By Jasmine Browley· Updated January 13, 2023
If you enjoyed the R&B cipher from BET’s 2022 Soul Train Awards or the viral carpool karaoke-style clips featuring City Girls’ Yung Miami and music legend Babyface, Tasha Hilton is to thank for that.
As one of BET’s senior marketing directors, Hilton is responsible for generating awareness of the network’s programming and ultimately getting people to watch. But for her, the role means so much more than that.
“I am quite clear about what I want for my career,” Hilton told ESSENCE. “I know often people have dream companies they want to work for and that’s great because there are a lot of really amazing companies breaking through the clutter within their industries. For me it’ about aligning with my purpose and ultimately I want to drive impact in culture and business goals. I have the luxury to currently work at a company where culture sits as the nucleus of its core values.”
The North Carolina A&T State University alum added “it’s a beautiful experience” getting to wrap her work around amplifying HBCU initiatives, small Black business owners, and Black art to paint a cohesive picture of the Black experience. This loud and proud cultural awareness is something has come to appreciate in her career.
After earning a degree in engineering, Hilton realized she had a deep interest in entertainment, took a major pivot and accepted an internship at a brand agency that helped lay the foundation of her marketing career we see today. Eventually, Hilton landed at publishing powerhouse Simon & Schuster to drive awareness of big-name books distributed out of the company. After three years of meaningful work, Hilton said she wanted to dedicate her time something even more fulfilling: highlighting Black culture.
In 2019 she joined BET has already managed to leave an indelible mark.
“I’m learning the higher you rise within a company it’s less about the work you do, and more about how you lead,” Hilton said. “My SVP of Marketing, Tiyale Hayes and EVP, Chief Marketing Officer of BET, Kimberly Paige nominated me into the BECA Playbook. BECA (Black Executive CMO Alliance) is an organization creates opportunity, access, equality for black marketers. They created the “BECA Playbook” which invests in Black leaders who aspire tobecome in the C-Suite providing resources, networking, and tactics to successfully navigate that journey…another example of a gift. The point of me sharing this is to highlight having a level of awareness is one thing but having leadership and resources to shepherd you along the way iscritical.”
She also acknowledges that balance is required for success and is a firm believer in the soft life, even as an ambitious millennial. Hilton advised younger generations to pay attention to the grind, and their bodies.
“Our work culture has warranted demand of self-care and balance in the workplace,” she said, adding that sometimes her schedule can command a nearly 12-hour work day.
“While balance and self-care isn’t something I would have ever brought up in a conversation to my employer in my 20s simply because that wasn’t the culture or a topic mentioned, Gen Z does it with assertiveness which is impressive not only for their conviction but also for the long-term adaptation it applied to the work culture. At the end of the day kudos to Gen Z for demanding self-care at work, I’m still a work in progress as my work days end late but I see the light and I’m on my way.”
The post This Marketing Executive Shares How She Built A Career Centering The Black Experience appeared first on Essence.
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