Hispanic Heritage Month Roundtable: Industry Leaders Reflect on Culture, Representation, and Inclusion (VIDEO)

The panel included the insights ofVanessa Sandoval Head of Engagement ampamp Belonging Hearst MagazinesYvette M Del Valle Director Learner Community ampamp Experience Talent Equity ampamp Learning Solutions The 4Aamp8217sStephen Paez Executive Vice President Cultural Investment and Innovation Publicis MediaTina Rodriguez Sr Director Content Strategy ampamp Acquisition aspireTVShirley Flores Director Media Operations and ERG Lead of Mindshareamp8217s Black Diamond GroupWhen it comes to early memories of representation the groupamp8217s answers varied from Latin music stars Gloria Estefan and Selena Quintanilla and Academy Award winner Rita Moreno Oscar nominee America Ferrera to Latinocentered films like In the Heights and West Side Story Flores and Sandoval highlighted growing up watching Spanishlanguage networks like Univision and Telemundo and seeing themselves represented on screen amp8220We were everywhereamp8221 Sandoval said as a South Texas native amp8220I grew up seeing novellas on television and everyone was predominantly Latino in my area so I wasnamp8217t aware there was a representation issue It seemed normal to think that we could be in the media spaceamp8221Paez echoed the sentiment of having grown up in Miami sharing that having that representation in the workplace set him up for success amp8220I didnamp8217t realize that this wasnamp8217t the norm until I moved to Chicago I started in an advertising agency that was multicultural but we also did the general market That really helped me prepare and go explore and know that weamp8217re not all the same and gave me the confidence that if they were able to do this then I could succeedamp8221amp8220It would have allowed me to see that it was possibleamp8221 Rodriguez added speaking on the impact of seeing someone like her in a leadership role during her early career days amp8220What Iamp8217ve tried to do since then is to be a person for others to talk to and be that model for them I wouldamp8217ve come along a little faster if I had someone but Iamp8217m glad that I can do that now for someoneamp8221amp8220One of my mentors was a direct supervisor of mine Stacey Abreu and she really created an environment where I truly felt safe seen and heardamp8221 Del Valle shared amp8220She provided me guidance but also allowed me to gain confidence in my abilities and that helped me grow both professionally and personallyamp8221Recently published findings from The Myers Reportamp8217s 2024 Inclusion Belonging Knowledge and Relationships Study revealed key insights into the potential of Employee Resource Groups ERGs in the industry including that culturebased ERGs are the most sought after by employees and that those within the first two years of their time at a company show an vested interest in joining an ERG compared to those with a longer tenureAs the ERG Lead of Mindshareamp8217s Black Diamond Group Flores shared her own insights and the benefits of having ERGs that help foster community in the workplace amp8220It allows the opportunity for diverse casts of employees to have a safe space and feel included and is one of the most important pieces of being in a large organization We do a lot of communitybuilding reaching out within our team and reminding people to be culturally aware like bringing Hispanic Heritage Month through shared experiences Itamp8217s about advocating for yourselves and the ones coming into this industryamp8221Sandoval pointed out how drastically ERGs evolved when comparing them from before the pandemic to when remote work began in 2020 amp8220In addition to this sense of community weamp8217ve also made sure to focus on other ways to amp8216show upamp8217 at work and make an impact We call it the Four Camp8217s framework Careers Community Culture and Commerce We ask ERG leads to consider in these spaces whether itamp8217s an inperson event an activation or a panel that it serves one of those four pillars We have a lot of new joiners and theyamp8217re looking for a tribe for a pack a group to call their friends at workamp8221The 4Aamp8217s Learning Institute offers programs such as the Workplace Enlightenment Certification and Campaign Enlightenment Program that amp8220help agencies move toward the highest standards of equity and inclusion and work with their clients to create authentic impactful biasfree campaignsamp8221The 4Aamp8217s Foundation is amp8220committed to identifying developing empowering and ensuring the most diverse talent enters and succeeds in the marketing industry Our robust initiatives and programs aimed at discovering and cultivating talent across their educational and professional career journey include the Multicultural Advertising Intern Program MAIP Vanguard and other education programs We have provided over 4 million dollars in awards grants and scholarships to deserving students studying advertising marketing media creative arts and public relations The MAIP Alumni Association with more than 4400 professionals is the largest diverse community in the industry Our high school education programs have prepared more than 1000 diverse high school students for careers in Marketingamp8221In closing each panelist shared words of wisdom for the incoming workforce particularly those who spent most if not all of their college careers learning remotely during the pandemic and missed out on essential inperson networking events The group also emphasized the importance of continuous learning active involvement in industry communities and the power of language skills and diversity in building a successful careerThis conversation served as an inspiring reminder of the diversity and richness of Hispanic identities providing essential guidance for the next generation of leaders in media and marketingClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of 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Hispanic Heritage Month Roundtable: Industry Leaders Reflect on Culture, Representation, and Inclusion (VIDEO)

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Juan Ayala

We Are the Outliers - By Jack Myers

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Hispanic Heritage Month Roundtable: Industry Leaders Reflect on Culture, Representation, and Inclusion (VIDEO)

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Juan Ayala

We Are the Outliers - By Jack Myers

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