Before moving to the Big Apple, starting my summer internship at the Leverage Agency, and meeting my MSBA peers, I really had no idea what to expect. I was just someone from Miami, obsessed with sports and an affinity for learning and growth. Through MSBA, I realized that this summer would be the busiest, most tiresome and yet fruitful summer of my life. MSBA does a great job of connecting students to renowned professionals in the sports and business world and yesterday, I had the privilege of meeting and learning from one of the most exciting entrepreneurs in NYC, Mr. Mark Zablow.

Mark is the Founder of Cogent Entertainment Marketing, an NYC-based firm that helps major brands achieve sponsorship and advertising deals. Coming into the Speaker Session, I had heard a lot about Mark from my mentor Tarik Kidane and Ben Sturner (CEO at Leverage), stating that he was a “one of a kind” speaker and easily one of the best speakers to provide insights to MSBA students through the years. 

In the six weeks of speakers we have had at MSBA, Mark stood out as he delivered great insights on how to succeed in the business world by using some top-notch movie and pop culture references. Showing us scenes from “Catch Me If You Can” and “Armageddon” helped me understand that “playing with explosives” or taking calculated risks is essential to succeed. A great tip I picked up from the session was “My Job is not my Identity”. Mark elaborated on this statement by saying that he likes to use his driving license over his business card to identify himself as who knows what the future holds for us, having a well-known on paying job doesn’t define who we are as people. Jobs are temporary, but our value and actions are permanent and that is what I feel defines us as people. People don’t remember you by the job you have, but by the way you make them feel.