The 'First-Ever' Anything

As a Black woman, being the ‘first-ever’ anything comes with a myriad of self-imposed pressures — pressure to be at the forefront of everything, pressure to push back, and yield in the name of collaboration, pressure to be intentional and get things right every time — all while moving at the speed of digital.

Being the first-ever also comes with a unique opportunity to elevate and transform the way Black people and our culture are perceived and valued in tech organizations. Here’s why: The tech world is laden with perceived biases. Those biases put an iron cap on women’s ability to forge new territory and our ability to ideate for the future. An IBM Institute for Business report titled ‘Nurturing Black Women Leaders’ stated, ‘Black women have radiant, complex stories to tell. However, they sometimes leave behind their life-shaping experiences to adopt a more widely acceptable persona in predominantly white spaces.’ I am no different in this respect. Having spent over a decade of my career working in tech startups, navigating indestructible biases, working in a dynamic tech organization has been game-changing for me.

In my role as Miroma Project Factory’s first-ever U.S. Business Director, I am laser focused on brands looking to innovate where people connect, converse, consider and purchase online. As a female-founded and led digital development studio, I am emphatically encouraged by our Global CEO Kat Robinson to accelerate the trajectory of BIPOC storytelling and close the gap between clients and culture. Prioritizing storytelling across technologies is how our team builds and delivers groundbreaking digital products which drive behavior change.

People will see my face and presume leadership took a page from the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion playbook - hire Black, hire female, get a 2-for-1. Not the case. I sit at the intersectionality of race and gender in a day and time where Americans are politically motivated to negate the positive impact of multiculturalism, specifically Blackness. Those types of biases and prejudices limit an organization’s ability to execute from a clear vision.

Every day of my life starts with vision, passion and courage. These attributes are at the core of my existence and my career. I am extremely proud to contribute my expertise in strategic campaign planning and development to a team of disruptive, digital visionaries, intrinsically motivated to meaningful impact.

Here on Medium, I plan to share insights on the development of extended reality products and immersive, experiential, impactful and influential brand experiences including metaverses, innovating to multicultural audiences, content monetization, future-proofing paid media outcomes, the power of eCommerce interoperability across entertainment, political, tech, food & beverage, CPG, beauty, pharmaceutical, and automotive categories.

My career was born and raised in Los Angeles. I know this market like the back of my hand. Los Angeles is one of the epicenters of tech innovation, entrepreneurship and collaboration. The unique convergence of media, entertainment, technology and its diverse pool of global brands lends to knowledge-based innovation unlikely found anywhere else in the world. I am really happy to lead the charge of MPF’s vision for the future from here, I fully intend to leave my mark.

More on the announcement of MPF’s global expansion can be found here.

Are you a ‘first-ever’? If so, what types of pressure do you experience?