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H ello! I’ve got some big news! I was one of 93 people inducted into this year’s LinkedIn Top Voice class, alongside Jalen Brunson, Oprah, Billie Jean King, and a few more outstanding individuals I look up to. It may seem like a simple badge/credential on a digital business platform, but it’s been a 2,939-day journey for me. Before I get into that story, here’s what’s on tap this week on the Brief. We cover Google’s latest AI security breach, a partnership between A24 & Dior, and Amazon’s push to ban all agentic commerce.
Back to the story. It was September 3rd, 2018. That was the day I launched Episode 1 of this Innovation Brief series, a (then) 60-second video on the latest in media, technology, and innovation. I was working at Stagwell’s Assembly Media at the time, and I had an idea for this series but didn’t ask anyone for permission (I knew they would say no). Because I understood production, I found an empty meeting room, booked it for an hour, set up a ton of production gear, scripted it, self-filmed it, edited it, got access to our official social channels, and posted the video without telling anybody. The branding was completely off, my performance was beyond cringey, and I’m dressed like I’m about to go clubbing at TAO. Basically, the whole thing was a mess (in hindsight). I published it and, within minutes, got an angry email from our comms department, a text from my boss, and then was called into our CEO’s office a few hours later.
They weren’t happy! I was read the corporate version of the riot act, and before I was dismissed, our CEO did admit that the content of the episode was actually decent and something a few of our clients might care about (one of my stories was about a potential new “shopping app” Instagram was going to launch, and we had plenty of retail clients). So after that proper slap on the wrist, some new branding, and a “we’re not going to be able to stop him anyway” attitude, the Innovation Brief was born!
Fast forward 1,158 stories, 2 kids, 1 company launch, and 6+ years later, and here I am… proudly typing this write-up for Episode 386 of the Brief. The true lesson I’ve learned isn’t about being a rebel (although I do believe it’s better to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission in many corporate cases), but rather having relentless consistency. I’ve filmed episodes sick, while traveling, been stopped mid-filming by police (long story); I even remember one episode I shot in freezing temperatures at 5:00am in my driveway because (I) I had to shovel snow and (ii) I didn’t want to wake my newborn daughter up with my loud yapping.
Why do I do this?! Well, building on last week’s write-up, I do this for myself, and it’s both fun and intellectually invigorating for me to put together every episode (alongside a full team now). But more importantly, in an increasingly chaotic world where accountability and consistency are in decline, I believe it’s the right type of modeling and leadership that hopefully inspires others.
Even though I am now a Top Voice, I promise not to shout any louder than I already do.