LOS ANGELES – Jay-Z calls marketing magnate Steve Stoute “brilliant.” Interscope chairman and new “American Idol” personality Jimmy Iovine calls Stoute the “king of advertising.” And the king, the CEO of Translation, an entertainment-marketing firm, didn’t disappoint as he delivered a powerful message of achieving transcendent success that resonated with the thousands of National Black MBA Association conventioneers.
Sitting across from Greg Cunningham, Target’s group manager for brand marketing, at the keynote luncheon held at the Los Angeles Convention Center, Stoute shared his formula that will help the overachieving throng attach wings to their advanced degrees and enable them to change the world as he has.
“I never thought once in my career that I would answer the phone and the answer would be there. I looked under every single rock possible. I thought the possibilities could come from anywhere. And some of the most remarkable circumstances in my career have come from an unexpected relationship, an unexpected circumstance. I had no idea it was coming. Very few things come into your life that are telegraphed,” says Stoute.
Stoute’s megastardom in the advertising and marketing world is made all the more remarkable because that nearly homogenous genre has never exemplified kindness to people of color in any capacity. Brokering deals for natural hair and beauty products phenomenon Carol’s Daughter and undertaking philanthropic endeavors with living legend Mary J. Blige, Stoute has excelled. He paired Jay-Z with Reebok, the first non-athlete to have his name inscribed on a sneaker.
“It’s all about going through the journey and trying your best to enjoy the journey and figure out what your calling is. I’ve hired many people that went to big schools, have glowing resumes and have all these degrees. But when you take them out of the education and put some practicality around it, there starts to be a problem,” says Stoute, author of The Tanning of America, which explains how urban culture greatly impacts the American economy.
“What employers are looking for is the talent that’s out there that’s willing to be resourceful that’s willing to ask the next question, that’s willing to find the answers. And not just give the answer, but be able to show them how you got the answer. Lots of people out there have education. What’s going to separate you from the field is if you can take your education and put some practical application around it and resourcefulness around it so that it will illuminate what you’re all about,” he says.
That‘s what Stoute has done, and it has the legends of the game today singing his praises. –terry shropshire
