Name: Watch Apple’s Bozoma Saint John Speak at Fortune’s MPW NextGen Conference
Uploaded: 2016-11-30
Duration: 14 min 53 s
Description: She discusses diversity in the work place.

[ MUSIC ] So the title of this is Badassery. That's correct. [ LAUGH ] But you were. I have to say I wrote a profile of you for Fortune magazine a few months ago. I learned that you were a badass long before Apple and Apple Music and iTunes. That is correct. [ LAUGH ] [ LAUGH ] So you got your start at Spike Lee. Yes. With Spike Lee. Can you tell me, what did you take away from that experience of working with him. So Well, the lot. [ LAUGH ] The interesting thing is when I moved to New York City, I really didn't know what I wanted to do and interestingly enough I was in the panel before about talent and How you come about what you're doing. And the funny thing is that growing up I went to public schools. I grew up in Colorado Springs, Colorado. There wasn't a lot about advertising. I also had immigrant parents who were like, you're gonna be an engineer, a lawyer, or a doctor. Those are the only three options you have as a career, okay? I had parents just like that, yeah. And so when I moved to New York My dad was like okay it's time for you to consider medical school and I had been pre med so I was just like maybe I'm gonna try out a couple of things first just to dabble a little bit. And I got a job at Spike Lee's advertising agency, Spike TV which was a part of DDB Needham and on Madison. And I loved it. It was so great. And it took me probably two years before I told my dad that medical school was not happening. How did he take the news? Terribly. He still can't believe. And literally, after the Apple event he called me and he's like are you still thinking about medical school? [ LAUGH ] I'm like are you serious? Serious? Cuz I think I'm doing all right. Anyway [ LAUGH ]. That's also where you met Beyonce right? Yes. And tell me what you saw in her at that point because you ended up later on doing a number of marketing deals with her, some of the first. What was it when you first met her that really, obviously she's She's queen, right? Yes, yes. Well the time, interestingly enough, she was just leaving Destiny's Child, or thinking about her solo career. This was, gosh, I think it was 2003. Probably, or there abouts. Anyway, and it's interesting cuz now of course we say well she's the queen. But at the time, I think you think about people who break out of girl groups or any group And the propensity for success is probably very low. [ LAUGH ] And so there was some doubt whether or not she could stand on her own as a solo artist, but at the time there was also a lot happening in culture for people who were moving in between sort of their culture, right. And so whether you're a singer and you wanted to try acting, or you're an actor and wanted to Try hip- hop. I don't know. Sometimes that work, sometimes it doesn't. Lots of athletes have tried it. ->> [ LAUGH ] ->> In any case, at the time Pepsi was a client of Spike and wanted to figure out how to get closer to a pop culture moment. And at the time, MTV had launched a show called Hip Hopera and it starred Mekhi Phifer. It's a long time ago. Anyway, [ LAUGH ] But it was interesting cuz the main character was Carmen who singing, and acting, and doing all that and it just seems so perfect For her to be in that role you know because obviously a prolific singer could do that easily. And so why not put her in a role that could really bring that to life. So that's actually how we started working together. She did a commercial for Pepsi in which she starred as Carmen .>> And then you ended up putting her, helping coordinate the deal with the Superbowl her first Superbowl appearance. Yeah that was the 5th one. That was the fifth- And that was the fifth deal with Beyonce. Yeah, the fifth project we done together. And that was- Was there pushback on that, or did you, was that sort of by then she had hers- Well no, she was firmly queen. There was a firm crown on her head, but again I think, you think back in history and things seem so wonderful and perfect. I think we also forget that a few weeks before the Super Bowl, she sang at President Obama's inauguration, where there was controversy about her using a backing track. And people were questioning whether or not she could sing, which was so crazy. I was like, are you out of your mind? Of course she can sing. But in any case, it really started to throw a shadow over her sequel performance and all of that. And what was most inspiring to me coming out of that experience was that she, at the press event, before the Superbowl She walked in and usually the performer of the halftime show comes in and says a few words, etc. But she walked in and asked everyone to rise and then sang the National Anthem a capella. And that was it. Everybody just shut up. [ LAUGH ] [ LAUGH ] And it was just such a great, inspiring moment because you think about some of the knocks that we take Even after you've been crowned queen. Many people are queens up in here, I know you are. [ LAUGH ] Or divas. And you have proven yourself, again and again and again and again. And then you get knocked down by something. It is very easy to sort of lay back and think my god what was me? It's like, what more can I give? I've already showed, I've shown everyone what I can do. It was really inspiring to me because, she certainly didn't do that. She came on and gave a performance of her life. Won an Emmy for her performance. It's interesting that you bring that up because you've had some struggle in your. In your life. You lost your husband to cancer, a really, really young age. How did you overcome that time? And just describe where you wer in your career then too. Gosh, it's like, this is when the emotion starts. I get all Because, I think it's still relatively fresh. He passed away three years ago this coming December and I was at Pepsi. I had come off the high of Beyonce's Superbowl performance. And there were just lots of wins. You know, it's like you're in those moments, you know everything is going well. You know things are like popping everywhere. And I was on my way to CMAs and before I left I saw that he had some sort of lump on the side of his face. And I was like, go check that out. What is that? Typical he was like, [ SOUND ] it will go away. But unfortunately We found out that it was Blood cell myeloma, which is a rare cancer and six months later, he was dead. And it was just, um. And you had a four year too. Yes. We had a four year old daughter, who was four at the time. And for me the, the moment. It was just confusing, you know. It's like, everything that you think about, what you plan for. I'm a perfectionist, I assume a lot of people in here probably are as well. You plan your life, you know, you say this is what I'm gonna do at this age, this is what I'm gonna do at this age, this is what I'm gonna do here, or get this job, and these are the things I'm gonna do. You know, I'm gonna get married, I'm gonna have a baby, or the other way around, whatever you wanna do. But you envision your life and when something happens like that, that you did not plan for, that you cannot control, it can throw you off balance and for me certainly it did. I mean, it knocked me all the way off the axis It's just, I mean, he passed away four days before his 44th birthday, and it was so confusing to me to think that we had this whole life planned, and that those things weren't going to come to fruition. But it was the sense of Need to do more to continue. I mean, I make no apology for the fact that I love my work. I love what I do, I love going to work, I find a lot of energy in that. And I didn't want to stop doing that. So after his death there wasn't a sence of Trying to change everything about my life. But I just wanted to change more things. I want to take more risks because life truly is very short and we don't know. And that's when you moved to LA and- I sure did. You joined Beats, which then Months later became acquired by Apple. Yeah. I'm gonna open it up to questions in just a minute, but I wanna talk a little bit about what you're doing at Apple. At the MPW Summit, about a month ago, Angela Erins came here and she talked a lot about how Apple is taking a much more active role in communities, In local communities with their stores. As the head of global marketing for Apple Music and iTunes, how does that fit into your role? Well, it's been tremendous being at Apple. My experience there. Because there's so much that, as you just said, that was happening in my personal life. When I joined and the transition into Apple, there was just a lot of, you know, fire. [ LAUGH ] You know, I feel like I just had to do and do and do, right. So, there's been a lot of pushing. And, you know, the support of the women at Apple has been also tremendous. Angela, I am a huge fan of her, personally anyway. It's like her- Another bad- ass. Man, I mean this lady, woo! Yeah, got some great jackets too, by the way. [ LAUGH ] Anyway, I digress. [ LAUGH ] [ LAUGH ] Angela is transforming the way that retail operates, she's transforming it all. And as a partner in what we're doing on the software side of the business with entertainment, We want to create a sense of community by empowering what she's doing with the retail stores with what is also empowering our software. So bringing artists or authors, or anyone who's creating in this entertainment space. Into that space so that our customers can better experience all of the facets of Apple not just walk into the store to purchase hardware but also to participate in our software. So you just had the boss? Yes, Bruce Springsteen. I mean, so he's an author. He wrote a book, Born to Run. You can go get it on iBooks. And so we held an event at the New York Soho store for him to be interviewed actually by Eddy Cue, which was great to see the two of them because Eddy is a big fan. And yeah. So it was awesome because you'd get a chance to bring the creator into a space that they probably never get into and also talk about things that are different from what they usually do. So instead of talking about him as a musician we talked about his life and his authorship. And it was great. It was awesome. We have time for one question and I wanna make sure I open it up and just in case anyone. Hello ladies. [ LAUGH ] [ LAUGH ] There's a question right in the front here. First of all, thank you for being here and sharing your story. You're amazing. So one question. You exude confidence. Is this something that What, yes. [ LAUGH ] Shocker, is this something that you built up over time, or have you always been this way? Well, so there's a little bit of a joke. So I said I grew up in Colorado Springs Colorado, right. The part I left out was that my parents actually moved us, I have three younger sisters, to Colorado Springs Colorado, right before my 13th birthday. And I was this height. [ LAUGH ] [ LAUGH ] And about 70 pounds less. I was like a tumbleweed. I would just blow in the wind. But there was really a choice. There was a choice to, well, I couldn't hide. So there wasn't a choice to do that. Yeah. [ LAUGH ] It was literally impossible. [ LAUGH ] Anyway, so the choice was do you try to do what everybody else is doing? There was no, I couldn't be blond, I can't do it. I couldn't be any, I couldn't be white, it's just not possible. Couldn't. Make up doesn't do it. I'm telling you, I tried. Doesn't work. I just couldn't be anything else, and so it meant that I had to become just all of everything that I have. And what a tremendous age to learn that lesson. I mean, I honestly, you could think of it as the most devastating thing that ever happened. Well, I did tell my parents that. I was like this is the worst thing you could have ever done to me. But, end up being of course, in hindsight probably the best thing. Because at 13 I learned, you know what it meant to walk into a room and not care when everybody else turned around and looked at you. So here I am. [ LAUGH ] [ APPLAUSE ] We only have like 20 seconds left. I just want a lightening round sort of question for you. Yes. What advice would you go back and give your 16 or 18 year old self. Man. Girl, I hate that question. Gosh, I think the advice. Or maybe it's more of the thought, which is that I think we spend so much time trying to achieve and trying to develop who we are and trying to come into ourselves. I think I would have told my 16 year old self that You just everything, you're it, you're it, you have it all inside of there. Don't look outside for it, don't try to chase it, don't even look around to try and see who else has it and try to emulate that. You got it girl, that's what I meant. That's a great way to end, thank you [ UNKNOWN ], thanks. [ APPLAUSE ]

She discusses diversity in the work place.