Alexis Kerr is the Vice President of Mahogany, the beloved Hallmark brand that has built a relationship of trust with the Black community by honoring, celebrating, and supporting emotional connections among Black families, friends, and loved ones for more than 30 years. As Vice President, Alexis elevates how consumers see and experience the brand and is expanding Mahogany into new spaces in the marketplace. Since joining in 2021, she has expanded the brand’s presence into new categories, including the launch on all-new Mahogany.com website, which features a writing community that centers on the voices of Black women and a marketplace for Mahogany products, as well as one from Black-owned businesses. Alexis has also helped expand the Mahogany brand, extend its storytelling to TV, film, and podcasting, and introduced the brand’s two tentpole events: Mahogany Honors and Mahogany Moment.
Her Agenda sat with Alexis to reflect on the growth she’s accomplished for the Hallmark Mahogany brand, her plans to expand into multicultural experiential events and partnerships as head of Hallmark’s multicultural marketing, and how she leads with her confidence in execution when venturing into new ideas for Hallmark.
Her Agenda: Before coming into Hallmark Mahogany, you spent nine years working in the automotive corporate side at General Motors. How did you navigate transitioning from the automotive industry to the greeting card industry?
Alexis Kerr: I think one of the biggest things I had to start off with [was] understanding the actual culture. The culture in automotive is a lot more fast paced at times than it is at Hallmark. There were many more male counterparts at General Motors and Cadillac than there were at Hallmark, so that was a big difference there. After I understood the culture and really got my feet under me, there was a lot more autonomy. I would say that was the biggest piece, I had a lot more autonomy to do what I thought was necessary to move the brand forward into this lifestyle brand. [There were] a lot more women saying, ‘Hey, what do we need to do to help you propel the plan forward?’
Before you get to do the work that you need to do at Hallmark, you’ve got to get to know the people and really understand the culture. Once I got through that within the first couple of months, and [I’m] still learning and growing, it’s been an exciting pleasure to have the opportunity to lead the Hallmark Mahogany brand, but also to move into the multicultural space as the Head of Multicultural Marketing.
Her Agenda: Were there any skills that you transferred over from your work with General Motors that you now use as a VP at Mahogany?
Alexis Kerr: I think a lot of skills are transferable. No matter what industry you go in, I think there [are] base skills that you need to have and learn as you think about moving forward in your career. The first one is problem-solving. At a quick pace, [you really have to] understand how to look at problems, how to understand situations and conflict and come up with two to three key solutions that will propel the business forward. I dare say you have to make sure you’re fearless. That doesn’t always mean you’re going to get everything right, but you’ve got a large number of people following you and your vision, so you’ve got to be very clear in your vision. You’ve also got to dream and ideate. You have people who are listening to your every single word, so you’ve got to be very clear in the things that you’re doing to move the business forward.
The other thing is the power of storytelling. You’ve got to learn how to tell concise, clear, and quick stories. Storytelling helps bring large teams along and helps people get to know you. Communication definitely helps. When you’re talking to men in automotive, they like you to be very concise, so I learned a lot of that was transferable here as well [when] talking to other members of the executive leadership staff. Those are probably some of the biggest skills, [along with] empathy. You’ve got a lot of working moms [and] working dads. Over the last couple of years [of] working from home, there may be dogs barking, there may be kids hopping on somebody’s lap during the presentation. I learned a lot about having even more empathy coming on board here at Hallmark.
Her Agenda: There have been so many things added to [Hallmark Mahogany] since you’ve joined, like highlighting Black businesses, creating the contributor network, experiential events like the Mahogany Moment, and also branching into film and telling more Black stories there. From when you came on in 2021, did you always see the brand expanding to this magnitude?
Alexis Kerr: In the beginning, yes. In my interview, I thought of it as an opportunity to expand into a full lifestyle brand because Hallmark owned Hallmark Media and a film site. I knew that we could always be experiential. I knew that there should have been a voice for us in the podcast space. [In] TV and film, we do over 90 movies a year at Hallmark and [I knew] increasing the number of African American actresses and actors in the movies, [producers and directors] behind the scenes, [and] making sure there are opportunities for Black and Brown women to excel in those areas and get additional experience through a brand like Hallmark was important. I didn’t know that the experiential [events] would go as well as [they did]. It’s always a dream to have sold-out events [and] to have tentpole events. We have Mahogany Honors that’s every April, and we have Mahogany Moment that’s happening this September 29th in Atlanta. We started with a lot of research, and [we talked] to our audience. We talked a lot to our consumers, whether it be on social, through listening, [or] deeper research. [We] just [had] a lot of conversations with sisters and really talked about what are some of the things that you would like to see us doing as a brand? We support sisterhood 365 days of the year and the [excellence] in Black women.
Her Agenda: You mentioned the movies. When [we] think of Hallmark movies, [we] think of joy, happiness, [and] light. How important is it for Black folks to see themselves represented this way on screen?
Alexis Kerr: Media is one of the largest and fastest ways that we see Black and Brown people in general. We knew it was important as a company to really show [this], not just through the Mahogany brand, but also through the Hallmark brand. I think that was the linchpin of some of our successes, that we had Mahogany movies. We also had Hallmark movies with an all-Black and Brown ensemble cast, as well as directors and producers. So, we grew in two ways: with the Hallmark brand and the Mahogany brand. That piece is [exciting], but it’s also necessary. We have this incredible greeting [card] line, but it was also important for us to tell these love stories [and] these Black joy stories in our podcast, which was NAACP nominated this year, but also to tell these amazing stories on the big screen in Hallmark movies. [I’m] really excited about that continued extension of the brand, but [I’m] also excited because [as] Black and Brown people, we need to see ourselves in these positive, non-confrontation, general, soft light spaces as well. As we think about all of the things happening in culture, there needs to be a safe place for us to rest and just chill. You need to be able to kick back on the weekend, kick your feet up, put on your Hallmark pajamas, and watch a story of laughing, relaxing, and getting together. That is part of our story as well. It’s part of our lives.
Her Agenda: You mentioned the Mahogany Honors event. There was a long list of honorees. How did you go about curating the list of women that you and the Mahogany brand chose to honor this evening?
Alexis Kerr: That was a great day of fun [and] excitement. Many of our sisters may have not had the opportunity [to be in] an executive position or leadership position at a Forbes 30 under 30 or Time 50. We looked at that. I actually talked to our team and was like, ‘Who are some amazing trailblazing women who are in corporate America, nonprofits, [and] are leading in an incredible way? Who are some of these incredible women who are doing [the] work who may not have been identified or honored in the past?’ We looked at a lot of different spaces. We looked at the head of PR at Comcast and said, Sophia [Marshall], we want to honor you. We looked at Raj [Register], who is now at Stellantis, formerly Chrysler. So, we wanted to look across all industries, pick 30 women, [like] Pinky Cole, [and have] a number of amazing women in a number of different fields. They all weren’t at the vice president level or even director level. We wanted to tap into our sisters, who are trailblazers. We wanted to look at the fields that are impacting Black women in America and the change makers who are doing incredible things. Publicists and PR teams came to us with a number of different names. Then, on our side, we took a look at all the incredible women who have come to us and are actually making change. We were able to identify these 30 women for our first inaugural class. And then, as we look at the Mahogany Moment that’s coming September 29th, it’s a conference for creators and we’ll have one or two of those women speak on some of the panels that we have.
Her Agenda: The women that you chose to honor at the Mahogany Honors this year, what do you think they took away from the evening?
Alexis Kerr: I think they left feeling full. Even if nobody else recognizes you, there’s nothing like your family, your friends, and a group of Black women saluting and honoring you. The highest-ranking woman at Tesla, Ms. Carolyn [Hayden] was there, and we honored her. She also had an opportunity to give some words. The great thing about our event is that we had all of the women read these poems curated personally for them, so they had something to take away, post, and reflect on later. The poems had some of the women crying or even writing reflections about how they felt about something custom and made just for them. The other piece was they actually [got] a chance to provide some true, from the heart reflections. Some of them talk about their background and how they never thought they would have achieved what they did over their illustrious, amazing career. I think they felt full. I think they felt respected, and I know they felt honored by their peers or sisters in the sisterhood.
Her Agenda: [In] a bunch of other interviews you’ve done, [you said] you want Mahogany to be a space for Black women to feel like themselves, to connect, and feel better. Are there any spaces for you, as you navigate the ups and downs of life, that you turn to feel at home?
Alexis Kerr: My close network of friends. A couple of things that I [and] many sisters have [is] the amazing group chat. We know how incredible the group chat is and how powerful [it] is. I’ve got one with my brothers, sisters, mom, you know, family. [I got a] couple with my girlfriends [and] with sorority sisters. The group chat is one place where I can go and be filled and share information. I think, in general, [I turn to] my family [and] my partner. My guy is an amazing person with whom I can share ideas [with], share highs and lows, and [he allows] me [to] reflect back [on things]. I think that’s the beautiful thing about personal relationships. They can [help you] reflect back because they know a lot more personal things about you. [They can] reflect back when you feel great or when you don’t feel so good and really keep you encouraged.
My goal for Black women, in general, is to always have Mahogany as a place where they can come and be filled. When I think about the personal work that I do on my LinkedIn page, which now I’m at over 150,000 followers, people are coming into work, not coming into work, have just lost their jobs, or looking for jobs for months and months on end. I want them to come to my page as a Black and Brown person, or even not, and just be filled and have hope. When I think about the Hallmark brand, and I think about my personal brand and what brings me joy, it is connecting to people, but it also is being that place where people can just come, rest, and get filled. I think that’s important in a world where everything is sucking at you and saying you’re not enough. You’ve got to rest and reflect and say, you know, this was my best today, and we’ll let tomorrow go worry about itself. But today, I am enough. I feel good. I did my very best, and that is okay.
Her Agenda: This work about empowering Black women in general and creating these safe spaces, you’ve said that it comes from your heart. Especially coming from the luxury automotive industry, [a] predominantly male industry, how does it feel now to be able to kind of live out your purpose in your career?
Alexis Kerr: I feel like I was doing that before, just in a different way. In leading multicultural marketing at Cadillac, I had the opportunity to focus on African Americans, Hispanic, LGBTQ+, [and] Asian groups as well. So, I felt like, then, I was still living out my purpose. Now, I get to do it a little bit more focused. I’m primarily focused on African American women when you think about Mahogany. But over the last couple of months, my role has really expanded. Now, I’m responsible for all of the marketing for all of multicultural [at Hallmark]. I’ve had the opportunity to focus on multicultural and then on African American women. Over the last three years, [we’ve] done amazing things to bring Mahogany into this lifestyle brand. Now, I’m leveraging the power of lessons learned, expansion that went really well, and pulling on the incredible things we can do for the Hispanic communities, our Asian brothers and sisters, and expanding back into multicultural. Through it all, I feel like I have been living my purpose in the work that I’ve done. Even if it’s not necessarily at work, just in general. In the climate that we’re in, because of who I am, I feel like no matter where I go or what type of work I’m doing, I’m still always going to find a way to serve our communities. Aside from just the day-to-day work, I’m on a couple of nonprofit boards, [like] The Knight Foundation, [which is] an advisory board in Metro Detroit. [I’m] also [on] two boards [in] in Kansas City. One [helps] young people as they begin their education. It’s not necessarily a daycare but an early learning school. [The other is] with the women of the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce.
No matter what type of work I’m doing or where I’m at, I will always be able to serve my purpose because, honestly, there’s so much work to do in communities of color. It’s exciting to be able to do that along with a company like Hallmark. But either way, I think I would always find ways to serve my purpose because that’s also what I enjoy.
Her Agenda: [As we look] towards 2025, do you have any other real-life events or other activations that you want to execute for Mahogany and Hallmark as a whole?
Alexis Kerr: We’re excited and looking forward to the conversations, panels, and the fireside chat at our upcoming Mahogany Moment, on September 29th. It’ll be our second annual one. I believe we’ll begin some in real-life activations as it closes out the quarter [and] as we think about Hispanic Heritage Month. We’re doing a couple of things in Kansas City and partnerships with Hispanic Heritage Month and our employee resource group. I’m excited about that because it’s about how [we can] figure out more ways to engage in the Hispanic community. We’re working on something for Christmas. Last year, we had an incredible influencer/PR based pajama party [in] early December, as we launched our new pajamas [and] they sold out last year. We always come up with new PJs every year, along with all of our Christmas ornaments. So we usually have a holiday party at the beginning of December.
I’m [also] super excited because we have events now that are open to the public. A lot of times, like that pajama event or some of the Black Excellence brunches, they’re invite-only. So, when we think about Mahogany and our evolution, it’s about how can we be even more inclusive. How can an everyday sister, who may not be a manager, an executive, or in certain industries, how can she just come to the events and be part of the sisterhood? When we think about inclusion, these Mahogany Honors and Mahogany Moments [events] allow for sisters to join one another and join the fellowship. I’m proud of that too. All of our tentpole events [will] always be open to the public. Anyone can purchase a ticket. Next year we’ll figure out how [we can] continue to lean into real-life events for our other multicultural partners.
Her Agenda: What is your motto? Is there any quote or saying that you tell yourself to keep you going?
Alexis Kerr: Imagine yourself once it’s done. The work that I’ve been doing over the last couple of years it’s never been done. We had never had a podcast. We never had dedicated Mahogany films. We never really leaned into sororities [and] fraternities on our social media page. We never did many of the things that I introduced to the brand over the last couple of years, especially in experiential. I always knew that it was possible, but only because I was sitting from a place of [imagining] what will happen when we get this done. We chuckle when we decide the influencer or the creative that we’re going to go after for a Mahogany Honors or a Mahogany Moment [event]. We’re like, ‘Wait until we get this deal done. Wait until we’re live and we’re having a fireside conversation. Wait until we execute.’ It could be daunting to start. You’re going to hear a lot of no’s. You’ll have a lot of meetings that put you in a whole bunch of circles and where it ends up back to you and you’re doing all of the work. You will have a lot of conversations with sponsors or partners [and] they may fall through. But if you’re determined to imagine yourself when it’s done, you will just keep going. Obstacles and roadblocks shouldn’t be the end of you. They are just part of the journey. A lot of times, people quit because [of] an obstacle, and typically it’s because of our problem-solving skills.
I know the day of an event, something’s going to happen. Somebody’s not going to show up. There is going to be an issue. If you plan for that, it’s okay when the issue comes. You start by saying, ‘I know it’s going to be resolved because we’re going to have an incredible event. We’re going to have an unforgettable event,’ versus, ‘Oh man, I don’t know if we’re going to have a good event because something could happen.’ No, something’s going to happen, and we’re going to resolve it because we’re winners, and we’re going to get to the other side of an incredible, amazing, unforgettable event. That’s why every single event that we’ve had has been sold out, standing-room-only. We sell a limited number of tickets, we sell out, and then we have our press media and sponsors. We create a space where sisters can really gather, engage, support, and uplift one another. Every single space is not like that, and that’s why our spaces have been really successful and exciting. For the money that you’re spending, get a close seat and a proper lunch. Those things are really important at a time when women are working hard for the money they have, and we just want to appreciate that and really give them their money’s worth.
[Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.]
