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How A West Point Grad Is Disrupting Marketing With BLKBOX: Keenan Beasley, GHOGH Podcast Episode 12

How A West Point Grad Is Disrupting Marketing With BLKBOX: Keenan Beasley, GHOGH Podcast Episode 12

Keenan Beasley is an industry disruptor and marketing leader who launched his New York-based digital analytics company, BLKBOX, in 2014, after leading multi-billion dollar brands at P&G.

A graduate and former football player of the Westpoint Military Academy, Beasley was born and raised in Los Angeles.

Both Beasley and BLKBOX co-founder and managing partner, Dionna McPhatter, attended Westpoint. The experience gave them skills people don’t normally associate with disruption and innovation, Beasley said during a GHOGH podcast interview.

“West Point is way different than the college experience. Sometimes I wish I went to a regular college, but West Point is fantastic at teaching you discipline, but more importantly, attention to detail and the ability to change gears.”

The concept of BLKBOX was born out of Beasley’s frustration with the marketing landscape. Marketing budgets were growing and there was no shortage of vendors with their hands out, Beasley said. He noticed two key things: big brands were becoming less relevant to today’s leading generation and the surge of data was paralyzing decisionmakers.

BLKBOX was formed with a mission to build a company focused on understanding how people were influenced and apply those insights to deliver growth for brands. “Understanding influence means owning growth,” Beasley said on his BLKBOX bio.

Keenan Beasley, co-founder and managing partner of digital analytics company BLKBOX, photographed in New York City in 2018. Photo: Anita Sanikop/Moguldom

What sets BLKBOX apart from some of the other platforms out there?

“We’re end-to-end,” Beasley said. “People are very siloed in the marketing industry. Some people only do digital creative, they only do social creative, they only do insights and analytics and maybe only a certain portion of it. We’re full fully stacked. So we go from everywhere from brand development to demand creation to fulfillment, all the way to measurement. And that’s a really competitive advantage in the industry.”

Unfortunately, coming from West Point hasn’t helped that much when Beasley and his partner are in a roomful of investors, Beasley told GHOGH. That’s a narrative Beasley said he would like to change:

“I think every investor, they look for certain pedigrees, and West Point, unfortunately hasn’t been known for a lot of entrepreneurs even though there are some. Vinny Viola (attended West Point) is an amazing billionaire entrepreneur and the founder of AOL was a West Point grad…People look at us more in the sense of organizational leadership but not from the creative or disruption (standpoint), which is what people expect of entrepreneurs. So part of Dionna and my mission is really to change that narrative and show that there are a lot of different skill sets that come out of the military.”

Jamarlin Martin talks to Keenan Beasley, co-founder and managing partner of New York digital analytics company BLKBOX. The Westpoint graduate and former P&G brand manager talks about his early mistakes, how New York and Silicon Valley investors differ, and the advantages of getting experience in an industry before trying to disrupt it.

Beasley also discusses M&A activity involving Richelieu Dennis, Byron Allen and Robert Smith.

Digital media pioneer Jamarlin Martin launched the GHOGH Podcast Franchise — Go Hard Or Go Home — at SXSW 2018. GHOGH is a counterculture business-content platform that’s programming for the Black economic revolution.

Hear more of Keenan Beasley on Episode 12 of the GHOGH Podcast.

Other GHOGH episodes:

Episode 24: Delane Parnell is the founder and CEO of high-school esports company PlayVS, which just raised a $15M series A round. He discusses growing up in the streets of Detroit, developing a passion for business and tech, and closing an exclusive deal with the NFHS, which writes the rules for most high school sports. Delane also talks about how he put together the raise, and how entrepreneurs can keep a positive attitude after being rejected by investors.

Episode 23: Everette Taylor, a serial entrepreneur and marketing whiz, talks about building GrowthHackers, PopSocial and other companies in his potfolio. He shares what he learned from selling his first tech business at age 21 and working with Snapchat on a new startup accelerator. He also discusses founders investing too much in public relations, and whether negro tech elites need to step up, reach back and help more Black people.

Episode 22: Angelica Nwandu, founder & CEO Of The Shade Room, discusses how she built a multimillion-dollar media platform and her recent moves into films. She and Jamarlin also discuss the academic and business success of Nigerians in America, and why Facebook shut down The Shade Room multiple times while allowing Russians and Cambridge Analytica to market anti-Black ads.

Episode 21: Devin Johnson, president of digital sports programming network Uninterrupted, discusses his career path, changes in the media industry, and what it’s like to work with Lebron James. He and Jamarlin debate whether Spotify targeted Black artists with policy changes and they revisit “white flight” from MySpace to Facebook, and whether this could happen to Instagram.

Episode 20: Andrew Gillum, Mayor of Tallahassee and Democratic candidate for Florida governor, discusses the DNC taking the Black vote for granted, its silence on the killing of 60 Palestinian protestors, and whether big tech and Silicon Valley elites can be regulated at the state level.

Episode 19: Anthony D. Mays talks about Black cultural optimization, getting bullied in Compton for being a computer geek, and how he landed a job at Google.

Episode 18: Dr. Boyce Watkins, Part 3, founder and CEO of Watkins Media Group, talks about potential 2020 presidential candidates, and the lopsided relationship between Black America and the Democratic Party.

Episode 17: Dr. Boyce Watkins, Part 2, talks about building The Black Business School, and how he deals with his negro critics and their victimology teachings. He and Jamarlin also discuss the #MeToo movement and racial bias in Facebook’s content policing.

Episode 16: Dr. Boyce Watkins, Part 1, founder and CEO of Watkins Media Group, talks about Black self-determination and Kanye West bangin’ for MAGA. He and Jamarlin also revisit Bill Cosby’s “Pound Cake” speech, and whether he received a fair trial.

Episode 15: Clarence Wooten, a Silicon Valley-based entrepreneur, sold his first tech business for $23 million. He discusses his new venture — STEAM Role — meritocracy, and common mistakes founders make. He also talks about Bitcoin’s long-term prospects and how blockchain has opened up new capital-raising opportunities for entrepreneurs.

Episode 14: Barron Channer, founder of Miami -based Woodwater Investments, talks about turning down Harvard Business School, and whether Black-on-Black murders need to be prioritized over police-on-Black murders. He also debates what is to blame for the Black murder rate in Chicago and whether most U.S. police departments are racist in the second of a 2-part podcast.

Episode 13Barron Channer, founder of Miami-based Woodwater Investments, shares how he got to work for billion-dollar real estate developer Don Peebles. This Wharton MBA’s business focuses on real estate development and tech. He revisits how Barack Obama handled Rev. Wright in the first of a 2-part podcast.

Episode 12Keenan Beasley, co-founder and managing partner of New York digital analytics company BLKBOX, talks about his early mistakes, how NY and Silicon Valley investors differ, and the advantages of getting experience in an industry before trying to disrupt it. The Westpoint grad and former P&G brand manager also discusses M&A activity involving Richelieu Dennis, Byron Allen and Robert Smith.

Episode 11Travis Holoway, founder and CEO of peer-to-peer lending startup SoLo Funds, discusses Mark Zuckerberg as a liberal tech version of Donald Trump, Jake Tapper’s double standards on CNN towards Black leaders, and whether Silicon Valley has “negro helpers” who set the community back.

Episode 10: Karen Fleshman, the founder of Racy Conversations, talks about women of privilege exploiting civil rights and diversity movements, and whether Kamala Harris can be trusted on criminal justice reform. She also discusses Facebook’s problems, and whether these can be primarily sourced to Mark Zuckerberg’s and Sheryl Sandberg’s values and ethics.

Episode 9: Felecia Hatcher and Derick Pearson talk about Black Tech Week, economic empowerment, and the potential impact of Atlanta landing Amazon HQ2. They also discuss the politics of diversity favoring women of privilege, and whether or not Silicon Valley is the global capital of white supremacy.

Episode 8: Marlin Nichols, co-founder of Cross Culture Ventures, talks about the culturally-themed fund he started with Troy Carter. He discusses the burger-flippin’ robot, Flippy, and socially responsible investing. Marlon offers advice to founders seeking investment, and answers questions about whether there is too much “shut-up-and-dribble” in Silicon Valley.

Episode 7: Tayo Oviosu, founder and CEO of leading Nigerian mobile payments company Paga, discusses bitcoin prospects, superior Nigerian academic performance in the U.S., and why Nigeria is the African economic opportunity. The podcast also touches on Elon Musk, Aliko Dangote, and whether Oviosu would ever run for president.

Episode 6: Rodney Sampson, founder of HBCU@SXSW and the Atlanta-based Opportunity Hub, discusses investing in Atlanta blockchain startups and the importance of connecting HBCU endowments to Black tech. He covers the intersectionality of oppression, discrimination, and holding SV leaders accountable for inequality.

Episode 5Angela Benton talks about starting NewMe Accelerator, building her personal brand as a single mother while battling cancer, and whether or not most of the “diversity” gains in Silicon Valley will go to privileged white women.

Episode 4Detavio Samuels, president of Interactive One, leads a $30M digital media business that in 2017 acquired Bossip, Madamenoire, and HiphopWired. He discusses Richelieu Dennis’ acquisition of Essence, Facebook’s recent fumbles, and whether Complex Media is a culture vulture.

Episode 3Arlan Hamilton talks about Backstage Capital, the VC fund she dreamed up while she was homeless. She talks about the Silicon Valley establishment and about Tamika Mallory, who attended Saviours’ Day with Louis Farrakhan.

Episode 2Rodney Williams, founder and CEO of Lisnr, talks about raising $10 million in venture capital, HBCU endowments that invest in black tech, and how to fire loyal employees you like.

Episode 1Brian Brackeen talks about his path to starting his facial recognition firm, Kairos, how blockchain can be applied to the NFL, and whether Disney’s’ “Black Panther” is revolutionary.