Hayley Mason

Founder and Principal Media Strategist @ Mason Media

About

I am an entertainment marketing and creative strategy professional with experience shaping campaigns, activations, and strategy for some of the most influential companies in media and entertainment, including BET (Paramount), MACRO, EBONY, Meredith, and Firelight Films. I specialize in storytelling, brand partnerships, and experiential activations that deliver cultural resonance and measurable business impact. Before moving into strategy, I built a 12+ year career as a 4x Emmy and 2x Murrow Award–winning television journalist, reporting in top U.S. markets including Atlanta, Nashville, and Northern Virginia. Reporting daily in fast-paced, high-stakes environments sharpened my instincts for compelling storytelling, cultural nuance, and connecting with audiences in ways that matter. I earned my MBA at Columbia Business School, concentrating in media, entertainment, and technology. At CBS, I focused on content strategy, entertainment marketing, and brand partnerships, while building Mason Media, a media strategy and production firm, and serving as a graduate teaching assistant for a top entertainment marketing course. Today, I bring a unique combination of skills as a strategist, storyteller, and creative partner—experienced in developing brand campaigns, managing talent-facing communications, and guiding activations from ideation through execution. With bi-coastal experience across New York and Los Angeles, I help brands show up authentically and resonate with audiences and consumers.

Country

United States

City

Los Angeles

Industry

Broadcast Media

Skill

Live event , Music Festivals, Artist Selection , Artistic Programming, Live News Production, Brand Partnerships, Brand Partnership Activations , Live Music Production , Event Management, Corporate Sponsorships, Pre-production, TV Production , Television Studio Production, Video photography , Non-linear Editing, TV Production, Web Content Production, Event Production, Podcasting, Event Hosting

Experience

Founder and Principal Media Strategist

Mason Media

2020-4 - Present · 6 yrs 6 mos

Media strategy, brand partnership strategy, on-camera performance & media training, and production services for public-facing leaders in entertainment, music, business, sports, public affairs, and culture. Entertainment Marketing, Storytelling & Partnership Strategy (Select Projects): EBONY: Editorial and social storytelling for key cultural moments, including the 2025 Oscars, EBONY Power 100 Awards, Beauty & Grooming Awards Dinner, and monthly digital and social-first launches. Skai Blue Media: Brand and experiential storytelling contributions for clients including Essence Black Women in Hollywood, Newark City Tourism, and the BirthFUND. Firelight Films: Pre-production research, narrative framework development, and marketing strategy support for a forthcoming docuseries. Through Mason Media, I help brands and talent craft stories and experiences that resonate across platforms.

Graduate Teaching Assistant - Entertainment Marketing and the Crafting of Celebrity Businesses

Columbia Business School

2024-1 - 2024-5 · 5 mos

New York, New York, United States

Master of Business Administration

Columbia Business School

2022-8 - 2024-5 · 1 yr 10 mos

New York, New York, United States

-Consortium Fellow -MLT Professional Development Fellow -Forte Fellow

Brand Strategy MBA Intern (Brand MACRO)

MACRO

2024-1 - 2024-4 · 4 mos

Los Angeles Metropolitan Area

Content Strategy and Business Development MBA Intern (BET Media Group)

Paramount

2023-6 - 2023-8 · 3 mos

New York City Metropolitan Area

News Reporter & Fill-In Anchor

WGCL-TV/CBS46

2018-2 - 2022-6 · 4 yrs 5 mos

Atlanta, Georgia, United States

News Reporter & Fill-In Anchor

WSMV

2013-9 - 2017-12 · 4 yrs 4 mos

Nashville, Tennessee

News Reporter (MMJ) & Fill-In Anchor/Producer

WHAG News, NBC 25

2011-10 - 2013-9 · 2 yrs

Northern, Virginia (Winchester Bureau), Hagerstown, MD

Anchor/Producer

WHAG News, NBC 25

2012-3 - 2013-2 · 1 yr

Hagerstown, Maryland

Essence Music Festival Intern

Essence Communications Inc.

2011-6 - 2011-7 · 2 mos

New Orleans, Louisiana

Booking Producer

Fox News Media

2010-1 - 2010-5 · 5 mos

Washington, District Of Columbia

Newsroom Intern, America's News Headquarters

Fox News Media

2009-9 - 2009-12 · 4 mos

Washington, DC

Student

Howard University

2006-8 - 2010-5 · 3 yrs 10 mos

Washington, District Of Columbia

Major: Journalism, Concentration: Broadcast News Minor: Music, Concentration: Jazz Vocal Performance Honors: Magna Cum Laude, Trustee Scholar •2nd Vice-President, Alpha Chapter, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated •Co-Founder, Students Advocating for Youth (S.A.Y.) under Marian Wright Edelman's Children's Defense Fund in Washington, D.C. •Vice President of Broadcast, Howard Association of Black Journalists •Executive Secretary, School of Communications Student Council (elected, paid student gov't position) •Journalism Advocacy Representative, School of Communications Student Council •Miss Blue & White: 1st Runner-Up Miss Howard University, 2008-2010 •Miss School of Communications, 2008 •Reporter, Spotlight News Student Television Station at WHUT-TV (PBS station) •Contributing writer, The District Chronicles Newspaper •Soprano, Howard University Choir (2006-2008: Classical vocal performance) •Soprano, SAASY Jazz Ensemble, Howard University Music Department (Jazz vocal performance) •Live events and staff volunteer, Howard University Homecoming Steering Committee (2006, 2008) •Howard University Chapel Assistant (2007-2009) •Howard University Georgia Club (2006-2009) •National Society of Collegiate Scholars •Golden Key International •Alliance for Women in Media (formerly American Women in Radio & Television) •Who's Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities

Education

Columbia Business School

2022-8 - 2024-5 · 1 yr 10 mos

Howard University

Broadcast Journalism; Minor: Jazz Vocal Performance

2006-8 - 2010-5 · 3 yrs 10 mos

Hayley earned a Bachelor of Art's Degree in Broadcast Journalism, with honors, from Howard University. Howard University is a prestigious, private, federally-charted historically Black research university located in Washington, District of Columbia. For several years, Howard has remained the #1 ranked co-ed Historically Black College or University in the United States, according to the U.S. News and World Report.