Earl Cole (Class of ’89), Head of Business Development & Content, North America at Brave Spark, Sole Survivor Fiji
Earl Cole is currently the Head of Business Development & Content at Brave Spark. In previous positions, Cole worked as a Senior Advertising Executive, a marketing manager at a cable company, a sales analyst for a film company and a writer’s assistant for a television comedy series. Cole is a highly driven marketing and partnerships professional, turning creative ideas into powerful narratives and strategies for Fortune 1000 brands and tech startups. Cole is passionate about technology and content that positively impacts consumers around the globe, taking pride in motivating teams to deliver innovative results while increasing value. Cole has worked with many familiar brands, including: Disney/ABC, Honda, T-Mobile, CBS, NBCUniversal, Lionsgate, Sony Pictures, People Magazine, Shriners Hospital, GOOD, Microsoft, Acura, Walgreens, HBO, Google/Nest, Rotary International and the United States Military.Cole is the Founder and Executive Director of the Perthes Kids Foundation.In addition, Cole also works as a composer and is an accomplished musician. He plays multiple instruments (piano, saxophone, guitar, violin…and a little bit of drums). He also enjoys playing chess, hiking, watching movies, billiards and playing basketball. He considers himself to be very intelligent, creative, athletic and confident, with a witty sense of humor. He is a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP).
Notably, Cole is the Sole Survivor of Survivor: Fiji. His charisma, likability, and natural leadership skills earned him the title of Sole Survivor, as he became the first person to win the jury vote unanimously and the second African-American to win Survivor.
Cole studied entrpreneurship at Harvard Business School’s HBX Program and two executive education programs at the Sloan School of Management at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He received a BA in Marketing and Business Administration and Management at the University of Washington, where he received a National Scholastic Achievement Award.