How DeDe Brown went from waiting tables to executive vice president at Paramount Pictures

Meet DeDe Brown, the vice president of multicultural marketing and publicity at Paramount Pictures, and co-host of “BLK On The Scene,” a show geared toward Black creators.

After graduating from the University of Alabama with a degree in broadcast journalism, Brown was unsure of the career path she wanted to pursue, although she always had an interest in entertainment.

“I was thinking about starting in small markets, covering the cat stuck in the tree or a house fire, but I couldn’t look into my magic ball and realize how quickly the world was going to change with social media,” she told XoNecole. 

“I also didn’t have any mentorship or any sort of plan or path of, ‘Oh I should figure out this whole entertainment thing.’ It took like three or four years for me to really find my way.”

She started out waitressing and later worked in retail. While waiting tables at a popular eatery, there was a new themed dining experience called Planet Hollywood, known for its celebrity-connected events and marketing.

A friend suggested she should apply for a job there, which became the turning point of her life. She made her own inquiries and landed a job as the executive assistant to the PR manager and the general manager of the restaurant.

“This was pre-internet and social [media], [and] it was the only way people in regional markets were getting access to celebrities and talent in that whole experience,” she said. “It was a wonderful introduction to the world of PR and entertainment but also [to] community relations and events. I got a really immersive and hands-on experience.”

Through humility and hard work, Brown built her way to the top. Although she had her own career goals and plans, she was also willing to learn, to be a sponge and super-nimble.

In this regard, she was freelancing and consulted for several years, with some success; she also worked on fashion events and some sporting events. According to her, she was culling it all together without necessarily having a plan.

“I learned a lot, but it was when I realized, ‘Okay, I’ve got my focus on so many different things during this freelance period, how can I narrow my focus to have more impact, a better salary, and where’s that going to take me in the next 10 years?’ That’s when I really began to hyperfocus on multicultural marketing and publicity, knowing that it was something I loved,” she told XoNecole.

Before her current position as VP of multicultural marketing and publicity at Paramount Pictures, Brown was the Executive Vice President of Global Government Affairs at Viacom.