As the corporate conversation around diversity and representation reaches stratospheric levels, I wanted to shine a light-weight on an outstanding organization that ought to get on everybody’s radar.
Marcus Graham Project could be a unique non-profit network of diverse professionals whose mission and theory is that by investing within the exposure, training, and mentorship of the subsequent generation of diverse talent an expansive pool of future marketplace leaders are going to be developed. Because their purpose is rooted in talent investment, they envision a world where top industry leaders are racially/culturally diverse who embrace disruption.
I held with co-founders Lincoln Stephens and Larry L Yarrell II to seek out out more about their inspiring work, and their innovative new platform Locomotus, which helps companies and agencies to search out black marketing and media talent or black-owned agencies.
Afdhel Aziz: Lincoln, Larry, welcome. I’ve long been a follower of Marcus Graham Project, starting with the awesome name. are you able to show people what the cultural reference is?
Lincoln Stephens: Marcus Graham is Eddie Murphy’s character within the 1992 film Boomerang. within the film, Marcus, played by Murphy, was a marketing executive at a Black-owned beauty brand. The film inspired various black men and girls to think about careers in marketing, advertising, and media. it's always inspirational to consider what a imaginary being can inspire. after we were wondering creating our effort to supply for exposure and training for Black professionals in our industry, we recognized the notice gap that existed.
At the time, reality shows like i would like to figure for Diddy or BET’s College Hill Interns provided a glimpse of aspiring professionals working with brands, but to not the extent that they honestly shared marketing communications as a viable career option. Our initial thought was to make a sensible edutainment show where a dozen young leaders would live together and build their own marketing agency, working with major brands, while getting mentored by industry leaders. Well, rather than the show, we decided to create a non-profit, whose core program does exactly that. It provides exposure and tools to emerging black talent.
Members of the Marcus Graham Project community -Marcus Graham Project
Larry Yarrell: The strength of our community is one among our biggest successes. Through rigorous programming and training with our flagship iCR8 Summer Bootcamp, fellows are equipped with the tools to disrupt the industry alongside their peers. To date, 96% of MGP alumni receive job offers within the primary six months of completing the program with 86% working full-time within the industry at leading companies like Wieden+Kennedy, Apple, 72andSunny, and Fossil.
Witnessing this organization impacting the lives of diverse talent has been one in all the most effective parts. We’ve seen gift sharpen their craft, cultivate their network with industry leaders, and make lifelong friends from their cohort. At this rate of hiring, true equality won't be realized within the advertising, media, and marketing industry until 2079. We aim to vary that. that's why the iCR8 Summer Bootcamp is our biggest collaboration tool thus far. we've marketing professionals entering new heights in their careers and we’re uniquely positioned to nurture them as they get there.
For example, the present climate we’re living in is challenging brands to practice empathetically communicating with their audience. This summer’s cohort, AfterNoon Agency, is specializing in helping brands understand a way to answer communities affected. For Makisha Noël, the team’s Copywriter, working with clients like HealHaus and Apple, is changing the trajectory of her career. we've countless stories to spotlight alumni who have benefited from the MGP network.
Members of the Marcus Graham Project community -Marcus Graham Project
Yarrell: We’re noticing major brands taking calculated steps towards combatting systematic racism and inequalities. They’re noticing consumers are moving beyond statements and expecting action beyond allyship, especially performative allyship. P&G made a recent announcement highlighting four key steps they’re taking including accelerating systemic change to realize representation, restructuring buying systems to significantly increase investment in Black-owned or operated companies, conducting a comprehensive review to make sure their advertising and content accurately and respectfully portrays Black people and an intensive review of all media channels, networks, platforms, and programs to make sure that the content they advertise accurately and respectfully portrays Black people which they’re not advertising on or near discriminatory content. Our hope is that companies are heeding this model by beginning with reflecting on how they'll support the Black community.
Members of the Marcus Graham Project community -Marcus Graham Project
Aziz: What advice does one must leaders on a way to navigate this space empathically - and also a way to take real, measurable, impactful action?
Stephens: Leaning into the energy of rising marketing leaders has provided perspective on what leaders can do differently as they're the longer term of this industry. Taking measurable and impactful action goes to want a deeper commitment to dismantle the present system. When engaging with our current iCR8 Summer Bootcamp, we extracted common themes including representation being relevant, a heightened target retention of Black and brown talent, performative allyship must be discouraged and executive leadership reflecting the longer term. Like P&G, leaders can practice empathy by exercising transparency, perhaps within the style of a publicly accessible roadmap. Accountability isn’t just nice to possess, it’s expected.
A sample Locomotus profile -Marcus Graham Project
Yarrell: Locomotus is an on-demand talent network and resource hub representing the foremost asked for culturally fluent, digitally centered creative architects and media agitators. for a few context, the primary goal with the Marcus Graham Project was to make a talent network, initially powered by Ning. Now, with our social enterprise extension, we are building an on-demand talent network for companies looking to search out vetted talent or work with us to assemble agile teams for project work. We’ve over a decade advancing this proof of connector through our program and with brands including Moet Hennessy, Fossil, PepsiCo, AT&T, Google, P&G, and now Spotify, with some others. As an MBE enterprise, we also function a resource hub for tools, talent, and cultural insight supporting other Minority Owned boutiques and consultancies.
Currently, there's not one SOURCE and robust platform for companies and agencies to seek out black marketing and media talent or black-owned agencies. we've partnered with Shortlist to make the infrastructure for this network and currently securing funding to face the corporate up completely. So, rather than attacking the matter, we’re hacking it by powering the gig economy where the long run of labor is headed.