November 30, 2022 • 23 mins
Bozoma St. John and TJ Adeshola give their take on the responsibility they feel as black leaders in the industry to demonstrate everyone has the potential and right to succeed in advertising, and how embracing the advertising community while loving what you do helped propel them forward and create impact.
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
Remember the journey of not just yourself, but of all
of the people who came before you. You know that
moment is not just yours. It is for the ancestors,
for sure, you know, those who stayed on the continent
and those who made it into the diaspora. It is
for the people who made it through this industry before you,
(00:30):
before I, who didn't get any nice and so in
that moment, I want you to soak up all of
the life, like all of the life, so that everyone
can see not just your own greatness, but everybody came
before you. So when I think about what I would
like for myself five ten years from now, I want
(00:51):
people to look at the impact that I've had across tech,
across sports, across the music, across entertainment, and I want
people at scale to say, if it wasn't for me
seeing Teja in that particular space, if it wasn't for
me interacting with him on that particular project, on that
particular initiative, I don't know if I would have had
(01:12):
a career in this. My fuel is is knowing that
I create opportunity for people who look like me. Hello,
and welcome to the future. Legends of advertising. Podcast featuring
newly inducted members of the American Advertising Federations Hall of
Achievement and those in the Hall of Fame. In this series,
(01:32):
will compare notes, gain insights, and explore the future of
the advertising industry through never before heard conversations between those
who are shaping it. You'll meet industry icons like Bozoma St. John's,
Daisy Exposita, Uilla Deborrah Wall, and future ones, including leaders
from the most impactful brands, agencies, and media platforms in
(01:53):
the world. We're your host, Hailey Romer and Ross Martin.
Now let's meet the legends. Welcome back to Future Legends
of Advertising. We have a legend of advertising on this
episode and a future Legend of Advertising on this episode.
We'll start first with t J ad A Shola So.
(02:16):
T J is an inductee. He's about to get inducted
into the Advertising Hall of Achievement. He is currently the
Head of Global Content Partnerships at Twitter. He's responsible for
leading a team that develops and executes strategies for partners
across sports, gaming, entertainment, and news, and he helps a
(02:39):
range of projects across the globe to extend, scale, market
and monetize their content and programming initiatives on what is
arguably one of the most powerful platforms Twitter. T j
welcome to the show. Thanks for having me, and I
might say massive congratulate antients. There's I remember the moment
(03:03):
that your nomination came up for discussion amongst the council
of judges, who are your peers in this industry, who
come from all kinds of great companies, and it was
like t j Ada Shola and it was like, yeah,
it was like do we really need to talk about this?
And so I think we only talked about you because
(03:23):
it felt good to talk about what you've achieved, not
because it was a question about whether you were a
worthy candidate. I'm getting to know you a little bit
over the last few weeks. I'm loving it and I'm
really really happy to welcome you to the podcast. The
next and last guest on this episode of Future Legends
(03:45):
of Advertising is my friend, my former inductee college What
do what do you call that? Like, we got in
at the same time to the Hall of Achievement thing
person and that is the inimicab ball bosom Us st
john On, otherwise known as Badass bos. I am so
psyched to welcome you to this show. I'm going to
(04:06):
give a brief introduction of but I can really just
take the whole episode and introduce to if if I
were allowed. Bosma is not only in the Hall of
Achievement for the American Advertising Federation with me she got
in two thousand and fourteen, but also is in the
American Marketing Association's Hall of Fame, which she recently was
inducted to earlier this year. She is the former head
(04:31):
of Music and Entertainment Marketing at PepsiCo, after that global
consumer Marketing head at Apple Music and iTunes. After that,
the chief brand officer at Uber, which I once called
her about when I left left my wallet in one
of the Uber's also the former chief marketing officer of Endeavor,
(04:51):
and also the former chief marketing officer globally for Netflix.
Please welcome to the podcast, bosum a same Toime. Hey,
thank you, thank you Ross classmate. So, classmate, Bozma, you
are in Ghana. You look great as always. What are
(05:11):
you doing in Ghana right now? I know you just
were in Africa for the Global Citizen Concert. What are
you doing there now? Besides? I feel like you're the
Prime Minister of Ghana right now. But what do you
really Well, Yes, it has been um gosh, I think
about five years in working with the government of Ghana
where I have been working with the President's Office of
(05:35):
the Diaspra on all kinds of relations. It's been really
the work of my life, really very very gratifying because
we know that as marketers that the brand of Africa
has been long and battled for a long time, you know,
four hundred years worth of bad marketing and other atrocities.
But I am very excited about the work that I'm
(05:56):
doing now. And I've been named an ambassador to the
diaster for by the President, and so I'm working on
our December plans, which is when a lot of Diasporan's
returned to Ghana or to West Africa. T J knows
it well. I've seen him in these streets. I hope
to see him again and I cry in December. But
it is it is really really great work to to
(06:18):
work on essentially what the narrative of Ghana is in
modern times. To bose you and t J already know
each other. This was an easy pairing for us. When
we were doing the first season of this podcast. How
do you guys know each other? How far back do
you go? Where? Where have you been together? I'm gonna
let you after that. Yeah, do you all ever listen
(06:41):
to You remember back in the day when radio be
in the car, you listened to a radio show and
someone were calling and say, I'm a huge fan, a
long time listener, first time caller. That's kind of like
the way I feel at about about Bosom the st John.
She's been a mentor, she's been a sister. I feel
like we're truly family at this point. And as a
(07:03):
related context of this conversation, I've been able to observe
and be inspired by her journey through through this industry
for for many, many years. And more importantly, she's always
been willing to pick up the phone, whether I'm calling
her or sometimes she's calling me, to give advice, to
be a mentor, as I've mentioned, and to say TJ,
(07:25):
do this, step up, take up space. So I am
uh just I'm fortunate and really really really thankful to
have those in my life. Um, but I'm I've been
I've been really nice. So we're gonna we're gonna do
the whole family thing on this call. But I'm thinking sure,
But I also have to add that, look, this this
(07:46):
fandom is not one way, you know, it definitely flows
both ways. T J already knows that. Um, you know,
Ross do you think you know? In the in the
room talking about the inductees into the Fall of Achievement
this year was like a no brainer around t J. Right, Um,
But he truly has been able to be in the
(08:07):
Hall of Achievement for a number of years, you know,
so this is just recognition on what he has already achieved,
you know, not even just a bat to achieve. I
want to talk about that moment now when you and
I were inducted. It was two thousand fourteen. It seems
like it was a really long time ago. I remember
it personally because I remember your family was there, My
(08:27):
family was there. I remember looking out on the audience
and and seeing my family that was there and missing
my family that wasn't there. I remember how personal it
was to get inducted into the American Advertising Federations Hall
of Achievement. I wonder if you could take us back
to that moment for you. What was it like when
you took that stage and you were getting a very
(08:49):
personal recognition. You're right, Ross that it was truly personal
moment for me, you know, as you said, like I,
I will never forget that moment for as long as
I lived. You know, it is etched in my memory
because of what it represented. You know, I was newly widowed.
I had moved from New York to l A with
(09:12):
my daughter on a very big risk job, uh, you know,
running global marketing for Beach Music, which had then been
acquired by Apple, and it just felt like everything in
my universe was overwhelming. I felt like I was drowning
if I could be totally honest, you know, um. And
so then to be recognized in a way that not
(09:35):
just affirmed the work that I had done, but made
it feel like I had a future, you know, I had,
I had more to do, I had more to go,
and that my peers recognized my greatness even as I
was drowning. That was that was the life jacket that
(09:59):
I needed at the time, you know, to allow me
to feel like, you know what, if anything, this community
is gonna hold me up. They're going to cheer me on,
They're going to acknowledge my graces, you know, And it
just gave me such comfort honestly, and so my speech
(10:19):
was that you know, it wasn't about a company, because
it's not about the company. It's about this community of people,
you know, this industry whom I so love and cherish
and made great friends in. So that is why that
moment is seared into my memory and I, uh, we'll
never forget it. It's interesting to hear in retrospect you
(10:41):
talk about how how much you needed that, but maybe
even didn't realize how much you needed it at the moment.
I really wonder it's interesting about t J because we've
gotten to know you over the last couple of months,
and your reputation proceeds you. I mean, obviously we've all
seen you on Good Morning America out on CNBC on ESPN,
(11:02):
and I found that work. And yet when we first
started talking with you and your classmates, you were the
one who was like, I don't really know if I'm
supposed to be in here, and I'm just like, what
is he doing? What is with that You're about to
go on this big station. What are you feeling right
now as you get ready to have that light shined
(11:22):
on you? Yeah? I feel um, I truly truly feel inspired.
I feel excited, And I'll tell you I get reflective.
I think about the process, which is where I really
really really lock in on the process to success, the
process to failure, which may then lead to success. Um.
(11:43):
I think about putting my flight Nike's on each and
every day and looking in the mirror and saying, I'm
going to make impact today. There you go, There you go,
my man. But each and every day, how are you
going to make someone better? How are you gonna make
this work that you're doing better? Are you gonna make
the world better? So um, I'm very similar to both.
(12:05):
I've never done this for for accolades or for retweets
or likes. I've done it because one, I love the
work and to feel like it's the right thing to do.
And when it's done correctly, this work, can I actually
change the world for the better. So um, I just
I get reflective, I get pensive, and I really just
(12:27):
sit in the sense of appreciation because of the acknowledgement
for my peer set of the work to date. But
then I also get really motivated because I've got a
lot of ask kicking left in me. I got a
lot of asking to do in the future, and that's
where That's why I want to ask you. Yeah, both
both were saying that earlier that she felt, you know,
when she was acknowledged by the American advertising generation, that
(12:48):
this was both an acknowledgement of her achievements to that date,
but also like this responsibility almost like a call to
action that we all feel going forward. What do you
think is your responsibility going forward? And what do you
want to achieve after this and use this to do? Yeah,
it's it's two things really specifically. One is to create
impact and two is to be intentional. Um. That has
(13:11):
been the formula for me to date, and I know
that with this, with this new cohort, with this new family,
with the recognition across my peer set, I'm most excited
about the opportunity to lock arms with my cohort, with
my peers set, with the folks that the that you
all are exposing me to, to drive even more impact,
(13:31):
to do more dope ship. It's funny when you think
of like both specifically. I can't even say the term
bad ass without immediately thinking about Bose. Just like when
you're asking for tissue, you may say clean X. If
you're asking for some soda, you may say coke, like
I think of the two interchangeably. So um, I say
that to say that, like there is so much like
(13:55):
impact and there's so much real work to be done.
I'm gonna use this as fuel acting to to continue
to drive more impact than to change last change the
face of the industry. Um where we know we need
a ton more work and to do to to do
some rock starships and some doose stuff. Well, because I
know that you teach a very popular course at Harvard
(14:17):
Business School, and I know that you are on the
personal board of advisors for dozens of the top executives
in the world and world leaders. Obviously, but if you
had to give some advice to our friend t J. Here,
he's about to step into the light, and like you
recognized for his achievements, he's shy as hell. What do
(14:38):
you recommend for him in this moment that he's having Well, gosh, okay,
So Ross, Here's the thing is that, like we said,
I know t J. Okay, I know t J. And
while I admire him so much for his work and
all of the loud things that he does, you're absolutely
(14:59):
right there when it comes to being in the light.
He is maybe one of the most humble people that
I've ever met. You know, because he doesn't take up
the light, he doesn't stand there and say, hey, look
at me, look at me. And so I believe that
this moment is gonna be his moment to actually just
take a breath, step into the light, you know, allow
(15:22):
for his peers in the industry to celebrate him. And
what I would ask of teaching when he's on that stage,
because we come from similar places, you know, similar background,
similar experiences, is to remember the journey of not just yourself,
but of all of the people who came before you.
(15:44):
You know, that moment is not just yours. It is
for the ancestors for sure, you know, those who stayed
on the continent and those who made it into the diaspora.
It is for the people who made it through this
industry before you, before I you know, who didn't get recognized.
(16:04):
And so in that moment, I want you to soak
up all of the life, but all of the life
so that everyone can see not just your own greatness,
but everybody came before you. And that is the advice
I would give. Wow, I think a lot of people
are gonna need to hear that there's a lot of
people that wish they were sitting right now a t
(16:26):
J where you are, not just because you're getting a
big award and you've got a cool job, but because
you could literally ask bos to st John anything you
want right now. So I know you've come with a
question or two, and I know you two know each
other well, so you don't need me to set that up.
But t J, who would you like to ask Bosed?
In front of the you know, large audiences listening to
(16:49):
the two of you right now. Bose is uh in
the corn. We all know that, and she manages to
inspire each and every person that that comes in contact
with her, which is a really special trait. But I
don't know if people hear enough about like both actually
(17:10):
talking about what she believes her superpower is and how
she leverages and unlocks that superpower to drive this incredible, incredible,
incredible impact. So I would like to ask you bad Asppose,
what would you say is your superpower and how do
you leverage that superpower to be the generational leader that
(17:32):
you are? Mm hmm gosh, yeah, that's it. Well, first
of all, thank you, you know it's it's so it's
interesting to hear that, because um, I feel very much
like community. M I mean leadership. Leadership is is odd
to me. I know, it's the problem sounds weird because yes,
(17:53):
I've had a lot of leadership roles, um, but I've
always felt like I just lived in community. You know.
Maybe that is part of our African nous also, you know,
having been in communal spaces and that is the root
of culture for us, is that. Um, I have always
felt like I lead in community, and so if anything,
(18:14):
that is perhaps my superpower that I don't necessarily lead
from the front. I lead from the middle. I know
that sometimes there's stories that you should lead from like
the rear, you know, it's like lead from back here.
But I don't think that's actually where the power is.
You know, its power is not all the way in
the back. The power is right in the middle of
the middle of the action. You know. So it's like,
regardless of the company I've been in or the organization
(18:37):
I've been in, jumping right into the middle of everything,
you know, it's it's where actually you learn the best,
and you understand the workings of and you get to
know people. They get to see your weaknesses and your vulnerabilities.
They also get to see your strengths. You understand who
to rely on and who you can't. By the way important, uh,
(18:59):
you understand where to also get some of your knowledge
or ideas or get them either crushed because you're like
that wasn't good enough, or to be empowered because it's
the most brilliant thing you've ever said and anybody ever
heard you. Know. So leading in community is perhaps my
(19:19):
my superpower and it is something that I hope more
more of a stud Bose, do you have a question
for teaching? Oh? Yes, I've been waiting for this day
for so long. Excuse me as I get down on
one Kney, I would like to formally ask t j okay,
(19:42):
i'd you got really nervous. I think your connection is
being a little shaky right now. Bose, No, it's not.
You can hear exactly what I'm asking you. T Day.
Don't even play with me. No, But on a on
a serious front, you know, as we've said, you know,
there's there's just so much excitement around you. You know,
we see the future in you and your peers. Do
(20:03):
all of us are rooting for you in that way?
What is the thing that you want to achieve. So
Ross and I have been out for gosh, we got inducted.
Was that nine years ago? Now almost a decade? So
in ten years, what is it that you want to
see of yourself that you will then be giving to
the next person who is about to be inducted. If
(20:25):
you're sitting in my seat, what is the thing that
you would have wanted to achieve? That's an incredible question. UM.
A lot of my work, ethic, my passion is fueled by, UM,
what I've observed on up specifically from my mother. I
watched her word two three jobs, as the as a
single parent. But when you when you observed that with
(20:47):
that type of proximity, you cannot be impacted by watching
a person will themselves to create success not only for
themselves but but for you And UM, a lot of that,
that kind of that that's superpower that I've seen in
my mom has been has been what I've leveraged just
(21:09):
fuel too to push through in the space. So as
I think about what I would like for myself five
ten years from now, I want people to look at
the impact that I've had across tech, across sports, across music,
across entertainment, and I want people at scale to say,
(21:31):
if it wasn't for me seeing TJ in that particular space,
if it wasn't for me interacting with him on that
particular project, on that particular initiative, I don't know if
I would have had a career in this. My superpower,
my fuel is is knowing that I create opportunity for
people who look like me, quite honestly, because I know
what it was required for me to get where I
(21:53):
am today, for me to sit on this podcast with
do similar with you. I hope to to hand the
master key two dozens of hundreds of people who look
like me too, to open the door to any room
that they're looking at access. That is beautiful, t J.
You know what I hope you have. You know what
I want for you? Like you know that like that
(22:13):
that ring that people carry with all of the keys
on there. You know there's a dozen that it's like
jingling that. You know, that's a gift I'm gonna give
you for your for your induction. Is like a big
old key ring with like hundreds of keys on there.
That's what you're gonna get. You know the beauty of
that too. You hear them coming before they come right
like pare coming. They're coming around the corner itself. Come in,
(22:38):
that's you, that's you. They're gonna hear you coming before
you get into the room, and they're gonna know that
you have to keep Oh man, come on, t J,
you've better prophesy. Let's look, let's do this. It's about
to be church because I'm about around. There was a
shaky connection at the beginning of the cold, but right
now that connection it's strong, strong, clear, clear. Bye, Okay,
(23:04):
I'm just letting that breathe for sec because I want
to just be in this right here. Bos and t J.
Thank you so much. You guys are amazing. Yes, pleasure, pleasure, pleaser.
Thank you. Ross is awesome, good job, nice work. Ross's well,
(23:27):
that doesn't For this episode of the Future Legends of
Advertising podcast, I'm Ross Martin and I'm Haley Rohmer, and
thank you for listening. We'll be back with another episode
before you know it. And for more information on the
American Advertising Federation, go to a F dot org.
Remember the journey of not just yourself, but of all
of the people who came before you. You know that
moment is not just yours. It is for the ancestors,
for sure, you know, those who stayed on the continent
and those who made it into the diaspora. It is
for the people who made it through this industry before you,
(00:30):
before I, who didn't get any nice and so in
that moment, I want you to soak up all of
the life, like all of the life, so that everyone
can see not just your own greatness, but everybody came
before you. So when I think about what I would
like for myself five ten years from now, I want
(00:51):
people to look at the impact that I've had across tech,
across sports, across the music, across entertainment, and I want
people at scale to say, if it wasn't for me
seeing Teja in that particular space, if it wasn't for
me interacting with him on that particular project, on that
particular initiative, I don't know if I would have had
(01:12):
a career in this. My fuel is is knowing that
I create opportunity for people who look like me. Hello,
and welcome to the future. Legends of advertising. Podcast featuring
newly inducted members of the American Advertising Federations Hall of
Achievement and those in the Hall of Fame. In this series,
(01:32):
will compare notes, gain insights, and explore the future of
the advertising industry through never before heard conversations between those
who are shaping it. You'll meet industry icons like Bozoma St. John's,
Daisy Exposita, Uilla Deborrah Wall, and future ones, including leaders
from the most impactful brands, agencies, and media platforms in
(01:53):
the world. We're your host, Hailey Romer and Ross Martin.
Now let's meet the legends. Welcome back to Future Legends
of Advertising. We have a legend of advertising on this
episode and a future Legend of Advertising on this episode.
We'll start first with t J ad A Shola So.
(02:16):
T J is an inductee. He's about to get inducted
into the Advertising Hall of Achievement. He is currently the
Head of Global Content Partnerships at Twitter. He's responsible for
leading a team that develops and executes strategies for partners
across sports, gaming, entertainment, and news, and he helps a
(02:39):
range of projects across the globe to extend, scale, market
and monetize their content and programming initiatives on what is
arguably one of the most powerful platforms Twitter. T j
welcome to the show. Thanks for having me, and I
might say massive congratulate antients. There's I remember the moment
(03:03):
that your nomination came up for discussion amongst the council
of judges, who are your peers in this industry, who
come from all kinds of great companies, and it was
like t j Ada Shola and it was like, yeah,
it was like do we really need to talk about this?
And so I think we only talked about you because
(03:23):
it felt good to talk about what you've achieved, not
because it was a question about whether you were a
worthy candidate. I'm getting to know you a little bit
over the last few weeks. I'm loving it and I'm
really really happy to welcome you to the podcast. The
next and last guest on this episode of Future Legends
(03:45):
of Advertising is my friend, my former inductee college What
do what do you call that? Like, we got in
at the same time to the Hall of Achievement thing
person and that is the inimicab ball bosom Us st
john On, otherwise known as Badass bos. I am so
psyched to welcome you to this show. I'm going to
(04:06):
give a brief introduction of but I can really just
take the whole episode and introduce to if if I
were allowed. Bosma is not only in the Hall of
Achievement for the American Advertising Federation with me she got
in two thousand and fourteen, but also is in the
American Marketing Association's Hall of Fame, which she recently was
inducted to earlier this year. She is the former head
(04:31):
of Music and Entertainment Marketing at PepsiCo, after that global
consumer Marketing head at Apple Music and iTunes. After that,
the chief brand officer at Uber, which I once called
her about when I left left my wallet in one
of the Uber's also the former chief marketing officer of Endeavor,
(04:51):
and also the former chief marketing officer globally for Netflix.
Please welcome to the podcast, bosum a same Toime. Hey,
thank you, thank you Ross classmate. So, classmate, Bozma, you
are in Ghana. You look great as always. What are
(05:11):
you doing in Ghana right now? I know you just
were in Africa for the Global Citizen Concert. What are
you doing there now? Besides? I feel like you're the
Prime Minister of Ghana right now. But what do you
really Well, Yes, it has been um gosh, I think
about five years in working with the government of Ghana
where I have been working with the President's Office of
(05:35):
the Diaspra on all kinds of relations. It's been really
the work of my life, really very very gratifying because
we know that as marketers that the brand of Africa
has been long and battled for a long time, you know,
four hundred years worth of bad marketing and other atrocities.
But I am very excited about the work that I'm
(05:56):
doing now. And I've been named an ambassador to the
diaster for by the President, and so I'm working on
our December plans, which is when a lot of Diasporan's
returned to Ghana or to West Africa. T J knows
it well. I've seen him in these streets. I hope
to see him again and I cry in December. But
it is it is really really great work to to
(06:18):
work on essentially what the narrative of Ghana is in
modern times. To bose you and t J already know
each other. This was an easy pairing for us. When
we were doing the first season of this podcast. How
do you guys know each other? How far back do
you go? Where? Where have you been together? I'm gonna
let you after that. Yeah, do you all ever listen
(06:41):
to You remember back in the day when radio be
in the car, you listened to a radio show and
someone were calling and say, I'm a huge fan, a
long time listener, first time caller. That's kind of like
the way I feel at about about Bosom the st John.
She's been a mentor, she's been a sister. I feel
like we're truly family at this point. And as a
(07:03):
related context of this conversation, I've been able to observe
and be inspired by her journey through through this industry
for for many, many years. And more importantly, she's always
been willing to pick up the phone, whether I'm calling
her or sometimes she's calling me, to give advice, to
be a mentor, as I've mentioned, and to say TJ,
(07:25):
do this, step up, take up space. So I am
uh just I'm fortunate and really really really thankful to
have those in my life. Um, but I'm I've been
I've been really nice. So we're gonna we're gonna do
the whole family thing on this call. But I'm thinking sure,
But I also have to add that, look, this this
(07:46):
fandom is not one way, you know, it definitely flows
both ways. T J already knows that. Um, you know,
Ross do you think you know? In the in the
room talking about the inductees into the Fall of Achievement
this year was like a no brainer around t J. Right, Um,
But he truly has been able to be in the
(08:07):
Hall of Achievement for a number of years, you know,
so this is just recognition on what he has already achieved,
you know, not even just a bat to achieve. I
want to talk about that moment now when you and
I were inducted. It was two thousand fourteen. It seems
like it was a really long time ago. I remember
it personally because I remember your family was there, My
(08:27):
family was there. I remember looking out on the audience
and and seeing my family that was there and missing
my family that wasn't there. I remember how personal it
was to get inducted into the American Advertising Federations Hall
of Achievement. I wonder if you could take us back
to that moment for you. What was it like when
you took that stage and you were getting a very
(08:49):
personal recognition. You're right, Ross that it was truly personal
moment for me, you know, as you said, like I,
I will never forget that moment for as long as
I lived. You know, it is etched in my memory
because of what it represented. You know, I was newly widowed.
I had moved from New York to l A with
(09:12):
my daughter on a very big risk job, uh, you know,
running global marketing for Beach Music, which had then been
acquired by Apple, and it just felt like everything in
my universe was overwhelming. I felt like I was drowning
if I could be totally honest, you know, um. And
so then to be recognized in a way that not
(09:35):
just affirmed the work that I had done, but made
it feel like I had a future, you know, I had,
I had more to do, I had more to go,
and that my peers recognized my greatness even as I
was drowning. That was that was the life jacket that
(09:59):
I needed at the time, you know, to allow me
to feel like, you know what, if anything, this community
is gonna hold me up. They're going to cheer me on,
They're going to acknowledge my graces, you know, And it
just gave me such comfort honestly, and so my speech
(10:19):
was that you know, it wasn't about a company, because
it's not about the company. It's about this community of people,
you know, this industry whom I so love and cherish
and made great friends in. So that is why that
moment is seared into my memory and I, uh, we'll
never forget it. It's interesting to hear in retrospect you
(10:41):
talk about how how much you needed that, but maybe
even didn't realize how much you needed it at the moment.
I really wonder it's interesting about t J because we've
gotten to know you over the last couple of months,
and your reputation proceeds you. I mean, obviously we've all
seen you on Good Morning America out on CNBC on ESPN,
(11:02):
and I found that work. And yet when we first
started talking with you and your classmates, you were the
one who was like, I don't really know if I'm
supposed to be in here, and I'm just like, what
is he doing? What is with that You're about to
go on this big station. What are you feeling right
now as you get ready to have that light shined
(11:22):
on you? Yeah? I feel um, I truly truly feel inspired.
I feel excited, And I'll tell you I get reflective.
I think about the process, which is where I really
really really lock in on the process to success, the
process to failure, which may then lead to success. Um.
(11:43):
I think about putting my flight Nike's on each and
every day and looking in the mirror and saying, I'm
going to make impact today. There you go, There you go,
my man. But each and every day, how are you
going to make someone better? How are you gonna make
this work that you're doing better? Are you gonna make
the world better? So um, I'm very similar to both.
(12:05):
I've never done this for for accolades or for retweets
or likes. I've done it because one, I love the
work and to feel like it's the right thing to do.
And when it's done correctly, this work, can I actually
change the world for the better. So um, I just
I get reflective, I get pensive, and I really just
(12:27):
sit in the sense of appreciation because of the acknowledgement
for my peer set of the work to date. But
then I also get really motivated because I've got a
lot of ask kicking left in me. I got a
lot of asking to do in the future, and that's
where That's why I want to ask you. Yeah, both
both were saying that earlier that she felt, you know,
when she was acknowledged by the American advertising generation, that
(12:48):
this was both an acknowledgement of her achievements to that date,
but also like this responsibility almost like a call to
action that we all feel going forward. What do you
think is your responsibility going forward? And what do you
want to achieve after this and use this to do? Yeah,
it's it's two things really specifically. One is to create
impact and two is to be intentional. Um. That has
(13:11):
been the formula for me to date, and I know
that with this, with this new cohort, with this new family,
with the recognition across my peer set, I'm most excited
about the opportunity to lock arms with my cohort, with
my peers set, with the folks that the that you
all are exposing me to, to drive even more impact,
(13:31):
to do more dope ship. It's funny when you think
of like both specifically. I can't even say the term
bad ass without immediately thinking about Bose. Just like when
you're asking for tissue, you may say clean X. If
you're asking for some soda, you may say coke, like
I think of the two interchangeably. So um, I say
that to say that, like there is so much like
(13:55):
impact and there's so much real work to be done.
I'm gonna use this as fuel acting to to continue
to drive more impact than to change last change the
face of the industry. Um where we know we need
a ton more work and to do to to do
some rock starships and some doose stuff. Well, because I
know that you teach a very popular course at Harvard
(14:17):
Business School, and I know that you are on the
personal board of advisors for dozens of the top executives
in the world and world leaders. Obviously, but if you
had to give some advice to our friend t J. Here,
he's about to step into the light, and like you
recognized for his achievements, he's shy as hell. What do
(14:38):
you recommend for him in this moment that he's having Well, gosh, okay,
So Ross, Here's the thing is that, like we said,
I know t J. Okay, I know t J. And
while I admire him so much for his work and
all of the loud things that he does, you're absolutely
(14:59):
right there when it comes to being in the light.
He is maybe one of the most humble people that
I've ever met. You know, because he doesn't take up
the light, he doesn't stand there and say, hey, look
at me, look at me. And so I believe that
this moment is gonna be his moment to actually just
take a breath, step into the light, you know, allow
(15:22):
for his peers in the industry to celebrate him. And
what I would ask of teaching when he's on that stage,
because we come from similar places, you know, similar background,
similar experiences, is to remember the journey of not just yourself,
but of all of the people who came before you.
(15:44):
You know, that moment is not just yours. It is
for the ancestors for sure, you know, those who stayed
on the continent and those who made it into the diaspora.
It is for the people who made it through this
industry before you, before I you know, who didn't get recognized.
(16:04):
And so in that moment, I want you to soak
up all of the life, but all of the life
so that everyone can see not just your own greatness,
but everybody came before you. And that is the advice
I would give. Wow, I think a lot of people
are gonna need to hear that there's a lot of
people that wish they were sitting right now a t
(16:26):
J where you are, not just because you're getting a
big award and you've got a cool job, but because
you could literally ask bos to st John anything you
want right now. So I know you've come with a
question or two, and I know you two know each
other well, so you don't need me to set that up.
But t J, who would you like to ask Bosed?
In front of the you know, large audiences listening to
(16:49):
the two of you right now. Bose is uh in
the corn. We all know that, and she manages to
inspire each and every person that that comes in contact
with her, which is a really special trait. But I
don't know if people hear enough about like both actually
(17:10):
talking about what she believes her superpower is and how
she leverages and unlocks that superpower to drive this incredible, incredible,
incredible impact. So I would like to ask you bad Asppose,
what would you say is your superpower and how do
you leverage that superpower to be the generational leader that
(17:32):
you are? Mm hmm gosh, yeah, that's it. Well, first
of all, thank you, you know it's it's so it's
interesting to hear that, because um, I feel very much
like community. M I mean leadership. Leadership is is odd
to me. I know, it's the problem sounds weird because yes,
(17:53):
I've had a lot of leadership roles, um, but I've
always felt like I just lived in community. You know.
Maybe that is part of our African nous also, you know,
having been in communal spaces and that is the root
of culture for us, is that. Um, I have always
felt like I lead in community, and so if anything,
(18:14):
that is perhaps my superpower that I don't necessarily lead
from the front. I lead from the middle. I know
that sometimes there's stories that you should lead from like
the rear, you know, it's like lead from back here.
But I don't think that's actually where the power is.
You know, its power is not all the way in
the back. The power is right in the middle of
the middle of the action. You know. So it's like,
regardless of the company I've been in or the organization
(18:37):
I've been in, jumping right into the middle of everything,
you know, it's it's where actually you learn the best,
and you understand the workings of and you get to
know people. They get to see your weaknesses and your vulnerabilities.
They also get to see your strengths. You understand who
to rely on and who you can't. By the way important, uh,
(18:59):
you understand where to also get some of your knowledge
or ideas or get them either crushed because you're like
that wasn't good enough, or to be empowered because it's
the most brilliant thing you've ever said and anybody ever
heard you. Know. So leading in community is perhaps my
(19:19):
my superpower and it is something that I hope more
more of a stud Bose, do you have a question
for teaching? Oh? Yes, I've been waiting for this day
for so long. Excuse me as I get down on
one Kney, I would like to formally ask t j okay,
(19:42):
i'd you got really nervous. I think your connection is
being a little shaky right now. Bose, No, it's not.
You can hear exactly what I'm asking you. T Day.
Don't even play with me. No, But on a on
a serious front, you know, as we've said, you know,
there's there's just so much excitement around you. You know,
we see the future in you and your peers. Do
(20:03):
all of us are rooting for you in that way?
What is the thing that you want to achieve. So
Ross and I have been out for gosh, we got inducted.
Was that nine years ago? Now almost a decade? So
in ten years, what is it that you want to
see of yourself that you will then be giving to
the next person who is about to be inducted. If
(20:25):
you're sitting in my seat, what is the thing that
you would have wanted to achieve? That's an incredible question. UM.
A lot of my work, ethic, my passion is fueled by, UM,
what I've observed on up specifically from my mother. I
watched her word two three jobs, as the as a
single parent. But when you when you observed that with
(20:47):
that type of proximity, you cannot be impacted by watching
a person will themselves to create success not only for
themselves but but for you And UM, a lot of that,
that kind of that that's superpower that I've seen in
my mom has been has been what I've leveraged just
(21:09):
fuel too to push through in the space. So as
I think about what I would like for myself five
ten years from now, I want people to look at
the impact that I've had across tech, across sports, across music,
across entertainment, and I want people at scale to say,
(21:31):
if it wasn't for me seeing TJ in that particular space,
if it wasn't for me interacting with him on that
particular project, on that particular initiative, I don't know if
I would have had a career in this. My superpower,
my fuel is is knowing that I create opportunity for
people who look like me, quite honestly, because I know
what it was required for me to get where I
(21:53):
am today, for me to sit on this podcast with
do similar with you. I hope to to hand the
master key two dozens of hundreds of people who look
like me too, to open the door to any room
that they're looking at access. That is beautiful, t J.
You know what I hope you have. You know what
I want for you? Like you know that like that
(22:13):
that ring that people carry with all of the keys
on there. You know there's a dozen that it's like
jingling that. You know, that's a gift I'm gonna give
you for your for your induction. Is like a big
old key ring with like hundreds of keys on there.
That's what you're gonna get. You know the beauty of
that too. You hear them coming before they come right
like pare coming. They're coming around the corner itself. Come in,
(22:38):
that's you, that's you. They're gonna hear you coming before
you get into the room, and they're gonna know that
you have to keep Oh man, come on, t J,
you've better prophesy. Let's look, let's do this. It's about
to be church because I'm about around. There was a
shaky connection at the beginning of the cold, but right
now that connection it's strong, strong, clear, clear. Bye, Okay,
(23:04):
I'm just letting that breathe for sec because I want
to just be in this right here. Bos and t J.
Thank you so much. You guys are amazing. Yes, pleasure, pleasure, pleaser.
Thank you. Ross is awesome, good job, nice work. Ross's well,
(23:27):
that doesn't For this episode of the Future Legends of
Advertising podcast, I'm Ross Martin and I'm Haley Rohmer, and
thank you for listening. We'll be back with another episode
before you know it. And for more information on the
American Advertising Federation, go to a F dot org.
Hosts And Creators
Ross Martin
Hayley Romer
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