It’s no secret it’s tough to get noticed in Hollywood, but today’s guest made a career by helping others do just that.
As a Senior VP at ID’s New York office, she was one of the entertainment industry’s most respected and sought-after media and publicity strategists. She left the security of the career she’d worked so hard to build to launch and run her own talent management firm, B. Company. Now, she works with Late Show legend, Stephen Colbert… as president of his production company Spartina.
She’s worked with top-notch, world-renowned creative talent. Leveraging her badass media management and expertise, she played an integral role in promoting, plotting and planning her clients’ careers.
Carrie inspires me and so many other women by being a kind leader in a tough industry, her dedication to her team, and her 1.8 second-response time to text messages.
Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been in business for years, there’s something here for you. So grab a cup of tea, buckle up and tune in!
In this episode, Carrie and I discuss
- Finding the confidence to start your own thing in the entertainment industry – TWICE!
- Handling comparative pressure, facing down obstacles and refusing to apologize for who you are.
- Balancing high demands on your time while still finding time to live a life
- Her genius method to get to inbox zero-ish (I’ve tried it, it works!)
- The women that have lifted HER up and supported her along the way.
This episode at a glance:
[05:22] Comparative pressure is everywhere. The noise, the filters, the ads all tell you what you need to do to be a better, thinner, prettier, smarter, more successful version of yourself. They distract you from identifying what you’re really good at… and knowing what you’re good at is a huge part of anyone’s success.
[08:23] What helped Carrie make the leap and take off on her own: she wanted to be a contributor to the choices that her clients were making, not just an enhancer of the work they were already doing. And it just took one client, America Ferrara, to say “I see you as that” to give her the confidence to *be* that.
[13:00] We are not the best reflections of ourselves. The importance of having a circle, a close community who can reflect back to you what “future you” could be.
[20:45] The main reason Carrie said YES to leaving behind B. Company to run Stephen and Evelyn Colbert’s production company, Spartina. If that YES is loud, if something magnetic is pulling you, that’s telling.
[31:08] Carrie’s empowering leadership style: she has the ability to tap into people’s strengths rather than shaming them for not doing things a certain way. Celebrate the things your team can do that you can’t. If you have a team of clones, you’re not going to succeed.
[36:20] Carrie hates to leave stuff hanging. She’s a fan of Kelly Bush’s advice: “touch it once”. Respond to it. Forward it. File it. Do something with the thing so it’s in motion.
[44:05] Carrie considers herself lucky that she was always surrounded by strong female role models, starting with her mom, author and speaker Marcia Byalick, who continues to inspire her every day. She also had the chance to learn from great women in her industry like Kelly Bush Novak (founder and CEO of ID), Lesley Dart (strategic advisor for Dolphin Entertainment), Lois Smith, and PR guru Pat Kingsley.
[58:03] What’s on Carrie’s Times Square billboard: “There’s always a ticket”. When you project a problem as being worse than it actually is, you build a narrative that creates roadblocks to your success. There’s always a way around any challenge.
Resources and links mentioned in this episode
- Check out The Late Show With Stephen Colbert and The Colbert Report
- Watch “Derek Delgaudio’s In and Of Itself”, produced by Evelyn McGee Colbert, on HULU
- ID PR and Kelly Bush Novak
