Brian Smith
Coca-Cola
North Hollywood, CA USA
"Culture moves commerce."
Career Roadmap
Brian's work combines: Business, Food, and Being Creative
See more careers and stories that connect to your interests.
Take Roadmap Quiz
Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
Build and utilize your network. School is a great launching pad into cultivating relationships with people who can help you get to where you want to be. I think it's also important to research and understand what cities are most prominent for your passions. For example, if you want to go into entertainment, you're probably going to want to get close to New York or Los Angeles. Being in those cities gives you a much better chance at networking with the best people for your career.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Sports Management
Hampton University
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life has been direct
1.
I grew up in Poughkeepsie, New York.
2.
After being inspired by a Nike advertisement when I was a kid, I started becoming interested in marketing.
3.
My whole family had attended an HBCU, so that was my plan as well.
4.
I graduated from Hampton University with a degree in sports management because I wanted to be at the intersection of business, culture, and sports.
5.
After graduating, I moved back to New York and started my career in marketing and advertising—my first few jobs were all in strategic planning, through which I really learned what motivates consumers.
6.
As I worked for various advertising agencies, I started getting an itch to transition into brand management.
7.
I got opportunities to work as a brand manager for Diageo and then Pernod Ricard, the largest and second largest spirits companies in the world respectively.
8.
I was eventually recommended to The Coca-Cola Company, where I currently work as the director of entertainment marketing.
Defining Moments
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
Culture moves commerce. As an African American leader in marketing and a gatekeeper to culture, it gets stressful at work because I have to do a lot of educating on culture and sub-culture. It can feel like pushing a boulder up a 90-degree angle.