Rockstar – Ericka Riggs

Rockstar — Ericka Riggs

The varied and vibrant career of Ericka Riggs, CDEIO, Omnicom Specialty Marketing Group, reveals a path that has been about not just advancement, but also breadth and enhancement.

Beginning her career in video promotions at Uptown Records with iconic music industry mentor André Harrell, Ericka strengthened the people skills she developed as the daughter of a corporate executive whose career moved the family from Texas and Missouri to Maryland, New York and the D.C. area. Her stellar performance led Harrell to offer her the position of Director of Video Promotion at legendary Motown Records.

Ericka segued to a new industry at multicultural ad agency UniWorld Group, (UWG), gaining experience working with corporate clients and rising from Creative Coordinator to advertising producer before leaving to augment her portfolio with a marketing degree from George Mason University and a position in development at Northern Virginia University.

In 2016, Ericka Riggs made an impressive return to New York when she was recruited to be Foundation and Inclusion Director of the prestigious Advertising Club of New York. Her experiential events were integral in helping to create a more inclusive advertising, marketing and media community. Under her guidance, the game changing I’mPART Women’s Fellowship elevated the careers of BIPOC women managers into leadership roles including her own elevation to Chief DE&I Officer of Omnicom Specialty Marketing Group.

In addition, she has managed to keep her creative passions alive as an Executive Producer of experiential events, including: AfroGames:2024, AfroAnimation Conference & Awards, and The Detroit Haus at Sundance Film Festival 2023 Premier Weekend for “To Live and Die and Live,” a critically acclaimed indie film by Qasim Basir, 

In recognition of her wide-ranging creative and production talents,  Ericka Riggs was named pocstock's Top 50 Black Leader of 2022 and 2020 Nancy Hill Award winner. She has become a regular guest of industry podcasts, contributor to trade publications and panelist at such notable events as AD Monster, The Female Quotient, Digiday, Mixed Company, ADWEEKNY, SXSW.