Marshall Sandman is a media expert, podcast host, and former Director of Strategy at WarnerMedia. After leaving WarnerMedia this past summer, Marshall has gone all in on his entrepreneurial career. He most- notably started a podcast called What to Do With Marshall, and the show provides nonprofit funding to an after school program in New York City.
The program, Harlem Grown, typically teaches urban farming and sustainability to at-risk kids at their three urban farms in NYC, giving children a safe haven outside of their often unstable homes. The show has already raised around $50,000 for Harlem Grown, and there is already a second season in the works for early 2021.
Outside of the podcast, Marshall is passionate about getting ahead of the trends present in social media today. He believes that thoughtful, advance social media strategy will be the most important aspect of advertising in the coming years, even more so than it already is. His intense focus on the rise and fall of different social media platforms is what allowed him to host his podcast on IG Live, a new and exploratory aspect of Instagram. Aside from his social media strategy, Marshall has also written multiple television shows and produced an award winning movie that’s set to premiere in 2021.
With all of the knowledge he now possesses, Marshall says he’s learned the most through failure. He thinks that communication is most important when things are not going well, and these moments are far more vital to growth than when things are going according to plan.
Marshall has also realized how important it is to pursue his dreams. Although he had a great role at WarnerMedia, he saw people all around him getting laid off. This woke him up to the realization that he didn’t want someone else to determine his worth, and he essentially walked out the door to start his podcast and do what he is passionate about.
With all of his current success, Marshall appreciates where he comes from. He has always had a tremendous support system, but he has worked for everything he’s achieved in his career and has had nothing handed to him. Even after he left his position at WarnerMedia, Marshall had around 2,000 Instagram followers and no real plan other than to put in hours of outreach to land people for his show. He’s since landed several comedians, actors, and influencers, and the rest has been history.
