Music, business and daring: Orson Speight's extraordinary career (SKEMA 2016)

Orson has never seen borders as limits, but rather as a call to explore the world. Born in Paris to a French mother and an American father, he grew up in a world where cultures intermingled. His father, a hip-hop producer, worked with iconic artists at the beginning of their careers, such as Booba with Lunatic. In this cocoon, creativity and entrepreneurship went hand in hand. But at the age of 15, his life was turned upside down when his father died suddenly. The shock drove him to find new resources within himself. Basketball and music became the pillars that guided his career. 

A visionary instinct

Barely out of high school, Orson took a bold gamble and started his own hip-hop label. He spent two years producing artists, honing his business acumen and developing a taste for innovation. He soon set his sights beyond the music industry: he wanted to structure an ecosystem, to create opportunity where it was lacking.

In 2014, he co-founded Radio Paname, a platform designed as a launch pad for French DJs. The concept was innovative, filled a gap in the market and was a resounding success. Rinse, a major industry player based in London, got wind of the initiative and bought the project. Radio Paname became Rinse France and won the title of best European radio station of its kind.

Despite this success, Orson felt that something was missing: he wanted to structure his ambition with an academic education. Enter SKEMA.

SKEMA: a springboard to the international stage

SKEMA ticked Orson’s boxes: he wanted to find an environment that would allow him to broaden his horizons and understand the dynamics of international business, and to enrol in a programme with a global outlook. The Raleigh campus in North Carolina became his new playground. Not only did he return to his American roots, but he also immersed himself in the Anglo-Saxon world.

True to his entrepreneurial spirit, he didn’t just attend classes. He organised events, created synergies between local talent and students, and continued to build bridges between cultures and industries.

His talent for connecting different worlds and anticipating trends was confirmed when he joined the creative agency BETC, where he specialised in creating podcasts for brands, a field that was growing rapidly at the time.

The art of opening up new markets

After graduating in 2018, Orson joined Targetspot as Sales Manager. He quickly doubled the sales of the French subsidiary in two years. His instinct for development and the ease with which he navigated a multicultural environment did not go unnoticed.

He was sent to Los Angeles to open Targetspot's West Coast and Canadian offices. This huge challenge was a chance for him to apply everything he’d learned about international expansion and sales team management.

After a few years in the States, Orson moved to Stockholm, where he is now responsible for developing the Nordic markets for Azerion. His goal is to establish a strong presence in Sweden, before moving on to Denmark, Finland and Norway. It’s a strategy that’s paying off in a region where digital giants like Spotify and Acast are rewriting the rules of the game.

Always one step ahead

Orson never thinks short term. His ten-year plan is clear: conquer South America, then Asia Pacific. Each assignment is another step towards a broader vision, a challenge he tackles with unwavering energy.

But beyond business, he has another ambition: to share his knowledge. One of his goals is to speak at SKEMA, to share his experience of the advertising world, international development and entrepreneurship. “Guiding new generations of Skemans, giving them the desire to move, to dare and to think big” is a mission close to his heart.

Never standing still, always moving forward.

It's a philosophy that has motivated Orson Speight from the outset and continues to drive him forward around the world, building his career the way one builds a work of art: with passion, daring and vision.