Today we’d like to introduce you to Courtney Carter.
Courtney, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Since I was a little girl, I’ve always been quite curious and entrepreneurial in spirit. That, along with my competitive nature and student athlete mindset drove me to be attracted to the areas of sports and entertainment at quite a young age. Once I realized that there were opportunities to present and produce content around human stories that aligned with sports entertainment; the ability to do that alongside generating revenue intrigued me. While at Oregon State, I was hired as a host/producer for Fox Sports NW while also interning for Learfield Sports properties; producing compelling content and understanding the value of entertainment and IP put me on the path of combining the two.
I very graciously had an opportunity to move to New York City and intern for the New York Knicks and New York Liberty; it was there I realized the City was the place I belonged. After an internship in Event Presentation & Broadcasting I took an offer to work as an Account Executive representing NY Knicks, Rangers, Liberty, Madison Square Garden & Radio City properties. From there, I ended up moving to work within the world of soccer for the commercial entity that represents the sport in the U.S., Soccer United Marketing. It was there that I helped grow the sport I love in the country I love; going around the country growing Major League Soccer, US Soccer and launching Women’s Professional Soccer. In a crowded landscape it was critical to differentiate our sport and its intergenerational/intercultural audiences as the future of our country and business.
From Soccer United Marketing, I went to ESPN, there I was in more of an Integrated Marketing role, as opposed to a straight sales role. I really thrived in the environment of co-marketing, helping to tell an advertiser’s story through the lens of various sports properties. My work at ESPN caught the attention of CAA and after 3 years creating integrated campaigns and award winning branded content I found myself with an offer to become an agent at Creative Artists Agency in Los Angeles. The ability to represent the amazing non-scripted roster of talent at CAA—allowed me the opportunity to understand the value and power in an individual’s brand and voice who is representing themselves day-in and day-out on air and/or on social media. It was there that I realized talent really drives entertainment. I was lucky enough to see the tide turning within media and become a founding agent in the newly-created Digital Talent and Brand Partnerships group at CAA and was a part of signing a really amazing group of diverse and disruptive talent like Liza Koshy, FouseyTUBE, Ghetto Gastro, Jesse Collins Entertainment, Amanda Seales, fuckjerry, Matt Bellassai and more.
After three and a half years at 2000 Avenue of The Stars operating at the tip of the spear of new media and entertainment, I realized that my role was quite relational and producerial with my clients. When the opportunity arose to leave and start my own management and media company with the support and encouragement of my clients, Liza Koshy and Ghetto Gastro, I did so. It was definitely a leap of faith. In the last three and a half years, we’ve grown the roster to also include Selema Masekela, Carri Twigg, and Matt Bellassai. While from the outside, those individuals might seem quite different, they all embody the spirit of which Carter Media Group stands, which is to be shapers and shifters of culture and narratives.
I would be remiss to say that I got here on my own. The easy answer to this question is my parents. They first and foremost taught me that I could be whatever I wanted to be from a very young age, and I was quite unapologetic and enthusiastic that there was nothing I couldn’t do. Without their continued support, I would not be anywhere. From a mentorship standpoint, I would not be sitting where I am without the help of many, many women and men along the way. I am very lucky to have female leadership in my life that not a lot of women in the industry of sports and entertainment get to have. The likes of Kathy Carter, Anucha Browne Sanders, Laurie Orlando, Andy Elkin, Wendell Scott, Kathleen Francis; the list could go on and on. I am quite a lucky woman to be surrounded by such amazing humans who have shown me the way and also have championed my enthusiasm to push the ball down the field in the spaces of commercial viability and inclusiveness.
Ultimately I’m in the human business. I love understanding people; and it’s an honor that some entrust me and CMG to be a broker and producer of their energy and story.
Has it been a smooth road?
Everybody has their own struggles, not to exacerbate or minimize mine. As a woman in the industry of sports and entertainment, I am frequently the only woman in a room. That has changed over time, which has been very encouraging, but I think the biggest struggle that I may have encountered over time is those moments where you don’t think you belong—the Imposter Syndrome. That is the struggle, not only as a woman in the business, but also as someone who entered entertainment late by way of sport, as opposed to growing up in the industry. Learning as I go hasn’t always been the easiest, but at the same time, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Carter Media Group – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Carter Media Group is, by way of definition, a management and media company that represents innovative, disruptive and inclusive people, stories and ideas that shift and shape culture. Our expertise lies at the intersection of traditional media, new media, brand and spaces of diversity. We work with our clients to identify and align their purpose behind their brand and narrative—create tactical applications to message that out into the marketplace while building intellectual property, businesses, and stories that hit the heart and the head in a way that serves the purpose and the brand of the client.
I think I am known for being a straight shooter. What you see is what you get, and I don’t take myself too seriously. I am most proud of the fact that I have never compromised my integrity or belief in a client. What may set us apart is that we—the community and the family that is Carter Media Group—practice what we preach.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I like the sunshine in LA. I like the access to engage with nature in a way that the ocean and the mountains provide. Also, I appreciate the great people that I’ve been able to surround myself with; I’ve been very lucky with the community I’ve found. I’m grateful for quality Mexican food, access to amazing vegan options and Sugarfish! I don’t enjoy people who are not authentic to who they are and what they represent, and I think I’m not the only one that would agree—I don’t like going east in the afternoon and west in the morning.
Is there anything else that has really inspired you lately?
Yes! I am so grateful to work with incredible humans within two non-profits; Friends of the Children LA and Ally2Action. Ultimately, I care deeply about equity—and both of these organizations at their core are about providing resources and guidance to create a better future for us all. FriendsLA is a one-to-one mentoring program for youth from kindergarten to high school graduation; giving children adversely affected by the foster care system a ‘shot’. Earlier this year, in response to the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, I, along with a group of amazing humans, wanted to put meaning back into the word “ally” as it pertained to the relationship between white/non-Black and Black communities. We created Ally2Action; an organization that recognizes that white and non-Black people have a fear of participating in conversations about race/anti-racism because they are not as equipped as they feel is necessary to engage. At A2A, we provide resources and create content which invite ‘discomfortable’ conversations between Black and non-Black communities; transforming fear of participation into courageous engagement towards racial reconciliation. Since July, our curriculum and content have reached tens of thousands of people in 15 countries; we are continuing the work by partnering with corporations and organizations that truly believe in addressing systemic racism. Seeing thousands of people come to the proverbial table to be better together has been some of the most inspiring and rewarding work of my life. I am honored to stand with my fellow A2A members; and invite anyone to join in on our conversations to be a part of the change.
Contact Info:
- Address: 3105 La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90016
- Website: https://www.thecartermediagroup.com
- Phone: 424-341-2589
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cartermediagroup/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheCarterMediaGroup/
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-carter-media-group/
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