In honor of Black History Month, we are highlighting inspiring Black American figures who have transformed the definition of success within the advertising industry. We celebrate these powerful leaders and their profound impact on our world!
Barbara Gardner Proctor — Trailblazing Ad Executive
An illuminating figure in the advertisement industry, Barbara Gardner Proctor was the first Black woman in the United States to establish and operate her own ad agency. In 1969, a Chicago advertising agency wanted Proctor to execute an ad concept that would parody the Black social justice marches of the day in order to promote and sell hair products. Unamused by the distasteful proposition, her steadfast refusal to do the project ultimately led to her dismissal from the job..
“It became quite apparent to me,” she said, “that if I did not begin to control my own destiny, I was going to have it changed about every five years.”
Her journey then led to her establishment of Proctor & Gardner — a successful multimillion dollar advertising company. Fun fact — Gardner used to work in the music industry and played a part in bringing The Beatles to the United States in December 1962 for the first time!" In remembrance of her trailblazing legacy, she is now celebrated as a legendary pioneer in advertising.
Danny Robinson — Creative Industry Veteran
Danny Robinson is the first ever African American Chief Creative Officer (CCO) of The Martin Agency, a Richmond-based advertising company.
Robinson co-founded Vigilante in 1998, one of the first agencies specializing in transforming urban insights into advertising. Now as CCO of The Martin Agency, he is largely responsible for the company’s overall creative direction. His vision for the creative department involves making The Martin Agency a more inclusive company. Robinson is a strong advocate for the diversity and inclusion agenda in business and believes better work is produced with a diverse workforce.
“I think one of the reasons people who look like me don’t get in the business is they don’t see role models,” said Robinson. “You have to think about who’s in the room when it’s created and even maybe more important, if those people aren’t in the room, do they ever get created?”
With more than 17 years of experience and copious awards to support his work in the industry, his promotion to CCO was highly deserved.
Vita Harris — Dynamic Industry Leader
Vita Harris has served as a pioneer in transformative strategy with over 30 years of experience in the advertising industry. Harris is a Chief Strategy Officer at FCB Global and was the principal member that helped launch the company’s new agency model around the world, contributing to the agency’s successful growth. As a Black woman that has climbed the ranks of the advertising world, she is committed to advancing diversity and inclusion efforts, and she is known for educating worldwide organizations on how to prevent harmful biases within their work and content.
“I have so much hope for a more diverse, equitable and inclusive industry.”
Amongst her many achievements, Harris appeared on Adweek’s annual list of Women Trailblazers in 2020. In 2011 and 2016, she was cited by Black Enterprise as one of its “Top Executives in Advertising and Marketing.” In 2010, she was recognized as an ADCOLOR Award Legend and was named one of The Network Journal’s “25 Influential Black Women in Business” in 2006. Harris’ astute business acumen and passion deserves to be highly praised and celebrated.
Keith Cartwright — Transformational Creative Director
Recognized by Campaign Magazine as one of the “Top 10 Most Influential People in Advertising”, Keith Cartwright is a highly accomplished and well-known creative agency veteran. From being the founder and CCO of Union Made Creative to working as Executive Creative Director at 72andSunny, his journey in the industry is nothing short of remarkable.
In 2020, he founded CARTWRIGHT, a Los Angeles marketing agency where he leads as the President and CCO. Currently, he is also working as Co-Founder of Saturday Morning, an organization built to dispel negative racial biases and fight injustices through the power of creativity.
"Creativity has to be bold and audacious in order for you to pay attention, inspire you to share and entice you to want more,” Cartwright said.
A mark of a truly astounding entrepreneur, Cartwright has been awarded and recognized by every major awards organization in his field. Some notable organizations that awarded him include the Art Directors Club, The London and New York Festivals, Cannes, and the Emmys.
These amazing role models have made such influential contributions to the industry and their efforts do not go unnoticed. We are inspired by their notable work not only during Black History Month but all year round!