Maryam Banikarim on the Impact of Embracing Purpose and Fostering Community
Fortune Live Media’s Managing Director reflects on her dynamic marketing career and showcases how today’s brands can leverage purpose-driven work and bold ideas to identify their North Star
Maryam Banikarim is the Managing Director of Fortune Live Media, where she leads the media company’s Most Powerful Women and Brainstorm Tech global franchises. A distinguished C-suite executive and purpose-driven agent with more than 25 years of executive leadership experience, Maryam develops and steers Fortune’s tentpole franchises, which spotlight today’s most dynamic and influential leaders.
Having led five major businesses (Nextdoor, Hyatt, Gannett, NBC Universal, Univision) through sweeping transformations, Maryam turned her attention to community building during the pandemic. She co-founded NYCNext, a volunteer army of passionate New Yorkers that helped the city get through the depths of that time by working with award-winning Broadway stars, TV personalities, and musicians to produce pop-up performances in the streets across the city. She is currently focused on The Longest Table, a free-to-all potluck that connects neighbors, builds community, and spreads joy.
Maryam’s achievements have been recognized in industry lists such as Marketers that Matter's "Visionaries," the New York Post's "50 Most Powerful Women in NYC," Fast Company's "Top 10 Disruptors," and Advertising Age's "Women to Watch." She is also a sought-after speaker who recently captured national attention with her TED talk, “Life’s an obstacle course—here’s how to navigate it.”
The Continuum sat down to talk to Maryam about her long and varied marketing career, what she sees as the keys to her success, and the Gap book idea that launched it all. We also discussed the importance of purpose and fostering a sense of community.
You’ve told a story about a project you dreamed up for the Gap after college that got you a meeting with the CEO many years later. It seems like it’s really the launching-off point for your amazing career. Could you share that with us?
Sure. In college, I started a travel column. We didn’t use the word “insider” yet, but that was the goal: to inform people of what they could do to be insiders while traveling. I’d write about the best place to get your hair cut or where the locals go for espresso. My family emigrated to the United States, so I was always obsessed with the notion of fitting in. I like the idea of scoping out a room or city and quickly grasping what is in it.
Around the same time, the Gap had this campaign called "Individuals of Style.” It featured celebrities like Kim Basinger wearing the company’s classic white shirt. It was so successful that they localized it, featuring indie celebrities by city – like Jim Jarmusch for NYC. I’d written about a bar that Jim Jarmusch frequented, so I thought, if we combined my column with their campaign, we could create an “insiders travel guide” that they could sell in-store.
About a year later, I went to business school. I took a product development class and convinced my group to use my Gap idea for our project. Everyone else in the class did things like line extensions for Oscar Mayer’s baloney. We did research on the book. I then sent it along with a letter to Mickey Drexler, the CEO of the Gap at the time, who had spoken at my business school. A few weeks later, my phone rang, and it was him. It was the middle of finals, and I thought I was being punked. He wanted to know if I wanted a job at the Gap.
Is that how you started your marketing career, by taking a job at the Gap?
No. But the whole thing did end up launching my career in marketing in a roundabout way. Mickey introduced me to his head of recruiting, who introduced me to other people in the fashion world. I was told, “You should go into marketing; this is a marketing idea.”
Approaching the CEO of a big company with a marketing idea when you’re fresh out of school feels very bold. Do you think people could or should still do this today? And do you have advice for people just starting?
I think it might be easier these days because now you can reach people on all kinds of platforms. At the time, I had to make a mockup, look up an address, and put it in the mail. The most important thing is that I tried. That story about the Gap made people want to hire me on the spot because it showed them I had creative ideas and wasn’t afraid to take risks.
When I was an executive in residence at Columbia University a few years ago, I would ask the students who came to me for advice, “What’s your version of the Gap story? How are you going to come off the page.” If they didn’t have one, we’d talk through how they could get one.
For example, a young woman who came to me had a talk show on the college radio station. She mostly got her guests from people who called in, wanting to be on the show. I told her to make a list of the top ten people she’d like to have on her show and then figure out how to get them. Landing those guests would be her stand-out story because we all want to hire people with drive and hustle.
“That story about the Gap made people want to hire me on the spot because it showed them I had creative ideas and wasn’t afraid to take risks.”
You’ve had huge jobs since then. You’ve been in the C-Suite at Univision, NBCU, Gannett, Hyatt and Nextdoor. How did you go from account executive to C-suite executive?
It’s funny; someone recently asked me how I moved up, and I realized I’d never really thought about it. I guess there were a few things: I was creative, had hustle, a lot of energy, and was super curious. I was at Y&R in the very early days of the Internet and wanted to learn everything about it. I organized the first-ever agency-wide Internet conference. I was just out of business school, and I put together a panel with Bob Greenberg, who hadn't started R/GA yet, Michael Schrage, who had written the Wired cover story, “Is Advertising Dead?” and a few other early internet pioneers.
It was a great conference, and I came out of it with a vision of how Y&R could train creatives to use the internet because, at that time, the only people designing anything for the web were engineers. The higher-ups weren’t interested. They wanted to right-size the business but weren’t looking to the future. That’s when I knew it was time to move on.
I think I’ve had about 60 jobs since then, in part because I’m not afraid to make a jump. I worked at Turner Broadcasting, which was great because my boss was a true visionary, but I left because I didn’t want to move to Atlanta. I worked for CitySearch as it was about to launch in NYC. I worked at Macmillan, where I was the youngest book publisher in the industry. Then, I took a job at a marketing agency designed for any medium. Solving a problem for a client might mean finding an advertising solution or it might mean hiring someone to redesign a restaurant. Within two weeks of getting there, though, I realized the group I was in was being totally mismanaged, and the CFO realized it, too. They cut the group and gave me three months’ severance. I decided to use the time to start my own business.
Was it a marketing firm?
No. We made handbags. I took an accessory design class at FIT while at that short-lived agency job. Ever since CitySearch I’d wondered why no one was making an attractive computer bag. I met a woman who’d been a bag designer, and together, we decided to launch a line of functional, fashionable bags: diaper bags, pet carriers, and computer bags. We called it Case NYC. She had previous manufacturing experience, and I had marketing experience. Our first customer was Barneys NY.
A few days later, my partner told me she was going to Harvard Business School and didn’t want to be part of the company anymore. I changed the name to Maryam B and started shipping bags from my living room. I kept that going for five years, doing marketing consulting simultaneously. Ultimately, I decided I didn’t want to be a solopreneur.
“It’s really the Jim Collins’ vision of purpose, which is about helping an organization find its North Star. Figuring out the difference you want to make in the world - beyond making money.”
Your first CMO role was at Univision, and you said it was one of your favorite jobs. Why was that?
Univision was such a great company and business. Yet people didn't understand the power of the Hispanic market. I would go in with the new business team to see high-level executives. If you’re trying to sell somebody Spanish-language media, it’s not just about moving money between networks. It’s a business decision to holistically serve the Hispanic audience. There was still a perception that this community didn’t have money, and worse, they weren’t consumers people wanted in their stores. We would go into the C-suite and explain the Hispanic market opportunity. It was like being a McKinsey Consultant.
I was also the first person to do B2B advertising for the company. People were starting to pay more attention to Spanish-language television, and the CEO, Jerry Perenchio, decided it was time to do some marketing. I led the campaign explaining to the marketplace that Univision, a Spanish-language network, was outperforming the English language networks on certain nights in prime time. This project led to me being named CMO, which then led to me producing the Univision Upfront presentation that was voted “best of the year” by Jack Meyers. Eventually, I was recruited away by NBCUniversal.
You’ve become known for doing purpose work. Can you explain how you define that, and tell us why it became a focus for you?
It’s really the Jim Collins’ vision of purpose, which is about helping an organization find its North Star. Figuring out the difference you want to make in the world - beyond making money. When I was at NBC Universal, I convinced Jeff Zucker to do this work as we were about to merge with Comcast. It was the perfect moment to set a WHY for the new company.
NBCUniversal’s purpose is “to create and deliver content so compelling it entertains, informs, and shapes the world.” To give you a small example of how we used the combined entities' purpose, here’s a fun story. Jeff Zucker and Steve Burke wanted to commemorate the first day of the company coming together and were looking for a gift to give all employees. Inspired by the purpose, we created a bespoke moleskin notebook with this inscription: “Every idea was once a small sudden burst of inspiration. In these pages, you’ll see the earliest incarnations of ideas that went on to become our greatest successes. You’ll also see plenty of blank space because the next chapters in our history haven’t been written yet, and we’re looking to you to help us write them.” Employees were invited to use the notebook to jot down their sketches, scribbles, and inspirations… because the North Star of the organization is ideas, and they wanted everyone to know their ideas were welcome.
Of course, purpose is about much more. It’s about how you make business decisions and build culture. Hyatt’s purpose is “to care for people to be their best.” Looking through that lens, we once passed on a development project with a company that wasn’t going to offer employee healthcare benefits. If we’re in the business of “care,” then ensuring employees were cared for was tantamount to caring for our guests.
“Of course, purpose is about much more. It’s about how you make business decisions and build culture.”
This idea of purpose led you to create your own project during the pandemic that was designed to bring people together with a sense of community. Can you tell us about that?
I was in New York during the pandemic, and everyone kept saying that NYC was dead. I wanted to do something about that. In late August 2020, my husband, Andy, Caroline Donohue, and I organized a call with a bunch of friends who were also eager to help – friends from different backgrounds, professionally and personally. We all agreed that the arts were the soul of the city. And while there were many issues that needed to be addressed – based on our skillset we could try to help change the narrative of the city by celebrating moments of ‘only in NYC’ spontaneity.
We started doing pop-up events that were amplified via social and earned media (to avoid crowds). We raised a little money from friends and family, paid artists a stipend, and everyone else volunteered their time and resources. Our goal was to remind ourselves and the world that NYC was very much still alive and kicking. We did one in Chelsea to learn, and then on October 7, 2020, we produced “A Moment for Broadway”. Led by Tom Kitt and Michael McElroy, award-winning members of the Broadway community, we secured the rights to Stephen Sondheim's “Sunday” from Sunday in the Park with George and gathered 24 award-winning Broadway performers, including Bernadette Peters, on the red steps in Times Square to sing the song live. Josh Seftel filmed the moment. Gary Vaynerchuk donated PR support. Andrew Golomb of Our Man in Havana did outdoor ads. Clear Channel and many others donated outdoor space in Duffy Square. It was emotional and a moment of pure joy which blew up.
14 pop-ups later, we came up with a new idea: a love letter to NYC in the form of a music video. Billy Joel granted us the rights to New York State of Mind, and we approached iconic New Yorkers to perform in iconic locations across the five boroughs. The video broke on CBS Sunday Morning, got 2.5 billion impressions, and eventually won an Emmy.
This was a side project for all involved. Everyone donated their time, network, and skills. When we come together, magic happens.
You have another side project now, which involves hosting big communal dinners for neighbors. How did that one come to be?
Kathy Wylde, who runs the Partnership for New York City (PFNYC), asked me to work with her to help the city make its comeback. I quit my day job—I was working for the online company Nextdoor at the time—and brought together a group to tackle this project on behalf of PFNYC. With the help of many, including the Founders-Agency, we created the “WE ♥ NYC” campaign, reimagining the iconic Milton Glaser mark from the 70s – but focused on NYC vs. NY state.
At the same time, I became obsessed with the idea of gathering neighbors on our Open Streets for a communal potluck. I’d gotten to know my neighbors when we sheltered in place, and it seemed important to keep that going. With the help of neighbors and friends, we organized the first Longest Table in 2022. In the first year, 500 people showed up. In the second year, 700 people showed up. We’re now planning our 3rd annual in the first week of October.
This is a “no agenda” event – plain and simple. Bringing people together to connect, eat, and have fun. In a world that is dividing us, there is a movement afoot nationally and even globally to bring people together in real life in simple ways. Breaking bread together, finding commonality, hope, and joy.
It is a simple yet powerful idea. Best of all -- anyone can do it. All you need is a permit, tables and chairs, and neighbors to bring friends and food.
“In a world that is dividing us, there is a movement afoot nationally and even globally to bring people together in real life in simple ways.”
Your career history has been fascinating, and we only scratched the surface. Before we let you go, can you talk about your current role at Fortune?
I run Fortune’s Most Powerful Woman and Brainstorm Tech franchises. What started as conferences increasingly function as communities. Interestingly, I’m able to apply lessons I’ve learned from my grassroots efforts in New York City. For example, we launched the MPW Ambassadors Program. We asked 20 of the Most Powerful Women if they would be ambassadors and serve as hosts with us at the conference. These women get a preview of the program; they get to weigh in and recommend speakers and others who should be invited. They also get to welcome attendees along with the Fortune team. Building community and creating a welcoming environment for all is key. No matter the event, no matter how powerful you are, there is always an awkward moment when you walk into a gathering. To have someone greet you and then physically introduce you to someone else changes the dynamic whether you’re at a conference of industry leaders or a potluck.
A great community belongs to those who attend as much as to those who organize. I love gathering people and connecting them. I think two plus two equals six.
September 10, 2024
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