I got my start in advertising in the early ‘90s. Like today, breaking into the industry wasn’t easy. The economy was still recovering from a recession, jobs were scarce and the percentage of Black professionals in advertising hovered around five percent—which, frustratingly, isn’t all that different from today’s seven percent.
Growing up as a latchkey kid, I watched Darrin Stephens in “Bewitched” and Peter Scolari and Tom Hanks in “Bosom Buddies” and thought that advertising was the career for me. So, I started the grind—sending cover letters, requesting informational interviews and spending hours researching agencies and famous campaigns at the library.
Then, one day, I saw a help-wanted ad for a part-time assistant account executive position at one of Seattle’s biggest and most prestigious ad agencies. This was it—my shot. I applied immediately.