From entertainers to influencers and business moguls, the “Behind The Mic” podcast, hosted by Wize Grazette, takes listeners through the personal journeys of those who continue to climb the ladder within the podcast arena. On this special episode, Wize connected with REVOLT and Offscript Worldwide CEO Detavio Samuels, where he shares his humble beginnings and how to become an impactful leader across the board.
Throughout the dialogue, Samuels, originally from Colorado, was open about struggles and accomplishments throughout his life. Wize shared that the executive's wisdom and presence can really inspire anyone who is looking to follow in the media visionary’s footsteps or create their own. His portfolio expands from being an author and one of advertising’s youngest senior executives to being a trailblazer who is determined to create avenues for Black creatives and innovators of all genres. His outlook on the importance of hard work, creating space for growth, and having faith was felt and seen from beginning to end of “Behind The Mic.”
Here are six nuggets that Samuels shared in the episode that have helped shape him into the CEO he is today. Tune in here!
1. Your environment can truly shape who you become
Samuels mentioned that his work ethic has always been innate to him, but growing up, his environment could have taken him down a different path. But, he was able to overcome it all thanks to his mother, so he credits her determination to surround him with the things that he needed to stay the course of better opportunities.
“I always was good at school... [But] around fifth or sixth grade... that's when I started getting into things that were not healthy for me,” he began. “I'm running around the streets fighting, I’m stealing, I’m doing whatever these things are. So, my mom sees all of that... she made a big decision to take me and move me to the suburbs... There was no pressure, there were no gangs, there was no fighting. There was none of that stuff going on. And so, I quickly returned to being that “A” student who was super focused... All my mom had to do was shift my surroundings, shift who I was around, and I know that's not an easy thing for most people to do... I learned from a very early age that it's not always just about who you are and what you're born with, [it’s also] your neighborhood and the people around you, the things that nurture you, all play a massive role in forming who you become."
2. Shaquille O'Neal’s leadership is about focusing on his strengths
The dialogue also touched on the importance of leadership. Many leaders focus on acknowledging their strengths and working on their weaknesses. Samuels takes this theory a step further, using an illustrative analogy about basketball legend Shaquille O'Neal.
He elaborated on why Shaq's success is a great example of highlighting strengths, “The world is often trying to tell us to fix our weaknesses... One of my favorite analogies is I think about basketball, I think about Shaquille O'Neal. Do you want Shaquille O'Neal practicing dunking around the rim... or do you want him out here trying to figure out how to hit better threes? And so, I think the only places where we should really be focused on our weaknesses are when your weaknesses get in the way of you being great... Three pointers don't get in the way of him being great. But what does get in the way of him being great is shooting free throws, right?... So, my whole thing is if it doesn't get in the way, like, screw it, it's not something you should be focused on. What you should be focusing on is how you become better and better and better at the things that you can be best in the world at.”
3. It’s not just about experience; it’s about being put into position
The REVOLT leader reflected on his career and concluded that it wasn’t solely his experience that opened new doors for him, but it was also the right leaders who trusted him to bring in results. He affirmed that when the right people see your potential and you have the work ethic to back it up, you will see everything pay off in the end.
“So, right out of business school, I go to Johnson & Johnson. I’m doing global marketing there. I have a phenomenal first year, traveling the world, performing on all levels...” he expressed. But, after being denied a pay increase or a promotion, his boss explained what was holding him back at the company, “What he was recognizing is that they were picking on weaknesses that were on the other side of the spectrum of what [my] actual gift was... It [was] time for me to leave.”
In 2007, he went to work for Don Coleman at GlobalHue. By 2008, before it had even been a full year, he was granted a promotion. He continued, “I had performed, I came in to run the U.S. Navy account, and within six months, I tripled the business... So, by that summer Don Coleman didn’t just promote me one level, he promoted me two levels... I was promoted every year for maybe six, seven years straight. And I was a president by the time I was 30 years old... The same story is true if you talk about Cathy Hughes and Alfred Liggins. [I had] never run a media company, couldn't read a media plan if you asked me to. But they brought me in as the president of their cross-platform marketing and sales media group... They gave me the shot, and they trusted me to win.”
4. “The Blackprint with Detavio Samuels” continues to evolve
The discussion transitioned to the relevance of podcasts, and the goal to document the stories of influential Black individuals on his podcast, “The Blackprint.” Samuels admitted that being in front of the camera wasn’t his first choice. But since its creation, he has remained proud of the show’s evolution and is looking forward to seeing more seasons.
“When I set out to do the podcast, which actually, I've told this story many times,” he noted. “It wasn't a desire of mine. I never wanted to be in front of the camera. It's not something I wanted to do. It was something I was urged to do... The beginning idea was almost like an anthology of the stories of Black people who have built really amazing things... But things have started to evolve. So, there's still this piece of documenting their life and who they were, and how they got to be who they [are], but... now it's almost like a resume of their soul. How did you become who you became?... How can you extract teachable moments for the audience?"
5. Offscript Worldwide is open for business
While most know Samuels as the CEO of REVOLT, he shares more about its parent company, Offscript Worldwide, and its mission to propel creators to the next level financially. He emphasized its uniqueness in being a media company that highlights different shows and talent, but also acts as a vehicle for creators to build businesses.
“The goal was to shift from being a media company that is powered by creators to being a creator-holding company that is powered by the most incredible media engine," he stated.
He continued, “What we're saying with Offscript is we are the holding company for the creators that shape culture. We are the place where they go... to build businesses and where they go to build empires. Because we have the only ecosystem that can help them go from who they are as a creator to a creator with content and IP, to full media distribution and amplification, to then also being monetized by brands and products being run through our ecosystem. Nobody has that. We literally built the operating system for the culture... It's about letting the world know that that's who we are and letting creators know that we're open for business.”
6. Ben & Jerry’s is an incredible brand
As a changemaker himself, the Stanford graduate shared that he truly admires the work of Ben & Jerry’s. The manufacturing company not only produces delicious ice cream but also has been a leader in corporate responsibility and continues to create positive change. As a board member, he has learned a lot and even adopted the idea of “linked prosperity” from the business to apply it to his own.
“I think Ben & Jerry's is an incredibly special brand,” he expressed. “I don't know how these two incredible white dudes figured it out, you know, decades ago. But this idea that you could actually use corporations, companies to do good in the world, that they didn’t exist just to make money or profit... Ben & Jerry’s key thing is we use ice cream to change the world... I see it as the future of what corporate America will be. I’m excited about this new generation... So, I'm honored to sit on the board of Ben & Jerry's. I get to see from the inside exactly how it's done, and I will tell you that there are so many ideas... Ideas that I can then bring to REVOLT.”
The former Urban One president continued, “I'll give you one example... You've heard me talk about this notion of linked prosperity and shared adversity, something I've always believed in, but Ben & Jerry's gave me the language. Linked prosperity [means that] when we win, everybody wins. When Ben & Jerry's wins, everybody wins, right? That's why at Offscript, you have the employees who are the largest shareholders... That language that Ben & Jerry's has given me that helps you build it and crystallize it in the brands that you’re building and the companies that you're building. It's those types of things that I'm eternally grateful for.”