Black on Madison Avenue

 

“Then go write it.”

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Everything started when I sent an email to Judann Pollack, the executive editor of Advertising Age, the official chronicle of the advertising industry.  It was like a classic Rube Goldberg contraption set in motion, with each new step crazier than the one before.  I had four short stories that I had written; they were about different moments from different stages in my advertising career.  They were – at least I hoped – interesting enough to share.  I’m a Black man who has spent 40+ years on Madison Avenue.  I have stories no one else could tell.  That’s not hype or exaggeration.  It’s just an uncomfortable reality, a sad and damning statement about the ad business.  So I sent them to Judann and made the suggestion that perhaps Ad Age would feature a story per week for four weeks.  I heard back from Judann (Judy) right away.

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“Are these from a book?  They feel like chapters from a book,” she said in her email.  She was very complimentary of the stories and my writing, but said that the magazine rarely ran series pieces. 

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And then Judy wrote me another email.  “I’m wondering if you might be interested in doing the Ad Lib Podcast with me next week.”  Ad Lib was Judy’s weekly podcast where she interviewed industry leaders and luminaries; the very important of the very big.  Ad Lib was the kind of prestige exposure that PR professionals dream of getting for their clients.  And it was being offered to me.

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I said yes.  Of course.  I have never shied away from the opportunity to hear myself talk.

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And so when Judann introduced me to the listeners of her podcast, she said that she would like me to share some of the stories from my book, “Black On Madison Avenue.”  But wait.  I had not written that book.  Not yet.  “Black On Madison Avenue” was the title I had given to the set of four stories.  There was no book.  But we were on the air and the last thing that I was going to do was correct her mid-interview.  So we just kept going and I shared some of the stories.  For an hour or so, we had a really terrific exchange.

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Again, for the record, there was no book.

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But as soon as the podcast hit the internet, I found myself having to explain to half the people I knew that this book did not exist.  My wife, my son and daughter and my brother all asked me how could I have written this book and they didn’t know.  One of my closest friends was genuinely hurt that I hadn’t told him about the book.  Judy sent me an email saying listeners wanted to know where they could purchase the book.  And all the while, I’m thinking that most writers would give their right arm for this kind of book launch publicity.

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When I explained to everyone that there was no book, the response was universally the same; “Then go write it.” 

So here we are.

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“Black On Madison Avenue”, when it is finished, will explain how – and why – I got into this business.  And it will share some of the adventures I have had over the past 42 years.  Yes, adventures.  Have you ever gotten into a shouting match with a Venezuelan Army general in the middle of a military coup?  I have. 

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But I also would like to give readers a sense of what it’s like to be a Black professional in the advertising business, because there really aren’t that many of us.  Not nearly as many as there should be.  For an industry that professes to be the vanguard of creativity, popular culture and forward thinking, advertising is one of the most un-diverse white collar professions in America. 

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It should come as no surprise to anyone that there are very few African American advertising professionals willing to come forward and speak on the record about their experiences at New York advertising agencies.  We all have to pay the rent or the mortgage.  We all have to feed ourselves – or more importantly – our children.  We all have to survive in this business.  It is hard enough for Black people to get a job in this business when you keep your mouth shut and go along.  It is damn near impossible to remain gainfully employed when you speak up and start saying uncomfortable truths. 

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Since I work directly for my own clients, I do not rely upon any agency for my income.  I am not hoping to be hired by an agency.  But I have no illusion that being self-employed makes me somehow bullet-proof.  Speaking up and speaking out is likely to create enemies for me.  I am likely to be attacked in ways that I cannot begin to anticipate or protect myself from.  I may be doing irreparable damage to my livelihood.  My hope always is to make enough new friends to balance out the new enemies.

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Ultimately, however, my stake in this is not about risk or benefit.  It’s about self respect.  I have given my entire adult professional life to this business.  Advertising is not just what I do.  It is a part of who I am.  And if I wish to take some pride in what I do and who I am, I must take responsibility for addressing what’s wrong with the advertising agency business and try to be a part of the solution. 

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Available soon