Ad Age is marking Black History Month 2024 with our fourth-annual Honoring Creative Excellence package. (Read the introduction here.) Today, guest editor Keith Cartwright turns the spotlight to Geoff Edwards, executive creative director at Gale and co-founder of creative collective Saturday Morning.

“You’ll never see a U-Haul behind a hearse.”

This powerful quote from renowned actor Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. serves as a reminder that it doesn’t matter what you have, it’s what you do with what you have that is important. That’s legacy.

It doesn’t matter what title you have. It doesn’t matter how much money you make. It doesn’t matter the level of notoriety that you’ve achieved. None of it truly defines you, and you can’t take any of it with you when you leave this Earth. The Egyptians tried it and were robbed. It doesn’t work!

So, as industry executives grapple with the promise made to people of color, post-George Floyd, that the industry would be more inclusive, they have not delivered on that promise. So the promise is left in others’ hands to solve. That’s the unfortunate truth. 

The consequence of this blind spot is that organizations like Saturday Morning and prominent Black executives and allies must map out an actionable playbook for Gen Z and millennials on how to navigate the turbulent waters that we have braved in our careers. And help these young leaders of all racial backgrounds define a legacy of their own.

My promise for the remainder of my career is to leave a legacy of greatness—a leading example for the next wave of Black executives and leaders in this business. This year, I’m gathering donations for The Saturday Morning Community Center for Creativity in Inglewood, California. A place where inspiration, creativity and innovation can thrive in a community that will benefit from it.

This is a material example of purpose in action. And the legacy I endeavor to leave for others.