Comcast NBCUniversal Hosts #LetsCre8 Summit for Diverse-Owned Creative and Media Production Companies

More than 80 minority-owned businesses attended Comcast NBCUniversal’s inaugural #LetsCre8 Summit, a supplier diversity event held July 31st at the Comcast Building in New York, designed to connect diverse-owned creative and media production companies with industry executives, expand their business acumen, and gain insight from successful entrepreneurs.

In partnership with the New York & New Jersey Minority Supplier Development Council, and the National Minority Supplier Development Council’s Advertising, Entertainment, Media, and Sports (AEMS) group, Comcast NBCUniversal hosted two panels and an exclusive speed networking session.

The first panel, Creative Industry Insights, was moderated by Doug Melville, Chief Diversity Officer, TBWAWorldwide, and featured Sandra Schron, Vice President, USA Networks, and Miguel Rodriguez, Executive Producer, NBCUniversal Content Innovation Agency. Sandra and Miguel emphasized that creative firms seeking new contracts must be able to articulate, and demonstrate, a strong roster of clients and a strong presence on prior projects.

The second panel, Elevate Your Business and Maximize Profits, was moderated by David Ushery, Anchor, NBC4 NY, and featured JJ Ramberg, Host, CNBC’s Your Money, and Marcus Lemonis, Host, MSNBC’s The Profit. JJ and Marcus discussed the importance of displaying confidence when delivering a pitch, and tailoring your pitch to your target audience. The pair also identified the biggest mistakes a small business can make: hiring the wrong people and not getting rid of them quickly, and overstating the capabilities of your organization.

"#LetsCre8 was very informative and a great way to gain insight into what Comcast NBCUniversal is looking for when they partner with small businesses," said Desiree Tobin, Executive Producer, Ripcord Creative. "The panelists were very honest about their experiences and straightforward with their advice."

Certified minority-owned business enterprises (MBEs) ended the summit with an exclusive speed networking session hosted by the Pierre Lee Group. 15 MBE’s delivered 90-second pitches to various companies that were evaluated and scored based on effectiveness. The scores were used to assist MBEs in improving their presentation skills.

This event was the first of its kind for Comcast NBCUniversal and was led by Angela Guzman, Senior Manager, Supplier Diversity, NBCUniversal.

Pictured (from left): Marcus Lemonis, Host, MSNBC’s The Profit, JJ Ramberg, Host, CNBC’s Your Money, and David Ushery, Anchor, NBC4 NY.