Marvyn Harrison is a black British entrepreneur who has made significant contributions to the advertising industry and has worked with prominent figures such as Drake and Ed Sheeran; arranging the first shows of these top artists in London. He later transitioned to work with Manchester City Football Club, where he was instrumental in setting up their branded content division.
He currently runs a strategic consultancy 6-figure firm, serving clients such as WPP, Omnicom, City Football Group, and Samsung.
However, a moment on Father’s Day changed his career trajectory toward something he least expected when he began his journey as an advertising practitioner with an interest in the music industry. As a father of two, he decided to congratulate fellow fathers for the stellar role they were playing in the lives of their children in 2018. This simple act revealed the cracks many fathers were facing with parenting and raising families.
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The overwhelming response he received inspired him to create Dope Black Dads and provide support for black fathers like himself. He, therefore, decided to modify his career path and focus partly on helping fathers become better parents. Marvyn believes in leveraging the knowledge and experiences of good fathers within the community to educate black fathers on raising best-fit adults, rather than just good children. According to Forbes, his ultimate goal is to change the narrative around black fatherhood.
Though his career path differed from that of his parents, he realized second and third-generation immigrants were encountering many successes and failures as black fathers. Recognizing that he and his peers were going through similar experiences, Harrison decided to build a network to express his appreciation for the efforts fathers have made toward grooming their children.
What began as a WhatsApp group of 23 fathers, has become a strong support network for black fathers in the UK, New York, and South Africa, reaching over 7,500 individuals. Through his work with Dope Black Dads, he has been addressing the unique challenges faced by black fathers and helping them become better parents.
Leveraging the experiences and knowledge of successful fathers in the community, he believes he can make a positive impact and change the perception of black fatherhood, according to the guardian.
Today, the Dope Black Dads podcast boasts many contributors from across the globe, sharing experiences on family, sex, and race. He strongly believes that fathers need to give direction to their children.
Many are caught in the abyss of explaining how children should deal with being judged, not by their ability but by the color of their skin. He said, growing up, he took nurturing a family for granted, especially his mum’s experience of single-handedly raising four children. Having children has brought enlightenment on how father figures are essential in shaping the future of children.
