Orion Cosmos: Keeping the Beat

Keeping the Beat

Orion’s Cosmos, our employee-led Diversity and Inclusion program, recently hosted “Keeping the Beat” an intimate conversation with industry leaders who shared their insights, experiences and how their own “hustle” impacted the digital, media and music industries.

Michael D. Armstrong, General Manager, BET Networks, deftly guided the fireside chat which featured Alvin Bowles, VP, Global Publisher Sales and Operations Facebook; Jeff Burroughs, Founder, WHTWRKS; and Maya Peterson, Director, Culture and Creative Insights Viacom Velocity.

The full panel is available to watch below, along with our five key takeaways:

Top Five Key Takeaways:

“Somebody is always watching.”
Alvin Bowles (VP, Global Publisher Sales and Operations Facebook)
Through our day-to-day work responsibilities, we are being observed to see if we possess the needed skills applicable for a future role or responsibility. The most important lesson from Alvin is to seize these opportunities.

“I love to share great art and tell a great story.”
Jeff Burroughs (Founder, WHTWRKS)
After successful marketing campaigns with Simon Cowell’s “X Factor” and Puff Daddy’s “Bad Boy Entertainment,” Jeff started his own business to leverage pop culture to make brands work, hence WHTWRKS was born. The key takeaway from Jeff was that anytime we do anything; be it a craft, hobby or art, we should always do our very best. This may sound cliché, and we may not see results immediately, but it definitely pays off.

“Luck is about preparedness and opportunity.”
Alvin Bowles (VP, Global Publisher Sales and Operations Facebook)
We may put our heart and soul into an idea, a project or even a business, and we think we know what we are doing. We fail sometimes and that’s totally fine. The experience of failing teaches us how to be prepared for the next big thing. We need to prepare ourselves to get lucky.

“Millennials, when we look at their thoughts and beliefs around brands, are really more transactional.”
Maya Peterson (Director, Culture and Creative Insights Viacom Velocity)
Generations have different perspectives and attitudes toward brands. Young people are willing to engage with brands if the brands are willing to dimensionalize their values in a way that makes sense

“Storytelling is a business imperative”
Alvin Bowles (VP, Global Publisher Sales and Operation Facebook)
Products are marketed and consumed every day. In the business world, we need to make sure that every product or brand we represent is authentic. Each market has different consumers and different languages. Thus, we need to bear in mind that whenever we are venturing into a new market, we need to position ourselves differently to target that specific audience.

At Orion, we now endeavor to place the diversity lens over everything we do. These efforts are coupled with providing our employees with the opportunities to understand and celebrate diversity in the workplace. We’re always interested in partnering with fellow sister IPG agencies on a program or initiative. Please connect with us at [email protected]