MGP
Marcus Graham Project
Partnership
& Impact
Overview
Moving Further, Faster.
MGP
2026
Marcus Graham Project
One
of
One.
of
One.
We identify extraordinary talent — talent the industry has chronically overlooked. We train them through our iCR8® Methodology: real brand work, real disciplines, real stakes. We deploy them into careers that compound. Founded 2007. Still the only program of its kind globally.
1,000+
Fellows Trained
Bootcamp and Workshop combined, since 2009
96%
Deployed in 6 Months
Of all program completers, working in the industry
$60–75K
Avg. Starting Salary
Significantly above the $38–52K industry average
100%
Promoted Twice+
Every active Bootcamp alum still in the field
The iCR8® Methodology
Why It
Works.
Works.
Built on Two Pillars.
01 — The Pedagogy of Fraternity
Co-founders Lincoln Stephens and Larry Yarrell are members of the same fraternity. Co-learning over instruction. Mutual accountability over individual performance. Trust through shared stakes. Fellows are not classmates. They are a formation.
02 — The Discipline of the Industry
Strategy. Creative. Media. Communications — operated together, simultaneously, on a live brief for a real client. Pop-up agency structure. Real executives in the room on Presentation Day. Fellows arrive at their first job having already done it.
"Remove either pillar and what remains is a training program. Keep both and what you have is iCR8®."
Pillar One — The iCR8® Methodology
The Pedagogy
of Fraternity.
of Fraternity.
How you learn together shapes who you become professionally. Five principles. One formation.
01
Relational Learning
Learning happens in relationship — through dialogue, through the friction of real work with people you are accountable to. The brief is the vehicle. The cohort is the curriculum.
02
The Whole Person
We develop character alongside craft. Fellows learn who they are under deadline, under ambiguity, under the weight of real stakes — not just how to build a campaign.
03
Solidarity as Structure
Fellows are accountable to each other, not just to the brief. The bonds built inside the program carry into careers — hiring decisions, referrals, mentorships, community.
04
Agency Over Passivity
Fellows build something real — a campaign, a body of work, a professional identity, a cohort legacy. People trained to receive are trained to follow. MGP trains leaders.
05
Dialogue Over Competition
The cohort model is collaborative by design. Fellows succeed together or fail together. In that shared stake, differences across disciplines and perspectives become the work — not a barrier to it.
A five-day intensive teaches a skill. Only a formation produces this.
100% of active alumni promoted 2x+
iCR8® Programs
Three Programs.
One Methodology.
One Methodology.
01
iCR8®
Bootcamp
Bootcamp
10–12 Weeks · In-Person · Flagship
Fellows operate as a fully structured pop-up agency. Live brief. Real client. Discipline departments. Presentation Day in front of actual executives. The model that has produced 1,000+ Fellows since 2009.
02
iCR8®
Workshop
Workshop
4 Days · Multi-City · Up to 30 Fellows
The iCR8® experience compressed into four intensive days. A live brief lands on Day 1. A complete 360° campaign presented to brand executives on Day 4. A direct pathway to the flagship Bootcamp.
03
iCR8®
Studio
Studio
Licensed Methodology · Agencies & Universities
The iCR8® methodology licensed to agencies, brands, and universities. We design the program. You run it year over year. The architect stays at the table. Founding cohort now forming.
Also Coming 2027: iCR8® Online (Full Virtual Bootcamp) · iCR8® On-Demand (Self-Paced Methodology)
The Impact
The Proof Is
In The People.
In The People.
Fellow · Bootcamp
Fellow · Bootcamp
Fellow · Bootcamp
Before iCR8®
$28–38K
Underemployed or out-of-field
After iCR8®
$60–75K
Industry-ready at first role
The Long Arc
~50%
In leadership roles — 2009–2019 cohorts
99.9%
Completion Rate
100%
Promoted 2x+
Dozens
Alumni Founders
90%
Funding → Fellows
The Challenge — 01 of 03
The Talent Pipeline
Is Shrinking.
Is Shrinking.
Talent scarcity isn't a recruiting problem — it's a strategic risk for growth, innovation, and market relevance.
40%
of U.S. adults lack basic digital capability for today's roles
Source: Rand Europe / Axios
56%
of companies say talent shortages are their primary hiring obstacle
Source: SelectSoftware Reviews
2030
Gen Z and Millennials will represent the majority of the global workforce
Source: Deloitte
The industry can't grow without the talent to grow it.
The Challenge — 02 of 03
Traditional Hiring
Isn't Working.
Isn't Working.
Academic credentials and real-world readiness have come apart. The gap is measurable — and growing.
66%
of managers report significant experience gaps in recently hired talent
Source: Deloitte
44%
of workers will require reskilling within 5 years due to AI and automation
Source: World Economic Forum
Skill Agility
As AI reshapes roles, skill agility matters more than static credentials — yet structured experiential pathways barely exist
Source: Wharton / University of Pennsylvania
Credentials no longer equal capability. The industry needs a different pipeline.
The Challenge — 03 of 03
Cultural Signals Are
Moving Faster Than
The Pipeline.
Moving Faster Than
The Pipeline.
Consumer Reality
Today's fastest-growing consumer segments are digitally native, culturally fluent, and values-driven. Cultural relevance now determines brand trust, engagement, and long-term growth.
Retention Risk
Gen Z and Millennial talent want continuous learning and purpose. Without it, they leave — taking cultural insight and creative momentum with them.
The Brand Problem
Most brands pour resources into campaigns aimed at multicultural consumers while not having a single person in the room who understands that culture at a cellular level. That is not a values problem. That is a business problem.
MGP Is The Solution
Connected to the culture. Trained for the work. Deployed into the industry.
Why MGP Exists
The Gap Was
Real.
So We Built
The Bridge.
Real.
So We Built
The Bridge.
Marketing has evolved into a growth function at the intersection of culture, technology, and business performance.
Most traditional talent pipelines are not producing marketers with real-world experience, cultural intelligence, and digital fluency.
MGP exists to close this gap — preparing the next generation of marketing leaders that brands need to stay relevant and competitive.
MGP helps brands stay relevant by developing talent that understands culture, technology, and today's consumer.
The Challenge
The Pipeline
Is Broken.
Is Broken.
66%
of managers report experience gaps in new talent
Source: Deloitte
44%
of workers will need reskilling within 5 years
Source: World Economic Forum
56%
of companies cite talent shortages as their primary hiring obstacle
Source: SelectSoftware Reviews
40%
of U.S. adults lack basic digital capability for today's roles
Source: Rand Europe
MGP exists to close this gap — producing culturally fluent, deployment-ready talent for the industry that needs them most.
For Agencies & Brands
Why Partner
With MGP.
With MGP.
01 Future-Ready Talent
Early access to trained, culturally fluent, digital-first marketers — a proven on-ramp to recruitment and retention.
02 Brand Innovation
Real client briefs solved by culturally fluent teams. Fresh thinking grounded in real-world execution, not theory.
03 Cultural Intelligence
Insight into emerging audiences shaping culture and commerce. Marketing that reflects how people actually live, buy, and engage.
04 Measurable Impact
Outcomes across hiring, skills development, and brand visibility. ESG alignment without performative risk.
"Brands partner with MGP to build relevance, resilience, and results."
How Partners Engage
Advocacy &
Volunteerism.
Volunteerism.
Advocacy
Executive
Championship
Championship
Progress requires corporate senior executives to publicly champion and actively support sustainable workforce ecosystems. The need for skills readiness and expanded pipelines is especially critical in today's economic climate — and visible leadership signals organizational commitment in ways that a check alone cannot.
Volunteerism
Hands-On
Engagement
Engagement
iCR8® Bootcamp & Workshop Mentors
Bootcamp Interviewers
Guest Speakers & Industry Lecturers
Hospitality & Program Support
Alumni Professional Development Mentors
Partnership Pathways
Three Ways
To Partner.
To Partner.
Legacy Partner
Stewardship · Long-Term Impact · Industry Leadership
Multi-year Bootcamp partnership. Elevated brand visibility and leadership positioning. Priority access to talent pipelines and alumni network. Executive participation in advocacy and thought leadership.
Strategic Partner
Growth · Talent Access · Brand Integration
Ongoing Bootcamp and Workshop participation. Live brand briefs and hands-on collaboration. Employee engagement through mentorship and volunteerism. Consistent access to emerging talent.
Program Partner
Pilot Engagement · Immediate Impact
Entry point for brands looking to engage and assess impact. Participation in a single Bootcamp or Workshop. Defined brand brief and project collaboration. Clear pathway to deeper partnership.
"The real impact of our partnership with MGP comes from consistency over time — when brands commit to talent, the industry changes."
Leadership
The Minds Behind
The Movement.
The Movement.
Kevin W. McFall
CMO, Pushblack
Daniel Cherry III
Global CMO, Vans
Jarrett Nobles
VP Partnerships, Monumental Sports
Marc Simons
Co-founder, Giant Spoon
Ezinne Okoro
Chief Inclusion Officer, VML
Jason White
President, Wieden+Kennedy
Renetta McCann
Chief Inclusion, Publicis Group
Anika Grant
CEO & Founder, Idlewild
Nicky Sparrow
EVP Multicultural Sales, iHeartMedia
Ian Conyers
Head of Community Affairs, Amazon
Ryan Chappell
Sr. Brand Lead, Magnit (Google)
Justin P. Grant
Content Leader & Wealth Mgmt, BNY
Co-Founders
Built by People
Who Got Tired
Of Waiting.
Who Got Tired
Of Waiting.
Lincoln Stephens and Larry Yarrell founded MGP in 2007 after repeatedly finding themselves as the only people of color in agency rooms. That shared frustration became a shared conviction: the talent existed everywhere. The infrastructure didn't.
They built it.
William "Bill" Sharp — advertising pioneer, Basic Ad Course, 1967 — became a founding board member of MGP. He brought what worked, what didn't, and the one gap he wished they'd closed: mentorship. MGP did not inherit his work. He helped build the next version of it.
Lincoln Stephens
Co-Founder & CEO
MU Journalism · TracyLocke · Carol H. Williams · Moroch · Ad Age 40 Under 40 · ADCOLOR Change Agent
Larry Yarrell
Co-Founder & CDO
Morehouse · London · $6M+ secured · Locomotus co-founder · 4A's 100 People Who Make Advertising Great
Case Study
Moët Hennessy USA
— Never Stop.
Never Settle.
— Never Stop.
Never Settle.
Problem
No consistent platform for celebrating Hennessy's largest customer segment during Black History Month. Platform needed to embody the brand's 'Never Stop. Never Settle.' mantra.
Solution
MGP developed a 360° campaign — 'WE ARE' — during Black History Month 2019 that ran two consecutive years. Four-part content series highlighting trailblazers across major markets.
Results
Strong KPIs and positive media coverage. Evolved into 'Never Stop Never Settle Society' — a multi-year program awarding $1M to 20 Black-owned businesses. Launched at Tulsa's Black Wall Street centennial.
Partners: Hennessy · The SpringHill Company · Dentsu · Laundry Service · Featured: NAS · BET NAACP Image Awards
Case Study
NBA Foundation
— Making History.
— Making History.
In 2021, the NBA Social Justice Coalition asked MGP to help them make history.
2022
MGP designed the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion Award — unveiled to its first recipient, Carmelo Anthony, with MGP's creative team on the main stage.
2023
MGP alumni designed the marker commemorating the 55th Anniversary of the Cleveland Summit — 'A Seat at the Table' — unveiled alongside the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Case Study
McDonald's USA
— Internal Culture
& Identity.
— Internal Culture
& Identity.
2023 Brief
Rebrand MA2C — McDonald's Black employee resource group — from the inside out to support and retain Black employees and attract Black talent. Deliverables: website, social media assets, and branded merchandise.
2024 Brief
Create a new name, logo, internal event, and communication plan to attract, retain, and support the Hispanic and Latinx communities at McDonald's — a full brand identity build from zero.
MGP Fellows don't just work on brands. They work inside them — solving problems that reach the people who are often most underserved by the industry.
We Are Not
Stopping.
Full Stop.
Stopping.
Full Stop.
marcusgrahamproject.org
Moving Further, Faster.
Marcus Graham Project · EIN: 27-1172238 · 501(c)(3) · Dallas, TX