Creatives Talk With Erik Umphery

This week I get to speak with Marcus Smith about his incredible creative journey as a freelance photographer. He has worked with several iconic brands in his 7 year career; Nike, Adidas, Apple, ESPN, Reebok, GQ just to name a few. Art has always been a part of his life, but photography was not something that he even knew could be a career until after he had already graduated from undergrad with a degree in business. His mother being one of the strongest influences in his life gave him the confidence to go against what most people expected of him, and now he has already built a career many people aspire for.

This week I get to speak with Gentry Humphrey about his incredible career at one of the most iconic brands ever, Nike - Jordan Brand. He was there in the beginning and has spent over 25 years doing it different making some of the most significant impacts on culture. He dreamed of being in the NBA as a kid, but that dream was not big enough because the effect he has had and continues to have on the sport are far greater than anything he would have been able to do had he made the NBA.

An incredible talk with four dynamic creatives who have built a career pushing through resistance and are currently rockstars at Google, AirBnB, HP, and Oakland Athletics.

In this episode, Eddie takes us on his personal journey from janitor to successful radio personality and how he found himself working with some of the most talented people in the entertainment industry. Despite losing his job and overcoming an addiction to alcohol, he continued to preserve through even some of his most difficult times

Sharing my journey from working in Corporate America to becoming a commercial photographer. The ups and downs of being an entrepreneur and challenges I've faced.

This episode I get to speak with Maya "Shameless" Washington about her journey to becoming a successful creative. She never allowed others to define her story.

This episode I get to speak with Elton Anderson Jr about his journey from Corporate America to becoming a successful creative/commercial photographer. His career is a series of twists and turns that continue to evolve and inspire others to live in a place of gratitude. Elton's mantra is a quote I love, "Jump and develop your wings as you fall".

This week I get to speak with Maurice "Mo" Marable about his remarkable career and how he has been able to continue to reinvent himself. Mo has pivoted several times throughout his career always leaving his mark throughout his journey.  Mo was first generation college student that had to tell his parents on two different occasions he was dropping out of school. His career had several twists and turns from serving in the military, to working for Spike Lee, to creating the opening sequence for HBO's Entourage, to directing episodes of Veep, Suits, The Game, and recently executive producing and directing all episodes of The Brockmire. Mo continues to push himself and his work without allowing ego to get in the way.

This week I get to speak with Daryl Butler about his inspiring journey that started in finance to know working in marketing with some of the most influential brands and personalities in the world. Daryl's career has included stops at Boost Mobile, Nike, Jordan and now Director of Marketing at Beats by Dre. In this podcast, we discuss how he birthed the idea for the viral award winning campaign "Straight Outta Somewhere" to promote the movie Straight Outta Compton. His curiosity about culture and what other people are passionate about, continue to inspire him.

This week I get to speak with Kendrick Reid about his incredible career and how being himself has allowed others to identify the confidence that he possess which made it easy for networks to trust him to launch major rebranding campaigns. We talk about is tireless work ethic and unique ability to build the right team to execute a networks brand strategy. Kendrick has worked with a variety of networks, from Disney to Bravo to Fuse, to Comedy Central and is now leading BET's creative service department as SVP Executive Creative Director Brand Strategy. I know that's a mouth full for a title but, once you hear his story you will understand why he has not only earned it but, created the title for himself.

This week I get to speak with Kahlana Barfield-Brown about her journey from an intern living in NYC making $15 a day to becoming the fashion and beauty editor at large for Instyle Magazine. She shares so many stories about the grind and challenges she had to overcome to make it to where she is now.

This week I speak with Dhane Scotti, EVP of Global Business at McCann and he discuss his incredible journey from intern to EVP at one of the largest advertising agencies before turning 35. Dhane discusses diversity in advertising, the benefits of differentiating yourself, and looking at your life as a narrative you are creating.

This week I speak with Lori Hall, SVP of Marking at TVone and she provides an incredible amount of insight into how she was able to go from production assistant to SVP in only 12 years. She shares different challenges she’s faced, endless advice on trusting yourself and being open to pivoting when need. This podcast is jammed packed with gems and advice.

In this episode we will talk about how your success is not only connected to your skill set but also timing, signs that let you know you are on the right path, how to push through to the finish line even when you are discouraged and not being afraid to try things.

In this episode we will talk about overcoming challenges, the importance of mentors, building and valuing strong relationships, learning from a 14K mistake, and the need for photographers to be a triple threat to win jobs.