—It is Black History Month, and every other day this month, The Message will be sharing short profiles of Black professionals from across the industry: marketing, advertising, PR, media and production. Written by POCAM members, the profiles are a way to “fight invisibility,” an exercise in representation for an industry where representation must get better—
Donica Willis is the owner and creative director at DW Creativ, and senior graphic and web designer at 
Toronto Metropolitan University. Willis was attracted to this industry because of her love for art, but in high school, she was told graphic design was the closest she’d get to making art while still making an honest living. Today, she has 10-plus years of experience gathered from over 950 projects. She did this without ever having a formal BIPOC mentor or role model.
Breaking into any industry as a black woman can be challenging and Willis had her fair share of ups and downs. Often challenged to prove her expertise, she needed to constantly negotiate with others to respect her experience. “Dealing with bias, microaggressions and flat-out racism has unfortunately been part of my journey,” Willis acknowledged.
At first, this contributed to imposter syndrome; she began doubting herself and her capabilities which in turn led to lower-quality work. But Willis persevered, and grew stronger, and more confident. As she found her footing, she learned to select who she works with carefully. “I learned to say no to people who don’t value who I am and the expertise I bring to the table,” she explained.
Though it’s come a long way, Willis believes the industry has more work to do on inclusivity. She wants us to apply a more critical lens to the design process and its problematic power dynamics. During her graduate studies, Willis explored alternative design practices and the possibility of using design as a tool to identify and understand the problem instead of simply helping solve it. “Younger me would never have had the guts to challenge her way of thinking as a designer,” Willis admitted.
She advises any young Black individual wanting to get into design to “constantly challenge your way of thinking as a designer and prioritize intersecting your passions with your work.” Willis' own side hustles and passion projects feed into her work. Her favourite, The Black Gold Project, started as an Instagram series seeking to empower, celebrate and share stories of black greatness through art.
Willis once heard that designers help build the futures we want, not decide them. It became her motto and changed her design work for the better.
Willis is now showcasing her recent rebranding and website overhaul for the African Nova Scotian Music Association. “It’s a special thing to be proud of the visual outcome of a project while also believing in the work that the client does," she explained. "I’m so excited and grateful to have been able to have a small hand in the organization meeting its mission.”
Barry Alexander is chief marketing and diversity officer for the Canadian Marketing Association (CMA). He has two decades of industry experience as a strategy leader and brand marketer. After investing his energy (and university course load) in finance, Alexander happened to take a strategy and marketing analytics course in his third year. He discovered that developing relationships between people and brands to build business challenged and energized him, and decided on a career in marketing.
Upon graduating, Alexander began working at HJ Heinz, still one of his favourite marketing roles; he hasn’t looked back. His career has given him experiences he never thought possible in his youth and the chance to meet others with interesting stories.
As a BIPOC professional, Alexander faced unique career challenges, navigated microaggressions and bias and even saw his resume and credentials questioned simply because of his background. Like many other BIPOC marketers, he never had a BIPOC mentor and now knows the socio-economic rationales for it. But he also believes the hurdles he and others faced are being gradually removed for future BIPOC marketers in Canada.
In his current role, Alexander engages with industry DEI stakeholders and partners, something he didn’t think possible a decade ago. It’s one of the most exciting parts of his job. With the collective commitment of countless allies, leading organizations and BIPOC leaders, Alexander believes that active and energizing change is underway. He quotes data from CMA’s 2023 DE&I study; 90% say their companies aspire to (or have) diverse and more inclusive leadership. Employees in those companies are reporting positive experiences. Career opportunities in underserved communities have grown year over year. “There is a long way for us to go, but the community that has assembled to help at each step will ease the journey,” Alexander said.
Alexander takes a personal approach to mentorship. He loves how incredibly bright and driven early career marketers are and how they dream big. “The opportunity it presents is exciting,” he said, “not only for them but for all of us. Their insights are worth investing time in. I hope my insights provide half the return I’ve received from their stories.”
- He offers anyone he mentors three guiding principles from his career:
Focus: develop the skills you need to demonstrate for your career’s current AND next chapters. Make sure where you are in the moment always serves that growth. - Effort: do your utmost to make the most of the moment. You may not win just now, but you will consistently be better equipped for the next challenge.
- Attitude: it’s the difference between being overwhelmed and finding unexpected blessings in tough situations. Keep consistently positive. Always think about what you can learn from the moment you’re in and how to use it to make an impact.
Both POCAM BHM 2024 profiles were written by Gavin Barrett, CEO/CCO/Founder of Barrett and Welsh and a co-founder of POCAM and the Multicultural Marketing Alliance of Canada.
