Music and entertainment marketing executive Amani Duncan joins Roy for a conversation about empathetic leadership, why she chooses to be a mentor-manager, how the justice, equity, diversity and inclusion movement impacts the kind and quality of the work you’re doing, and much more.

Amani has more than 20 years of experience spanning a variety of industries. She began her career at Def Jam Recordings. She navigated a time of sweeping change in the music industry as she worked with iconic companies like Bad Boy Entertainment, C.F. Martin & Co, Virgin Records, Capital Music, and MTV/ViacomCBS. Most recently, she served as the CEO of creative agency BBH USA, where she and her team delivered data-driven, full stack marketing and strategic partnership support to leading consumer brands. Today, she serves on the board of Fender Music Instruments and FYLi. 

Highlights from our conversation include:

• How hiring happens in the music industry (5:55)
• What leaders can learn from the ever-evolving music industry (8:32)
• How being a mentor-manager influences her hiring approach (10:09)
• Balancing gut with calculated risk when hiring (13:20)
• Red (and green) flags when assessing a candidate (15:12, 27:29)
• How Amani and her team set a vision to diversify BBH... (17:16)
• ...And how their success transformed the business (20:41)
• The “spark” she looks for in candidates (24:27)
• How Covid impacted hiring...
• And how she handled mis-hires (29:04)
• The benefits and pitfalls of references (30:31)
• What teams need from leaders in this moment (33:33)
• Amani’s advice for candidates (38:08)

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