MADE Magazine Global Impact Issue | Page 53

MADEINC our creative campaigns that were run. So, the video we launched with Nas with the trimmer release, I was very involved in that video. Writing the script, being very involved in the production and the editing of that commercial. On the editorial side, there have been several campaigns that I’ve run that I really love. One is Bevel Homecoming. The first was about the Black Greek experience called Bevel Brotherhood. Last year, we launched the Bevel Band, which I loved the shoot. It was when we went on location to Tuskegee, Alabama and filmed the Tuskegee Marching Band and it was a really amazing shoot. I had never been to Alabama before and capturing the pride and the precision of that band was an amazing experience. MADE: What have been some of your biggest challenges in this role? Cassidy: I say that at a startup, we’re so small and so lean that oftentimes I find myself both at t he lead and execution of an initiative. So, it’s not only the strategy, but also the carrying through of it. That’s a challenge for me because sometimes things need other eyes and other talents. While I’m happy I have the ability to do both, I think it can be a challenge to see some things all the way through like that. But, it’s a good challenge to have and it’s funny because I think about what life would be like without it, and I think that I might be bored. MADE: What do you find most rewarding in what you do? Cassidy: Seeing people so happy when they have a great product experience. That’s the great thing I know we’re able to stand behind is that we have amazing product and they perform incredibly well and when people send us that feedback like, “Man, I never have been able to shave and you guys have allowed me to do that,” or “I never thought my curls could look this good. Wow, thank you, thank you, thank you.” To me, the whole reason why I love working in beauty is to be able to deliver that confidence to an individual who may not have otherwise experienced it. That’s something you can’t really put a price on. Building A Brand? Consider This… CASSIDY BLACKWELL, Director of Brand Engagement at Walker & Co. Brands, offers this advice when it comes to creating an impactful and engaging brand… •“What is your personal connection to it? I think that so often we design and we think about things for other people, but if you can infuse that sense of personal connection and sensibility into it, I think that will resonate in your work. It doesn’t have to be all about you, but you have to put yourself into the shoes of your consumers and think about how you would want to experience it.” •“Try a lot of things and throw it away because it’s never the first attempt that’s going to be the last one, and be ok with that process of refining and creativity. Don’t be so prideful in holding on to things because some ideas are great, some aren’t. It’s just about distilling and getting to that really good golden nugget.” •“Trust your instinct and trust your gut. If you think something is really right, but you’re afraid to take that risk—go ahead and take that risk. Your creative intuition will push you to a place that you never thought possible and that’s really where the magic happens. When you’re stepping outside that comfort zone, taking that risk and therefore pushing yourself, I think you have a better outcome and experience.” BEVEL TRIMMER 53