Ep 143 - Nicolet Gatewood, Executive Director at BLAC

Minority Report Podcast

In episode 143, Erik and Kerel talk with Nicolet Gatewood, Executive Director at BLAC (Building Leaders and Creators), a twelve-week, paid internship for creative thinkers that takes place at independent ad agencies across the country. Nicolet was born in Boston, but grew up in many different places after her parents split. Her mom, who is white, moved to Arizona and her dad, who is black, took Nicolet on the road a lot as he was a touring musician, based in Brooklyn. Growing up biracial, seeing a lot of diversity, and also a lot of racism, fueled Nicolet’s passion to pursue Black Studies in college. She went on to work in cultural equity for a decade and stepped into the advertising space just a few years ago. Nicolet shares the tremendous work that’s going on at BLAC, the opportunities that are opening up for the interns in the program and agencies in getting such needed and available talent. She has realized that what she learns and gains from the interns is just as important as what she’s teaching them. And she opens up about the impact her parents have made in her life from showing her what hard work looks like to having the confidence and audacity to lead a life based on passion, as well as her many, countless mentors she’s had throughout her life. “If you're able to attract young, diverse talent, but you're losing them within three years, it's not a problem of the talent, it's a problem of your organization. How are you supporting them, investing in them, allowing them to grow? Is it equitable and fair? These are systems. You have to transform your systems. And most importantly, the way to affect real change, as we all know, is leadership.” BLAC: https://www.linkedin.com/company/blac-internship-program/ Nicolet Gatewood on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolet-gatewood/ Timestamps :36: Nicolet Gatewood, Executive Director at BLAC shares her experience growing up with her mom in Arizona and her dad in Brooklyn, New York 2:58: Nicolet talks about being biracial in a predominantly white town in Arizona with her mom and touring with her dad, a musician, and surrounded by alot of civil rights and anti-apartheid activists 4:32: Nicolet looks back at how different her parents’ experiences were with raising a biracial child 6:42: Nicolet explains into the BLAC internship program (Building Leaders and Creators) and it has opened up so many opportunities for great talent 10:41: The problem with the advertising industry isn’t a lack of available and diverse talent, it’s a lack of opportunities 13:05: How Nicolet was introduced to BLAC, why she was so moved and impressed by previous interns, and the fact that it is absurd to expect that employees turn off their identity while at work 16:13: Why we should start calling out microaggressions, understand that we all have things to learn, and create psychologically safer environments for all groups of people 18:36: Nicolet says she may be foolishly optimistic, but she believes the industry is heading in the right direction, but the step to take now is to make real change 22:34: What Nicolet is most excited about the future of BLAC 25:09: Where Nicolet stays connected online, who she follows in the DEI advertising space 27:21: Mentors Nicolet has had throughout her life, including her parents, college professors former bosses, her current boss, and the interns she works with at BLAC 27:49: Some of the founding agencies and others that currently work with BLAC 32:39: Nicolet’s favorite apps she uses to stay connected, entertained, and informed 33:43: Ways to reach Nicolet and the team at BLAC Follow Us: Newsletter: bitly.com/2QLEY8U Linkedin: bit.ly/2ZZUBxG Twitter: bit.ly/2Qp0SzK Instagram: bit.ly/2QLfEQc