Students travel to New York for media conference
Four Media School students attended the 2017 Multicultural Talent Pipeline hosted by Publicis Media Sept. 27 in New York City.
The Multicultural Talent Pipeline is an annual one-day conference that provides opportunities to multicultural students in the media, marketing and advertising industries. The program provides students with perspectives from current professionals on key areas, including strategy, analytics and branding.
Tierra Brown, Toni Pringley, Aubrei Hayes and Maggie Gomez were selected by Publicis Media to attend the event. The students viewed panels, attended workshops and networked with other students and professionals. After the conference, they wrote about their experiences.
Taking home what I learned
By Maggie Gomez
Publicis Media’s Multicultural Talent Pipeline was one of the greatest things I have done in college. At IU, you can take classes on what the definition of advertising is, what a good advertisement is, how to frame and position your messaging, etc., but seldom do you ever learn about what a day in the media industry actually looks like, what it takes to work in media and how to rise up the ranks in the industry – straight from the source.
Looking back on the last 48 hours, here is what I learned:
- If you’re green, you grow; if you’re ripe, you rot. Never stop learning. Stay green for as long as you can. Change positions. Stay curious. That is the only way you will continue to grow both professionally and personally.
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Junior Toni Pringley poses with an MCTP sign after a long, but fun two days with Publicis. (Courtesy photo) Know how to tell a good story. You can have all the data and analyticsin the world, but if you can’t do anything with it, it’s no good. You must be able to build a story out of numbers and insights.
- It’s about EQ, too. You can have the technical skills and the smarts, but without emotional intelligence, you won’t be able to communicate your ideas and opinions to others. You must be confident,personable and persuasive. This requires EQ.
- Manage your own career. Track all of your accomplishments and areas of improvement. When entering a professional evaluation, know your exact successes, weaknesses and goals. Know where you want to go, and take on new positions and projects that will help you develop the skill set to get there.
- Remember your “why.” Don’t forget why you started doing whatever you’re doing in the first place. The media industry is tough; it’s competitive. It’ll wear you down. When things get hard, you have to remember your “why.”
Learning to stand out
By Aubrei Hayes
This was my first time experiencing the Multicultural Talent Pipeline and observing the many different people there, eager to learn the many different things about the media industry and what career options were available to them. I enjoyed seeing many different people and the diverse culture, in the atmosphere as well as the common connection of undergraduates who are eager to experience the media hands-on and jumpstart their careers.
As the ladies and I were beyond excited to start networking and giving our best elevator pitch to the many different companies present, we arrived Wednesday afternoon. As we began the networking luncheon, we met many different students from all over the U.S., as well as a lot of different employees from the Publicis Group. The employees explained the program and their many different roles in promoting multicultural diversity throughout the media industry.
After the luncheon, we heard a panel discussion “What will MCTP do for me?” as many former MCTP students discussed their careers and how pivotal MCTP was for excelling in the media industry. One of the panelists discussed the importance of networking and getting your ideas and aspirations out into the media industry. The panelists continued their discussion by stating, “The actions of each of us makes a difference. The action of all of us together can make a sea of change,” as they encouraged unity when in the professional business.
