Last week, I attended Advertising Week in New York City. One of the highlights was speaking at The Female Quotient’s #EqualityLounge, an initiative dedicated to providing women with a platform at industry-leading conferences. The panel was a powerful reminder of the importance of promoting gender diversity in our field. It was a dynamic exchange of ideas and a step towards closing the gender gap in advertising. 

For the first time, women represent 51% of CMOs, but the statistics reveal that we still have much work to do. In the world of advertising, women account for just 35.3% of creative directors and a mere 1% of agency owners. We have to make a more conscious effort to elevate the voices of women in advertising.

I attended activations and brand experiences that celebrated culture and creativity, however, I noticed one undeniable truth that still prevails – cultural diversity wasn’t as present as it could have been on the main stage at Advertising Week. Thank goodness for Shelley Zalis and The Female Quotient for making space for women like me and my fellow diverse panelists. 

While I joined several activations that aimed to represent and uplift diverse voices, I couldn’t help but notice the underrepresentation of Black executives and creatives in the event’s spotlight. And oftentimes we are limited to only speak on topics specific to our community based on race and certain stereotypes, and not given as many opportunities to speak based on our technical and professional expertise. This observation led me to reflect on the profound impact that this lack of representation has on media, storytelling, and the portrayal of people of color, especially the Black community. 

My whole career has been about breaking the paradigms of what others think it is to be Black. And this why I’m so passionate about getting more stories out there – giving our voices as many platforms as possible. That is exactly what we are doing at Hero Media Inc. With over 20 Hero Originals in development, we aim to fill in the gaps, and shine a new light on the Black experience. From travel, to culinary arts, finance, investigative journalism and so much more, we are building a foundation to revolutionize storytelling and give multicultural audiences authentic stories we can all relate to. 

-Lauren Maillian, President, Digital Innovation