Welcome to Beyond High Street
I am an executive vice president at Octagon, a global sports and entertainment marketing business. I have been with the company since 1999 and created the firm’s celebrity/influencer strategy discipline, First Call.
The purpose of our celebrity/influencer strategy business line is to make strategy and procurement straightforward, smarter and more efficient for brands and non-profits. We help brand clients and partners understand the value of talent, when it makes sense to (or not too) use them in a campaign; and ultimately, how to negotiate and create a go-to-market program. Our world has shifted rapidly toward “influencer marketing” and there is no greater time or need to help brands in this space. I enjoy writing and you can see some of these white papers via my Forbes column.
In the summers during my time at Miami I worked for a radio station, TV station and a PR firm in various communications and marketing roles. That work led to a job with Brotman Winter Fried Communications after I graduated. I stayed there for five years until one August night, I was running an event for Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse and the Washington Redskins in Washington, DC and someone from Octagon happened to be in attendance (Patrick McGee). He must have enjoyed the filet (or his cocktail), because he invited me to the office for a conversation. Two weeks later, October 1, 1999, was my first day at Octagon. Talk about the right place and the right time.
This podcast is focusing on the lives and experiences of Miami alumni. For anyone that has spent time on campus, the podcast name won’t need any explanation. But for others, High Street is that one red brick street uptown, our hub in town. Forbes even just ranked Oxford, Ohio as the best college town in the nation.
Since graduating more than 20 years ago, I have always wondered what it is – what’s the commonality of all Miami students. We were willing to venture into the farmland and into the corn stalks of southwest Ohio, we left major cities to study and live in a tiny, rural community for 4 years and for some, even more.
I’ll say this - whatever it is - it drives us. It’s why Miami consistently ranks in the top 5 in the country in producing Fortune 500 CEOs and CMOs and It’s why you have seen Miami names on the executive leaderboard at Instagram, twitter and other emerging global brands. The list of Entrepreneurs, business heads, community leaders, media executives and authors is endless, it even includes a former United States President and Super Bowl winning quarterback.
I hope you enjoy the pod and do share with all Miamians.