Mixed Company

On July 10, The Advertising Club of New York held their annual Women:NOW Masterclass. Over a dozen women from ad agencies, startups, consultancies and media companies took the stage to address women's issues and present critical strategies for owning this moment in time. Mixed Company sat down with a few of the speakers to discuss their talks and workshops.

On July 10, Mixed Company partnered with Group M to engage the 2019 MAIP class in a candid conversation to answer some important questions. Why is diversity such a difficult conversation at work? Where does the discomfort come from? What does it feel like to be a person of multicultural background in a less diverse space and how can you navigate these situations? Listen in as Kai Deveraux Lawson, Meb Francisco, Kristin Parris, Porscha Scott, Emiliano Zapata, and Caroline Tran discuss their experiences as people of color in advertising and media.

Attrition in the advertising has been on the rise for years—you don’t have to look far to find someone considering jumping ship. Ericka Riggs, the Director of Foundation and Inclusion for the Advertising Club of New York, is working to change that narrative. She joined us to talk about the programs she’s running and creating to build and connect a community of diverse and inclusive talent beyond 'Madison Avenue’.

There's a diverse class of disruptive madmen and madwomen who've taken their talents to the startup streets and Mary-'thee stallion'-Pryor is one of them. As the cofounder of Cannaclusive, Mary is using her skills sharpened in the music and ad industries to make sure the cannabis industry is as diverse and inclusive as those who partake in the plant. Listen in as she gives the BTS on her work and establishes the criteria for 'stallions' everywhere.

Hundreds of people were in the room when Derek Walker stood up and asked "how long do people of color have to wait?" Since then, must hasn't changed. Derek--the owner, janitor, secretary, and mailroom person of the advertising agency brown and browner--joins us to talk about the state of the industry and what needs to be done.

If you know anything about Inkwell Beach, then you know it's culturally significant to African American history. This year, there will be an Inkwell Beach at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. We sat down with its event producer, Laura Mignott, CEO of Dflash and host of The Reset Podcast, to find out how and why this African American staple will be in the south of France.

We're putting an exclamation point on Women's History Month 2019 with a conversation featuring a real O.G.--Heide Gardner, IPG's Chief Diversity Officer. Her journey to the C-suite was anything but linear. Listen in as Auntie Heide talks about how to blazed her path to leadership and pick up all her gems along the way.

There are thriving advertising communities all around the nation, but a lot of people only think of NYC or LA when discussing the industry. While at SxSW Kai and Karinna sat down with T3's Angela Yang & Leslie Harris to talk about the advertising community in the Southwest and the pros and cons of working outside of major hubs.

Diversity and inclusion in advertising isn't new. There's almost 80 years of history, programs and initiatives that should make everyone ask themselves "what the f**k are we getting wrong?" For our Black History Month episode, we take a stroll down a very questionable lane.

The Advertising Club of New York and Mixed Company Podcast present Icons, Rockstars & Innovators--an exploration of the Golden Age of advertising for Black History Month. Liv Lewis arrived in NYC hoping for a career in fashion, but found her hustle, passion, and purpose in advertising industry. She rocks unapologetically.

The Advertising Club of New York and Mixed Company Podcast present Icons, Rockstars & Innovators--an exploration of the Golden Age of advertising for Black History Month. Tiffany Edwards may have stumbled into the advertising industry, but she has worn many hats and fostered inclusive spaces that have welcomed diverse voices seeking careers in advertising.

The Advertising Club of New York and Mixed Company Podcast present Icons, Rockstars & Innovators--an exploration of the Golden Age of advertising for Black History Month. Kendra Clarke is a Data Scientist by day and a Rockstar for life. Her desire to quantify the world fed her passion and carved out a seat at the table for her.

The Advertising Club of New York and Mixed Company Podcast present Icons, Rockstars & Innovators--an exploration of the Golden Age of advertising for Black History Month. Bernard Drayton is a true Icon, Rockstar, and Innovator. He started his career in production for general market agencies during the height of the Golden Age and parlayed his experiences into a coveted music production career.

The Advertising Club of New York and Mixed Company Podcast present Icons, Rockstars & Innovators--an exploration of the Golden Age of advertising for Black History Month. Valerie Graves is a rockstar through and through--from winning the Burger King general market account while at a multicultural agency to helping Bill Clinton win the presidency, her wins are legendary. Listen to her conversation with Kai, then check out her autobiography 'Pressure Makes Diamonds: Becoming The Woman I Pretended To Be'.

The Advertising Club of New York and Mixed Company Podcast present Icons, Rockstars & Innovators--an exploration of the Golden Age of advertising for Black History Month. Tasha Gilroy is the Director of Inclusion and Community at VMLY&R. Listen in as she shares her journey into the DEI space and her perspective on the industry's Black icons.

The Advertising Club of New York and Mixed Company Podcast present Icons, Rockstars & Innovators--an exploration of the Golden Age of advertising for Black History Month. Tiffany R. Warren is the founder of Adcolor, the premier organization and award show that celebrates and advocates diversity in the creative and technology industries. Her efforts have created an undisputed platform for inclusion for all marginalized groups.

The Advertising Club of New York and Mixed Company Podcast present Icons, Rockstars & Innovators--an exploration of the Golden Age of advertising for Black History Month. This volume puts the spotlight on Sheldon Levy, a legendary advertising producer, filmmaker, and inaugural MAIP class member. Listen as Sheldon and Kai discuss his journey into Golden Age of Black Advertising, how the industry has changed, and what it takes to thrive in this industry.

We're back with a new season and on a mission to change narratives that hold back anyone who is not the status quo. Healthcare advertising vets Ayanna Telfort and Tayla Mahmud join us to talk about why people, especially those of color, need to consider their niche, often scoffed at, but well-paid sector of advertising. Help people. Get money.

Every year we end our season with a house party featuring some of the homies. On our season finale, we recap some of the best Dope Shit and worst Aint Shit of the year with Keni Thacker and Carl Desir. There was Hennessy involved. Sponsored by Bold Culture: www.boldculture.co

We were in the building and recorded live from the 2018 3% Conference! The 3% Movement was started to address the lack of women in creative director and leadership roles within the advertising industry, and has quickly grown to be one of the most inclusive movements for sustainable change for all marginalized groups in creative spaces. We share our thoughts on the conference and how to maximize opportunities when you're invited into spaces for change.