Celebrating Black Creative Excellence

For Black History Month, top media and marketing execs share creative high points from their careers

Illustration by Vitalii Abakumov/iStock/Getty Images Plus. Published on February 3, 2025.

Black Creative Excellence Celebrated

For Black History Month, creative innovators share key moments in their careers

Illustration by Vitalii Abakumov/iStock/Getty Images Plus. Published on February 3, 2025.

Ad Age is celebrating Black History Month by once again highlighting stories of Black creative excellence throughout February. Now in its fifth year, the project shines a light on inspiring and influential Black creators across the industry, who revisit key projects and turning points from their careers through personal essays. Four guest editors will share their stories and invite other talents in their orbit to do the same.

For the third year in a row, we are also partnering with Outfront to showcase many of the essayists on digital out-of-home media across the U.S. If you missed last year’s series, catch up on all the essays here. Join Ad Age and Outfront Media on Feb. 26 in New York for a conversation with several industry leaders from this series.

ReachTV’s Lynnwood Bibbens on the opportunity marketers are still missing

Guest editor: Lynnwood Bibbens

Chairman and CEO, ReachTV

Justin Thomas-Copeland on listening to and trusting your inner voice

Justin Thomas-Copeland

Founder and CEO, Kindrd Global

Digital Culture Group’s Crystal Foote on how one legacy is disrupting ad tech

Crystal Foote

Founder and Head of Partnerships, Digital Culture Group

Tai Beauchamp on rethinking what it means to ‘practice wellness’

Tai Beauchamp

Founder, Morning Mindset with Tai

Datwon Thomas on forging an authentic connection between the talent and the concept

Datwon Thomas

Executive Producer, Dick Clark Productions and Editor-at-Large, Vibe Magazine

VML’s Kaleeta McDade on pushing back against ‘algorithms without the rhythm’

Guest editor: Kaleeta McDade

Global Chief Experience Design Officer, VML

Savage X Fenty CMO Vanessa Wallace’s message to her younger self

Vanessa Wallace

Chief Marketing Officer, Savage x Fenty

Meta’s Damien Baines on culture and collaboration in experiential marketing

Damien Baines

Head of Experiential and Creative Development, Meta

Artis Stevens on how the ad industry can help redefine mentorship

Artis Stevens

President and CEO, Big Brothers Big Sisters

Headline Teekay Teekay

Guest editor: Kaleeta McDade

Global Chief Experience Design Officer, VML

Headline Teekay Teekay

Vanessa Wallace

Chief Marketing Officer, Savage X Fenty

Headline Teekay Teekay

Damien Baines

Head of Experiential and Creative Development, Meta

Headline Teekay Teekay

Artis Stevens

President and CEO, Big Brothers Big Sisters

Headline Teekay Teekay

Guest editor: Lucien Etori

Chief Strategy Officer, McCann New York

Headline Teekay Teekay

Darrell Booker

Corporate Affairs Specialist, Microsoft

Headline Teekay Teekay

Roger Caruth

Professor of Marketing, Howard University

Headline Teekay Teekay

Chloë Davies

Founder and CEO, It Takes A Village Collective

Headline Teekay Teekay

Shannon Bergeron

Senior Art Director, OutFront Studios

Headline Teekay Teekay

Guest editor: Damaune Journey

Global Chief Growth Officer, 72andSunny

Headline Teekay Teekay

Geoff McHenry

Head of Strategy, 72andSunny

Headline Teekay Teekay

Tara DeVeaux

CEO, Burrell Communications

Headline Teekay Teekay

Erica Taylor Haskins

Co-Founder and Chief Relationship Officer, Tinsel Experiential Designs

Headline Teekay Teekay

Imani Laners

VP of Partnerships, Zeta Global

Headline Teekay Teekay

Nadja Bellan-White

CEO, M&C Saatchi Group North America

Web production by Corey Holmes.