André Smith Adds Diverse Voices to MasterClass

Agency owner Derek Walker and Adweek are continuing a series highlighting the creative perspectives and successes of Black industry professionals through the lens of their work. Each day of Black History Month, these inspiring stories show the impact this creativity has on audiences, culture and beyond. Find past profiles here. Today, we learn about André Smith, M.A. Smith is an accomplished multi-hyphenate, educator and strategist. Over the past 10 years, his work has taken shape in strategy playbooks, creative and social campaigns, university curriculum, and curated art exhibitions with culture programming for social clubs and corporate entities. Most recently at The Martin Agency—Adweek’s 2020 U.S. Agency of The Year—Smith was Planning Director, Social Strategy in TMA’s Social Studio under the Cultural Impact Lab for domestic and global accounts, including Hanesbrands Inc., UPS and Axe. Smith chose to share the story of his most recent work prior to Martin with MasterClass, where he worked on strategy, class briefs, instructors and merchandising. Derek Walker: Why are you proudest of this work? André Smith, M.A.: At this point, I had not directly worked in-house with a brand since 2016 for Fiverr.com. This work called for a perspective informed by a confluence of arts, culture and education from the point of view of world history, current events and social issues. Given the time (June-Sept. 2020), the platform was everyone’s favorite panic hobby portal, so visibility was at a peak and, likewise, a prime opportunity to think about what matters and what’s missing. I am proudest of this work because my work product left the brand a blueprint for a better way forward. The value of diversity brings varied viewpoints and perspectives, which are often excluded from discussions and decisions, instead of being leveraged to inform the whole, thus making the outcome stronger. Would you change anything about this work? Why? I really like the dynamic of two instructors at the same time. For MasterClass, I would have loved the opportunity to write more briefs for classes to be instructed by a pair rather than a sole instructor. At the Univerity of Illinois-Chicago [where Smith was a visiting lecturer], I would regularly bring guest lecturers like Joe Freshgoods or Ben Meyer Jacobs (Stadium Goods) or Midori McSwain (Spotify). A tandem dynamic always makes learning more entertaining for students—whether in a physical classroom, remote or hybrid. If the kids in the Midwest like it, the world will catch on. How did you get here with this idea? Diversity is not a fire alarm; we need to unlearn that. Rather DEI as a whole is the "ADT" system that keeps culture safe, accountable and flourishing. I felt that MasterClass could benefit significantly with some additional diversity of thought from underrepresented diasporas, and I held on to that as my true north for the duration. My logic was based not solely on which instructors had caché to help drive premium membership subscriptions, but more so on who is most likely to collaborate with the brand on the best possible workbooks—which I still believe is their strongest asset from an IP perspective. This makes the merchandise sticky for active and prospective subscribers alike. I began with the literary landscape, particularly YA authors and from there moved to Mathematical Thinking and on to ESG/ Green-Climate-Sustainability and so forth. Basically, the academic, lifestyle and cultural spaces where diversity is glossed over the most. Learn more about André Smith on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Profiles in Black Creativity: André Smith Expands Diverse Voices to MasterClass

Leaving a forward-looking brand blueprint

Doug Zanger

Derek Walker

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Doug Zanger

Derek Walker