Ericka Pittman
Vice President of Brand Strategy
Blue Flame Agency
New York City
Age: 36
Growing up in Brooklyn, N.Y.’s tough community of East New York taught Ericka Pittman that failure was not an option. “My environment forced me to navigate difficult situations quickly and safely. Essentially, my neighborhood showed me what I shouldn’t be,” Pittman says. Armed with these lessons at an early age, Pittman embarked on the road less traveled by her neighbors and seized opportunities that arose at powerhouse companies like Vanguard Media Inc., Time Inc., Condé Nast and Vibe Media Group. In 2009, she joined the Blue Flame Agency, a Sean “Diddy” Combs company, where she is currently vice president of Brand Strategy. In this role, she leads new business and brand innovation logistics, consumer positioning and marketing strategy for notable properties such as Cîroc Ultra Premium Vodka, Sean John Fragrances and Bad Boy Films. When asked if her job is as exciting as it seems, Pittman replies, “Yes, it absolutely is. But also, as fun as it looks, ten times as much works goes into it.”
And Pittman is no stranger to hard work. At just 19 years old, she financially supported herself through her undergraduate education at Bernard Baruch College. While working full time as an account manager at iVillage Inc., a media company owned by NBC Universal that targets women, she earned her bachelor’s degree in corporate communications with a concentration in public relations, which provided the invaluable opportunity to put her classroom lessons directly into practice in her work environment.
In her free time, Pittman mentors at-risk, inner-city women and has served as a motivational speaker at Harlem Renaissance High School. Pittman gives God thanks for the many successes she has enjoyed both personally and professionally. When asked where she sees herself five years from now, Pittman replies, “Exactly where God wants me to be.”
Fun Facts
Favorite singer: Sade
Favorite book: Think and Grow Rich
Favorite charity: Networking for Teaching Entrepreneurship
