To inspire a creative revolution, The Marcus Graham Project recently hosted a 60-hour tweet-a-thon called The Boomerang Effect with SERVE 60™. The web event featured host sites in London, Chicago, New York, Miami, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Detroit. Rolling Out covered the event at Pranna in New York and spoke with several members of The Marcus Graham Project who discussed The Boomerang Effect and how the organization will change the face of marketing and advertisement. –amir shaw
Torian Robinson
The Marcus Graham Project derives from the film Boomerang. Eddie Murphy’s character (Marcus Graham) was a high-powered executive in the marketing industry. The Marcus Graham Project is a breeding ground for the next group of leaders in the advertising industry. We partner with various marketing & advertising firms and train our interns so that they can develop knowledge about the industry.
We want to show kids something different. There are opportunities in marketing and advertising. A lot of companies market products to black consumers so we should be in a position to make more decisions when it comes to marketing to our community.
Ralph Lee
I reached out to Lincoln Stephens, who is the founder of The Marcus Graham Project, a few years ago. He has experience in advertising and he included me in the program. He eventually became my mentor…. [In the program,] I was able to gain insight on the difficulties that black Americans face when trying to get into the industry. Less than 5 percent of minorities are in the field of advertising. Through Stephens’ mentorship, I was able to grow in the field. In the past year, I have turned struggle into success. I was hired by Dentsu America and it’s my first agency job. My advice is to be patient in your career and find something that [makes] you want to grow and be successful.
Kenji Summers
I met Lincoln Stephens on Linkedin and he accepted my request. I was having trouble with the culture at my ad agency. I didn’t fit in and I wanted to know how I could fit in with the company better and get the most out of my experience. He gave me tips and he introduced me to The Marcus Graham Project. We’re now working on the summer boot camp. That’s how we’re helping the next generation. We’re targeting 18-34 year-olds who are involved in marketing. The Marcus Graham Project is helping to sharpen their skills.
