NAMIC Revitalizes its Mid-Atlantic Chapter with New Leadership and Events

by Nona Ogunsula

Daryl Jackson, Chapter Ops Mgr, NAMIC National; 
Sangeetha Subramanian, President and Sonarak Ieng, Vice-President, NAMIC Mid-Atlantic

Realizing that the time is now to ensure that minorities and women are visible and given opportunities to succeed, the National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC) and its new leaders for the Mid-Atlantic chapter, based in the Washington, D.C. area, are energetic and excited about the year of upcoming events. “The mission of NAMIC is to empower, educate, and advocate for multi-ethnic diversity in media and entertainment. So this is truly important for every market, but specifically [Washington, D.C.] with all that’s going on here,” stated Darryl Jackson who is the Manager for Mentoring Relations and Chapter Operations for NAMIC which is headquartered in New York City. He went on to say, “to be diverse both in front of the camera and behind the camera is of utmost importance. So, visibility is key”.

NAMIC Mid-Atlantic has a new slate of officers who are injecting new energy in the chapter with events and activities designed to help make real change through community and professional development. “In my experience, advocating for diversity, equity, and inclusion can be an uphill battle. NAMIC has helped me reduce that sense of isolation and I hope to bring that same sense of like-minded community to all of our members” said Sangeetha Subramanian, new President of the Mid-Atlantic chapter.

On Thursday, 2/8/2018, NAMIC held its Kick-Off Mixer and first event of 2018 at SiriusXM’s location in northwest Washington, D.C. Walter B. Sanderson, III, Vice President, HR

Walter B. Sanderson, Vice President

and Diversity Officer, SiriusXM

Business Partner and Diversity Officer for SiriusXM, hosted the event and expressed, “It’s a real pleasure to have NAMIC Mid-Atlantic back in our facility again. We’re happy to host the organization. We want to make sure everybody takes a moment to look at employment opportunities here. We are kind of a stealth employer in that everybody knows our brand, but they don’t always think of us as a place to work. So we use this as an opportunity to introduce people to work here at SiriusXM.” The company with more than 32 million subscribers creates programming and offers commercial-free music, premier sports and live events, news and comedy, exclusive talk and entertainment, and a wide variety of Latin commercial-free programming. It also offers online streaming of its programming so its services are not tied to just your car. You can access the services via computer in your office or home, and via your smartphone. They employ individuals in a variety of roles that include On-Air Talent, Producer, marketing, creative, finance and technical positions.

A variety of individuals ranging from employers to creatives and technical professionals, freelancers, educators, and even actors attended the event which included a reception and ample time for networking. According to a 2017 Payscale article, “At least 70 percent of job openings aren’t even listed. The vast [majority] of hiring is friends and acquaintances hiring other trusted friends and acquaintances.”[i] The Mid-Atlantic chapter promotes networking and provides an environment where professionals in the communications and media/entertainment industries can have fun while getting to know each other.

In addition to traditional calendar events, NAMIC Mid-Atlantic also has a pop-up series to stay relevant with recent social trends. Their first pop-up event was a fun and cozy social in November 2017 at the Cloak and Dagger Bar in Northwest Washington, D.C. The next pop-up just announced is a screening of Black Panther at the historic Uptown Theater in Cleveland Park.

Chapter leaders, Sangeetha Subramanian and Sonarak Ieng, have a lot planned for 2018 and encourage everyone to get involved. There will also be unique opportunities to get to know people through volunteering. And most importantly there will be educational and career development opportunities, panels, and other diversity-related programming. So, stay tuned for upcoming events and stay connected to NAMIC Mid-Atlantic via social media. You can follow the local chapter at @NAMICMidA on Twitter, https://www.linkedin.com/company/namic-mid-atlantic on LinkedIn and NAMIC.MidAtlantic on Facebook. Follow the national organization at @NAMICNational on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

To see more pictures from the Kick-Off event, click here.

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Nona Ogunsula is a seasoned marketing professional with over 25 years of experience in marketing, creating and executing digital/social media campaigns, developing health promotion programs and managing projects and programs in the private and public sector. Over 10 of those years were spent in sales and marketing positions at AT&T. As the Principal Creative Officer of Liberty Ink Productions, she provides marketing, consulting, social/digital media and production services to businesses and non-profit organizations. Since 2011, she has been providing a leadership and empowerment platform specifically for women at womenatliberty.com

References: 

[i] Belli, Gina, “How Many Jobs Are Found Through Networking, Really?”, Payscale.com, April 2017