Meet Gregory Maurice | Founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Gregory Maurice and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Gregory, how did you come up with the idea for your business?

I was born and raised in Haiti before moving to Brooklyn at the age of 13. I started my professional career working in digital media for a top 10 Investor Relations firm where I was producing and developing roadshow videos, video annual reports for publicly traded companies. That experience gave me access and opportunity to work directly with CEOs and CFOs of major companies and quickly realized that I suffered from impostor syndrome. The cultural difference and my introverted nature made me second guess a lot. I transitioned into entertainment where I served as the Director of Films Acquisition at eOne within the Black vertical for 5 years and launched their Black division which resulted in generating over $50 million in the first few years. I was also the catalyst behind the launch of an OTT Comedy Platform that was acquired by one of the most prominent actors/comedians in the country. That level of success gave me the confidence that I needed to pursue something that I am passionate about and create a business around it.

As I’m building Zaka, I am simultaneously working in film acquisitions for a major film studio company. My focus is on highlighting the stories of underrepresented communities and licensing them to streamers such as Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, HBO, BET etc.

Although, I have had a successful career working for major media corporations such as Fox Sports, Redbull Media, CBS, the challenges I experienced in creating my professional path through trial and error was met with challenges of unfair treatment, uncertainty in how to thrive in corporate America or advocate for my needs, a reality most first and second generation immigrants face. My vision for Zaka is to create the future leaders of the world by providing first and second generation immigrants with the blueprint for success through actionable workshops, content, education, and community.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?

Zaka is a platform and community designed for immigrant individuals residing in North America to advance in their careers and expand their knowledge. We offer community, the ability to engage with content and Zaka members and access a network of professionals, mentors, coaches, and inspirational immigrant leaders. We also offer strategic workshops and personal and professional development content to provide immigrants with the blueprint to advance their careers.
Using the power of storytelling, Zaka showcases the often untold personal and professional experiences of immigrant leaders through articles, podcasts and video content. We also offer live career development workshops, access to mentors and coaches and job opportunities for companies seeking to recruit underrepresented talent.

The mission behind sharing these stories and strategies is to inspire and provide the blueprint for how first and second-generation immigrants can attain their professional vision instead of enduring the challenges that comes with figuring it out for themselves. Zaka is helping develop the world’s future leaders and scaling diversity across all industries.

What sets Zaka apart is that we offer a safe place for the immigrant community to engage, share ideas and obstacles that they are facing without any judgement. So many of us have shared the same obstacles adapting to the Corporate structure, it’s encouraging and motivating to learn from Thought Leaders who look and speak like us.

It was not easy to get where we are today, we had to bet on ourselves and not accept initial investment money. It’s satisfying and reassuring to get investors throwing 7 figures numbers to own a piece of your company. Because of my immigrant mindset, I want to build everything myself, spending my own $ and not owe money to anybody and prove our company is much more valuable than that. That decision was not easy because every time you invest your own money into something that is not generating revenue, doubts start to creep in. I always rely on my faith in the Lord when I arrive at the crossroads. I was determined to prove myself that I have accumulated success for other companies and I can do the same for my own company. I learn to be patient during this process and not every deal is a great deal. A great deal will always be here for you if you understand your worth and value.

Immigrants have been villainized throughout civilizations especially lately. We have been defamed, blamed and used as scapegoats for most issues in the society that we integrated. All industries and sectors of society have also benefited from our innovation. However, a platform does not currently exist to continuously share our stories of successful immigrants that could help and push others in their pursuit of the American dream.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We have to go to a MLS game and a NBA game. Sports have played a major role in my life, that’s probably the reason that I am so competitive. My best friend would automatically love “futbol”, enjoy that beautiful game while we hit happy hour later. We would hit up the wine bar then go eat some Haitian food or sushi. We would def hit up some brunch spots, can’t go wrong with that bottomless mimosas to get you ready for a beach day. At night, I would definitely invite few friends over to watch a game, play dominoes, smoke cigar while drinking the finest Mezcal or Tequila you can find.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to shoutout to my wife Devika Brij who is the owner of Brij The Gap Consulting. Her company has worked with underrepresented minorities across various seniorities, industries and functions to help personally and professionally develop and advance their careers through a variety of strategic programs and workshop offerings. Brij the Gap’s clients include Glassdoor, Meta, Nike/Converse, Visa, Lionsgate, Morgan Stanley, Reddit and several others. By seeing the success and shared passion that we have when it comes to the immigrant community, a lightbulb went on in my head. I can utilize my experience in films acquisition for a specific demography and implement it into career advancement for immigrants like myself who struggle to adapt in college and corporate America.

Website: www.zakaconnect.com

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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/zakaconnect/

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