Fearless Creative Leadership

'The Diversity Leader'. Singleton Beato is the personification of a leader determined to create a better future for everyone. She is the Chief Diversity & Engagement Officer at McCann Worldgroup, a position she came to after seven years as the Executive VP, for Diversity Strategy and Talent Development at the 4As. She is a thought leader in the issues that create the absence of diversity in organizations, and she's an expert in the behaviors and practices that organizations must embrace if they want to develop workforces that reflect society. During our conversation, she talked about the role that her race played in her upbringing, about why she waited until she was 32 to go to college, and about how to create environments that embrace differences. It was a timely conversation when we recorded it a couple of weeks ago. It has become even more relevant in the aftermath of the announcement of TimesUp Advertising.

A five minute edited highlight of our full length conversation.

'The Freelance Leader'. This week, my conversation with Justin Gignac, co-founder of Working Not Working - an online marketplace for creative freelancers. Our conversation was recorded on-stage at the 4as Talent2030 Conference. At some points, you'll hear us discussing a chart. The graphic of that chart is included in the transcript of this episode at the FearlessCreativeLeadership website. Justin Gignac has been a cheerleader, a professional mascot and an entrepreneur. We talked about what it was like to grow up as the son of a clown, about the extraordinarily simple idea that was the genesis of WNW, about the army he's building, and about what we should be teaching our children.

A five minute highlight of our full conversation.

'The Math and Magic Man'. Bob Pittman has lived several lives in the course of this one. At 27 he gave birth to MTV. Then turned Nickelodeon into a lasting success and launched VH-1 and Nick at Night. He was at the center of the creation of Time Warner, ran Six Flags theme parks and then Century 21 real estate before becoming CEO of AOL. He did all of that before the Millennium. In this century he has been the COO of AOL-Time Warner and co-founded, Pilot, LLC an investment group with a remarkably diverse portfolio, before joining Clear Channel Media and Entertainment. From 2011-14 he was named the most powerful man in radio. In 2014, the company was re-named and Bob became Chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia. He has also been the chairman of the Robin Hood Foundation, fighting poverty in NYC, the Chairman of New York Public Theater, and served on the boards of an extraordinary number of companies and not for profits. Along the way, he's found time to spend 6,000 hours behind the controls of a plane, and learned to fly helicopters too. He is a human being of diverse interests. He is a man of intention and intense action. We talked about the science and showmanship of leading creativity, about tortured geniuses and what he thinks about his failures and his legacy. This an action packed thirty minutes. A reflection of the man. I hope you enjoy it.

A 5 minute edited highlight of our full length conversation.

'The Team Builder'. Dianne Wilkins is the CEO of Critical Mass - a global digital experience design agency. She is also a talent magnet, drawing people to her with her openness and her commitment to their success. She is also a survivor. We talked about her willingness to jump in, the tragedy that changed her life, and the role that ice cream played in shaping her remarkable career. Let me know what you think.

A five minute edited highlight of our full length conversation

'The Thoughtful Leader'. Rei Inamoto is unique. And he's an identical twin. His professional life has encompassed some of the most prominent and powerful leadership positions in the creative industries, including five years at R/GA and then as the worldwide chief creative officer at AKQA. In 2016, he and his partner Rem Reynolds, launched Inamoto and Co - a "business invention studio" focused on design, data, technology and digital transformation. Rei and I met in their offices in Brooklyn and talked about the impact of having a twin, of life as an outsider, and about the importance of humility. A couple of days after we recorded our interview, Rei emailed me and said that he'd been thinking about one of my questions since we met, and wanted to give a more thoughtful answer. He included a recording and asked if I minded including it. I didn't mind. And I have included it at the very end of the show. It's worth listening to. In fact, it's potentially much more than that.

A five minute edited highlight of our full-length conversation.