Name: Charles King Profession: CEO/Founder, Macro Ventures Age: 45 One Word That Describes You: Tenacious Through hard-work and determination Charles King became the first African-American partner at William Morris Endeavor, one of the world's largest talent agencies, with offices in Beverly Hills, New York, Nashville, London, and Miami. After years of gaining knowledge and experience at every level within the organization King realized that something was missing from the consumers plate. There was a growing appetite for content that serves the diverse world we live but on screen this was not being reflected. So in early 2015 King branched out with a new endeavor aimed at the multicultural market. MACRO, his new company, will focus on producing premium film, television and digital content targeted toward the African-American, Latino, and Multicultural market (ALM) both within and outside of the entertainment industry. With a strong advisory board supporting his company and key executives ready to make an impact, King is positioning MACRO to be a major player in the industry. While attending Law school to pursue a career in civil rights law King's interest in the entertainment business continued to grow. Inspired by what he did not see within the industry, King began to plot his course. "I always had an interest in the entertainment business and when I took a closer look at the disparity between the images portrayed onscreen as well as the dearth of creative execs behind the scenes where decisions are made, I realized I could make a difference in this industry," King tells BE Modern Man. Making the decision to be the change and stand apart within an industry that notoriously rewards those who stay within a certain network is a bold move. King is betting on himself to be a major force and stand tall amongst his industry peers. "Simply put, I work extremely hard. I sacrificed years in starting at the bottom rung and never complained or shied away from that difficult work. As I've gained status in my field, I have not moved away from the guiding principles that got me here: hard, hard work, treating people fairly, and being generous with my time" Working hard and sacrifice are one piece of the equation, and education is the other. "It is incredibly important to educate one's self," says King. "I don't think formal education and going a non traditional route are mutually exclusive, particularly not in today's setting. You must never stop being curious and learning everything you can about your industry if you want to be successful." There is no such thing as something for nothing if you want to cultivate a successful career. Young BE Modern Men hopefuls need to stay curious and hungry. "it's imperative for the younger generation to put in the work. Not pretending to put in the work but actually doing it. Working harder and smarter and creating an identity for yourself as the expert in a particular field will put you on your way to cultivating a successful career." On the next page, read King's take on leading by example and defying stereotypes... A husband and father to two young boys, King leads by example. He sees the impact that he is making within the industry through his own sons aged 8 and 6. "When I told them I was starting Macro they jumped up and down and screamed "Daddy is a boss!" King tells BE Modern Man. "It was a total perspective shift and validation about the importance of showing our children and the greater community that we can own and build defining legacy institutions." Defining legacy does not come easy with mainstream media often painting people of color inside a box that limits them to a shortlist of stereotypes. But despite the barriers anything is possible. "I hope that someone will read this and realize that, though the odds may be stacked against them, through hard work, prayer and perseverance, they can achieve their goals," says King. "It's important to have a big vision. Someone once said that if your dreams don't scare you, they aren't big enough. I just hope that a young BE Modern Man hopeful is reading this now and refusing to believe that just because they don't have connections or money or an otherwise "clear path" to their dream, that doesn't mean they won't be able to reach their goal." The goal, the dream, the success are within every BE Modern Man hopeful. Their are a few common threads and key tenets that bind successful people together and King shares the select few he concentrates on - "1.VISUALIZATION: the ability to see beyond your current circumstances, no matter how dire, and envision a new reality for yourself; 2. DENIAL (in the healthy sense): seeing what the mainstream is saying about you and refusing to believe or internalize it; 3. LEGACY MINDSET: we see ourselves as part of a larger history walking in the path that our strong forefathers have set before us. Black men are at our best when we realize it's up to us to contribute a brick to that continuing legacy." Incredibly honored and humbled to be a BE Modern Man King says, "this encourages me to continue to live up to this honor." The BlackEnterprise.com team congratulates Charles and fully supports him as he builds his business empire MACRO. The entertainment industry is in dire need of an organization that is focused on providing multicultural content and engagement to the marketplace. His work ethic speaks for itself and provides all of us an example of what is possible. It's our normal to be extraordinary. Follow and join the BE Modern Man conversation at #BEModernMan and @blackenterprise