haus, Be Well Schools, YWCA, and Nashville Repertory Theater.
(Season 8 is in partnership with ADCOLOR. ADCOLOR champions diversity and inclusion in creative industries.)
Louis Carr has been with BET for 37 years, serving as the President of Media Sales for the last 21 years. During his tenure with the company, Carr has transformed the multicultural space for some of the world's biggest brands and stimulated over $10B in advertising sales. Through strategic partnerships with corporations like Procter & Gamble, Unilever, McDonald's, General Motors, Facebook, Apple, and many more, he has been a guide and a consultant on opportunities that exist within black and brown communities. Through his deep understanding of linear TV, digital and social platforms, he has made BET Networks the number one brand and choice for Black consumers. Carr's mantra, "Be led by data and insights," has driven BET to have the largest repository of information on Black consumers than any other media company worldwide. His understanding of this data has inspired him to create content and messages that help marketers sell products and services and help them become good corporate citizens.
In addition to Carr's stellar professional career, he has had a long-term commitment to young people and his community. Carr founded the Louis Carr Internship Foundation (LCIF) 20 years ago to help improve diversity in corporate America through paid internships. The foundation has provided 270 paid internships, in which 62 alumni now have full-time jobs within the industry. Staying true to his commitment of giving back, Carr launched his latest brand called WayMaker. He purposed this initiative to help provide direction, wisdom and inspiration to people wanting to grow their life and change the world. Through the quarterly WayMaker Journal and other avenues, the umbrella brand offers insight from subject matter experts across a wide range of fields. He has also created WayMaker Mens’s Summit (formerly known as The Blueprint Men's Summit) and The Blueprint Connect Podcast, which bring together some of Black America's high profile thought leaders to educate Black men in the areas of Finance, Health, Careers, Relationships, and Entrepreneurship.
Carr has authored two books, Dirty Little Secrets and Little Black Book: Daily Motivations for Business and Personal Growth. He openly lays out his blueprint to greatness, covering much-needed topics like Leadership, Culture, Strategy, Vision, Success, and Diversity.
Most recently, Carr was inducted into the 2023 Advertising Hall of Fame and awarded the Chicago Advertising Federation Silver Medal Award. Carr has also been recognized by theboardiQ as a Top 100 Hall of Fame African American and was named one of the Most Influential Black Corporate Directors by Savoy Magazine. He has served on more advertising industry boards than any other African American. He held seats on the International Radio and Television Society (IRTS), the Video Advertising Bureau (VAB), the Advertising Council, and the American Advertising Federation (AAF).
He currently serves on Cedar Fair’s Board of Directors, Drake University’s Board of Trustees, and The United States Track and Field Foundation (USATF) Board.
Mr. Carr attended Drake University on a full athletic scholarship and received a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. He has been happily married for 37 years. For more information, visit iamlouiscarr.com or follow him on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @iamlouiscarr and Louis Carr on LinkedIn.
Tune in to the latest episode of A Dose of Black Joy & Caffeine podcast featuring Erin Throlopolis, also known as "Corporate Erin." Erin currently holds the position of Manager for Managerial Managers at Managers of McMGMT, where she has accomplished numerous successes over the past year. Notably, she was honored with the prestigious titles of Manager of The Year and Top Key Performer. In today's episode, we have the privilege of discussing with Erin how she has effectively utilized robust systems to scale impactful strategies for implementing Global Impact Social Solutions.
Follow her on:
- TikTok
- Twitter (X)
Brian Lee is a former Advertising Account Executive with stops at shops like Wieden + Kennedy and Zambezi LA. He's helped develop and craft numerous integrated global campaigns for notable brands including; Nike, Old Spice (P&G), Levis, NBA 2K, Li-Ning (Brand WADE), CHAMPS Sports and Time Warner Cable.
After receiving his Bachelors of Science in Marketing from Elmhurst College in 2007, Brian returned home to Chicago and begin his career in Sports Advertising. This was also the start of his involvement in the community on the south side of Chicago. Playing point guard throughout his college career helped Brian develop a fiery passion to mentor in the field of sports.
Brian recognized the impact sports has on a community and seeʼs it as one of many solutions in the progression of it. Lee, a former collegiate athlete, quickly thought about his love of sports and people. His mind then shifted to the image of todayʼs athletes — collegiate and professional alike — and had a vision for their development.
In June 2014, he took a leap of faith to embark on that vision, as he founded both; The G A R D E N, a talent development agency specializing in the accountability process in which talent develops their foundation, in order to have an identity born in purpose, and G A R D E N Media which delivers impactful media by conveying insightful testimonies and truths helping people make a difference in their journey.
Serita is an award-winning entertainment and marketing industry veteran, with over 15+ years in television, advertising, and podcasts. She's best known for her most recent position as the Head of Entertainment Podcasts for Sony Music and for being the co-creator and sole writer of the Best of 2023 awarded, scripted audio series, presented by Audible and SBH Productions (by way of Kevin Hart & Charlamagne Tha God), UnLeash for Love.
A Philadelphia native and proud Howard University alum, Serita has played a pivotal role in the debut of podcasts for the likes of Will Smith, Emily Ratajkowski, Clea Shearer, Joanna Tiplen, Shea Couleé, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Adrienne Banfield-Norris, Ashley Graham and many more.
Notes: The AI Researcher she talked about: https://www.instagram.com/poetofcode/?igshid=MmVlMjlkMTBhMg%3D%3D
Tameka Bazile is a 6-year Social and Content Strategist and present Manager of Social Media Strategy at TIME. A Brooklyn, New York native, Tameka began her journey to digital marketing when she began freelancing as a virtual assistant in 2018 then transitioning to social media management. Within two years, Tameka scaled TB Co., a social media management agency scaled to over 6-figures, launching dozens of women-led personal brands to over $1 million in revenue. In 2021, Tameka embraced a new challenge when she pivoted into web3 finding alignment with the space's focus on creator equity, data ownership, and digital innovation.
Tameka is also a content creator with an engaged community on LinkedIn, where she spills raw truths about social media as a profession and culture, the importance of personal branding for professionals, and entrepreneurship. She’s also a skincare, lifestyle, and relationships creator on Instagram with plans to expand to TikTok.
Tameka has been featured in Business Insider, MSNBC, and CNBC as a featured guest on social media related topics and has been a featured speaker for dozens of digital summits and national conferences.
Josh Ott has a lifelong career in sales & marketing and is known for his creative edge and methodology. With over 15 years of experience at a wide range of companies such as ABC, BET, Scripps, MTV, Pivot, The Shaderoom, and more, Josh has seen the Media industry from all angles and seamlessly moved between Digital, Cable television, and Radio to gain a deep understanding of the Media Industry. These different facets of the business have made him passionate about the tangible impact of a well-executed cross-platform marketing strategy. Additionally, his entrepreneurial experience with a successful grass-fed beef company has given Josh a passion for the growth and development of brands. He is a true collaborator and driven leader. He has won Telly Awards for work with Denny's and multiple internal awards for exceeding sales goals. In his current role at The Shaderoom, Josh runs a cross-platform sales and Marketing team at the country's #1 Social Brand.
Christine Lane is an experienced events professional with a passion for orchestrating seamless events and driving development initiatives. Known for her exceptional organizational skills and creative flair, Christine has been a driving force behind some of the most iconic events and productions in the entertainment and media industry. Her diverse background spans across event management, development coordination, production coordination, and corporate communications.
Christine currently is at Adweek as the Programming Coordinator and led Social Media Week US and UK 2023, Commerceweek 2023, Convergent TV 2022-2023, Crack the Code: Winning at Gaming, Elevate: AI, and co-led Brandweek 2023. Christine has been an integral part of the Adweek team, where she leverages her expertise to orchestrate and optimize programming efforts. Her role entails strategic planning, scheduling, and seamless execution of content, contributing significantly to Adweek's success in delivering engaging and informative event experiences.
Christine's career journey showcases her versatility and dedication. Prior to her current role, she held positions at Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. and MSG Sphere Studios, Bumble, The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones, and RTM Business Group.
She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Corporate Communications from Lamar University, Beaumont, TX. She was born and raised in Austin, TX and currently resides in Brooklyn, NY.
Cheeraz Gormon is a writer, storyteller, and public speaker who creates poetry, essays, photography, film, music, and advertising.
As a poet, Cheeraz has opened for Dr. Cornel West, Dr. Dennis Kimbro, and MacArthur Fellow Dr. Deborah Willis and toured with HBO for The Unchained Memories Tour. She is a two-time TEDxGatewayArch presenter, and her poetry has been featured in Ebony Magazine, Huffington Post, the American Ethnologist, and featured on albums with the Midwest Avengers and world-renowned DJ and producer Osunlade. Her first poetry collection, "In The Midst of Loving," was released in 2015. In 2018, Cheeraz starred in The Black Repertory Theaters' gala production of The Gospel at Colonus as the Evangelist Antigone. She returned to the stage in May of 2022 for the revival of "Rivers of Women" by the late poet Shirley Bradley LeFlore. In June 2022, she joined the Ashleylaine Dance Company for "Unseen," their season-closing performance.
In 2016, Cheeraz was selected as an apexart International Arts Fellow; in 2018, she was named St. Louis Visionary Award, Outstanding Working Artist, and in 2019, she was awarded the prestigious St. Louis Regional Arts Commission Artist Fellow in literary arts.
In tandem with her work as an artist, Cheeraz is a community health worker and works with local organizations to provide spiritual and social care to people impacted by violent crime. Following the tragic loss of her brother, John Gormon, Jr., Cheeraz founded Sibling Support Network, an organization dedicated to assisting people who have lost siblings to violent crime. For this work, she was featured in TIME Magazine's 2018 "Guns in America" issue.
Most recently, she was a part of the ensemble cast of the sold-out stage performances of The Color Purple with the Hawthorne Players and performed before a packed audience at the Saint Louis Art Museum as part of The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century exhibition inside of multimedia artist Gary Simmons, Garage Lab installation. As a self-professed ad geek, she still finds time to consult and freelance as a creative director, mentorship advocate, and advisor in the advertising industry.
An alum of the Marcus Graham Project, former TedX Midwest Urban Entrepreneur presenter, and inaugural recipient of the Bill Sharp Award for Advertising, Johnnie has meticulously crafted a career at the intersection of advertising and entrepreneurship. A proud Chicago native with nearly 15 years of experience helping brands reimagine, redefine, and reintroduce their products to the world. His strategies cultivate more than just brand-consumer relationships—they initiate a conversation and present a mutual exchange for brand and consumer that illuminate their shared values through actionable insights, creative strategy, and product storytelling.In essence, Johnnie is not just an advertising professional or an entrepreneur. He's a strategic thinker, a relationship builder, and a storyteller who continually challenges the norm, always seeking ways to enrich the interaction between brands and the people they serve.
Squint is a FIlm Director and photographer who leads visual composition, brand strategy, and creative director for some of the biggest celebrities and companies in the world. From Michael Jordan to Michael B. Jordan, Squint has captured iconic images of the most well-known faces of our generation in a manner that exudes authenticity. From Apple to Nike, the boldest brands in the world turn to Squint for his creative vision and execution.
As comfortable in a room full of venture capital billionaires debating rap music as he is in a room full of hip-hop stars debating tech investments, Squint’s authenticity is contagious. He is too caring to clout-chase and too busy to brag. Squint pours high-octane love into the world. And that love comes back to him.
Squint grew up in Palo Alto and his favorite place in the world is the nearby Bay Bridge, which connects the global hub of technology, San Francisco and the mecca of arts and activism, Oakland. Squint doesn’t just move between these worlds, he weaves them together.
Squint has written and produced shows with NFL Super Bowl winner Marshawn Lynch, shot magazine cover photos for Harley Davidson, and directed a documentary for Grammy award winning artist Lecrae. From television programming to print, the deliverables Squint produces lead to increased revenue for his clients and collaborators. Squint’s role extends beyond the production of media content to developing and operationalizing the strategies for shaping clients’ public identities in ways that center their authenticity and unique flavor.
Throughout his career, Squint has worked with brands including HBO, ESPN, YouTube, Google, Facebook, Lyft, Monster, Roc Nation, Bleacher Report, Beast Mode Productions, No Script, and Shoe Palace. His client roster includes Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Aaron Gordon, Frank Gore, and D’Angelo, H.E.R and Goapele. If you are lucky enough to get to know Squint, one day he might hand you his phone and show you beautiful photos he’s snapped of some of your favorite artists and athletes that capture the humanity so often obscured by fame.
Squint studied photography and film direction at the Academy of Arts University, and studied design as a Fellow at Stanford University’s d.school. He is now passionate about supporting the next generation of artists and entrepreneurs through his work with StreetCode Academy, a nonprofit organization that is preparing the next generation of technology leaders.
Whether it’s for Fortune 500 companies, world class athletes, or local nonprofits, Squint’s mission is as clear as his camera lens: to capture the full essence of his subjects and what they represent to themselves and to the world. His clients see him as a friend first. Ask anyone who has worked with Squint and they will tell you the same thing—no matter what they are working on, they always want him involved. While this is undoubtedly due to his perspective and technical talent, it is also due to the foundation he builds of trust, sincerity, gratitude, and the secret ingredient that makes everything Squint touches special: love.
A native of Fayetteville, North Carolina, Brandon earned his undergraduate degree in philosophy at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. From there, he began his corporate career at Google which has allowed him the opportunity to live and work in San Francisco, London, and New York City. He currently works as a Creative Strategist and leads the inclusive marketing strategy for some of Google’s largest global campaigns + programs. He has also completed freelance work for companies like Netflix and Meta and serves as a mentor to young people in his hometown through The Two-Six Project. In Brandon's free time, you'll find him reading articles about the latest social trends, enjoying visual art and fashion, and listening to his favorite musical artists.
Tyrona Heath is a leading B2B marketer, speaker, author, athlete and community builder who explores these topics at the intersection of behavioral science, diversity, equity, inclusion and transformation. Ty is Director, Market Engagement, The B2B Institute at LinkedIn, a think tank funded by LinkedIn studying the future of B2B marketing and decision making. She is also Co-Founder of TransformHer, the premier conference for professional women of color and allies in technology. With research, Ty engages and educates the industry in partnership with the leading marketing effectiveness thinkers and organizations such as Cannes Lions, ANA, and IPA to help better define the category, and drive growth.
Ty is passionate about connecting people with information needed to make intelligent decisions, sharing research to help marketers be more productive and successful with a bit of humor. An award winning marketer, speaker and two time Olympic Trials qualifier in the 800 meters, Ty is a top B2B marketing influencer teaching B2B marketing as well as leadership and diversity, equity and inclusion.
Marketers benefit from Ty’s marketing experience at Google Inc, consulting within IBM as a social business manager and leading her own B2B consulting practice where she authored “Marketers of Tomorrow: A Step-by-Step Toolkit for Inbound Marketing”. Beyond marketing, Ty served as the President of LinkedIn’s Black Inclusion Group (BIG).
Today, Ty serves on the Digital Marketing Institute’s Global Advisory Council, on the Board of Directors for the American Advertising Federation and as an Adobe Insider with top executives, experts, and pioneers in technology. Ty is a frequent industry and academic speaker on the marketing circuit, having appeared at INBOUND, Festival of Marketing, ADCOLOR, Marketing Society Changemakers, Ghana Tech Summit, Adobe Summit and the Digital Summit events to name a few. In her career, she has delivered marketing education to thousands.
At the intersection of passion and purpose lies the ethos of self-taught artist Tayo Kuku Jr., who captures a variety of cultures and identities through his unique lens. Starting his career in Civil Engineering, Nigerian-American artist Tayo Kuku Jr. soon shifted his focus to pursue his passion for photography. He specializes as a commercial, editorial, and portrait photographer, whose work transcends boundaries and illuminates the beauty and stories of diverse communities.
Through his unique approach to photography, Tayo Kuku Jr. skillfully utilizes color and light to elevate the individuals and groups he photographs, resulting in ethereal images that are both nostalgic and progressive.
Tayo’s distinct perspective and process set him apart. Through skillful color manipulation and the infusion of undeniable vibrancy, he effectively communicates the beauty and emotion of his subjects. With each photograph, he aims to fill the persistent void in representation, both behind and in front of the camera.
Born and raised in Nigeria, Tayo lives in Los Angeles but works globally.
April Reign practiced law for nearly twenty years, honing her talent for public speaking, persuasive writing and effecting policy change, but it wasn’t until she walked away from her legal practice that she found her true passion.
As the creator of the viral hashtag-turned-movement, #OscarsSoWhite, April has been challenging the lack of representation of marginalized communities in Hollywood and beyond since 2015. Reign sustains a movement that has resulted in the most permanent systemic change ever seen in the over 80-year history of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Her name continues to be synonymous with this historic change, the results of which are reverberating throughout the entertainment industry and will do so for decades to come.
Continuing her work as a change agent, Reign was one of the four co-founders of SistaSCOTUS, a grassroots organization focused on the nomination and confirmation of Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black Woman to the U.S. Supreme Court. The #SheWillRise campaign was credited by legacy civil rights organizations and the Biden Administration with pivotal work to make this dream of many a reality.
Solidifying her role in the tech space, April is now a Senior Advisor in Media and Entertainment for Gauge, a software + service platform that conducts mobile focus groups and market research with tastemakers and experts in key communities. She is also an Advisor to the burgeoning social media app Spill, a real-time conversational platform that puts culture first and is widely seen as the Twitter alternative.
Reign is an influential and sought-after media presence, having built an impressive global organic social media following over several platforms, as well as a network of recognized celebrities, creators, activists, and decision makers at the corporate level. Reign capitalizes on this network and her experience, using her voice to spark conversations and explore issues of race, politics and culture, helping structure ways to turn dialogue into action.
April is a sought-after advocate, consultant, writer, speaker and interviewer regarding issues of diversity and inclusion, and on the representation of all marginalized communities in the arts, tech and entertainment. Her work includes constant dialogue with media as well as collaborations with Procter & Gamble, Twitter, Google NextGen, AARP, HBO and more.
(Season 7 is In partnership with The One Club) 🎙️ On the final episode of the podcast, Jimmy Smith shares an exclusive interview that you won't want to miss. Smith, chairman/CEO/CCO at Amusement Park Entertainment and One Club Board member, discusses the evolution of The One Club's "Where Are All The Black People" conference. The event started as a panel on diversity during The One Club's 2011 Creative Week and has since grown into a day-long multicultural conference and career fair. However, the events of 2020 have sparked a reexamination of the conference and the ad industry's continued lack of progress in providing opportunities for people of color. Tune in to hear more about the conference's journey and what's next for the industry.
(Season 7 is in partnership with The One Club) 🎙️Join us for an insightful conversation about mental health within black communities with Dyesha Hicks. In this episode, we discuss addressing anxiety in the workplace and beyond. Listen closely as she shares her mental health journey and key takeaways on how we can shift the narrative around mental health.
(Season 7 is In partnership with The One Club) 🎙️ NEW PODCAST ALERT 🎙️Join us on an exclusive episode where we delve into the topic of "What About Your Friends?: How Friendship Shapes Your Professional Path." Our panel lead, Blake Lynch & Faith McIver, will share their insights on building and maintaining connections, amplifying growth with peers & mentors, and abolishing the 'only room for one' mindset. Tune in to unlock the power of friendship and create a thriving professional community.
(Season 7 is In partnership with The One Club) Learn more about this preeminent diversity conference and career fair, pushing back against the ad world’s diversity deficit. This year's event is on Thursday, October 26 and Friday, October 27 in downtown New York City. Don't miss out on this great conversation with Adrienne Lucas! Tune in to hear more about the conference's journey and what's next for the industry.
(Season 7 is In partnership with The One Club) 🎙️ "A Dose of Black Joy & Caffeine" podcast is back with 5 new episodes! Tune in every Monday for a dose of inspiration. In partnership with The One Club "Where Are All The Black People?" for Season 7, we kick off the series with an outstanding guest: Everette Taylor, CEO of Kickstarter. Under his leadership, Kickstarter was named one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential Companies. Taylor's impressive career includes serving as CMO of Artsy - the largest online marketplace for buying and selling fine art. We are honored to have had him on the podcast and can't wait for you to hear the rest of the exciting episodes we have lined up for you! #podcast
Marc S. Strachan (Head Coach)
Coach Marc Consulting, LLCEmpowering Through Coaching
"I exist to inspire others to do great things and to chase their dreams." I am a natural born coach, made better by outstanding career/life experiences and training."
Over the last fifteen years, Julius has worked relentlessly to introduce innovative, grassroots initiatives to welcome the diversity needed within advertising and media in the 21st century. His creativity and programs have helped create a workforce which more authentically represents society and equal opportunity across gender, religion, socioeconomics and race. In 2017, he founded The Adversity Group, intent on delivering systemic solutions to address the impact of systemic discrimination in and outside the workplace.
Julius earned his bachelor’s degree from Florida State University. He has also served on numerous advisory boards within the advertising industry and the New York City Department of Education, having established the High School for Innovation in Advertising and Media (IAM) in 2012 and as a founding member of The Manhattan Early College School for Advertising (MECA) in 2014. Julius is a certified practitioner of the Team Diagnostic Survey (TDS) and the Neethling Brain Instruments® (NBI®), a neuroscience-based assessment which he uses to introduce mindfulness as a starting point to reframe conversations about DEI. Most recently Julius has been certified as an Ayurvedic wellness practitioner, merging physical, mental and spiritual health through the Chopra Center. Integrating wellness with executive coaching, as a means to provide holistic support for the clients and community he serves.
Over the last fifteen years, Julius has worked relentlessly to introduce innovative, grassroots initiatives to welcome the diversity needed within advertising and media in the 21st century. His creativity and programs have helped create a workforce which more authentically represents society and equal opportunity across gender, religion, socioeconomics and race. In 2017, he founded The Adversity Group, intent on delivering systemic solutions to address the impact of systemic discrimination in and outside the workplace.
Julius earned his bachelor’s degree from Florida State University. He has also served on numerous advisory boards within the advertising industry and the New York City Department of Education, having established the High School for Innovation in Advertising and Media (IAM) in 2012 and as a founding member of The Manhattan Early College School for Advertising (MECA) in 2014. Julius is a certified practitioner of the Team Diagnostic Survey (TDS) and the Neethling Brain Instruments® (NBI®), a neuroscience-based assessment which he uses to introduce mindfulness as a starting point to reframe conversations about DEI. Most recently Julius has been certified as an Ayurvedic wellness practitioner, merging physical, mental and spiritual health through the Chopra Center. Integrating wellness with executive coaching, as a means to provide holistic support for the clients and community he serves.
Will "Yemi" Jawando was born in Montgomery County, MD to Olayinka Jawando, a Nigerian immigrant, and Kathy Jacob, a proud Kansan. In middle school, his family moved to Prince George's County. Every day after school, Will spent his afternoons in Silver Spring at his mother's work, where he met many of the mentors he now calls his seven Black fathers.
Jawando’s critically acclaimed memoir, “My Seven Black Fathers” was released in 2022 and offers frank reflections on his experiences with systemic racism and being a 2nd-generation American, the lessons he learned from mentors like President Obama, and his journey mending his strained relationship with his father.
In 2018, Will was elected as an at-large Montgomery County Councilmember. He represents over 1.1 million Marylanders, one-third of whom are immigrant families like his own. Will has fought to keep rents down, build more affordable housing, and create the county's first youth-employment program. He also introduced some of the county's first police reform legislation in two decades.
Ramon Davis is a father, entrepreneur, and creative industry professional. He was born and raised on the Southside of Chicago. Growing up, Ramon was considered a problematic student and attended three different grammar schools and two high schools. However, through divine intervention, he took a chance and attended an HBCU in Atlanta on a full-ride scholarship. His life changed after studying abroad in London, where he was inspired by various cultures outside of inner-city Chicago and felt that advertising was his destined career path.
Ramon is currently a Director at We Are Social Sports. His career path has taken him to work at such agencies as FCB, Leo Burnett, SaatchI and Saatchi, Burrell Communications, Ten35 and Beautiful Destinations and Champion Agency to name a few. Working with a handful of brands such as: Under Armour, Toyota, Beam Suntory, Johnson and Johnson, Polaris, Kellogg, Tourism Board of Jamaica and BET.
He’s also worked on the brand side, launching brands in the EMEA region such as 5 hour energy drink, Marley’s Mellow Mood.
He is a passionate mentor and has contributed the Marcus Graham Project as source for inspiration to continue creating opportunities in the creative industry for your aspiring talent. In addition, he has served as an adjunct professor at Columbia College Chicago and has been a frequent guest lecturer at the London College of Communications.
Ramon moved to London to pursue an MBA in International Business. He eventually lived there for seven years and had the opportunity to travel the world, sharpen his business leadership skills, and become inspired by community-centered neighborhoods which he felt were lacking in Chicago.
When not working in the daily grind, Ramon finds peace in music, fitness and being the best father he can be to his three year old daughter Safiyah Marie.
A creative thought leader in multicultural advertising, Kevin has led teams to push creative boundaries and redefine what traditional multicultural advertising can be: nationally recognized and award-winning advertising. He has applied his talents to a diverse set of clients, including American Airlines, Chrysler LLC, Domino's Pizza, Ford Motor Company, Verizon Wireless and Walmart. Kevin has also created work for several distinctive brands, including Corona beer, the Bermuda Department of Tourism, BMW, Bounce and Tide. Kevin’s work has been featured in Shoot magazine, Advertising Age, AdWeek and Target Market News.
Mathew is a highly accomplished multidisciplinary design leader with an impressive background spanning more than two decades across agency, entrepreneurial, and in-house environments. His expertise lies in developing impactful brand strategies, scaling and cultivating talented teams, and crafting visual experiences across B2C and B2B sectors.
Mathew has dedicated the past seven years to immersing himself in the ever-evolving SaaS space making notable contributions at various startups, mid-size, and enterprise organizations in the San Francisco/Bay Area. He was previously the Creative Director at Singular, a data infrastructure and analytics organization, and Sr. Art Director at Amazon Web Services. Currently, Mathew is a Design Director at VMware, overseeing the Partnerships and Modern Apps initiatives.
Mathew lives in Oakland with his wife, Lydia and has two cats (Audrey and Bell), and is a member of the InVision Design Leadership Forum and an active mentor at ADPlist.org.
Stephen Christoph is a bilingual global marketer and career consultant with over 13 years of experience in marketing across entertainment and consumer tech. For Stephen, the goal is always to move the culture forward. Whether it's producing branded content for brands like TikTok, Google, and Spotify, or helping struggling job seekers land their dream roles, Stephen always looks for ways to present new perspectives & paradigms that achieve impactful and measurable outcomes.
Chris Butler is one truly creative individual reining from The Bronx, New York. He has worked on projects such as The Paperboy, Lee Daniels' The Butler, Empire, 12 Years A Slave, and campaign films for global brands such as Google, Adidas, Facebook, AllState, Mountain Dew, and StubHub. He also made a cameo in David O. Russell's Oscar Nominated Film "American Hustle". He obtained his BFA in Advertisement and Public Relations at The City College of New York where he also won his senior thesis for ads he wrote and designed for the Colin Powell Center, expressing the need for non-US citizen students to advocate for themselves and equal opportunities within the CUNY educational system
Tajj Badil-Abish is an accomplished creative with experience both in-house and at ad agencies. Some of his notable projects include building Lyft’s brand guidelines for social and maintaining its positive, playful voice across multiple platforms as well as creating a podcast with the Golden State Warriors designed to honor Black History for longer than just 28 days of the year. For every project, he brings a strong desire to create good work, collaborate with great individuals, and celebrate amazing results.
Lindsey Gamble is the Associate Director of Influencer Innovation at Mavrck, an all-in-one influencer marketing platform. With over five years of experience working with enterprise consumer brands on creator/influencer marketing campaigns and a deep understanding of the creator economy, Lindsey helps brands experiment and enter new trends in the creator economy He also writes a weekly newsletter that breaks down news, insights, and trends across the creator economy, creator/influencer marketing, and social media, helping readers cut through the noise and stay up to date on the ever-evolving industries. Lindsey's expertise has been recognized by LinkedIn as a Top Voice in the Creator Economy, Business Insider as a Rising Star of the Creator Economy and a Top Creator Economy and Influencer Marketing Expert To Know, and Hello Partner as a Top US Partnership Marketing Changemaker. His insights and perspective have also been featured in digital publications like Vogue Business, Digiday, AdWeek, Marketing Brew, The Drum, and more.
Emery Barnes is a New York City-Based Brand Marketer. He's a first-generation Liberian-American and Chicago native, with an untiring passion to seed culture into brands—through music, sports, and art. At 28, Emery has produced campaigns for brands such as DoorDash, Michelob ULTRA, Samsung Global, Coca-Cola, P&G, Trolli, Fisher-Price, and United Airlines, and has worked at some of the largest and most recognizable creative agencies in the world such as Leo Burnett, Wieden+Kennedy Portland & New York, and MullenLowe. Emery’s work spans from Broadcast TVC, Earned Media, Social, Digital, Print, and Experiential. Although a “brand” person on paper, he’s a creative at heart. Emery is currently a Brand Supervisor in DoorDash’s Creative Studio working on the Consumer & Partnerships Businesses.
Colin Daniels is a digital editor at Adweek. Daniels' career spans the fields of marketing, public relations and journalism. As a journalist, Colin’s areas of focus were previously entertainment, lifestyle and real estate news.
A seasoned veteran in both Fashion and Tech industries, Xavier is a Creative Producer operating at the intersection of Film, Theatre, and Fine Art. His productions focus on the transformative powers of storytelling creating a throughline between artistic mediums. Bringing art to life that informs perspective and shifts how we see the world is a core element in his work. A multi-film festival award winner, Xavier is a 2023 REACH resident at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts where he will be developing his critically acclaimed play, HAT MATTER.
Bashel is a self-proclaimed “Zillennial” who uses his keen eye for creativity and data to empower diverse consumer stories and grow brand affinity. Originally from Atlanta, Bashel cultivated a niche audience of young professionals, risk-takers, and pop-culture enthusiasts around the world through his love for social media. He recently launched a six-episode web series called Bashel The Zillennial, exploring shared experiences amongst Gen Z and Millenials. With major partnerships and notable works published in Forbes, Bashel’s platform embodies the true definition #BlackBoyJoy!
Macaihah is an Artist and Art director living in Brooklyn, New York. He grew up in Portland, Oregon and has been an artist since the age of 3 (so his mom says). Ever since he could remember he’s loved using creativity and his own two hands to solve problems. Back then it was through homemade board games, DIY action figures, and sketches of his heroes. Today, it’s storytelling through different mediums such as film, illustration, and fashion. Some day he’d like to open his own creative shop, but for now he’s art directing for some of the most famous brands in the world.
Wadnes J. Castelly is a certified marketing professional with 7+ years of experience within the media, entertainment, and technology industry.
He has held marketing, business development, and sales positions at notable organizations such as HYPEBEAST, Spotify, and TikTok, where he works in product marketing within Global Marketing Solutions, helping to drive awareness and education of TikTok's advertising solutions.
Wadnes has built his career at the intersection of product, marketing, and sales to creatively connect the dots between product and business goals to drive product adoption and revenue. Wadnes is known for his strategic, creative, and analytical abilities through his work developing and managing high-impact global product launches.
As a non-technical marketer & no-code developer, Wadnes enjoys staying up to date with the latest tech tools and software to flex his creativity while helping underrepresented founders & early-stage startups grow their businesses.
Wadnes serves as a board member of The All Stars Project Inc, a non-profit focused on after-school development for unserved youth, where he uses his platform to provide career exposure and economic opportunities to help make a difference.
A son of Haitian immigrants and a first-generation college graduate, Wadnes is a native of New Jersey and earned his bachelor's degree in marketing from Rutgers University.
Nate Nichols is the Founder and Creative Director of creative agency Palette Group. Leading strategy and execution for brands including Foot Locker, PUMA, Netflix, Bill and Melinda Gate Foundation, Xbox, Billboard, Aperol Spritz, Nate is committed to being a champion for diversity and inclusion in the advertising and creative industries. Using his experience to drive change, Nate co-founded Allyship & Action, a virtual summit series rooted in reversing systemic racism and discrimination in advertising to ensure that unheard voices have an opportunity to control their own narratives.
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A self prescribed creative since the age of 16, Nate’s journey into creative entrepreneurship started at an early age. After graduating from college in the heart of Philadelphia, Nate started his career in 2012 at The Agency Inside Harte- Hanks. As a member of the social strategy team, and visionary behind the Hyundai Veloster’s Launch Campaign, Nate built a six-figure portfolio complete with digital assets, content and media marketing in less than a year.
After two years of navigating through the nuisances of corporate America, Nate felt inspired to create a space for other creatives, like himself, to flourish.
Founded with the intention of representing all the ranges and shades of creative culture, Nate founded Palette Group. Focused on advertising that intentionally encapsulates the culture, the Palette Group is a creative agency that specializes in creative content, production, and photo and media experiences, on and offline, both on a domestic and international level. The agency has built a successful roster working with Fortune 500 and 100 brands including Foot Locker, PUMA, Netflix, Bill and Melinda Gate Foundation, Billboard, Aperol Spritz. The team has also built projects with start-ups such as SAXX Underwear, Cora Women, and Ten Percent Happier.
Dedicated to developing a body of work that illustrates a company's values, Nate superpower is branding that makes people feel things through words. His love of words has allowed him to share his voice at speaking engagements such as, Allyship & Action, SXSW- The Next Generation of DEI Culture, The CLIO Awards and The 614 Group. Nate also appeared on the panel for the Network for Executive Women. Nate is also the recipient of several major awards including; Adweek’s 2020 Young Influentials, MAIP 2021 Industry Changemaker Award, 2022 Once Club Pencil for Original Music/Song.
Understanding the need to bridge the gap between creatives and the rest of society during the pandemic, Nate, along with his life partner Steffi, started the Freelance Cyber Summit. The summit was a transparent and open platform dedicated to having difficult conversations about race, diversity and equity. With over 2500 voices contributing to the conversation, the summit took a shift in and birthed Allyship & Action, a virtual summit series rooted in reversing systemic racism and discrimination in advertising. Committed to being a platform for fearless engagement with the creative community, Allyship & Action is ensuring that unheard voices have an opportunity to control their own narratives.
The perfect combination, Steffi and Nate have designed a collective space for people to show up as their authentic selves, connecting creatives to their passion projects on a global scale.
Walking in dignity, grounded in authenticity, and taking risks. Nate Nichols is a true influencer of the culture.
Mandela Barnes is the 45th Lt. Governor Wisconsin – the state’s second-ever Black statewide elected official and first-ever Black Lt. Governor. He started his career as an organizer, served in the Wisconsin legislature, and ran a record-breaking U.S. Senate campaign, where he came one point away from unseating a two-term incumbent in Wisconsin’s closest Senate election in 100 years. As Lt. Governor, Mandela worked closely with Governor Evers to help Wisconsin recover from the pandemic and served as the chair of the Governor’s Task Force on Climate Change. Determined to support other diverse and groundbreaking candidates across the country, Mandela founded the Long Run PAC. He has also returned to his roots as an organizer as the new President of Power to the Polls WI, an organization dedicated to empowering underserved voters in Wisconsin.
Founder, CEO of Commonwell, a dynamic communications consultancy based in Los Angeles and Miami. The company focuses on: Social Responsibility, Marketing Communications, and Content.
With expertise across industries spanning more than a decade, he has been at the helm of some exciting and transformative projects from the world's most iconic of brands. From returning the Rams to Los Angeles, to the deployment of next generation technology across California to amplifying the Sustainable Development Goals in South Florida, Christian leverages his talents and relationships to maximize clients’ efforts.
Calling Miami home, serving his community and paying it forward is a core way of life. Christian is the former chair of Latino Alumni at Loyola High School of Los Angeles and chair of their LAS Endowment Fund which earmarks scholarships for outstanding Latino students; an Associates Board Member at the Exceptional Children’s Foundation an organization that provides a full continuum of lifespan services for children and adults with developmental disabilities and other special needs; board chair of Accountable Impact; and chair-elect of the creative industries committee at the Miami-Dade Beacon Council.
Christian is Jesuit educated at Loyola High School of Los Angeles and a proud Bruin having majored in Economics and Chicana/o at UCLA.
Jordan has worked in the marketing industry for 12+ years, spanning across various disciplines from experiential, brand strategy to creative and more. He has a passion for personal development and mindset growth, and co-host a podcast with his wife called "Live Alive" on living life with intention and purpose.For the better part of his career Jordan has worked in agency within some of the larger marketing hubs of the southern U.S. – Dallas and Atlanta. As a way to explore his entrepreneurial spirit early in his career, he co-founded an online D2C clothing boutique in the early 2010’s and in later years consulted on the brand development of startups in both digital media and telehealth. Before joining Iris Worldwide, Jordan most recently led the global brand and creative services division of NCR Corporation's in-house agency, one of the world’s largest payments software and POS providers in banking, retail and restaurants. Now, Jordan serves as Group Account Director with Iris, and leads brand relationships across B2B and B2C clients in North America.
Thomas currently serves as the Head of Diversity Recruiting for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa for Google. He has served in a variety of Diversity & Recruiting roles at Google over the past five years, but his current team focuses on Google's representation of women in technical roles, black and brown or other underrepresented communities, and persons with disabilities across the 30+ countries Google recruits in, in region. In addition, his team manages a number of key strategic partners within and outside Google to improve brand sentiment and showcase opportunities for impact in tech. Prior to Google, Thomas spent his career working in higher education working at a range of institutions in a variety of capacities from intern to Director including University of Alaska in Anchorage, Boston College, and Boston University. Additionally, Thomas has worked for an organization She+ Geeks Out which is focused on eliminating inequity in work.
Thomas has an MBA from Boston College where he also completed his Career Coaching License, a M.S. in Educational Administration, and B.S. in Biology from Texas A&M University. Thomas currently resides in London, where he is a new board member for Spiral Skills, an organisation whose mission is for every young person to be equipped to participate in society, make independent choices, and take control of their own lives.
As a creative leader, I follow 3Cs: context, content, and conversations. That means translating data into action. Whether it's a :90 spot, social campaign or UX; words inspire behavior.
For the past decade, I've worked alongside creatives, devs, c-suite execs, and customers. Together, we've built impactful experiences from the ground up. From advertising to digital to mobile, I’ve run a maker’s gamut.
And I'm proud to lead teams at the forefront of innovation. Guided by a simple philosophy: build community, culture, and efficacy.
I'm a provocative educator & storyteller who connects technology to humanity.
Kenji Summers is a Brooklyn based contemplative artist and certified mindfulness instructor that learned from the teacher that mentored Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. While working at Nike Basketball he became convinced that meditation could help ease his anxiety and depression, after learning about how the practice shaped the Mamba Mentality. Kenji was right, building on five consecutive years of meditating, he now releases guided meditations as contemplative art and works as a mindfulness consultant for companies like Nike, helping its creative leaders with their mindset and mental fitness. Kenji releases garments, objects and guided meditations designed for peaceful living under his art + design company Free Peace.
Troy Harris II is an award-winning copywriter, and short story advocate.
Through his dynamic storytelling style, he enjoys giving his readers intriguing, insightful, and hilarious peeks into shared life experiences.
His writings span the genres of Culture, Poetry, Humor, Music, and History, and live in several cool places around the internet, including his digital domain, Grits & Gospel. He currently works with Intuit Mailchimp's in-house agency, WINK, as a copywriter.
Ruben joins us to talk about "Ruben Sings Luther" Get your tickets here: https://www.rubensingsluther.com/
IMAGINE... THE VOCALS AND MUSIC PERFORMED LIKE LUTHER PERFORMED THEM IN CONCERT... WITH HITS SUCH AS:
ALWAYS AND FOREVER
NEVER TOO MUCH
SUPERSTAR
A HOUSE IS NOT A HOME
POWER OF LOVE
HERE AND NOW
SO AMAZING
STOP TO LOVE
... AND MANY MORE
IT'S A MAGICAL NIGHT OUT - A SPECIAL CONCERT EVENT FOR RUBEN FANS AND MILLIONS OF LUTHER VANDROSS FANS WHO LONG FOR HIS MUSIC - WHO NOW HAVE A SHOW THAT COMES VERY CLOSE TO THE FEELING OF HIS MEMORABLE CONCERTS - IT'S A VOCAL TRIBUTE TO HIS REMARKABLE TALENT.
THERE WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER LUTHER VANDROSS, AND NO OTHER VOICE COMES CLOSER TO HIM THAN RUBEN STUDDARD - THE REMARKABLE SINGER WHO WAS HAILED AS THE "NEXT LUTHER" DURING HIS AMERICAN IDOL RUN, AND WAS NOMINATED FOR A GRAMMY FOR SINGING "SUPERSTAR"..
PRODUCED BY STIG EDGREN – THE CREATIVE FORCE WHO STAGED EVENTS FOR NUMEROUS POPES AND PRESIDENTS, CREATED “ELVIS PRESLEY – IN CONCERT”, THE COLORS OF CHRISTMAS, DESIGNED SHOWS FOR EARTH, WIND & FIRE, #GLORIA ESTEFAN, AND CREATED NATALIE COLE’S “UNFORGETTABLE” LIVE VIDEO.
THIS IS AS CLOSE AS YOU'LL GET TO A LUTHER SHOW !
AmericanIdol
SPILL is a visual conversation app that is the de facto place to discuss and discover culture. SPILL’s conceit solves key issues that weren’t fully considered when many global social platforms were being built almost two decades ago. The name, of course, is shorthand for the colloquialism “spill the tea” which means “to tell the truth.” Utilizing large language model AI and blockchain technology, Spill is designing for intentional community building, a stronger advertiser and creator ecosystem, and more nuanced content moderation.
Most importantly, Spill recognizes and rewards culture drivers, frequently voices from the most marginalized groups that determine a platform’s relevance early on.
SPILL’s priority is to create a rich destination to discuss and discover culture. Notable figures “Spilling” on the platform include entertainer Amber Riley, actor Sinqua Walls, actress Antoinette Robertson, rapper Baby Tate and more. Early users are discussing news and current events, entertainment, personal updates and SPILL itself. They’ve dubbed themselves #BaddiesofSPILL, #ZaddiesofSPILL (this could be great to start from from a digital culture of sex perspective) and #Spillioniaries, recent graduates are “#SPILLmanGrads,” and #WakeUpNSPILL is a new morning habit. The select group of beta testers also will now have “Golden Tickets” through which they can invite others to join them on the platform.
Find @DoseOfBlkJoy on the #SpillApp Spill App
Brandon is Co-founder and Chief Brand Experience Officer at Pike, a mapping and location technology company that allows people and brands to save, organize and socialize experiences that are unique to the diverse communities and sub-cultures they belong to.
Brandon’s career began through Interpublic Group’s fellowship program where he worked at Octagon on their Insights & Strategy team, and then FutureBrand as a brand strategy consultant. The fellowship ultimately took him to R/GA where he stayed for nearly four years, spanning across their marketing transformation practice and later onto their brand design and consulting team. At R/GA, Brandon led strategy for Ad Council’s Emmy-award winning Love Has No Labels, and worked on brands that include Samsung Global, Amazon, XFL, Dunkin, and American Express.
Recently, Brandon worked across the Chase portfolio at Droga5 on their brand strategy team before leaving to start his own company. He is a former ADCOLOR Future and was recently named Business Insider’s Rising Star on Madison Avenue. Outside of work, Brandon is a certified master of competitive intelligence professional and National Training Facilitator for the United Nations Child Friendly Cities Initiative. For fun, Brandon is an amateur skydiver and astrophotographer - always seeking to see the world from a new perspective.
The best way to describe Marcus is that he is a thinker and multi dimensional curator. He is always being thoughtful about how he engages the culture, relationships and unfamiliar terrains.
Marcus at his core values rooted in faith, family, & community. He is a Dallas native who currently resides in Brooklyn, New York. He kicked off his career in media working at his church at the age of 10 on the television and radio ministry. This atmosphere helped Marcus develop the interest and he went on to major in television, radio and film at the University of North Texas. During his time in college he interned for nationally syndicated radio host Tom Joyner’s nonprofit and rose to a full time position as a Digital Marketing Manager. At that time he also spent his nights and weekends at NBC5 DFW as a production coordinator.
At his core, Marcus is an advocate for the youth, community growth, and culture impact. He dedicates his off time to volunteering at local elementary schools, attending career days and sponsoring programs.
Marcus’ currently works at The Narrative Group as an Associate Account Director, an advertising agency based in New York that is responsible for the special McDonald’s trays of Saweetie, Cactus Plant Flea Market, Mariah Carey, BTS and Travis Scott. And executing the annual McDonald’s All American Games featuring the top 48 Highschool Basketball Players in the US. The agency also works with brands like Minions, Kind, Comvita and many others. Marcus current client is McDonald’s where he focused on Sports and Music sponsorship verticals. He previously worked at Momentum Worldwide creating events for clients at major cultural moments like the Super Bowl, NBA Draft, Taste of Colorado, New York Auto Show and more.
In 2015, he launched a media consulting company, Thirty Thirty Media. A firm that focuses on brand experiences through content, social and event experiences. He has worked with brands like Hyundai, Coach, The Big 3 Basketball League, covered events like Snowfall on FX Premiere, Astroworld Tour, Build Your Own Brand Conference. He now consults for artists, podcast shows, and influencers.
Marcus has been recognized as 2019 BE Modern Man by Black Enterprise Magazine, Go-to-Know Media’s 2018 Millennial to watch, 2017 Cosign Magazine Public Figure of the Year.
Marcus is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Incorporated, Verizon Adfellows Alumni Founding Board Member, Crowned Scholars Marketing Director, Alpha Kappa Psi Business Fraternity Alumni, and recently completed his Masters from The University of Alabama.
Due to his proven success, Marcus has been able to understand and execute on what type of strategy brands should deploy through experiences and content for some of the largest brands in the US today.
EJ Stancil is currently a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Program Manager at Google driving DE&I strategies and programs across an organization of 4,000 Googlers.
He is a recognized champion for marginalized communities and has received several awards for his leadership in corporate DE&I efforts, breaking down silos, and establishing space for meaningful and inclusive conversations around race relations, gender inequality, and LGBTQ+ advocacy.
He specializes in establishing systems of shared accountability in the development and maintenance of more equitable and inclusive workplaces, consumer products and services. EJ has experience in producing DE&I programming and marketing content for Fortune 500 companies across various industries. EJ has also served as a member of ADCOLOR Advisory Board, where he was recognized with the Unsung Hero Award for his leadership and contributions.
In his spare time, EJ enjoys dining at a wide range of restaurants and digging through the crates of your favorite music streaming platform. With over seven years of experience, EJ is committed to bringing a fresh perspective and collaborative approach to each team he works with.
Nate is an Oakland based Recruiting Manager and photographer with 10 years in the tech industry. He's worked at a variety of tech companies including Reddit, VSCO, and Cash App. As a photographer, he's had the opportunity to shoot with brands such as Spalding, Google, and Auchentoshan. His work has a focus on portrait, street, and travel photography. One of his goals as a photographer is to make the unknown feel familiar.
Over the past ten years, Donovan has lived and worked in Florida, Missouri, Georgia, Texas and now New York. Those experiences have kept him reminded that people are always more than we imagine them to be. That sensibility has bled into the way he connects brands with the nooks and crannies of humanity–for brands like Sprite, Vitaminwater, the Brooklyn Nets, Lyft, Kraft-Heinz, adidas, Bloomberg and more. Everything he does is with a sensitivity to nuanced emotions and the way culture shapes our perception of everything. In particular, advocacy for a braver, more dimensional form of representation has sat at the center of his work, and become his foundation for talks on stages like the Kraft Heinz Global Leadership Conference, the Adcolor Conference and the AAF’s "Bias in the Brief." He’s a proud MAIP and Adcolor Future’s alum, has served on the advisory board for the Adcolor Futures and is a recipient of the 4A’s Bill Sharp Award for the Future of Advertising. At the moment, he has no children to be proud of, but he hopes they’ll be proud of him one day.
Learn more about him here: https://www.donovantriplett.com/about
As a Creative & Strategy Director and Music Curator, Alex presently helps run Spike Lee’s boutique creative ad agency—Spike DDB—focused on telling brand stories that spark cultural change. In addition to his work with the icon, Alex Tyree was a key and central figure in building #CultureCon into one of the fastest growing conferences dedicated for (and produced by) creatives of color.
From developing branding & identity, creative direction, brokering brand partnerships, production, to bridging talent like Spike Lee & John Legend as keynote speakers — Alex was a central figure in making #CultureCon become one of the most sought out events for creatives of color.
Alex has also led the marketing for his family-owned hat company, founded by his Uncle, Popz Topz where he helped launch partnerships with “Godfather” Quincy Jones and Macy’s.
Alex is member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., and alum of Miami University of Ohio.
Alex also remains an alumni ambassador for the Marcus Graham Project a non-profit paving the way for diverse talent to access and break through in the marketing & media industry. You may have also recently followed his music journey on #SummerHouseMV
Daylon A. Goff is a brand marketing and media executive with over twenty (20) years of experience driving consumer engagement for both blue-chip and challenger brands. Leveraging know-how and deep relationships across social media, sports, entertainment, and live events, Daylon designs authentic conversations and custom experiences that drive trial, affinity and loyalty. He has a keen insight for “what’s now and what’s next” that creates unique and impactful opportunities at the intersection of commerce and culture.
Daylon is currently the President of JET, the iconic media brand founded by John H. Johnson, and now owned by the Bridgeman family. He is responsible for leading the relaunch of JET, in order to make it relevant, relatable, and authentic to both the fans of the brand, and a new generation.
Before joining JET, he was the Head of Cultural Strategy for Initiative, the media agency of record for brands like Amazon & T-Mobile. Prior to that, he was the Director of Marketing at Wingstop, responsible for the brand’s social media, influencer, and partnership marketing in support of Wingstop’s over 1500 restaurants both domestically and internationally. And lastly, he served as Director of Multicultural Marketing at The Marketing Arm, an Omnicom agency, overseeing experiential activations and engagement campaigns for AT&T, Frito-Lay, State Farm, & American Airlines, among others.
Originally from Kansas City, KS, Daylon holds a BA in marketing/management from the University of Oklahoma, is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, and has been married to his wife for 5 years. They currently reside in Birmingham, AL.
A maker of things made by the Maker of all things. Husband to a perfect wife. Father to two amazing kids. Creative brand storyteller with a love for social, music, fashion, gaming & sport. With experience managing and developing some of the most successful brands in the digital space including Twitch (Amazon), Impossible Foods, Oracle, and PepsiCo.
"I wanted to make Nike commercials". That's what I told the career counselor at VCU after I dropped out of art school. At that time I'd never heard of advertising or Ad agencies for that matter. I'm from Virginia, But not the Virginia that comes to mind when you think of Virginia. Richmond, Fairfax, Virginia Beach. I'm from the town of Tazewell. A one redlight town in the panhandle of the state. Years of classes including a masters from VCU, odd jobs and an economic crash or two, I found myself working at Wieden + Kennedy, the place in Portland Oregon that makes those Nike commercials. I made work I loved, I made friends I love. Then I made the decision to keep growing which brought me to Google where I've continued to make meaningful pieces of communication, Black girl magic and Most searched Black history month, and co-founded the Brand Studio fellowship program.
He began his career as a Copywriter in the Marcus Graham Project’s iCR8 Summer Bootcamp, where he learned that representation is the key to breakthrough creative.
Since then, he’s led award-winning campaigns for brands like PNC Bank, McDonald’s and Toyota. At RAPP, he was named the company's first-ever U.S. Lead of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, in addition to his responsibilities as VP, Group Creative Director.
In 2021, Kevin joined Cashmere Agency to further his mission of authentically telling stories of the culture — the young, diverse consumers that are defining the new general market. At Cashmere, Kevin leads impactful, authentic campaigns for brands like Taco Bell, Amazon Music, Dave & Buster's, Main Event, Oscar Mayer, Instagram and more.
He's previously served as a member of Snapchat’s Creative Council, Advisor to the Marcus Graham Project Alumni Board, member of Strava's first-ever Anti-Racism Advisory Board and Co-Chair of the ADCOLOR Advisory Board, where he and 30+ other DE&I champions created a holistic career development program for ADCOLOR FUTURES.
Kevin is also an emerging speaker and thought leader, sharing his insights on podcasts and national industry conferences. Kevin finds his greatest fulfillment, however, as a mentor and ally for colleagues and emerging talent in the industry.
When he’s not working, you can catch him spending quality time with his three favorite people in the world: his wife Jasmin and daughters Audrey and Autumn.
Stanley Lumax is currently the Executive Brand Marketing Director at JP Morgan Chase, where he manages the Sapphire and Freedom Unlimited portfolios. Prior to this role, he partnered with Complex Media Networks to create Climate, an agency built to help brands harness the power of youth culture. He has also managed the basketball business at Nike. During his time at several agencies including Wieden and Kennedy, Anomaly and Translation, he managed the Converse, National Basketball Association, Indiana Pacers, JBL, Mountain Dew, Beats By Dre’ an and an host of other brands that have impacted popular culture. He’s taken this experience and applied it to his desire to bring the African Diaspora together. His latest personal endeavors are African Chop House, a platform to celebrate African Culture through food, music and conversation and partnering to open Teranga, a New York –based Pan African restaurant lead by celebrated Senegalese Chef Pierre Thiam.
Learn more about the art exhibit: https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/africa_fashion
Stewart Cornelius is the vice president of entertainment at Multiplier. A first-generation Ghanaian-
American with deep roots in the entertainment industry, Stewart’s passions intersect culture,
entertainment and sports. Stewart also spearheads Multiplier’s DEIA initiatives and media platform
development.
Throughout his career, Stewart’s worked with high-profile clients, athletes, and celebrities, but at his
core he’s just a laid-back kid from Brooklyn with big ideas and a lot of enthusiasm for what he does.
Prior to joining Multiplier, Stewart was head of U.S. entertainment and athlete partners at Twitter,
where he managed a team dedicated to creating exclusive Twitter content, increasing health and safety
on the platform and driving product adoption. From Derek Jeter to Megan Thee Stallion, his fingerprints
can be found on brand partnerships across the entertainment spectrum.
Stewart also served as a business resource group lead at Twitter for Blackbirds and their allies, where he
focused on diversity recruiting and community outreach. Overseeing the internal support and structure,
his resource group supported hiring initiatives for members of the African diaspora.
Stewart started his 15-year media career as an Account Service Representative at Turner Broadcasting.
He worked in sales at Hulu, where he successfully built and managed business relationships with
Microsoft, Samsung, Sprint, Comcast, P&G, and Verizon.
When he’s not helping clients take their celebrity partnerships, top-tier events, and cultural activations
to new heights, he can be found co-hosting the Lunchbreak Podcast, a weekly talk show (over his actual
lunch break) where he covers social matters, mental health, and culture. Stewart is a proud alumnus of
Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA, where he received a B.A. in Business Administration with a
concentration in Marketing and Finance. He is a bowler, snowboarder, and devout Chelsea football club
fan. GO BLUES!
Julian Gilliam, better known as LOGIK, is a leading artist and entrepreneur at the intersection of big tech, web3, and culture. With a background as a former D1 athlete and Creative Director at Google, LOGIK uses his platform to amplify Black and marginalized voices, especially in spaces where representation is limited. He has collaborated with remarkable brands such as the Chicago Bulls, Mastercard, and LifeWtr on NFT drops and was a featured speaker at Veecon 2022.
LOGIK is also the founder of Studio LOGIK, a Web 3 agency that helps clients explore the possibilities of the decentralized web. The agency has a range of clients, including The Sasha Group of Vayner Media, founded by Gary Vee. Through his work with Studio LOGIK, LOGIK is pushing the boundaries of what is possible with blockchain technology and helping others do the same.
One of LOGIK's most notable achievements is his sold-out NFT project, "The Plug." The project includes an implicit staking mechanic that rewards those who "HODL" his long-term vision, which includes offering tuition-free Japanese language instruction for the global Black creative community. He also created SUGOI, a three-day festival of immersive art, panel discussions, and music in Dumbo, Brooklyn, during NFT NYC 2022. LOGIK, originally from St. Louis, considers himself a global citizen.
Andy Deaza has forged a pretty non-traditional path to becoming a leader within the creative marketing industry, having held positions at JWT, Arnold New York, Mullen Lowe, FCB New York, and McCann. Acting on his love for diversity, he’s also acted as a member of the ADCOLOR® conference and awards for over a decade. In addition he’s written for Spike Lee’s Spike DDB, followed by time at both BBDO and McCann New York. Having just ended a three stint as a member of TikTok’s Global Creative Lab in service of their global business marketing team, Andy now intends to share his story as a public speaker, in hopes of empowering young leaders of tomorrow to creatively pursue their passions while obtaining tangible skills and lessons that ensure they thrive in any arena in life.
Learn more about Andy here: http://andydeaza.com/about
Florian is a photographer and technologist on a mission to advance representational justice for historically underserved communities. In the wake of Mr. Floyd's murder in the summer of 2020, he helped found See In Black, a collective of Black photographers whose two-week print sale raised over $500,000 for five intersectional, Black-centric charities. At Google, he built and leads the company's Image Equity Initiative, a cross-product mission to fight historical racial bias by creating camera and imagery products that work more equitably for people of color, especially those with darker skin tones. For these efforts, he was recognized with a 2022 Grand Prix Lion at Cannes Lion, and the 2021 ADCOLOR Innovator Award. He is alumnus of Prep for Prep (Contingent XXVI), Collegiate (2010) and Yale (2014) and lives in Bed Stuy with his partner Keshia (Keh-shee-uh).
Learn more about Flo here: http://www.itsflorian.com/
- Abiola Oke is a highly accomplished and esteemed entrepreneur, recognized internationally as a media executive and revered business strategist. Currently, he holds the position of Founder and CEO at Adisa Consultants, a reputable independent business strategy consulting firm. Abiola and his team at Adisa Consultants provide invaluable guidance to companies and entrepreneurs, skillfully navigating the complexities of the ever-evolving business landscape, with a particular focus on the dynamic intersection of entertainment, media, and technology.
Additionally, Abiola is a Co-Founder of OkayMedia, a comprehensive international media and entertainment company. With his exceptional leadership, he served as CEO for an impressive duration of 5 years. OkayMedia serves as the parent company for renowned digital media brands such as OkayAfrica, Okayplayer, Okaymusic, and a range of other entertainment subsidiaries, operating across 4 countries. Abiola’s tenure at OkayMedia allowed him to forge strategic partnerships with globally recognized brands including Uber, Nike, Disney, Apple, DIAGEO, Samsung, and the NBA, to name just a few.
Abiola’s expertise extends beyond entrepreneurship, as he is also widely recognized as a captivating speaker and accomplished journalist. He has shared his insights and knowledge through various articles and interviews, delving into the captivating realm where business, media, technology, music, culture, and Africa intersect. Abiola’s contributions have been featured in esteemed publications such as CNN, Black Enterprise, Al Jazeera, BBC, and BET, among others. Notably, he has had the opportunity to interview prominent individuals including filmmaker Ryan Coogler, Chiwetel Ejiofor, David Oyelowo, Adepero Oduye, and Rep. John Lewis, showcasing his remarkable communication skills and in-depth industry knowledge.
Abiola Oke, an esteemed speaker and leader, has made significant contributions through his participation in esteemed panels and delivery of keynote speeches at prestigious institutions worldwide. He has shared his expertise and insights at renowned universities such as Stanford University, Oxford University, Columbia University, Chicago Booth, Haas School of Business, Haiti TECH Conference, AfroTech, and many other esteemed platforms. In recognition of his influence and accomplishments, Abiola was honored in 2018 as one of the most influential people of African Descent by the UN. He also served as a judge at MIDEM’s Artist Accelerator program alongside executives from UTA, Viacom, and other notable organizations. Notably, he was presented with the Amplifier of the Year award at the inaugural AfroBall gala by Congresswoman Karen Bass, further highlighting his outstanding achievements.
Beyond his professional pursuits, Abiola demonstrates a deep commitment to activism and humanitarian causes. He has served on various boards, including MoCADA (Museum of Contemporary Diaspora Arts), FACE Africa, Monrovia Football Academy, Global Citizen Live, and NABU.org. Additionally, Abiola generously shares his expertise and mentors students through the Student Sponsor Partners program.
Abiola holds a B.A. in Economics with a minor in Black Studies from the City University of New York. In his leisure time, he indulges in his passions as an avid reader, film producer, critic, and music producer. Abiola resides in Manhattan, NY, with his wife Farrah, embracing both his personal and professional pursuits with dedication and enthusiasm.
Follow him on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abiolaoke/
Jonathan Jackson is a writer, speaker, and entrepreneur focused on the intersection of community, culture, and commerce.
Most recently, Jonathan was Executive Director of Narrative & Content at Standard Chartered Bank, building strategy across 40+ markets globally inside the Digital Channels and Data Analytics Group, based in Singapore. As a co-founder and former Head of Corporate Brand at Blavity Inc, he helped spearheaded go-to-market strategy and industry penetration, helping it grow to a media brand for Black millennials and Gen Z in the U.S. reaching over 100M millennials and communities of color a month.
He was the 2019 Nieman-Berkman Klein Fellow at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism and the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society. His work is centered around the emergence of black media in the digital age, examining new ways to measure black cultural influence, and its effect on the media and advertising landscape both domestically and abroad. Post-fellowship, he was the Editor-in-Chief at Red Table Talk, overseeing content and audience for the award-winning show and looking to expand its reach and grow audience. He started his career at LinkedIn, where he ran the Influencer Program, connected business leaders and luminaries with LinkedIn global network of over 600M members.
View his amazing Ted talk here:
Carl believes we all hold more agency than we realize. Whether he’s hosting a podcast, coaching a client, or focusing on organizational transformation, this belief is always front and center. With this belief, Carl founded The Boom List in 2018 to celebrate and highlight creative thinkers of color across varied industries. As head coach at Homecoming Coaching, he partners with clients to discover their creative process to find action toward their purpose.
Learn more about Carl:
Homecoming Coaching: https://www.homecomingcoaching.com/
CPD Consulting: https://www.cpd-consulting.com/
The Boom List: https://www.theboomlist.co/
Andre is a former DII basketball/overseas pro basketball player turned creative, author and equity-builder. French (Parisian). English (native). Spanish (futbol). German. Award-winning creative from Cannes Lions to One Show to Clio, formerly Las Vegas Tourism, IHG hotels and Tumi pitch winning Executive Creative Director at GREY, global Creative Director at TBWA\Neboko in Amsterdam, formerly Digitas, Sid Lee and Y&R in Paris. Recently Cannes Lions Outdoor Jury 2022, Adweek Creative 100 and One Show 2023 Integrated and Experiential Jury. Mr. Gray is the author of Digital Anthropomorphism: Humanizing the Brand, a Master of Arts in Global Communications, a staunch advocate for underrepresented voices through work like Black Madison Avenue and lives to add to the Cultural conversation. For him, it is not what you say, but what you do. AND WE STILL CAN’T BREATHE.
Learn more about ANNEX 88 here: https://www.annex88.com/
Learn more about Andre here: https://www.andreggray.com/
Whether it’s inspiring or enticing audiences on digital platforms, or crafting stories for broadcast and streaming networks, Tracey Lincoln’s innate desire is to make space for audiences to explore their humanity, and connect with characters through content that intrigues. Simply put, Tracey just loves making stuff.
As a Los Angeles native, her work in entertainment is a natural fit, as her past work at FX Networks, Hulu, Google, Disney and Paramount Pictures have allowed her to produce and direct award-winning content for series like Atlanta, American Horror Story, Marvel's Legion and more.
For Tracey, content is more than "king"— it’s a visual adventure that drives connection. Giving life to stories and content is kind of her thing, and she’s always been drawn to projects that tap both creative and strategic juices. She’s left brain, and right brain. Her current role and work at Parkwood Entertainment has further amplified this connection, as she serves as the Director, Social Media.
Through her company, Athens Park Media, she's created and executive produced a web series, documentary and short films. Her team is currently in development and production on projects that will begin launching this year.
Whether it’s inspiring or enticing audiences on digital platforms, or crafting stories for broadcast and streaming networks, Tracey Lincoln’s innate desire is to make space for audiences to explore their humanity, and connect with characters through content that intrigues. Simply put, Tracey just loves making stuff.
As a Los Angeles native, her work in entertainment is a natural fit, as her past work at FX Networks, Hulu, Google, Disney and Paramount Pictures have allowed her to produce and direct award-winning content for series like Atlanta, American Horror Story, Marvel's Legion and more.
For Tracey, content is more than "king"— it’s a visual adventure that drives connection. Giving life to stories and content is kind of her thing, and she’s always been drawn to projects that tap both creative and strategic juices. She’s left brain, and right brain. Her current role and work at Parkwood Entertainment has further amplified this connection, as she serves as the Director, Social Media.
Through her company, Athens Park Media, she's created and executive produced a web series, documentary and short films. Her team is currently in development and production on projects that will begin launching this year.
Tracey Coleman is Creative Director and multicultural marketing maven with over 15 years of experience in marketing and advertising. Tracey began her career in New York City as an Art Director at Ogilvy, where she was trained on the fundamentals of traditional advertising by industry giants. Like a typical millennial, she soon grew weary of tradition and left the company for a hip, boutique agency that specialized in multicultural marketing, celebrity events, beauty and spirits.
That’s where things got interesting.
At Walton Isaacson, Tracey led creative teams for Clear Ultra Shea Hair & Scalp (Unilever) and Courvoisier cognac where she curated integrated campaigns and unique experiences. Over the years, her expertise and thought leadership on multicultural beauty has been requested at speaking engagements, agency pitches, and presentations for Fortune 500 companies.
After becoming an independent consultant in 2014, Tracey spent most of her time leading the growth of the Cantu hair care brand. As the global lead of brand activation, she relaunched the brand’s identity on social media, executed award-winning events across the country, and helped elevate the brand from #4 to #2 in textured hair care in the United States.
Somewhere along the way, she realized that women of color needed more than the beauty ads and influencer tutorials that brands were creating to attract their attention. They needed a place to connect, be seen and be celebrated. Curly Girl Collective was born to meet that need, by creating innovative beauty events for women of color. Their largest event, CURLFEST, which began in 2014, has attracted over 75,000 guests, and has become a destination experience attended by women from as far as Ethiopia, South Africa and Switzerland.
In between work, travel blogging, events, and speaking engagements, she finds time to serve underserved communities abroad through her award-winning nonprofit organization, Purpose Driven Passports.
Tracey’s work has been recognized by Forbes, The New York Times, ESSENCE, and Adcolor to name a few, but the common thread across these accolades is her relentless passion to be a champion for communities that need to be seen and heard.
Jackie Velasquez-Ross began her career in San Francisco recruiting creative talent in advertising. Over time, Design and Research became her passion and specialty. She’s hired Executive Leaders and ICs for Facebook, Instagram, InVision, Blavity, and many others. Most recently, she built Twitter’s Design & Research recruiting team and practice. Jackie’s currently running a strategic recruiting and career coaching practice. When she’s not working, she chases after preschooler twins and orders lots of takeout to avoid cooking dinner.
A former beauty and fashion magazine editor of O, The Oprah Magazine, Seventeen, andInStyle, Tai is also an established serial entrepreneur and TV host who has hosted her ownshows on TLC and GSN. Last summer, Tai hosted and produced Lens of Culture, a travel showcreated for millennials of color on CleoTV. She is also a regular contributor to network and cableTV including ABC, NBC, E!, BET, TVOne, among others.A true multi-hyphenate committed to the upliftment of women, in 2019 Tai launched BeyondReady, a purposeful development platform that partners with corporations, organizations, andbrands to support the professional and personal growth of its employees. Partners haveincluded The Wing, Curls, and the National Black Child Development Institute.In April of 2020, Tai further expanded her entrepreneurial footprint joining Brown Girl jane, aplant-based wellness and CBD company, as Co-Founder and Chief Brand Officer. Inpartnership with two fellow Spelman alumni, Tai endeavors to not only shift theperception ofwhat wellness means for women of color but is committed to providing education and access tonatural products and services that meaningfully support women in actualizing wellness forthemselves
Kimbrough is a writer and an award-winning producer who started her advertising career as a Creative Secretary in 1974 with Burrell Communications Group.
Kimbrough won first place at the Orlando Urban Film Festival for the short film, Raggedy Man, that she produced with longtime industry friends. Most recently, she served as Co-Producer on a documentary entitled Burrell: Advertising Revolution which highlights Tom Burrell and the positive impact his agency had on advertising targeted to the African American community. The documentary aired on PBS.
Kimbrough is a Christian and an active member of her church, Murchison-Isom Temple CME where, Rev. Dr. Karen Walker-McClure is the pastor. At her church, she serves as Director of Creative Arts, a steward, and an usher.
Kimbrough lives in Chicago, Illinois and is the proud mother of Crystal and proud grandmother of Tiffany and Ean.
Ivellisse "Ivi" is an award-winning entrepreneur who brings a decade of experience in using marketing as a force for good—for brands of all sizes. From inside major creative agencies like IDEO and Ogilvy and beyond, Ivi has sharpened her creative skillset in public relations, media, design, marketing and communications all in the spirit for positive change. She's a speaker, poet and writer who’s been recognized and featured by ADCOLOR, Adweek, Time Magazine, The 3% Conference and the PR Club’s Bell Ringer Awards. In 2018, she stepped out as the visionary behind bombilla®, a branding & design agency for social change based in Oakland, CA. In nearly five years, this small & mighty team has served more than 60+ clients in the Bay Area and across the country with brand strategy, visual identity and graphic design. Local clients include B-Love's Guesthouse, East Bay Economic Development Association, Alliance for Community Development, Black Cultural Zone, Azteca Negra, Café Gabriela, RUNWAY, Uptima Entrepreneur Cooperative, Young Community Developers and so much more.
Bombilla (lightbulb in Puerto Rican Spanish) shines with its all women-of-color staff and is fueled by a national network of diverse co-conspiring creatives on our mission to make the world brighter. Ivellisse has served as a 2x judge for The Webbys and The American Advertising Awards-Fox River, taught small business branding for Uptima Entrepreneur Cooperative and volunteers as a mentor for creatives of color. In her free time, you can find Ivellisse with her nose in a good book or on a plane to her next destination.
Angelina Darrisaw is the founder and CEO of C-Suite Coach, a firm that offers expertly designed professional development and coaching programs for working professionals and small business leaders. C-Suite Coach has staffed coaches and provided training programs for Google, Major League Baseball, NYU's Veteran Lab Accelerator, Zendesk, Oscar Health, Year Up, Omnicom, SEO, THowardF, and many others.
C-Suite Coach, a WBENC, NMSDC and NGLCC certified business, is a preferred supplier for Google, with contracts ranging from Supplier Diversity consulting and content design for racial equity programs. C-Suite Coach also services Black & Latinx small businesses by supporting Google's efforts to bridge the digital divide through tactical digital skills training. As a part of this work, the C-Suite Coach staff manages 20 coaches who have offered free coaching and resources to over 100,000 US-based Black and LatinX small businesses through more than 1000 programs across the US since 2018.
These efforts helped Angelina earn Forbes Next 1000 and Black Enterprise's 40 under 40 Award for Business in 2021, the Digital Diversity Network Innovation and Inclusion for social entrepreneurship in 2019, the "Innovators & Disruptors: Diversity & Inclusion Award" presented by New York On Tech and NBC Universal and the Year Up Urban Empowerment Award in 2018, and the Walker's Legacy Power25 award in 2017.
Darrisaw has presented at leading conferences such as Leading Women Defined, ATD, SHRM, Black Enterprise's Women of Power Summit, Entrepreneur's Summit and 40 under 40 Summit, Ebony Women Up, Google's State of the Black Woman, the 2016 Democratic National Convention, CultureCon, AdColor Futures, Hue Tech Summit, and many more. She has keynoted at institutions including TIAA, Year Up, Edward Jones, Princeton, Brown, Davidson College, NYU, Oakwood University, and many more. She holds a BA in political science from Davidson College. She is an alumni board member, an MA in management from Wake Forest University, and a certificate of coaching from New York University. Darrisaw is also an adjunct professor for the Masters in Integrated Marketing Program at New York University.
Veronica Appleton is a scholar, practitioner and children’s author. Currently, she serves as a scholar-practitioner holding professional roles within the corporate sector and in academia. Dr. Appleton works as lecturer for DePaul University College of Communication, facilitator for Northwestern University Weinberg School of Arts & Sciences Executive Education Program in Racial Equity in Business, and head facilitator for Yale University’s Women in Leadership Executive Education program. She’s also a certified diversity professional and works as Vice President for Talent Management and Inclusion within The Marketing Arm, an advertising agency within Omnicom Group, Inc.
As a renowned speaker, Appleton has served as keynote and speaker for some of the world's largest Fortune 500 organizations and believes educating the future is an essential strategy for building equity in communities and systems at-large. Appleton's work has been recognized by Crain’s Business, FOX News, and Diversity Journal’s Top Professionals in Higher Education. She's also a mentor and board member of several nonprofits providing resources and impact in communities of color, women, men and children.
Of all her career accolades, Dr. Appleton is a giver of her time to the community. She currently serves as Task Force Member within DePaul University’s Addressing the Vincentians’ Relationship with Slavery Committee, a Board Member for the Chicago Foundation for Women Southside Giving Circle, and a Board of Directors for Bernie’s Book Bank. Outside of work, Dr. Appleton is also a children’s author and reading literacy advocate.
Dr. Appleton completed her undergraduate education at Purdue University, graduate education at DePaul University, and doctoral education at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.
About Vanessa: Culturally inclusive ecosystems are at the heart of what drives this Chicago native. Vanessa has an uncanny ability to enter a room, any room, and come away with new relationships. Learning and teaching are in her DNA and that openness in an ever-evolving world fuels her ability to articulate culture and business.
About Tia: Tia Hopkins has spent more than two decades in the IT and IT Security industry and is currently the Field CTO & Chief Cyber Risk Strategist at eSentire. In addition to her role at eSentire, Tia is an adjunct professor of Cybersecurity, a women’s tackle football coach, and a LinkedIn Learning Instructor. She is also pursuing her Executive MBA and PhD in Cybersecurity.
Alexandria Butler (aka Lexi B) is a self-proclaimed Freedom Fighter and leader in building executive leadership and workplace equity in the tech industry. After several years working at some of the biggest tech companies in Silicon Valley such as Airbnb, Facebook and Twitter, Butler founded Sista Circle: Black Women in Tech, initially as a way to meet another Black woman in tech to be mentored, as they make up less than 3% of the tech workforce. Today this community has over 15,000 members in a global online community sharing their insights, challenges, tips and opportunities. SC:BWiT launched a new and instantly popular Job Board in 2022, attracting the eyeballs of thousands of Black Women with tech skills seeking career opportunities in a bustling economy. Butler is a dynamic storyteller, motivational speaker, media maven, and mentor to young people starting out in their careers. Butler leads with her engaging personality, giant ambition, and creative mind laser-focused on moving people forward. With her star on the rise, she recently was interviewed by her hometown St. Louis KMOV TV News for a ‘local girl does good’ profile touting her success in increasing the number of Black women in the tech industry. Lexi B is a unique voice poised for big things. She’s one to watch!
"My name is Michelle Olomojobi and I am a multifaceted designer, creative and innovator. My biggest influence comes from God, the greatest creator of all time. I find immense joy in exploring unique ways to display the continent of Africa through my brand, LLULO."
Selena Davant: Selena is a creative entrepreneur currently invested in building Made in Color – a creative agency based in Oakland, CA, that provides a nurturing environment for creatives of color to produce mind-blowing work for organizations like McKinsey & Co, Clubhouse, BLCK VC, and many others. With a passion for unlocking innovative solutions and amplifying meaningful, inclusive, intentional stories, Selena is your go-to for all things creative, strategic, managerial, and relational. Together with her co-founder and their team, Selena is dedicated to the art and science of executing work that is impactful and uplifts people.
Jena Dominique: Jena Dominique is the co-founder of Made in Color (MIC), a fully remote, national team of creatives of color that have reached over two million people through momentous social media campaigns and in-person activations. At twenty-nine, Jena is an accomplished anthropologist and creative entrepreneur who has traveled the world and successfully launched three companies- StreetSalad, It’s A Look, and Made in Color. The impressive list of clients she’s secured is remarkable, including Airbnb, the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation, Greystar Real Estate Partners, the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center, and the Kapor Center for Social Impact to name a few. As a result of her ambition, vision, and impact she was most recently recognized on the Forbes 30 Under 2023 Marketing and Advertising list. At a human level, she is an empath, a futurist, and a clear and intentional communicator. Her curious and courageous spirit allows Jena to be wildly creative, making no assumptions while manifesting the best outcomes.
Mimo is a mission-led professional that has worked in social impact, public health, and nonprofit engagement for the past 10 years. She has had the opportunity to manage various efforts that lead to social change ranging from violence prevention in Oakland, HIV Research/Prevention in West/Central Africa, and homelessness prevention in Santa Clara county. She is the co-founder of Coco Coalition, a nonprofit that addresses emotional, mental, and social health by creating experiences and mobilizing women of the African Diaspora.
In 2020, she ventured to entrepreneurship by inheriting her mom's Ethiopian coffee business and rebranding to Mimo's Coffee!
Currently, she is working in DEI at Google Play Partnerships in addition to running her business with her husband and mother.
Noemie Marguerite is a Congolese Photographer and Filmmaker focused on work that helps people accept their grey area. In the words of Savannah Saint Juste, Noémie is a revolutionary artist with the grand ability to grasp the raw emotions and beauty of everything that she captures, whether it is in the form of photos or videos. It is almost as if Noémie’s eyes are capable of visualizing what’s not there and internally has structures in which she can turn anything into a visual escapade.
Angela Brown is currently a Director of Marketing at RCA Records under Sony Music Entertainment where she uses cultural and strategic thinking to create relationships with Artists, Managers and internal RCA teams to manage and lead rollouts and campaigns for projects for emerging and established music artists across the RCA roster.
In her previous ad agency life, she was behind breaking the internet with the Popeyes Chicken “...y’all good?" chicken sandwich campaign of 2019 and was a speaker at Adweek’s 2019 Brandweek. Angela has been featured in several publications including AdAge, Adweek, The Root, Essence, The Daily Dot’s Internet Person Of the Year, blacklist100.com, Campaign Magazine and Digiday – as well as several podcasts like 'We Got Next' and ‘The Reset Podcast.’
You can always find her digging into new creative interests – especially design (interior and fashion) and artwork — dissecting and sharing cultural innovations and trends, listening to new artists and connecting with people offline. Her happy place is growing her curiosity about the world, meeting people over good food, movie and TV plots/characters, beautiful visuals and getting lost in the rabbit hole that is deep and existential conversation. You can find her at @angelairl on Twitter and @angela_irl on IG.
Eno Oduok might be somewhere between a virtual architect and a digital alchemist but overall she’s human. She’s a dream chaser, your favorite hustler, a typical Aquarius, passionate storyteller & writer, social entrepreneur, community advocate, and an award-winning multidisciplinary creative who is passionate about amplifying the voices and stories of people in the community, especially overlooked ones.
At 22, she was named a 2022 Forbes 30 under 30 list honoree in the Media category and Youngest category. At 23, she was named a 2022 Houston Business Journal Outstanding Diversity Champion. Eno’s work and advocacy has been featured on Forbes, Business Insider, Ad Age, AfroTech, BellaNaija, Muse by Clio, Houston Chronicle, and more. She has been a guest speaker on various platforms, notably The Peers Project (Australia's only BIPOC, female-led podcast agency – powered by Shopify).
She is the founder & CEO of Naija Comm. Naija Comm is the first-ever online community to connect and empower Nigerian creatives & professionals in overlooked fields, such as communications, film, and more. NC is a community-based media platform & creative hub here to break barriers and challenge social & career stigmas in the community. A global space that provides resources, opportunities, and highlights diverse representation while empowering Nigerians in creative industries worldwide, such as America, London, Canada, Amsterdam and more. It started in late 2020 and has been growing since. NC has had various guest speakers, such as Olympian Erica Ogwumike, Bel-Air actor Olly Sholotan, 3x best-selling author Enitan Bereola II (cofounder of FLOURYSH - partnered with The Shade Room), Josef Adamu (founder of Sunday School; Creative Director of Megan thee Stallion’s Nike Yardrunners photoshoot), etc. Also, NC has collaborated with various impactful brands, such as HBO, I Am An Immigrant, WhatsApp, Primedia, etc. One of her notable works for NC was collaborating with HBO to amplify their documentary, The Legend of the Underground.
Ashley has 12+ years of experience in digital marketing, brand and product growth, and product management at top tier CPG companies, Google, CapitalG, and Amazon Music. In her new role at Amazon Music, she is responsible for global engagement and retention for the Amazon Music app and platform. Prior to Amazon, Ashley worked at CapitalG, Google’s growth stage venture capital firm where she supported their B2C & B2B portfolio companies to help them build critical partnerships, drive user acquisition and retention, and support their top line revenue growth efforts as they prepared for IPOs. While at Google, she was a lead on the Growth Lab team leveraging Google’s owned and operated properties to drive product engagement, user retention, and new user acquisition for products like YouTube, Google Search, Chrome, Pixel, and Google's Privacy & Security products.
Previous roles at other companies include innovative product and brand management at Kraft-Heinz, ConAgra Foods and PepsiCo as well as various strategic marketing consulting projects for top food and beverage, retail, and healthcare companies. Ashley also has extensive entrepreneurial experience, serving as an investor and VP of Marketing for NYC restaurant startup Mrs. Dorsey's Kitchen and CEO/Founder for the tall women's apparel brand Alyssa Vermell Apparel, building partnerships with a number of WNCAA and WNBA teams.
As an angel investor and mentor for startup founders, Ashley is a strong advocate for increasing minority and women representation in the startup and venture capital world and in her free time she consults with small business owners and budding entrepreneurs looking to grow their businesses and mentors MBA grads interested in transitioning into tech. When she's not working, you can find Ashley traveling the world, spending time with her family and friends, and managing her growing real estate investment portfolio. Ashley received her B.S. of Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and her MBA from Washington University in St. Louis.
Chavonne Hodges is an award-winning wellness entrepreneur and mental health advocate who is passionate about learning, meditation, and creativity. In 2016, she launched GrillzandGranola, a company that curates and creates fitness experiences for underrepresented women, starting with their signature TrapAerobics class. Through her entrepreneurial endeavors, she has garnered various features from publications like Forbes, Google, Yahoo! Lifestyle, and won multiple grants from Amex, Upworthy, and more for her wellness work in the BIPOC community.
Outside of her entrepreneurial Endeavors, Chavonne is a seasoned learning & development + DEI professional with roots in the advertising industry. Currently, she works in tech supporting moms and women of color and is studying to become a licensed mental health and rehab counselor for creatives and entrepreneurs.
Neisha is an award-winning creative marketer, people manager, and DEI advocate with a protagonist spirit and optimism at her core. She got her start as a creative director at various ad agencies and is now Global Head of Inclusive Content & Experiences at Meta where she works with brands to reinvent what inclusive creativity looks like from mobile to the metaverse. Her experience across the past fifteen years spans CPG, healthcare, retail, financial services, telecom, multicultural and non-profits; her highlight reel features storytelling for everything from tequila to toothpaste to tablets --the ones with touch screens and the ones you take with water.Neisha has been named a Woke Woman (Essence, 2018), a Next Creative Leader (One Club, 2015), and a Rising Star and Leader (Adcolor, 2012 and 2022). Her passion for progress and people-centered mindset has led her to be seen as a transformative business and cultural leader who consistently delivers results, elevates the work and helps others in the process. A friend once said, “Don’t tell Neisha you have an idea or a problem, she will figure out how to make it happen or fix it, and you’ll have no choice but to be great.” It was a somewhat weird compliment, but it’s definitely true.
Marketer. Black Woman in tech. Entrepreneur. Danielle Skeen wears many hats and wears them well. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, this Island lady has always had an innate desire to and ability to connect with people. Her passion for diversity and inclusion coupled with her creative, strategic thinking and love of storytelling, has led her to be a powerful influence on corporate and organizational structure.
Danielle is a graduate of Florida State University with a degree in Communication. Her early-in-career endeavors included positions at MTV Networks and Bad Boy Entertainment. In 2012 Danielle left the media and entertainment industry and ventured into Advertising. In 2015, after 3.5 years at New York City based firm - Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal & Partners (kbs+), Danielle entered the world of technology when she accepted a sales position at Microsoft Advertising. During her tenor at Microsoft, Danielle served as an award-winning salesperson with an expertise in digital, native, mobile, SEO/SEM and programmatic. During her tenor at Microsoft, Danielle has explored positions in sales, operations, and strategy as well as Business Development, all while serving as a leader in the Diversity & Inclusion space.
Outside of her thriving career in the corporate sector, Danielle prides herself on being a social entrepreneur. She is the CEO/Owner of Caption-It! App – a mobile app designed to provide captions and quotes for social media posting and sharing. Additionally, she is also Co-owner of &Noire (andnoire.com) – an ecommerce website created to increase visibility and profit to black-owned brands. Danielle has a passion for traveling and for giving
back. In 2013 she founded The Star Boutique, Inc. - a nonprofit organization that supports teenage girls in New York City who are affected by homelessness. Through the Star Boutique, Danielle and her team have changed the lives of several hundreds of girls and has been recognized in local, national, and international media for their efforts.
When she is not closing business deals and changing lives, Danielle serves as a Public Speaker who gives lectures and workshops around the subjects of Empowerment, Brand Development, Diversity & Inclusion, Marketing and Philanthropy. Additionally, she coaches and consults individuals with launching and sustaining small businesses and nonprofit organizations.
Alencia Johnson leads at the intersection of social impact & culture change, cultivating over 15 years of experience marrying cultural cornerstones -- advocacy, politics, corporate & entertainment -- to disrupt for good. As Founder of 1063 West Broad, she connects brands, organizations & people to mission driven solutions.
She has worked for the presidential campaigns of Pres. Obama, Sen. Elizabeth Warren & Pres. Biden as well as Planned Parenthood’s national office.
Alencia has been recognized by EBONY’s “Power 100” list, PRWeek’s “40 Under 40” & more. Her board service includes the Warner Music Group/Blavatnik Social Justice Fund & Human Rights First, and she was appointed to the Virginia Council on Women by Gov. Ralph Northam.
Alencia is a sought after commentator featured on MSNBC and CNN, and covered in BET, NPR, Washington Post, ESSENCE, Glamour and more.
Liv Lewis is an award-winning communications strategist, integrated marketing expert, and culture savant. With over a decade of agency and entrepreneurial experience, she has worked on some of the world’s most compelling brands. Her experience spans over various consumer categories such as beauty (both prestige and mass), CPG, corporate communication, DE&I, entertainment, and lifestyle. She has managed integrated marketing efforts and communications efforts for global brands, such as Calvin Klein, Vera Wang, American Express, Johnson & Johnson’s Neutrogena, Fannie Mae, Bath & Body Works, Pfizer, Astellas, Banfi Wines, Army and Procter & Gamble brands including Crest, Tide, Downy, PUR and Duracell, My Black Is Beautiful, Olay, Pantene Gold Series, and Old Spice.
Lewis has a proven track record in successfully developing strategic and robust influencer programs that deliver on business objectives. She has a knack for cross-cultural strategic input and oversight, resonant strategies and creative executions that “stick.” She brings this quality to mature categories and start-ups alike. She has the ability to dive deep into a brand’s purpose and pull out the promotional a-ha that gets people talking. Applying her knowledge of media strategy and engineering strategic partnerships, Lewis has been instrumental in infusing brands in pop-culture relevant conversations. Her extensive experience in the industry sets her apart; she is brilliant in media relations and continually keeps her finger on the pulse of understanding the kinds of programs that will resonate with consumers and generate results.
Throughout her career, Lewis has spent many years developing relationships with key influencers. Her ability to maintain strong working relationships has led to coverage for clients in top national media outlets including, The New York Times, Allure, In Style, Glamour, WWD, The Wall Street Journal and on national broadcast shows including The Today Show, The Ellen Degeneres Show, E! News, Entertainment Tonight and Access Hollywood. Lewis brings a fresh innovative approach to every campaign by facilitating outreach efforts, to providing strategic client counsel and ideas for multicultural and general market audiences along with developing and implementing MarComm programming for brands. While Liv understands the nature of the industry, she understands, even more, the driving force behind industry success - ...“It’s about telling meaningful stories, building, creating and nurturing brand relationships.”
Lewis makes an impact everyday – on brands, on clients, her fellow PR professional as well as her family and community. In 2019 she was recognized as one of PRNEWS’ 2019 Top Women in PR, an industry “Rock Star” by Ad Club of NY and is a regular speak and panelist on the topic of multicultural marketing.
She serves as Executive Vice President of Egami Group, an award-winning, multicultural integrated marketing and communications agency found on the belief that the brands that live, lead and operate “on purpose” can change the world. This purpose-inspired mission uniquely equips Egami to position its client partners at the intersection of consumer and culture.
Liv holds a B.A. in Communications from University of Maryland, College Park and an A.A.S. in Advertising and Marketing Communications from the Fashion Institute of Technology. A native of Hyattsville, Maryland, she currently resides in Teaneck, New Jersey with her two children.
Kai Deveraux Lawson, uses her lifelong passion for culture, and nearly a decade of experience in advertising, to tell honest stories that shed light on the need for Diversity & Inclusion in the workplace. Her experience led her to launch the culturally focused platforms, Mixed Company Podcast and her blog, Mylifeofkai.com. On these platforms, she shares her first hand experiences in life, travel and career, from the perspective of a millennial woman of color.
Kai has been a featured speaker for premier conferences including The 3% Conference and ADCOLOR, and has been featured in trade and cultural publications like Refinery29, ADWEEK, and ADAGE. She has also been honored as The-Dot’s 2019 International Women’s Day - 100 Trailblazers redefining the Creative Industry, HERoes 2020 Top 100 Women Future Leaders, The Advertising Club of New York’s 2020 Innovators Award, the Inaugural Blacklist100, for Cause & Community, Mogul’s Top 100 DEI Leaders in 2021 and The 2022 Adweek50.
Creative, traveler, culturist, and friendly provocateur. Shannon Washington is a busy woman.
Currently, Shannon serves as the US Chief Creative Officer, Connected Communications for R/GA US, the network’s largest and flagship region with a sharp focus on reshaping the region’s creative vision, fidelity and culture for a post-pandemic world.
Since joining R/GA in 2020, her intersectional and craft-centric style of leadership has led to a renewed creative vigor in the office, netting an impressive set of wins to include 4 Webbys (including 2022 Agency of the Year), 3 ADC Cubes, 5 Clios, 2 AICP Awards and 2 Cannes Lions, with her sights set on another successful season for 2023. In addition, her approach has earned her two distinctive honors: The AdWeek 100 and one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business for 2022.
Forever hands-on, Shannon actively leads creative work for Sephora, Samsung, and The Ad Council/Love Has No Labels in addition to supporting her cadre of leaders across Verizon, Mattress Firm, Reddit, Nike and many more. When she can, Shannon also lends her expertise to a number of independent and women-owned brands like The McBride Sisters Wine Company.
Shannon joined R/GA after a stint in Los Angeles with Media Arts Lab, where she helped launch Apple TV+ and build a foundation for original content marketing in the Apple ecosystem, and at Deutsch Los Angeles where she led H&R Block. Previous to Los Angeles, Shannon was at Droga5 NY, where she led the culture-driven “I Am What I Make Up” relaunch of CoverGirl and the launch of You Invest with Chase.
In her spare time, Shannon works to fuse her many passions into action and service. She is the founder of PARLOUR, travel experience company for black women. In 2019, she also created TONI, a social space for Black women in marketing and advertising. A huge mentorship advocate, she has also served as a mentor with New Inc, The One School, and currently serves as a board member of The Marcus Graham Project.
When she can, Shannon can be found actively adding to the discourse around the culture of leadership and inclusivity in advertising through paneling and public conversations. When she's not in front of a monitor, Shannon is working on adding another stamp to her passport or attempting to run a 10 minute mile.
Shannon is a proud and loud graduate of Howard University and lives in New Jersey.
About Aaron: Recognized as a trailblazer and thought leader, Aaron Walton’s focus on innovation and cultural engagement has transformed traditional marketing and advertising strategies. As the CEO / co-founder of Walton Isaacson (WI), a full-service advertising agency, with offices in Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas and New York, Aaron’s focus is squarely on identifying unseen opportunities rooted in cultural insights and connections, transforming the definition of the agency model by prioritizing diversity of thinking and encouraging strategic solutions that defy tradition. Founded in partnership with famed NBA superstar and entrepreneurial legend, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, WI has built inventive and dynamic business relationships with brands and organizations such as Lexus, McDonald's, Bristol Myers Squibb, JP Morgan Chase, and Spalding. His leadership in the advertising community has led to several industry Board positions including a 2022 appointment to the National Board of the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A’s). During 2020, Walton was elected to Co-President of ThinkLA after serving on the Board of Directors of this prestigious nonprofit advertising trade association for three years. He is also a member of the Ad Age Diversity Council and the AIMM/ANA Catalyst Committee. A recipient of Babson College’s Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Award, Aaron also was recognized by the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A's) as one of the 100 People Who Make Advertising Great and is member of the Ebony Magazine Power 100 list.
About Renetta: Renetta McCann has been recognized as one of the leading innovators and most influential executives in the advertising, marketing and media industries, with a global reputation for not only building brands, but also the organizations and leadership to sustain them. As Chief Inclusion Experience Officer for Publicis Groupe, she works to drive inclusion at all levels of the organization, with an emphasis on ensuring that the company’s clients are benefiting from the many strategic advantages that diverse teams deliver. Renetta is no stranger to the Publicis family. She began her career at Leo Burnett, and, after a long tenure, she became the CEO of Starcom MediaVest Group Worldwide. Under her leadership, client billings exceeded $26 billion and the global workforce rose to over 6,000 people. Most recently, she served as the Chief Talent Officer for Leo Burnett USA as well as Publicis Communications North America. She is a frequent name in the press. In 2002, she was named "Corporate Executive of the Year" by Black Enterprise magazine and was selected Ad Woman of the Year by the Chicago Advertising Federation. Essence named her one of "50 Women Who are Changing the World” and she received a Matrix Award in 2006 from New York Women in Communications. She has appeared on the pages of Advertising Age, Business Week and Chicago magazine. In 2014 the American Advertising Federation honored her with a Diversity Achievement Award for her contributions as an Industry Influential and she received The Pantheon Award from the 4A’s MAIP program. Recently, she was featured on Adweek’s list of “11 Inspiring Women Who Have Broken Down Advertising’s Most Persistent Barriers.” On September 10, 2020, Renetta was honored with an ADCOLOR lifetime Achievement Award and the Sheldon J. Levy Leadership Award. In October 2020, Renetta will receive the Chicago Advertising Federation’s Silver Medal Award.
Aubrey Walker III was trained at the Portfolio Center, School for Creative Communication Arts in
Atlanta, GA. In his first year of the two-year program, Aubrey was recruited as a Copywriter with MATLOCK, working on Publix, BellSouth and BMW.
In 2000, Aubrey joined CHWA in Oakland, California as a Copywriter, working directly under Carol H. Williams, the only African American woman in the Advertising Hall of Fame. While under her tutelage Aubrey quickly became the lead writer on Coors Light.
Not long after, Aubrey moved to Chicago as an ACD at Burrell. His duties there were McDonalds, P&G, Heineken, Bacardi and Verizon. For the TIDE brand Aubrey created the award winning global spot, “Nostalgia Dad.” Today, it’s still one of the highest ranked spot in the history of P&G.
In 2006 Aubrey accepted a position with The TRUE Agency a subsidiary of TBWA in Los Angeles, California. His client duties were primarily on Nissan North America.
In 2010 Aubrey accepted an Associate Creative Director role on the Jeep brand at Globalhue. There he led the team on the Call of Duty and Jeep partnership.
In 2012 Aubrey became a Creative Director at commonground in Chicago, IL. There he led the Nike High School basketball account, Nike Marathon, Nissan North America and Bacardi USA Brands.
In 2015 Aubrey became the Creative Director of Ideation and Content at GMR in New Berlin, WI. His accounts included, the NFL, Chobani, Miller Lite, Amazon, Pepsi, Johnsonville Brats, TuneIn and Lincoln Financial.
And in 2016 Aubrey joined MKTG Chicago as VP Creative Director over Nike, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Maven, Gatorade, Propel Water and Beats By Dre.
Aubrey then opened his own company, TEACHERS NEVER LIKED US where their main client was Four Loko.
In 2019, Aubrey received an offer to become the first Executive Creative Director of OKRP in Chicago where his role would be to manage the creative department on accounts such as Illinois Lottery, Ace Hardware, Cars.com, Nerds, P&G, Illinois Dept of Tourism, Home Chef & Black Shop Friday.
Currently, Aubrey is the ECD of OKRP and Founder and CCO of a minority owned start-up production and creative agency, PUTNEY. Along with his partner, Elena Robinson.
As Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion at Droga5, Tiffany Edwards is a change agent and an unshakable advocate for diversity and inclusion (D&I) in the creative industry. Since joining Droga5 in 2016 as its first diversity leader, Tiffany has played a pivotal role in the agency’s journey. Her tenacity and focus on ensuring Droga5 upholds its commitment to diversity permeates every aspect of our workplace.
She has led internal efforts around diverse talent, agency-wide training and policy and practice change; worked with leaders to ensure their pipelines are broad and their workflows are inclusive; launched D5in10, an award-winning diversity program; built a robust employee-driven community via the diversity and inclusion initiative D+iQ and got Droga5 involved in external programs and initiatives that are hard at work making the creative industry more inclusive and diverse. Tiffany’s force comes to life through leadership and actions that have improved the way Droga5—and the industry at large—thinks about and, more importantly, acts around diversity and inclusion.
Tiffany joined Droga5 after three years at the Advertising Club of New York, where she served as the organization's first Foundation and Inclusion Manager, managing their i’mPART diversity program and developing the models for their annual Women’s Master Class and Women’s Fellowship. Prior to that, she spent seven years at the One Club, where she developed and directed award-winning diversity programs, including the international One Club Creative Boot Camp and the Where Are All the Black People? career-fair series. Outside of her day job, Tiffany continues the push to diversify the industry, mentoring students from various high schools and colleges, sitting on the board of Women Who Create and the executive board of Madison's Collective. She’s a proud member of the ADCOLOR family—an ongoing jury member—a 2010 Rising Star Award recipient and a former member of ADCOLOR's advisory board.
[Season 4: EP 59] Simeon Coker (Twitter) Creative Development Manager & Dorado Quick (The Springhill Company) Creative Director, Writer - Guest Co-Host Kendra D. Croft (Ten35) Associate Creative Director
Simeon is an award-winning Creative Director, 21st Century People Manager, and DEI accomplice working to change how brands and marketers create and engage with consumers. He started his career working in media sales, then transitioned to advertising where he worked at various agencies on integrated campaigns. Simeon is now the Creative Development Manager at Twitter Next where he works to grow conversations on the platform through innovative ideas.
Dorado seamlessly blends culture into branding, marketing, and advertising. His style of storytelling has taken brands further into culture than they’ve ever been before. Cannes Lions, Clios, Pencils, Effie awards, and more - his work has received international recognition on every stage. Dorado is an alumnus of the One Club Creative Boot Camp, the VCU Brandcenter, the Adcolor Futures program, Google AdByte, and The LAGRANT Foundation. Most recently selected into the inaugural class of the DC Comics Milestone Initiative, he is developing the craft of comic book writing, graphic novels, and screenwriting.
An Afro-Latino native New Yorker, Jason Rosario has spent most of his life breaking down barriers and building up inclusive cultures. He is passionate about innovation and the power of creativity to drive change.
As Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer, Jason oversees diversity, equity and inclusion practices across BBDO Worldwide—the most awarded agency network in the world. In this role, he impacts agency diversity policy and plans, recruitment, retention, training, and education. He also influences the agency’s creative to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion, in the network, the industry, and in society at large.
Jason is an expert at helping brands identify and implement inclusive practices at the enterprise level, having worked with top clients including Netflix, Yahoo!, Spotify, and Huffington Post. Prior to joining BBDO, Jason worked for Verizon Media Group as Manager of Global Diversity & Inclusion and was the Executive Producer and Host of the Yahoo! News original web series “Dear Men.”
In 2017, he founded The Lives of Men, a social impact creative agency that explores themes around masculinity, mental health and culture. He has facilitated numerous workshops on allyship, psychological safety, race, and culture in partnership with organizations like ADCOLOR and the One Show.
Jason is a graduate of NYU’s Stern School of Business with prior experience in financial services. He sits on the board of Made of Millions, a non-profit organization changing the negative stigmas around mental health. In 2019 he was selected as one of Black Enterprise’s “BE Modern Men of Distinction.”
When he’s not working, Jason enjoys spending time with the people he holds closest and is an avid reader, music aficionado, and lover of menswear.
Gary Williams and Tamon George make up the DC-based creative agency, Creative Theory. They might have met as photographers but have since grown their business to where they now pick and chose creatives to work with. The two share their 1st lives as 9-5'ers and professional athletes and what put them on the entrepreneur path.
Tamon and Gary and I chat about the importance of family, the role of authenticity and inclusivity in life and business.
For more information about Creative Theory: https://creativetheory.agency/
To follow Gary on IG @masterwilliams
To follow Tamon on IG @Tamon_
Corey Lipsey is a talented strategist with over ten years’ experience building innovative client solutions and optimizing customer-driven experiences. He’s an enthusiastic and curious leader focused on global market expansion and fintech innovations.
As VP of Global Business Development and Strategy at Citi, Corey actively collaborates with internal and externals partners in strategy development, deal structuring, negotiation, and project implementation.
Corey received his MBA from Howard University School of Business in Washington, DC, concentrating in International Business and Strategic Management. He’s a passionate global citizen with emerging market experience as a former Consulting Fellow with Africa Foresight Group. In his free time, Corey enjoys art on the weekends, staying active, travelling, and a good brunch.
Wade thrives in spaces where people aspire to create a new status quo. As an early hire at Airtable, where he joined as the 2nd Account Executive on the Enterprise Sales team, Wade leveraged his accumulated learnings from thousands of customer conversations to pivot his career from Sales to Product, currently working in Product Strategy & Operations at the company. Prior to Airtable, Wade began his career in LinkedIn’s Business Leadership Program after graduating from Stanford University. While at Stanford, he joined the Nu Sigma chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and walked on the Men's Basketball team, winning 2 NIT championships and a trip to the Sweet 16 during his 4 years. In his free time, Wade loves working out, creating content to help people break into tech, and collecting sneakers.
Executive producer & Host of True Transitions Show. Catch New Episodes of True Transitions Every Sunday! For Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Content Follow Mei on Instagram: @TrueTransitionsTV and follow him @LookingFor_Mei
Ronnie Dickerson Stewart is an award-winning talent, inclusion, and executive leadership development consultant and the founder of OhHeyCoach, a Career Navigation and Leadership Development Consultancy.
For over 17 years, she built her career in advertising and marketing, initially focusing on media strategy and investment with Starcom, FCB/IPG, Burrell, and Digitas. In 2012, while with Digitas, she pivoted to serve in a new area: Talent Engagement, DEI, and People Development. From Digitas, she was promoted, and in 2020 matriculated to lead at the Publicis Groupe holding company level as Chief Diversity Officer. At a critical time during the global pandemic, she shifted to tech. She served as a DEI subject matter expert and accelerator tasked with helping rapidly build Zoom’s first Diversity Equity & Inclusion practice. Her mission was to intentionally advance product inclusion capabilities across Zoom’s engineering, product development, and marketing functions (including leading the launch of key Zoom product features and the development of Zoom’s first Diversity Equity & Inclusion Report).
At heart, Ronnie’s passion and purpose are to ensure professionals are positioned to experience the best careers of their lives, whether by helping to build healthier organizations for them to serve in, or by supporting their most critical career navigation needs. Through her consultancy, OhHeyCoach, from interns to C-Suite leaders, Ronnie has coached, consulted, and mentored thousands of professionals across the advertising, marketing, communications, PR, and Tech industries. She supports them in defining the future of work with inclusion and equity at the center while supporting them in designing personally impactful career journeys.
As an industry leader, Ronnie has received numerous honors and accolades, including but not limited to being named an ADCOLOR Rising Star (2010) & an ADCOLOR Industry Change Agent (2017) ADWEEK Young Influential (2020). She has also received a 4A’s Paragon Award (2018), the 3% Conference Nancy Hill Award (2019), and in 2021 was named a She Runs It Working Mother of the Year.
Join her mailing list: www.ohheyjoin.com
Listen to her podcast! The Career Clinic Podcast on all streaming platforms ✨ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-career-clinic-podcast/id1479878283
"I am originally from Texas with a background in printmaking and residency work, though I can still make a decent plate of fajitas. My work experience varies as I’ve worked as a curator, editor, product manager, and producer for VSCO as well as a creative producer for The New Company. Alongside I work as a photographer, photo assistant, and writer to create product marketing and editorial needs for clients." - Kameron Richie (Game Seven Marketing) Creative Producer
Kayla Robinson is a director, writer and artist born in San Antonio, TX. After receiving her B.A. in Advertising from The University of Texas at Austin, she began her career as an art director in New York and Silicon Valley developing award-winning ads and films for top brands like Apple and Snickers.
Passionate about capturing authentic human experiences, Kayla harnesses vulnerability as a superpower. Her first short film ‘Ball is Ball’, inspired by her own experience with sexual trauma, received high praise for its honest portrayal of PTSD in sexual assault survivors. Her latest film, ‘Quilted Education’, is a touching documentary short that celebrates her mother’s artistry and drive to keep Black History alive through quilting.
Adrian Octavius Walker is a mixed media artist/photographer whose work seeks to expand the canon surrounding the nuances of Black life through tenderness and grit. His fascination with the tangible is the driving force to expand his visual language through various materials. Walker’s passion lies in using his practice to platform critical discourse around the imagination in black nostalgia. His work cast questions that inspire the viewer to investigate their own biases and opportunities for community engagement. Adrian’s approach to both still photography and sculpture is rooted in his commitment to archiving Black stories for the future. Ultimately, Adrian Octavius Walker uses his practice as a space to discover, document, and reminisce about the cultural impact of Black life in America.
Originally from Mobile, Alabama, The South holds a special place in Akoua’s heart. Feeling destined to do more, Akoua attended Savannah College of Art and Design and earned her B.F.A, majoring in Advertising with a minor in Photography.
Ready to take on the industry, Akoua spent time at Goodbye, Silverstein & Partners, Matchstic and CNN before moving to the West coast for Google Brand Studio. During her 3 years at Google, Akoua was a key part and leader of many internal initiatives. Aside from being an invaluable member of the Brand Studio creative team as a Brand Identity Designer, she co-founded and co-led the Intersectionality Employee Resource Group within Brand Studio and also founded Coffee Chats - a mentorship program that aims to connect and support the next generation of Black designers in the industry.
Most recently she joined Cash App as a Senior designer on the Brand design team supporting Crypto.
Cimone Key is the founder and chief executive officer of Cimone Key Creative Studio, an award-winning branding and digital marketing agency. Growing up from coast to coast, with roots extending back to Germany, Cimone is well-traveled and well-versed in the world of design, connection, and entrepreneurship. It was her passion as a young girl, knowing in her heart she was born to utilize her perspective in a profound way, that inspired Cimone’s unique journey to open her own design studio.
It all began with her investment as a student at The Art Institute of Dallas, which propelled her into the world of design. Here, she was awarded the best portfolio of her graduating class, which recognized her engaging style and elegance. While growing up, Cimone battled with her eyesight and was declared legally blind at the age of 21. She knew this wouldn’t define her, for her purpose was much bigger than eyesight.
After undergoing laser surgery, she miraculously regained 20/20 vision and it changed her life forever. Soon thereafter, Cimone’s professional career advanced quickly into Corporate America, where she served three different Fortune 500 advertising agencies within the first 3 years. In 2015, she was unexpectedly fired and thus began her journey to start a business. Within her first year in business, she then pursued a Web Design Certificate at Southern Methodist University (SMU) in order to offer her clients an array of services.
These experiences, combined with her faith and action, ultimately brought to fruition a full-service agency located in the prestigious Design District in Dallas.
As of today, CK Creative Studio is the agency that DEI (Diversity and Inclusion) brand managers from large corporations trust with their visual marketing presence, and for small businesses who objectively seek out a boutique agency to handle all of their needs.
Additionally, in early 2020, Cimone made the decision to integrate an innovative shared office space for creative entrepreneurs in the Dallas area to work together, learn from each other, and ultimately grow their skills in a collaborative, supportive environment.
CK Creative Studio has become a creative hub for entrepreneurs who need a place to grow their skills, collaborate, and have a supportive clique.
Christian Lowe is the founder and creator of The Green Book Project. A mobile app that helps people from marginalized groups find inclusive businesses and avoid discrimination. Prior to founding The Green Book Project, Christian worked as a software engineer at Change.org, where he developed digital tools that help everyday people create the change they want to see. In addition to his work at The Green Book Project, Christian also sits on the Board of Trustees for Semester at Sea and is a loud and proud graduate of Texas A&M University. When he's not working on The Green Book Project, Christian can be found strumming tunes on his acoustic guitar or playing Dungeons and Dragons with his friends.
Warren Jones is an entrepreneur, creative strategist and experience curator currently assisting brands in their efforts to engage diverse communities in meaningful, impactful ways. He is the Co-Founder of Toasted Life, a community-based experiential brand that specializes in designing 360 lifestyle experiences and engagements that center the needs of multicultural audiences through events, activations and cultural programming. Prior to becoming a full-time entrepreneur and consultant, Warren managed cultural programs for Airbnb's design team in their SF headquarters helping to establish creative equity, advocacy and belonging within the organization's culture. Prior to Airbnb, Warren managed diversity programs at Apple Inc. where he served on the Inclusion & Diversity team with an emphasis on recruitment and retention strategy. With a bachelor degree in marketing from Morehouse College, Warren's journey from brand strategy in advertising to cultural advocacy in silicon valley has been a catalyst for his entrepreneurial pursuits and passion for the advancement and holistic wellness of marginalized communities. When not in the lab, Warren enjoys connecting with other creators and founders, being in nature, traveling, and spending time with his tribe.
Annie Jean-Baptiste is the author of Building for Everyone, the first book about building inclusive products across the intersections of 12 dimensions of diversity.
She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with degrees in International Relations & Political Science. She is an avid Boston sports fan & loves to bring her dog Hercules to work.
She formerly served as an intrapreneur in residence at the University Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education, a facilitator for Penn’s Chief Learning Officer Business Acumen program and a member of both the CTA Health Equity and Access Leadership (HEAL) Coalition and sits on the IEEE's Executive committee, Ethically Aligned Design committee and co-chairs the DEI committee. She’s been inducted into the Haitian Roundtable’s 1804 society as “One to Watch” and inducted as one of the 30 Black Stars for Face to Face Africa in 2019. Annie is a former American Heart Association spokesperson and a One Young World ambassador, focused on healthy lifestyles in underserved communities. She is also a former Hack the Hood mentor.
Annie is also the Head of Product Inclusion at Google. She leads Product Inclusion strategy across the company and consults with various Alphabet companies, including consultation, communications, scale and research and created the movement 3 years ago as a way to ensure historically marginalized users felt validated throughout the product design process.
She formerly created programs related to Diversity talent management and career development within several technical product areas within Google. Annie is passionate about making the web work for underserved communities while ensuring that Google is a place where everyone shines for their differences.
She’s been covered in Vogue, Essence Magazine, Business Insider, Teen Vogue, InStyle, MSNBC, CNBC, ABC, Cheddar, Business Insider, the Huffington Post, the Root, the Council of Fashion Designers of America Annual Report, The Miami Times, Bustle,Boston Globe and Fortune Magazine.
Her book, Building for Everyone, is available now. Connect with her on social media: @its_me_ajb.
Natasha Aarons is an award winning marketer and AdAge 40 Under 40 class of 2020 honoree, with a deep expertise in crafting marketing strategies and campaigns at the intersection of culture, entertainment and technology. Currently she is the Vice President of Brand Marketing for BET+. Most recently, she was at DoorDash as the Director of Marketing for Caviar. Prior, she led US Multicultural Marketing for Google Devices & Services, overseeing marketing strategies targeted underrepresented consumers and prior, led Influencer & Experiential Marketing for Google Mobile Hardware, where she cultivated marketing partnerships with celebrities, mid-tier and micro-influencers and manages brand experiences that amplify consumer engagement. Previously, Natasha was the Music Industry Marketing Manager at YouTube, where she lived out her passion of empowering artists careers' with technology and led YouTube’s marquee activations at SXSW, Grammys, Latin Grammys and BET Awards. Prior to joining YouTube/Google, she worked at Verizon Wireless where she developed advertising marketing strategies and led multicultural social media and digital strategy. Natasha started her career in the music industry, aiding the development of artists' careers, at Bad Boy Records in Marketing and then Jive Records/Sony Music as a Manager of Video Promotions. She is a native New Yorker and proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Natasha received her BSBA from Georgetown University and MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.
Myles Worthington is the Founder and CEO of WORTHI, an ethnographic marketing, communications and content company. Ethnography is the study of human cultures, and that’s what WORTHI does – steeps themselves in the behaviors of various people around the world, and creates the cultural relevance between their unique needs, and a brand’s unique story, to create a lasting bond.
As the company CEO and principal strategist, Myles partners with major brands like Paramount+, Lionsgate, Peloton and P&G (to name a few) to build and execute upon strategies that keep these brands relevant and resonant for traditionally underserved communities of people, including Black, Latinx, LGBTQ+, Asian and Pacific Islander, People with Disabilities, and every intersectionality in between.
Prior to building his own foundation with WORTHI, Myles held various roles at multiple communications agencies before coming to Netflix and starting the Multicultural PR practice in 2016. He later moved to the marketing org to start (and eventually lead) the multicultural Brand & Editorial team. His efforts are responsible for pioneering initiatives like Strong Black Lead, Con Todo, Most and Netflix Golden which were sub-brands and digital communities that focused on creating content and conversation for Black, Latinx, LGBTQ+ and AAPI audiences respectively. He built those teams and the internal corporate energy towards audience related work from scratch, and proudly led that organization until he left the company in April 2022.
Myles’ professional purpose is simple: to change the industry for the better, and to destroy the common misconception that niche tactics will yield niche results. Specificity should be seen as a secret weapon.
Myles is also a husband, father of three, lover of the outdoors, avid swimmer, and big time car buff.
Gail’s commitment to advocacy and social change runs deep, dating back to her experiences in the 60s as part of the first wave of Black students to integrate her hometown school system and including frontline activism in the form of protests against racial injustice, the Vietnam War and apartheid. With over 35 years of advertising industry experience, Gail has led diversity and inclusion efforts, employee onboarding, project management, creative resourcing and production and studio services at J. Walter Thompson and TracyLocke ad agencies. Her ongoing passion for diversity and inclusion is continued in her role of Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at The Integer Group. Her role spans Integer’s U.S. network of agencies, including Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Bentonville, Des Moines, Los Angeles and New York. Reporting directly to Integer’s CEO Ellen Cook, and working closely with its executive leadership team, Obaseki leads efforts to evaluate and enhance Integer’s strategies and initiatives, ensuring the agency’s DEI-specific mission is prioritized and inherent to its DNA. (Season 3 of “A Dose of Black Joy & Caffeine" podcast is presented by The Integer Group)
Kofi is the Chief Marketing Officer at DoorDash. He began his career at Leo Burnett Chicago & Leo Burnett London where he worked with Kellogg's, Coca Cola, and Global Giving. Prior to his role at DoorDash, Kofi was VP of Brand & Consumer Marketing at Facebook, having previously served as the company’s Head of Consumer Marketing for internet.org. Before Facebook, Kofi was Chief Strategy Officer at FCB New York. He joined FCB from Bacardi Global Brands, where he was the Global Communications Director for the Rum category and the architect for the reinvention of the Bacardi brand. As the Founder and Managing Director of Publicis West Africa, Kofi created and launched the first majority-owned network agency on the African continent. As the Senior Strategic Planner on Nike at Wieden+Kennedy, Kofi crafted the strategy for Nike’s global Beijing Olympics campaign. Kofi was a recipient of AdWeek’s CMO award in 2021, and in 2020, he was named to Business Insider's list of "25 CMO's To Watch" and honored with AdWeek's "Brand Genius" award. In September 2017, Kofi won ADCOLOR’s “Rockstar” Award, and in 2014, he was named one of Ad Age’s “40 under 40.” (Season 3 of “A Dose of Black Joy & Caffeine" podcast is presented by The Integer Group)
Mars is a Sr. Strategy Lead at EA Sports where he spearheads marketing campaigns for Madden, College Football, and PGA. Previously to this, Mars worked in partnerships at Spotify where he co-led the west coast region creative solutions department. During his time at Spotify he expanded existing programs such as Black History is Now, Fresh Finds, and Film And TV Favorites. He also initiated ongoing projects like Spotify For Brands Outside Voice series. Before joining Spotify, Mars got his start in strategy by working at creative agencies where he worked on brands such as:, , Nike, Carls Jr., Infiniti, and Adidas. When Mars isn’t working on the brands you love he’s developing musical talent with his newly launched full service artist + production management company; Hometeam Records. He is also an advocate for continuous self education where he devotes time to learning about the music business, Web3, real estate, and startups. (Season 3 of “A Dose of Black Joy & Caffeine" podcast is presented by The Integer Group)
Whitney McGowan has been working in entertainment marketing over the last 10 years, and has loved every minute of it. From medium to large networks, Whitney has been innovating how people watch and engage with a broad range of TV shows, whether it’s on social media, out of home or a streaming platform. Whitney worked at Netflix on the Global Creative Marketing team, producing creative and social media campaigns for some of your favorite Unscripted Originals. She also launched and led strategy for the brand and editorial channel: Netflix Food. Prior to that, she was the Head of Social Media at WNET: New York Public Meda. In her free time, Whitney has co-founded a community dinner series with her friends in LA and co-hosts a podcast about Black entertainment. But, she still makes time to take care of her plant babies, hang with her dog Carlitos, hike in beautiful LA and watch way too much TV. (Season 3 of “A Dose of Black Joy & Caffeine" podcast is presented by The Integer Group)
Episode Notes:
Follow her podcast: (IG) @lookatuspod // anchor.fm/look-at-us-pod/
Dinner party tingz: (IG) @sanghasocial
Matt “BK” Augustin is an integral part of the Brand Partnerships & Business Development teams at FaZe Clan, the world’s largest and most prominent gaming organization. As Director of Brand & Creative Strategy, BK is responsible for pitching ideas to our current partners, seeking out new biz opportunities, overseeing brand and creative strategy for all brand sponsors, copywriting, project & brand management. (Season 3 of “A Dose of Black Joy & Caffeine" podcast is presented by The Integer Group)
As a 20-year veteran of the advertising industry, Shameka has shifted her creative focus toward executive coaching and leadership development. As a thought partner, she is now using innovation and her award-winning creativity to help tackle business problems like attrition and retention, one engagement at a time. Shameka is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Syracuse University. She later earned her master’s degree from the VCU Adcenter and her coaching certification from Columbia University. Shameka has earned a certification in the Foundations of NeuroLeadership from the NeuroLeadership Institute (NLI.) She is also a certified practitioner of the Neethling Brain Instruments® (NBI®,) Team Diagnostic Survey (TDS) and the Hogan HPI, HDS and MVPI assessments. (Season 3 of “A Dose of Black Joy & Caffeine" podcast is presented by The Integer Group)
Fort Worth-based entrepreneur Jonathan Morris set out to create a fresh take on the barbershop experience in Fort Worth. In 2014, Fort Worth Barber Shop officially opened its doors and quickly became one of the city’s premier men’s grooming establishments. Morris is also the co-founder of Memo Hospitality Group, the developers of the recently opened Hotel Dryce, a 21-room craft hotel in Fort Worth’s Cultural District. He is also the host of Magnolia Network’s “Self Employed.” In this docu-series, Morris travels the country to share the inspirational stories and new challenges of fellow small business owners and their journeys to building their dream jobs. (Season 3 of “A Dose of Black Joy & Caffeine" podcast is presented by The Integer Group)
Amoya Buggs refills our cup with a dose of peace. Amoya Buggs has 10+ years of experience delivering exceptional client service, driving growth, and building high-performance teams. Amoya has worn many hats in client service, ranging from PR manager to social media manager to email marketer. A consistent thread is her passion for content strategy. When she isn’t nurturing client relationships with her unique ability to “bring the joy”, she is serving on the ADCOLOR Planning committee, curating the ADCOLOR FUTURES program to build the next generation of diverse talent in advertising or traveling with her husband or twin sister. (Season 3 of “A Dose of Black Joy & Caffeine" podcast is presented by The Integer Group)
Media executive, entrepreneur, and storyteller David A. Wilson joins us to chat about the joy he receives from developing and launching culturally focused media platforms. David is the co-founder of TheGrio, and served as SVP of BET Digital & Studios. Most recently David co-founded AFAR Ventures, a production company dedicated to developing content and opportunities for Afro-Brazilians and major brands looking to engage them. AFAR in partnership with Netflix Brazil created Colaboratorio Criativo, the most expansive diversity project in the history of Latin American media, which develops the leading Black storytellers into scripted episodic TV series creators. In 2009 David launched the TheGrio, one of the largest African-American digital news sites. TheGrio is credited for helping to bring stories such as Trayvon Martin's death to national attention. (Season 3 of “A Dose of Black Joy & Caffeine" podcast is presented by The Integer Group)
Forbes 30 Under 30 very own Jazmin Burrell refills Jimmy McDaniels (Season 3 Guest Co-Host) cup with a dose of confidence. In additional to her 9-5 Jazmin leads her own creative practice named after her great-grandmother, Lizzie Della Creative Strategies, that specifically works with small and upcoming minority and women-led businesses to help them find their voice in a crowded market that often overlooks diverse perspectives. Jazmin has been recognized by The Drum Future 50 and as a nominee for ADCOLOR's Rising Star award. (Season 3 of “A Dose of Black Joy & Caffeine" podcast is presented by The Integer Group)
For our first double guests episode we chat with the co-founders of the Marcus Graham Project. This year is their 15 Year Anniversary! Tune in to learn more about how an idea inspired by a film emerged into a non-profit social enterprise seeking to change the face of the media, marketing and advertising industry. They walk us through the weekend of activities planned, including our annual gala, Lavender Hill, which honors outstanding community, corporate, and alumni honorees. (Season 3 of “A Dose of Black Joy & Caffeine" podcast is presented by The Integer Group)
Elisha Greenwell was born and raised in Northern California, earned her B.A. from UC Santa Barbara and her M.F.A. from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Throughout her 18 year marketing career she has developed award-winning community-centric brand strategy for Nike, Target, Starbucks and Verizon. In 2018 she was the recipient of the ADCOLOR Change Agent award after founding The Black Joy Parade, a 30k-person movement celebrating Black culture and community. She currently lives in Oakland, Ca where she continues to run The Black Joy Parade, now in its 5th year, while serving on the board of the Huey Newton Foundation, and working as the Director of Social Impact at MasterClass to develop best-in-class learning for underserved communities. (Season 3 of “A Dose of Black Joy & Caffeine" podcast is presented by The Integer Group)
"I just need some space" and there's nothing wrong with that. Tune in as we chat with Kozza. Kozza Babumba is currently the Head of Social at Genius. He works primarily within the intersection of music, pop culture and social media, with an emphasis on community and connection. On this episode he talks about how more 9-5's and people should allow more space in their lives to process world events and so much more. (Season 3 of “A Dose of Black Joy & Caffeine" podcast is presented by The Integer Group)
It’s time to get grounded with “@justcallmesio”. Sioban (Shavon) Massiah is a Live Event Content and Programming Associate Producer at Twitter by day and Storytelling Strategist by night. She uses her passion for the art of storytelling to create powerful and impactful events and content for the last 15 years, as well as write powerful personal essays for websites such as Refinery29.com as well as for her website, JustCallMeSio.com, and contributed to multiple podcasts, as well as co-hosted one of her own, Same Energy Podcast. The best way to describe her is the perfect mix of Michelle Obama, Erykah Badu, Iyanla Vanzant, and Cardi B. (Season 3 of “A Dose of Black Joy & Caffeine" podcast is presented by The Integer Group)
Mark Clennon is a Los Angeles-based photographer with a particular focus on editorial, commercial and documentary projects. Adeptly jumping between these forms of photography, which he’s been practicing since leaving his tech career in 2017, Mark’s goal is to capture the Black experience in its totality. His images are therefore nuanced and multifaceted, capturing joy, pain, triumph and everything in between. Mark C. continue to define his own lane in the photography industry as one of the top photographers. Tune in as he shares a never before told story about how he got started in the industry. (Season 3 of “A Dose of Black Joy & Caffeine" podcast is presented by The Integer Group)
Season 3 guest co-host Jimmy McDaniels (VP, Experience Architecture & Design at Integer) joins the podcast for a conversation with Dana Blair. As a veteran both in front of and behind the camera, Dana Blair knows a thing or two about creating captivating conversations. Her one-on-one interviews have carried her from the boxing ring with Venus Williams to sharing the red carpet with the likes of Shonda Rhimes, Will Packer, Angela Bassett, and Ryan Coogler amongst many other top entertainers and powerhouses. Tune in as Jimmy and Dana chat about their Louisiana roots and how Dana refills her cup of self-care. (Season 3 of “A Dose of Black Joy & Caffeine" podcast is presented by The Integer Group)
Jabari Hearn, SVP Marketing & Entertainment joins us for part 2 of our season 3 premiere episode. Over the course of his career, Jabari Hearn has earned a formidable reputation as a forward-thinking marketing executive who connects mission-driven brands with the heartbeat of popular, urban culture to reach the next generation of consumers. Jabari’s personal mission is to “be the change and inspire it in others”, which is why he co-founded a company called Monday Night Mentorship, built to coach and mentor marketers of color during the 2020 pandemic. (Season 3 of “A Dose of Black Joy & Caffeine" podcast is presented by The Integer Group)
Tech, content and culture marketing executive Erika Bennett helps us kick off season 3 of “A Dose of Black Joy & Caffeine” on part 1 of our season premiere episode Erika encourages our listeners to have more self-compassion for themselves. Erika has sparked conversation, shaped opinion and driven results for some of the world's most prestigious entertainment and consumer brands through insights-driven campaigns that have created meaningful and mutually beneficial brand/consumer relationships. Bennett reminds the audience that wealth and well-being are their birthright and how in this season she is reminded not to be so hard on herself for all the ways she is expected to show up for others. (Season 3 of “A Dose of Black Joy & Caffeine" podcast is presented by The Integer Group)
We’re excited to end Season 2 with the human diamond Bozoma Saint John (badassboz) who dropped gems on gems on gems. Tune in to hear from the Hall of Fame Marketer 22’, AAF Advertising Hall of Achievement Inductee 14’, Former CMO Netflix, Endeavor, Uber, and Marketing Executive Apple & Pepsi for “A Dose of Boz” Super thankful to have the G.O.A.T join us! Share this episode with a friend on social and give Boz her flowers!
Lights! Camera! Entertainment. On this episode we chat with Jason White! Jason White is the Chief Marketing Officer for ViacomCBS’ MTV Entertainment Group. Previously, White served as CMO of Curaleaf, the nation’s largest cannabis provider. Prior to that, he was Executive Vice President and Global Head of Marketing for Beats by Dr. Dre. While there, he oversaw the award-winningcampaigns including Straight Outta Compton, LeBron James’ Re-Established and product launches with Serena Williams, Cam Newton, DJ Khaled and Pharrell, among others. Before Beats, White spent nearly a decade at Wieden+Kennedy, most recently as the Managing Director in the Shanghai office, where he oversaw the Nike brand work for many breakthrough global campaigns including the Beijing and London Olympics. White sits on a number of boards, including the diversity initiative Marcus Graham Project, Monday Night Mentorship for mid-level marketers of color, and Caldera Arts, an Oregon non-profit to provide creative outlets to youth with limited opportunities.
On this episode Brittany Allen and I chat with Karla Davis. Karla Davis is a high performing leader whose innovative spirit, influence and partnership is helping to change the face of beauty. Karla leads the Integrated Marketing Communications and Media Team for Ulta Beauty, and in her 6 year tenure, she has built the Integrated Marketing Communications function for the company, overseeing Category Marketing, Equity Communications, Media & Social Strategy, Brand Partnership Development, Grand Openings and Local Marketing. She helped establish the brand’s positioning, brand identity and brand purpose and launched Ulta Beauty’s first ever national advertising campaign. More recently, Karla was named to Essence Magazine’s Pretty Powerful List of Influential Black Beauty Executives and became an inaugural member of 25 Black Women in Beauty. From a broader industry perspective, she has been featured in Adweek’s Innovators Series, on the mainstage for the ANA’s Multicultural Summit, and in AdAge’s Retail and Media Summits. In response to her career-long impact in the marketing industry, Karla will be inducted into the prestigious American Advertising Federation’s Hall of Achievement, as part of the Class of 2020.
On this episode of a Dose of Black Joy & Caffeine we chat about how to show up unapologetically as your WHOLE-SELF! Brandon Rochon, Managing Chief Creative Officer has spent his whole career trying to find interesting ways to not make advertising, but build brands that are some of the most loved brands in culture. Brandon has won every single major award in the industry on both continents and is one of the world’s youngest and freshest CCO’s in the business including: 2019 AAF Hall of Achievement Inductee, 2019 ADCOLOR One Club Creative Award, Los Angeles Business Journal’s Most Influential Marketers 2019, Ad Age 40 Under 40 2018, and 4A’s 100 People Who Make Advertising Great 2017. But when you meet him you will realize he’s just a kid with a big heart.
On this episode of A Dose of Black Joy & Caffeine Brittany Allen and Adu chat with Lizette Williams, a leading marketing and advertising executive with expertise at driving the convergence of brands and culture. Tune in as she shares her on P.O.V on what it takes to bring new ideas to life and revisit old ideas to keep things fresh. Lizette’s love of all things “culture” comes from being a born-and-raised New Yorker (and proud “Afro-Latina.”) Lizette serves as the Global Head of Vertical Solutions Marketing at Facebook where she leads a global marketing team tasked with developing progressive marketing approaches to inspire and enable businesses across ten industries including eCommerce, Retail, Gaming, and Entertainment. This combination of platform and digital work allows her to continue to drive cultural relevance and impact on a broader scale.
On this episode we chat with Dr. Marcus Collins who is an award-winning marketer and cultural translator with one foot in the world of practice—serving as the Chief Strategy Officer at Wieden+Kennedy New York—and one foot in the world of academia—as a marketing professor at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan. His deep understanding of brand strategy and consumer behavior has helped him bridge the academic-practitioner gap for blue-chip brands and startups alike. Prior to his advertising tenure, Marcus began his career in music and tech with a startup he co-founded before working on iTunes + Nike sport music initiatives at Apple and running digital strategy for Beyoncé.
On this episode of “A Dose of Black Joy & Caffeine'' we chat with music executive Tiffany R. Warren about a dose of empathy. As the world continues to redefine hiring practices, work from home policies and company culture the topic of empathy continues to be a huge topic of discussion for many business executives. Once a taboo subject, companies are going above and beyond to make sure that it’s a priority however for 2010 AAF Advertising Hall of Achievement Honoree Tiffany R. Warren (EVP, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Sony Music Group and Founder & President of ADCOLOR) it’s always been displayed in her leadership style. Tune in as we chat with the music executive about a dose of empathy and how much it has played a role in her leadership and communication style.
On this episode we chat with Cavel Khan who is the CRO of Tumblr responsible for global revenue, revenue operations, business marketing, AdTech and programmatic partnerships, and revenue strategy company-wide. Prior to Tumblr he was the SVP of Client Partnerships, North America at VICE. In his role he oversaw sales and account management teams for the region. Cavel Khan was a Senior Manager on the CPG vertical at Twitter. He led a team responsible for building partnerships and growing revenue with Twitter’s largest CPG advertisers across the US. He also led the CPG Mid-Market sales channel in a similar capacity. Before joining Twitter he spent 8 years at Microsoft in multiple roles. First, as part of the Client Services Organization, building out the East Coast search teams supporting Bing. He then focused on building advertising partnerships across Microsoft’s display, mobile, and gaming platforms. He is a 2020 Inductee into the American Advertising Federation’s Advertising Hall of Achievement. A 2019 recipient of the America on Tech Innovator and Disruptor Award for Sales. He is also a 2020 Advertising Club of New York ICON Award recipient. He earned his MBA in Marketing from Zicklin School of Business in New York.
Listen to a new episode of A Dose of Black Joy & Caffeine with Christena J. Pyle, Chief Equity Officer of dentsu Americas (2021 AAF Hall of Achievement Inductee) Christena is a driving force for diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging at dentsu, as well as a champion for meaningful progress across the broader creative industry. Tune in as she talks about finding a mentor/ally in the #Metaverse, the great resignation and her journey to being inducted to AAF Hall of Achievement.
On this episode of A Dose of Black Joy and Caffeine I chat with Dhane Scotti. Dhane is the Director of Global brand strategy and development at Google but most importantly a person who dreams big, motivates others and is driven to excel in all aspects of life, this requires an intense amount of FOCUS! Tune in as Dhane shares a few gems he has applied to his personal and professional life to stay focused leading up to being inducted into the AAF Advertising Hall of Achievement in 2018.
The season finale of A Dose of Black Joy & Caffeine is withGail Obaseki. Advertising and marketing trailblazer! Gail has had a huge impact on the careers of so many individuals in themarketing,advertising andPR industry. It was an honor to have her on the final episode of my podcast. I had to give you your flowers! Obaseki’s commitment to advocacy and social change runs deep, dating back to her experiences in the 60s as part of the first wave of Black students to integrate her hometown school system and including frontline activism in the form of protests against racial injustice, the Vietnam War and apartheid. Along with her husband, Thomas, Obaseki has also founded a DEI consultancy, ObasekiChange, LLC, whose main focus is “reaching hearts, changing minds” in this ongoing journey of racial and gender equity.
On this episode of A Dose of Black Joy and Caffeine I chat with my good friend and college buddy Christan Duncan about the HBCU experience. I always tell people that if I had to do college all over again I would not because I did it right the first time and could not imagine NOT attending Alabama A&M University. Chris Duncan is a native of St. Louis, Mo and graduate of Alabama A&M University, where he received his bachelors in Marketing. Duncan wears many hats: owner/ brand architect of THRSHLD, creative marketing studio, owner/marketing Director for Honor Roll Clothing, co-creator and creative marketing consultant of Curl Chefs, and Digital Marketing instructor at General Assembly. The through line for him is the art and science of marketing, allowing Duncan to use his creative and analytical brain. Duncan is a father of a 9 year old daughter and has committed himself to living a plant based diet for the past 4 years.
On this episode of A Dose of Black Joy & Caffeine I chat with Bukola Lili Akins, Creator of Jandus, Afrocast and Khin app about two things we both love, the tech world and afro-beats :) She has spent most of my career as a mobile software engineer including running a Startup called Jandus Mobile Solutions for 4 years. Tune in to hear about her passion for working on various mobile projects ranging from entertainment and music to fashion, beauty and lifestyle apps.
On this episode of A Dose of Black Joy and Caffeine I had the opportunity to chat with what I like to say is the most fashionable guest we’ve ever had on the show and that would be SIR Michael Wayne Turner lll. Michael the Third is an award winning writer, poet, spoken word artist, actor, dancer, emcee, and choreographer. A Scholar and a Gentleman. An innovator and educator. Michael’s genius approach to his artistry is both captivating, and explosive.
On this episode of A Dose of Black Joy and Caffeine I chatted with my good friend Marcus Fitts about how to make fitness a lifestyle. As a kid, when Marcus wanted to play football and baseball his mom would only allow it after he fulfilled one condition, learn to swim. Even after excelling at track and football, the foundation of swimming was what Marcus always came back to and also excelled in. He eventually went to college on a track and swimming scholarship, giving him a leg up in the sport of triathlons, which he would soon discover. Seeing a lack of diversity in the sport for a multitude of reasons, Marcus began to strategically break down the barriers in his community to create avenues for new folks, especially those of color and minorities to try and excel in triathlons. Enjoy!
On this episode of A Dose of Black Joy and Caffeine I chatted with Michael Oloyede about what it takes to make it in Hollywood as an actor. British born, Southern raised,Michael Oloyede is the son of Nigerian parents. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in marketing and working in the corporate world for a couple of years, thoughts of his childhood dream began to bubble up. He enrolled in the world renowned Stella Adler School of Acting and Anthony Meindl's Actor's Workshop to begin classes. Since then he has worked in film, television and stage and continues to spread his love of performance both in front and behind the camera.
On this episode of A Dose of Black Joy and Caffeine I chatted with Candace D. Queen. A real life queen (She just is) She is a multidisciplinary designer, creative director and educator, rooted in advancing racial equity and reinvigorating communities through design and nourished by a passion for creating spaces, cultural archival and preservation. On this episode we talk about the trill life living in Texas and on the heels of Hurricane Ida we talk about the impact Hurricane Katrina had on #TX and #NOLA where she’s found a special balance that lends itself to a richer creative life, a positive work environment, and most importantly, more family time.
On this episode of A Dose of Black Joy and Caffeine I chatted with Brittany Johnson aka @BrittJohnz. Brittany Johnson is a first-generation Jamaican-American with a passion for creativity and inclusion. She uses her Social Media, Art Direction and Design talents to develop people-first ideas and strategic solutions for her clients. Brittany aims to amplify Black Beauty as a Digital Content Creator by building educational content and advocating for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion within the beauty industry. Listen in as she shares a few tips on public speaking, beauty and leaving your current career for a new one.
On this episode of A Dose of Black Joy and Caffeine I have a chat with KJ Rose (Artist Development & Performance Coach) KJ has worked with Clive Davis at J Records; coached Lil Nas X, the Lumineers, Billy Ray Cyrus, 24k Goldn, The Kid Laroi, and others; she has also performed with P.Diddy, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, and Janet Jackson. Listen in to find out why I call her the “Queen of Crunk”
On this episode of A Dose of Black Joy and Caffeine I have a chat with with Alex Tyree, a multi-talented creative inspired by empowering community through media, music and storytelling. As the founder & host of Feel the SPACE—an emerging community of artists & creatives developed through experiences centered in music, mystery, & discovery—he is excited to continue creating ways for people to feel more deeply connected. Alex Tyree has been a committed practitioner of meditation for nearly 2 years and counting. Tune in as we talk about ways to reset and relax.
On this episode of A Dose of Black Joy and Caffeine I have a chat with Ashley McGowan, a young legend in the tech industry, world traveler and chi-town hype woman. We talk about all things chi-town related :) From The Bulls, Oprah and of course YEEZY. Thinking about planning a U.S. va-ca? It may not be a bad idea to add Chicago to your list of states to explore.
On this episode of A Dose of Black Joy and Caffeine I have a chat with Olu Bliss, Singer and Songwriter. We talk about some of the most iconic and well known Black line dances that people can’t help but get up and move to. From The Electric Slide, Cha-Cha Slide, Tootsie Roll and a bit more modern day examples like The Savage Challenge we chat about the legacy of Black dances.
On this episode of A Dose of Black Joy and Caffeine I have a chat with with Jotham Ndugga-Kabuye, Director of Social Media for Twitch, founder of Marron Creatives and Sneaks and Eats. We talk about the subtle lowering of the head you give another Black person in a space with a few Black people to say “I see you & keep going ... & if anything goes down you got me right?”. Jotham also shares how he's able to manage his 9-5, multiple creative projects, family and of course his 10 step skin care routine.
On this episode of A Dose of Black Joy and Caffeine I have a chat with Adrian Octavius Walker about all things yummy in the world of soul food. Tune in to hear about a few of our favorite soul food joints around the U.S. and also a very serious conversation about the wrong and right way to cook macaroni and cheese for the cookout.