Black people over-index on the consumption of technology. How can we flip that into the production of technology?
In episode 61 of the GHOGH podcast with host Jamarlin Martin, Culture Genesis CEO Cedric Rogers and Chief Technical Officer Shaun Newsum discuss their origin story and business model.
Culture Genesis is a digital studio focused on remixing digital technology for underserved audiences. Rogers is a former longtime Apple executive and Newsum is a former developer for VEVO and MLB digital.
They discuss keys for professionals having an ownership mindset — whether they are entrepreneurs, employees at companies, or building our own pipelines for the technology industry.
Listen to GHOGH with Jamarlin Martin | Episode 61: Cedric J. Rogers
Part 1: Jamarlin talks to Cedric Rogers and Shaun Newsum, co-founders of Culture Genesis, a digital studio focused on remixing technology for underserved audiences.
Cedric discussed how taking an entrepreneurial approach to his career has created opportunities for him. While he was working at Apple, he observed that the company was trying to inject the iPad into different opportunity areas for it to be used. He pitched executives including Steve Jobs on using the iPad for athletics and was able to secure an opportunity to work on that with a number of senior people in the company, including Jobs.
Here are tips for developing an entrepreneurial mindset no matter your work:
Jamarlin and Cedric discussed how Black people over-index on the consumption of technology and can flip that into the production of technology. To do that, we need to plant seeds with our young people to expose them to coding and other components of technology. Here are some resources to get that process started:
The thread across both keys is the importance of taking ownership of your destiny. As technology continues its rapid advancement and companies secure mind-boggling profits, it’s vital that we are making opportunities for ourselves to be part of this action.
Here’s to taking an entrepreneurial approach to your career and building a tech pipeline within our community. Let’s GHOGH!
Kwame Som-Pimpong leverages relentless research, a knack for connecting dots, human-centered design approach, and effective communications strategy to help organizations realize their strategic objectives. Over a 10-year career, Kwame has supercharged grassroots political organizing efforts, assessed the effectiveness of U.S. federal agencies, managed an international program, founded a digital media startup, and advised government agencies on delighting their end-users. He earned a BA in Political Science from Davidson College and Master of Public Administration from the University of Georgia. He can be reached at kwame.som.pimpong@gmail.com.
