Adrian Blake Bringing Global Experiences to Midland University Graduate & Online Students
He’s worked for big companies, traveled the world, and even helped bring laughter to other countries. Now, Adrian Blake is looking to share those experiences with students as an adjunct business instructor with Midland University Graduate & Online.
A native of Boston, Massachusetts, Adrian got his degree from Harvard University, where he was heavily involved in performing Arts and was president of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals, the oldest theater group in the United States.
That experience helped lead him to a job in the entertainment industry. He was head of international growth for Saturday Night Live, helping place the show in over 40 countries. He then served as the head of International growth for Comedy Central, setting up channels in Canada, the UK, Australia, Hong Kong, and Spain.
While working for Comedy Central, he earned his MBA at The Wharton School, the University of Pennsylvania business school. That led Adrian to a career in the business world, where he spent several years at McKinsey & Company (a top-ranked global management consulting firm), working with clients in media and entertainment across the globe.
As he began to raise his family, Adrian’s travels would bring him to Nebraska as part of a turnaround at Data Transmission Network (DTN). With DTN, he ran advertising businesses, which included The Progressive Farmer, the world’s largest circulated farm magazine. He immersed himself in the Nebraska culture, serving as chair of the Nebraska Shakespeare Festival. He currently is the CEO of two startup companies, Precision Syringe Inc. (medical supplies) and Pip Metaverse (augmented reality software).
Adrian got his first taste of teaching higher education a decade ago at Creighton University. “I enjoyed the experience, and the nature of management consulting is teaching, either to your clients or your colleagues. Helping other people get good at something is a great feeling.”
Through his numerous experiences, many of those overseas, Adrian has learned new challenges await individuals as they look to branch out of their inner circle. “Even your worst experiences make you tougher and deepen your knowledge. I would urge everyone to work overseas, at least for a while, and to embrace the opportunities that exist in big cities.”
Adrian connected to Midland University through Dr. Cammy Romanuck-Murphy, Director of Graduate and Doctoral Programs, Walker School of Education. Adrian and Cammy play in the Irish folk music duo Pint of Plain. He relishes the opportunity to impart his expertise to Midland students, hoping to push their careers to the next level.
“I have worked in a lot of different industries and countries and have constantly come back to a core set of beliefs which are rooted in analytical rigor. If you use the right rigorous tools to look at any industry, or business, or customer segment, you can figure it out. A rigorous, structured problem-solving approach will work in almost any setting, from television comedy to healthcare. A business solves a problem, and if you don’t know what problem you’re solving, you will be mediocre.
“On a certain level, you are who you hang out with, so try to work with the best people you possibly can, wherever that may be. We are all constantly reinventing ourselves, so get used to pivoting. The world is in constant flux, so whatever the winning strategy is today will be out-modeled in 10 years. Get out there and live.”
