Passionately Purposeful
6.6%. That is roughly the amount of African Americans that are in the Advertising industry. Here is a multi-billion-dollar international industry which is responsible for persuading people to act (whether it is to buy, sell, use a service, etc.) that is largely controlled by one group. Combine that with my passion to mentor, give back and help where I can and that is why I chose to make a difference. Introduce the Marcus Graham Project (MGP).
The Marcus Graham Project is a non-profit organization that aims to challenge that narrative. MGP is one of the organizations that is seeking to answer that question of, “where can diverse talent be found?” Inspired by the movie Boomerang, MGP is an industry-sponsored boot camp that teaches transferable skills in advertising, marketing, and media to the top up and coming minority talent. MGP provides these diverse aspirants with exposure in these fields as well as the necessary experience to solidify their career as well as learn to navigate in a field where there are not many that look like them. How do they do this? The experience is accomplished by selecting the top tier up and coming talent and tasking them with forming a pop-up agency that does real work for real clients.
I was fortunate to have the opportunity to participate in the 2014 Dallas boot camp with nine other brilliant young men and women. My group, PRISMATC, worked with clients such as Bevel, Million Hoodies, and Vested Interest. Other groups have worked on Beats by Dre and Usher’s New Look.
But let’s rewind back to 2013. I was a recent graduate (fall 2012) who just left a job in outside sales because I completely hated it. There was one of many problems — the bills were stacking up. That’s when I decided to take a leap of faith and aim to get into an industry closely related to my major. After 3 months of knocking out 10–15 job apps a day, I finally had the opportunity to intern for a marketing position in Chicago. It was an unpaid opportunity downtown, and my lease in Bloomington, IL (by Illinois State University) was not up until May. So naturally, I had to pick up a job to fund my trips and thus began the roughest months of my life.
For the next several months I would intern from 9AM until 5PM and then deliver pizza from 5PM to 3AM (6AM on weekends). This didn’t take into account the two-hour drive from my home and -45 degree weather and blizzards we had in Chicago that winter. Of course there were off days here and there, and thankfully my friends and my parents would let me crash whenever the weather was too bad or I was just too exhausted. Needless to say, I was absolutely miserable. But finally after months of applying in whatever free time I could find, I landed a paid internship with an agency in Chicago. I had made it — at least I thought.
That’s when I discovered the Marcus Graham Project. Here was an opportunity to not only get a deeper taste of the advertising industry, but also meet all the right people that could literally help boost me onto the right career path. There was one “issue” — it was an unpaid internship. Many would have saw this as a step backwards. They may have been right, but instead I focused on the long term goal. This was an opportunity to take a step back in order to catapult me forward. After weeks of deliberation, I decided to submit my two weeks, pack whatever stuff I had, and head to Dallas for the summer.
When I spoke with Lincoln Stephens and Larry Yarrell, the organization founders, I explained to them that I wanted to go above and beyond. In return for countless hours of dedication, losing sleep, and perhaps sacrificing my overall sanity after giving it my all, the only thing I asked for was for the opportunity to at least be in the same room as the “right people” at some of the world’s top ad agencies. That was the spark to my involvement with MGP outside of just my boot camp class. After all, Lincoln and Larry delivered so it was my turn to do the same.
Two years later and I am still involved by assisting with the social strategy, interviewing potential participants for future boot camps, attending kickoff weekend and the annual fundraiser, and mentoring where I can. I honestly owe where I am to an organization that opened my eyes to just how intricate this industry was and everything that was possible through hard work, developing relationships, and always putting your best foot forward. After all, I’m not just representing myself, but the 6.6% that has something to offer.
Although I am now in the industry and thriving, I still recognize that there is still a need for organizations like this and in order for them to thrive, it’s important for people like me to give back. Whether it be time, resources, or just mentoring, I know that it’s important for me to do what I can to assist. My story of success isn’t an anomaly either. MGP alumni include the likes of; Blue, who has done work for Kendrick and been featured on Ellen, and Johnnie who designed a line of shirts specifically for Microsoft. These are just two of the talented individuals who have come out of this mm and there are so many more. I’m excited to see what’s next and honored to play a part in making a difference.
