Brian Smith
Coca-Cola
North Hollywood, CA USA
"Culture moves commerce."
Career Roadmap
Brian's work combines: Business, Food, and Being Creative
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
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.