In episode 165, Erik and Kerel talk with Michael Roca, Executive Director, Elevate at Omnicom Media Group. In their conversation, Michael shares his story of growing up in Queens, New York, as the youngest of four boys and children of Guatemalan parents, how they assimilated to the Latin and American cultures, how he still stays connected with those roots and the lessons he’s learned from his parents and family that he has passed on to his kids.

Since 2006, Michael has been in the media industry and has seen a lot of changes in diversity, although more is to be made. He explains to us how businesses need to communicate with their diverse audiences in order to stay alive, hiring experts to help just like one would outsource any other expertise, and making real change through budgets, resources, and decisions.

Timestamps

:36: Michael Roca, Executive Director at Elevate at Omnicom Media Group, shares where he grew up in New York City, going to St. John’s University and starting his career

2:18 : Michael tells us what it was like growing up in Queens as a Guatemalan and assimilating into other Latin cultures, and he shares an interesting story about where his name came from and how

4:40 : Why Michael’s older brothers had a harder time acclimating to American culture than he and his other siblings did, how he has learned from that experience and brought those lessons into how he teaches his own kids to this day

6:35 : The importance of honoring our ancestors and getting back to our roots

8:24 : Erik shares his experience, being half Guatemalan, visiting his family there and learning lessons about his culture

10:12 : Michael shares what he does as the Executive Director at Elevate, how culture around diversity has changed since he’s been in the industry from 2006, the importance for a business to build a strong connection with diverse audiences and build it into their processes

13:21 : The growth in multicultural audiences and needs and why businesses have died because they could not serve them, walking the walk in terms of hiring experts who can help businesses talk to those diverse audiences and one of Michael’s favorite experiences working with State Farm

17:43 : Making speaking to diverse audiences an intentional process that is built into your business rather than an “add-on” and making real change through budgets, resources and decisions

20:59 : Michael talks about Cultural Practitioners at OMG and how they keep teams and clients accountable to their plans of diversity

22:34 : The many places Michael draws inspiration from

24:55 : Michael shares the idea of having his own Board of Directors, those he goes to for advice and vice versa, and how they help each other along their professional journeys

26:31 : What excites Michael about the future of the media tech industry, along with some things he is cautious about

27:31 : Some important lessons Michael has learned growing up that he passes on to others as well as his kids, and the importance of a “we” environment over a “me” environment

30:24 : What Michael has learned from working with the generation coming up in workplaces, taking into account what they’ve been through, and the advice they’ve given him as well

32:54 : Advice Michael would give to himself at the beginning of his career and one of his biggest regrets

34:24 : What is in Michael’s music rotation right now, including what music from his children slip into his playlists and how the world has really changed in terms of what music is not available and accepted worldwide

38:03 : How to get in touch with Michael Roca

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