We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Dr. Maria Cozette Akopian. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Maria Cozette below.
Alright, Dr. Maria Cozette thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?
I’m happiest when I’m creative. It’s the sudden thrill and fulfillment- it’s pure magic. I’m lucky to have realized that I don’t have to be just one thing, in fact my creative outlets nurture my professional platform in many ways. I have a “regular job” and have my creative pursuits. I hate to call it that but I suppose my regular job is professorship. It’s my life’s purpose more so, not a job, and I feel privileged to have the opportunity to impact so many young lives. They in turn inspire my music. At my very core, I am an artist so creativity is woven through all facets of my life. Whether I’m writing music, lecturing, or pitching to a marketing client, I do so artfully.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’m a multipotentialite- someone who has various professional pursuits and I believe that is what sets me apart. Due to all my facets, I have a very diverse and unique scope through which I navigate every project. I have been singing since the age of 4 so I’ve never a known a life without music. I always believed that was all I was meant to do so while pursuing a Bachelor’s degree, I was consumed with dreams of becoming a Pop star. My work in music, having released 6 albums and numerous singles to date, has allowed me flourish creatively and discover my love for marketing. Originally as an independent artist, I was marketing, branding, and promoting my music. I took on my first marketing role when I was 25 and immediately fell in love. I also knew that I couldn’t let go of music so it became parallel to my marketing career. Once I meet a goal, I’m already planning the next one, so in 2009, I pioneered the first ever English show to air on Armenian TV. I had noticed an absence in youth viewership and engagement for Armenian television. I proposed having an English show about Armenian Pop culture. Needless to say, I was met with countless challenges and rejection. Finally, Horizon Armenian TV believed in my vision and provided a platform for Music Box with Maria Cozette. The show went on to gain massive popularity. After landing an entry level marketing role in Healthcare, I quickly realized I had to level up by getting a graduate degree. In 2014, I pursued an MBA from Woodbury University and finished with the highest honors and awards. Now equipped with business acumen, fueling my entrepreneurial spirit, I launched my marketing consultancy firm, Thornbird Marketing Inc. With no intentions of obtaining another degree, my mentor Dr Satinder Dhiman convinced me to go for a doctorate. In 2020, I graduated with a doctorate degree from USC in Organizational Change and Leadership. During my doctoral studies, I launched another TV show, The Maria Cozette Show. The idea was born through my curiosity about other multifaceted professionals like myself- people who actively exercised the left/ right-brain. I filmed 40 episodes with guests that I can only refer to as luminaries, and I’m still extremely grateful for their contributions to the show. I learned a great deal from every single guest and they enjoyed talking about their creative outlets as otherwise, their “regular jobs” were quite the opposite of the creative world.. One of my major takeaways was that, they too wove creativity through their professional platforms; they too were artful in their professional approach and admitted that their creative outlets always nurtured their professionalism. 2019 was a magical year. The Maria Cozette Show was making waves, I had released another album, doctoral studies were almost done, and I had secured a role at Cal State LA as a Marketing Professor. I had been applying to several universities however not Cal State LA. I received a call from the Marketing Department Chair at Cal State LA that would change the trajectory of my life. A professor from Woodbury, where I studied my MBA, knew of me from others on campus. She was incidentally also a professor at Cal State LA and gave a strong recommendation to hire me there. I’m still not completely sure how that transpired and maybe it’s better that way- pure magic! I suppose that is me in a nutshell. All of my pursuits come in seasons and they all feed into one another. Enter Imposter Syndrome- I don’t know how I got so lucky. I often think somebody is going to come out of the woodworks and tell me the joke is up! I do everything passionately and I’m in love with every single thing I do. I am always learning, always growing, always setting goals. There is still so much I want to accomplish, I wish I could live life twice over. Despite the barriers, the naysayers, the one’s who felt like they knew me better than I knew myself, I made it here and what I am most proud of is that I never gave up.
Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
If only I had more mentors as a young artist, I would have gone further and given less to dead end “opportunities.” Mentorship is invaluable, whether in artistry or otherwise. I was trying to figure it all out on my own and while this allowed me to learn various aspects of my craft, it also led me to countless failures and wasted time. Still, I wouldn’t change a thing. I learned from every failure and made the most of my journey. I ended up being a well-rounded artist, gaining the respect of men in the industry who often talked down to me, and learned how to produce music, write songs, direct music videos, and above all, I learned marketing which ultimately drove me to becoming a marketing professional.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
More so people have significantly impacted my management philosophy and entrepreneurial spirit, five to be exact. Simon Sinek and John C. Maxwell have changed the way I view leadership and people in the workforce. Their guidance through talks and literature have inspired me to no end. They are the great philosophers of our time and I hope they understand the profound impact they’ve had on millions of aspiring change agents. My mentor, Dr. Satinder Dhiman has impacted my life in many ways. A philosopher in his own right and an otherworldly man, Dr. Dhiman looked at a young Maria and said that I was going to get a doctorate degree and become a professor. It had been quite a long time that someone had believed in me that strongly, other than my parents. I’m eternally grateful… And my family, my greatest source of inspiration. My father’s incredible work ethic and wisdom, my mother’s shining intelligence, talent, and passion paired with my sister’s guidance, love, and leadership, have carried me through the trenches and onto my triumphs. They are my resilience, my courage, my humility, my kindness- they are my everything.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mariacozette.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/drmariacozette
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drmariacozette/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariacozette
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/soulfulpopmusic
- Yelp: https://m.yelp.com/biz/thornbird-marketing-burbank-5
- Other: www.thornbirdmarketing.com www.instagram.com/thornbirdmarketing
Image Credits
Liana Grigoryan, Ray Pro Photography