Hadji Williams Knocks the Corporate Hustle
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
“A courageous book. Courageous because of its subject matter, and courageous because Williams published it himself through his own company, Prodigal Pen.”
—Tom Messner, partner
- Euro RSCG/ADWEEK
“KNOCK THE HUSTLE: SIMPLY THE BEST AD BOOK I'VE READ IN A LONG TIME. I can honestly say that this is the most provocative, eye-opening look at the advertising industry that I’ve ever read. Sorry, Luke Sullivan. Sorry, Sally Hogshead. Sorry, Phil Dusenberry. Sorry, David Ogilvy, Jerry Della Famina and Howard Gossage. Hadji’s got you folks beat by a mile. It’s a must-read for anyone in the advertising industry, particularly the people who want to be in the industry next week, or next year, or next decade.” - AdPulp.com
“Finally, the book we've been waiting for every business school in America to include in their syllabus.” - Alternet.org
“Hadji Williams is a 13-year veteran of the advertising and marketing industries, but don't expect your standard business approach with KNOCK THE HUSTLE: HOW TO SAVE YOUR JOB AND YOUR LIFE FROM CORPORATE AMERICA. It parallels his life on Chicago's South side with his straight-laced corporate career at major advertising and marketing forms working on Fortune 500 accounts, and provides a satisfying, diverse mix of cautionary tales, outrageous incidents, case studies, and candid insights on business ‘friendships,’ corporate dress codes, and more. The first-person rappy/chatty tone and realistic assessments should especially appeal to X-generation up-and-coming young business participants who will here find substance and assessments of the pros and cons of the work world and how to survive in it.”
- CALIFORNIA BOOKWATCH
“KNOCK THE HUSTLE delivers the goods—the bad and the ugly, too… It’s an autobiography. It’s a howto business guide. It’s an exposé. It’s a revolutionary’s manifesto. It’s Jerry Maguire does Madison Avenue. Williams inspires in one section, then condemns in the next. He’s full of cynicism. He’s full of hope…Complex. Contradictory. Confounding.”
- MultiCultClassics
“If you are a hiphop head working in Corporate America, order this book. If you are a minority student working towards a career in Business, PR, Marketing, or Advertising, do everything you can to get it. Seriously… It’s that good.” - HipHop-Blogs
"Williams offers plenty of tips to make the advertising industry a more diverse, ethical and socially responsible place to work, but he stresses that the main defense against the pernicious power of advertising is with those who it's designed to influence, particularly parents.”
—Daniel Bayer
- THE CAROLINA PEACEMAKER
“If the truth shall make you free, then author Hadji Williams' compelling new book will succeed in freeing the unsuspecting mind of readers who are unaware there are pimps in the boardroom... whores in the cubicles and hustlers infesting most every level of Corporate America... Williams’ book is also a serious and poignant observation of freewheeling corporate executives in the advertising and marketing industry who manipulate and shape urban culture to generate wealth at the expense of gullible consumers.” —Wiley Henry - MEMPHIS TRI-STATE DEFENDER
Business
Teen Consumers and the Trials of Youth Marketing
Listen to this story...
News & Notes with Ed Gordon, July 7, 2006 · Next week in New York City, a group of global marketers will gather to talk about the challenges of marketing to teenagers. Ed Gordon talks with marketing executives Hadji Williams and Deborah Patton about how marketers sell to young people, and issues of corporate responsiblity. - NPR
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
A product of Chicagos hard-scrambled urban South and West side Communities, 15-year vet of the corporate world, Hadji Williams has flexed his copywriting muscle to help build an array of Fortune 500 brands including: Absolut Vodka, AT& T, Aleve, Bank of America, Wm. Wrigley Co., SBC, Cingular Wireless, Rock + Roll Hall of Fame, Ford Motors, Mercedes Benz, Coca-Cola, and Radio Shack. His ability to consistently connect with multicultural and mainstream consumers across demographics has earned him praise from clients and colleagues alike. Williams advocacy for diversity, corporate transparency and innovation has also made him one of the ad worlds most controversial figures. His first book, KNOCK THE HUSTLE: How to save your Job and Your Life from Corporate America is being hailed by white collar workers and collegiate types alike as a breakthrough in business writing and social commentary for its honesty, flow, and ability to challenge constructs and broaden the dialogue on branding race and consumer culture in modern day America. Hadji was a youngster who survived the corporate life and contributed to the corporate success and he is now a successful teacher willing to speak about his corporate experiences to aspiring students!
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