Be You. Be Bold. - A Leadership Talk with Deborah Diamond

What do the marketing campaigns for the Kids' Choice Awards and The Walking Dead have in common? While the two may seem vastly different, Deborah Diamond has led campaigns for both. In March, Diamond shared her experiences in the entertainment industry in a FUTURE NOW Leadership Talk hosted by FUTURE NOW Founder & CEO, Peggy Kim. 

Diamond’s road to AMC Networks’ Killing Eve began in college when she joined her college’s marketing group, where she had the opportunity to work with advertising and marketing agencies. Drawn to the creative aspects of marketing, Diamond enjoyed delving into people’s psychologies to market to them effectively and understood the power of well-executed content to drive consumer behavior. It was this exposure and experience that solidified in Diamond that “this is where I need to be.”

Diamond got her foot in the door in an unusual way. She was at the airport heading off for spring break in her senior year of college when she noticed a woman wearing Nickelodeon branding. Intrigued, she introduced herself and struck up a conversation. 

“I tried to alleviate fear, and I tried to be a connector and talk to people, and thought I had nothing to lose… [I] just wanted to capitalize on the moment,” Diamond explained. “There is a reason we brand things. There is a reason that it was that moment in time, and I will say for the years that I've been working since college, that career is about luck and timing.” 

Impressed, the woman encouraged her to apply for an internship and gave Diamond her contact information.  Diamond followed up and landed an internship at Nickelodeon. 

But how has Diamond continued to find success in the industry? She credits three skills: ambition, boldness, and the ability to both build and maintain relationships.

Diamond has also been very goal-oriented. By age twenty-five, her goal was to be a manager, by thirty, a director, and by thirty-five, a vice president. Diamond achieved every goal she set out through demonstrated passion and dedication. 

She explained, “In those efforts, it looked like me giving everything that I could to an organization, and with happiness. I did it because I wanted to. At the end of a project, at the end of the day, it was always ‘Can I help with something else? Can I be a part of this?’ I would work sometimes in other departments, just to help on a production shoot, just to be there.” 

Diamond was not one to rest on her laurels. “At the end of the day, I was taking the job with me. I was taking it seriously. I was studying and focused as if it were a master's, and I needed to pass, and by being an extra set of hands to somebody who might have been overwhelmed or overworked, or showing up in that way with a good spirit and a great attitude.” 

She stayed engaged not only at her company but also in the zeitgeist at large. By being aware of what competing companies were doing, she could best see what strategies would be beneficial to Nickelodeon. 

“What I contributed wasn't just the workload that I was bringing. It was some of these outside information pieces that could help and create a little bit more information to bring to the table so that I could be engaging in a conversation to move the network…whatever initiative we have forward in a different way,” Diamond said. This mentality was how she was able to transition from interning at Nickelodeon to working there as a full-time employee.

Diamond credits her relationships and networking as part of her professional success: “I will say that carries true through today: [connect] to somebody. Sending a résumé in cold to an organization does not have a high yield of getting that opportunity. Always try to connect to somebody.”

Diamond has made many meaningful connections in her career, including mentors from her initial internship at Nickelodeon and well into her career working in marketing. “I created relationships with people in the late nineties that today I still have,” Diamond said. “I continue to keep conversations going, and I don't lose touch. So networking. Staying in touch with people is extremely important, and don't just call people when you need a favor. It shows up that way.”

Diamond also gives back as a mentor to others. “I always want to lean in and help because my career wasn't written for me, and I had to prove myself and jump in and show what I could do, and no one’s opened the door. I've pushed it open and kicked it open.” 

When networking, she advises identifying specific details of who you are and your interests (e.g. “I am a graduating senior interested in…”), and presenting yourself well and professionally.  “There are times when you need to be bold and capitalize on who’s in the room and how you can introduce yourself. ” 

Diamond gave listeners a glimpse into the creative process behind marketing. “[The] creative process happens anywhere, any place… sometimes the best ideas don't come from the people who are in the room… It's important to be in communication with the people you work with and break down the silos and sometimes just communicate what you're working on. You can get amazing sets of ideas from people. I am fortunate that I have a phenomenal team that I get to work with. They're very creative and pumped and energized.”

Early on in Diamond’s career, marketing consisted of billboards, commercials, and so on. Today, more and more people are skipping through commercials, causing a shift in marketing strategy to digital and live events. Diamond cites the Barbie movie’s shade of pink as an example of modern marketing, as well as the show Severance’s new season campaign that featured the actors in cubicles in Grand Central Station one day. 

As the scheme of entertainment is changing, marketing is innovating new and different ways to connect with audiences. “We are now coming to your space in your place, or you can come and visit us. It's larger-than-life activities and events. Promotion is really taking off, and people are allocating budgets, and that strength in that way to evoke that emotional and visceral connection.”

Regarding the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in marketing, Diamond said, “We’re still in the nascent stage,” but acknowledged that “I think that AI is… something we have to be careful of, because all the information is not correct.” While it is a useful tool in getting information and supplementing the creative process, Diamond warns, “We gotta pay attention. This is a space we need to learn a lot about.”

For aspiring marketers, Diamond recommends researching as much as possible when it comes to an area of interest. When you see something you like, research who was involved and the tactics used to complete the project. She also suggests taking part in networking opportunities such as connecting through LinkedIn, speaking to panelists after a conference, and joining professional communities (she recommends WISE, Women in Sports Entertainment). She encourages finding fun ways to connect and talk with people through these communities. 

Diamond advises to keep up to date with recent technologies, know what demographics are drawn to what platforms, know your audience, and how to effectively connect with them. She also notes the power of social media platforms for marketers to communicate directly with their audiences. 

Diamond shared some final words of advice that one's career, like water, has no fixed shape—one has to shape it. Your first job is just the beginning, a key that opens a door. And, you can choose where you want to go from there.  Through it all, she exhorts, “Be you. Be bold.”