DEI: Building Businesses That Are ‘Diverse by Design’
Former CEO of global media company HARTBEAT THAI RANDOLPH has built her career at the intersection of content, commerce, and community, and offers significant insights and actionable strategies in this talk about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, which can focus on any of these topics:
Business: Navigating Disruption to Build Purpose-Driven Businesses
Business leader THAI RANDOLPH – former CEO of global media company HARTBEAT – offers vital takeaways on an array of business topics in this customizable talk. From using improv as a framework for business decision-making, to navigating disruption, to building a purpose-driven business that pursues purpose as well as profits, and beyond. Topics can include:
The Next Big Shifts in Our Economy
As an architect of nextgen media companies, former HARTBEAT CEO THAI RANDOLPH had helmed global ventures emphasizing the next big shifts in our economy. In this compelling talk, Randolph speakers to strategic opportunities and practical considerations for organizations when it comes to embracing the creator economy and navigating the “inclusion revolution” – the next big shift in our economy where everyone (regardless of race, sex, sexual orientation, and physical ability) deserves and demands a seat at the table.
Motivation with Thai Randolph
Award-winning marketer and business leader THAI RANDOLPH has received countless accolades for her leadership, and in this transformative talk she shares her secrets and strategies for maintaining motivation. From her roots growing up on a farm in South Carolina to helming one of the fasting growing entertainment companies in Hollywood, Thai’s insights resonate across industries, and she helps audiences work through fear and anxiety (in business and in life), overcome personal and professional setbacks, and leave feeling empowered and inspired to keep growing.
How Thai Randolph deals with corporate burnout
Veteran marketing executive THAI RANDOLPH, former CEO of HARTBEAT Productions, brings a fresh, constructive perspective to addressing corporate burnout. As a leader focused on empathy and peak performance, Randolph has seen and implemented the steps individuals and organizations can take to avoid burnout.
In an “Off the Clock” profile with Essence, Randolph draws on her experiences of being a founder to reflect on the importance of taking time for herself outside of building her empire. She often discusses the necessity of rest and recovery for fueling her continued success as a powerful media executive. Randolph’s Gracie-award winning podcast, The Suga, co-hosted with Tika Sumpter, authentically approaches personal wellness from the perspective of Black mothers. Any listener will benefit from Randolph’s wisdom on work/life balance, self-care, and growth. Randolph’s upbeat tone, knowledgeable perspective, and compassion shine in her work targeted towards empowering others to care for themselves through burnout.
Watch Thai Randolph in conversation on The Female Quotient >>
Women Making History: Why Thai Randolph designs diverse & inclusive organizations
Media mogul THAI RANDOLPH’s career has centered inclusive content, commerce, and community with an emphasis on DE&I. Randolph told The Hollywood Reporter, “A few years ago, I kind of crystallized a mission statement as part of an exercise, and it was pretty simple… to build businesses and tell stories that empower, educate, enlighten, and entertain.”
At HARTBEAT, Randolph helped launch the Women Write Now fellowship with Sundance, offering mentorship, advocacy, production, and exhibition to its winners. This groundbreaking comedy screenwriting fellowship will champion the next generation of women of color in comedy. Building on the success of Women Write Now, Randolph teamed up with Tika Sumpter to found Sugaberry, an audio-first media company for and by Black women, to create space for emerging voices in the industry. Randolph’s work both uplifts women and creates value, a message she shares in both her interviews and engagements.
Thai Randolph leads with impact, prioritizing innovation
Entrepreneur and entertainment executive THAI RANDOLPH leads with impact. The former CEO of Kevin Hart’s global media company, HARTBEAT, raised over $100M in capital investment at the beginning of her appointment. She has also had successful tenures at media and technology giants such as Sony, Facebook, and WPP (VML) and Publicis (Moxie Interactive) agencies. Randolph has been named to AdAge’s 40 Under 40, Variety’s Silicon Valleywood Impact Report, and Multichannel News’ Wonder Women in Streaming. Randolph was also chosen for Ad Age’s “The List,” a collective of advertising, marketing and media leaders assembled to tackle some of the largest problems facing the industry. A recognized leader in marketing and media, Randolph’s perspective sheds light on important issues pertaining to leadership and innovation today.
Randolph’s work reflects her commitment to leading with empathy, compassion, and excellence, a valuable lesson for any organization. To hear Randolph live is to join her on her journey to empower, educate, enlighten, and entertain through storytelling. Her voice has been sought out for high-profile speaking engagements such as Advertising Week, CES, Sundance, SXSW, Cannes Lions Festival, Variety’s Inclusion and Entertainment Summits, Future of Television Conference, Digital Entertainment World, Adobe’s Digital Marketing Conference, YouTube's Publisher Summit, and more.
Watch Thai Randolph in conversation at CES >>
Watch Thai Randolph in conversation with LinkedIn News here >>
Thai Randolph has built her career at the intersection of content, commerce and community. An award-winning marketer, business leader and architect of a next-generation entertainment company, Thai has been named to Variety’s "Women of Impact" list, Entrepreneur’s "Women of Impact" list, AdAge’s "40 Under 40" list, Variety’s Silicon Valleywood Impact Report, Create and Cultivate 100’s Entrepreneurs List, Cynopsis’ It List, Cynopsis’ "Top Women in Media," and Multichannel News Wonder Women in Streaming “Women to Watch.”
Most recently, Thai led the deal that merged Kevin Hart’s two entertainment companies Hartbeat Productions and Laugh Out Loud (LOL) to form the global, multi-platform media company HARTBEAT. To fuel the company’s growth, Thai raised a $100M investment from private equity firm Abry Partners, in what was one of the biggest ever fund raises led by a Black woman in the U.S.
She then led the entity as CEO, having previously held positions as President & COO of Laugh Out Loud and COO of HartBeat Productions. In her role at LOL, Randolph brought top tier entertainment, brand and distribution partners into the company, growing it from its original AVOD vision to a full service business with an expansive distribution network, marketing, experiential, branded content, digital and social capabilities. She co-led Laugh Out Loud’s capital raise and partnership deal with NBCUniversal’s Peacock, structured the deal that brought LOL’s Comedy in Color franchise (featuring 300 diverse comedians from 30 different countries) to the Just for Laughs Festival, expanded LOL Audio’s offerings by partnering with Simon & Schuster to bring the franchise to audiobook format, and expanded LOL’s programming on SiriusXM/Pandora.
In 2021, Randolph led the launch of Women Write Now — a first-of-its-kind screenwriting fellowship developed in partnership with the Sundance Institute and LOL (now HARTBEAT) to champion the next generation of black women in comedy through mentorship, advocacy, production, and exhibition.
Continuing her mission to carve out spaces for overlooked - yet influential - voices in the industry, Randolph and co-founder/actress Tika Sumpter also launched Sugaberry in March 2020, an audio-first media company for and by black women.
Prior to her current roles, Randolph was a member of Facebook’s Global Marketing Solutions team where she managed strategic partnerships and digital transformation initiatives with some of the most innovative marketing and technology agencies in the US. Randolph also served as CMO & SVP, Marketing for Sony DADC New Media Solution’s GENERATOR business unit. Randolph was named one of Black Enterprise’s "Leading Women in Advertising and Marketing" in 2016 for her work transforming Sony Music’s direct-to-consumer (DTC) digital group from an internal cost center to an independent digital marketing and ecommerce service provider.
A seasoned agency executive, Randolph’s past experience also includes digital leadership roles with WPP (VML) and Publicis (Moxie Interactive) agencies, where she provided new media strategy and consultation to world-class brands including Verizon Wireless, Dell, Saks Fifth Avenue, Colgate-Palmolive and Revlon.
Randolph is frequently invited to speak as an industry thought leader at high profile events such as Advertising Week, BANFF World Media Festival, SXSW, CES, Digiday’s Content Marketing Summit, Sundance, Cannes Lions Festival, The Wrap’s TheGrill, Variety’s Inclusion and Entertainment Summits, Future of Television Conference, Digital Entertainment World, Adobe’s Digital Marketing Conference, YouTube's Publisher Summit, Cynopsis’ Big TV Conference, and Streaming Media East, among others.
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