“When was the first time you became aware of your own race?” This is the first question that The BrandLab poses to creative leaders in its new podcast Three Fearless Questions (3FQ), made in partnership with Carmichael Lynch. The podcast features the likes of advertising legend and award-winning author Jimmy Smith, former Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, and renowned hip hop artist and Rhymesayers Entertainment member Brother Ali, and reveals how race, bias, and diversity impact their personal lives and creative work.
“The BrandLab’s mission is to prepare students of diverse backgrounds for careers in marketing and advertising—but we can’t stop there. Those students need inclusive, unbiased places to work, or they won’t stay. Our Fearless work seeks to create those spaces,” said Ellen Walthour, executive director of The BrandLab. “Three Fearless Questions will continue the conversation from our State of the Industry research and annual Fearless Conversations event and bring this dialogue to a new and broader audience.”
Initially, program alumni Olivia House, Alicia Jimerson, and Ingrid Sabah were invited into the studio simply to observe and learn how a podcast is made. In no time it clicked that they were ready to do so much more. First they stepped in to conduct the interviews. Then they started assisting with editing, then they crafted project timelines and PR plans.
“It was always meant to be a learning opportunity for The BrandLab students, but the ‘by students’ part came later,” explains Mike Lescarbeau, Carmichael Lynch CEO. “These talented youth are the true leaders of this project and taking it places no one could have anticipated.”
Guest Jimmy Smith shared his thoughts on The BrandLab: “If The BrandLab had existed back in the day when I was coming up, it would have made it a whole helluva lot easier to navigate the Nincompoop Forest. God Bless the mission of The BrandLab!”
Current episodes are available now at www.thebrandlab.org/3fq, with additional releases coming soon. For more information about The BrandLab or the 3 Fearless Questions podcast please contact Brian Gioielli at 952.334.2658 or bgioielli@thebrandlab.org.