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

Orson has never seen borders as a limit, but 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 mingled. His father, a hip-hop producer, accompanied the beginnings of iconic figures such as Booba with Lunatic. In this cocoon, creativity and entrepreneurship went hand in hand. But at the age of 15, everything changed when his father suddenly died. A shock that pushed him to draw new resources from within himself. Basketball and music became the pillars guiding his career.

A visionary instinct

Barely out of high school, Orson takes a bold gamble: launch his own hip-hop label. For two years, he produced artists, honed his business acumen and developed a taste for innovation. His vision soon extended beyond the music industry: he wanted to structure an ecosystem, to create opportunities where none existed before.

In 2014, he co-founded Radio Paname, a platform designed as a springboard for French DJs. The concept is innovative, meets an unmet need, and is a runaway success. Rinse, a major player in the industry based in London, spotted the initiative and bought the project. Radio Paname becomes Rinse France and wins the title of best European radio station of its kind.

Despite this success, Orson felt a gap: he wanted to structure his ambition with an academic training. That's where SKEMA comes in.

SKEMA: a springboard to the international stage

His decision to join SKEMA was based on two requirements: to find a setting that would enable him to broaden his horizons and understand the dynamics of international business, and to integrate a training program with a resolutely international outlook. The Raleigh campus in North Carolina became his new playground. A return to her roots, but above all a total immersion in the Anglo-Saxon world.

True to its entrepreneurial spirit, it doesn't just teach. He organizes events, creates synergies between local talent and students, and continues to build bridges between cultures and industries.

His talent for linking worlds and anticipating trends was confirmed when he joined BETC. There, he specialized in the creation of podcasts for brands, a rapidly expanding field at the time.

The art of opening up new markets

Graduating in 2016, Orson joined Targetspot as Sales Manager. He quickly doubled the French subsidiary's sales in two years. His instinct for development and his ease in multicultural environments attract attention.

The result? Off to Los Angeles, where he opened the Targetspot offices for the West Coast and Canada. An XXL challenge, which enabled him to put into practice everything he had learned about international expansion and sales team management.

After a few years in the USA, Orson headed for Stockholm, where he is in charge of developing the Nordic markets for Azerion. His objective: to establish a strong presence in Sweden, before moving on to Denmark, Finland and Norway. A strategy that's paying off, in a region where digital giants such as Spotify and Acast are reshaping the rules of the game.

Always one step ahead

Orson never stops for the short term. His ten-year plan is clear: conquer South America, then Asia-Pacific. Each mission is a step towards a broader vision, a challenge he meets with constant energy.

But beyond business, she has another ambition: to pass on her knowledge. Speaking at SKEMA, sharing his experience of advertising, international development and entrepreneurship is one of his objectives. "Accompanying new generations of Skemians, giving them the desire to move, to dare and to think big," is a mission that is close to his heart.

Never stand still, always move forward. It's a philosophy that has driven Orson Speight from the outset and continues to propel him around the world, building his career as one builds a work of art: with passion, daring and vision.