The CMO Who Runs Toward the Fire: Marc Blackmer on Messy Startups and Honest Leadership
Episode Summary:
From Cisco to chaos (by choice), Marc Blackmer, CMO at Corero Network Security, joins us to unpack the real talk no one warns you about when you take the top marketing job.
In this episode, Gianna and Charles sit down with Marc to unpack the real, raw, and hilarious side of marketing leadership. From walking away from Cisco to jumping back into the startup chaos, Marc shares with us why he needs a mess to clean up, how he builds teams that balance his creative chaos, and why telling the truth in interviews matters more than boasting about perks.
We discuss impostor syndrome, hiring to your weaknesses, and how ChatGPT became Marc’s idea dumping ground so he doesn’t drive his team crazy. And yes, there’s even a game that ends in a heartfelt tribute to Dave Grohl.
If you’ve ever felt like the only marketer in the room, making it up as you go, this episode is your support group.
- 03:41 – Welcome to Cyber CMO Confidential with Charles and Gianna
- 04:14 – Meet Marc Blackmer: radio voice, CMO, AI nerd, and ex-Cisco-er
- 05:38 – From Cisco comfort to startup chaos: Why Marc chooses the hard path
- 07:33 – How CyberMarketingCon made Marc quit his job (in a good way)
- 08:59 – The CMO’s lonely seat: finding your “board of directors”
- 11:28 – Building the right team: vibes, skills, and hiring to your weaknesses
- 13:52 – Why Marc tells candidates why not to take the job
- 18:35 – Owning your strengths and learning to recognize them
- 19:28 – Creative CMO meets operational team: How they balance each other
- 21:34 – Why ideas ≠ , action items, and how to avoid overwhelming your team
- 22:56 – Designing psychologically safe environments for input and ownership
- 26:11 – Creating teams people want to be on—and knowing when they’ll leave
- 28:33 – “Plagiarism saves time”: Building a culture of shared wisdom
- 28:49 – Game time! Fictional swaps and Dave Grohl admiration
- 32:20 – Where to find Marc and final thanks
About the guest:
Marc Blackmer, Chief Marketing Officer, Corero Network Security
Marc Blackmer is a veteran of the cybersecurity and tech industries, with a career spanning enterprise giants like Cisco and early-stage startups such as ShardSecure. Now serving as CMO at Corero Network Security, Marc brings a unique blend of visionary creativity and operational grounding to his role. With a background in ICS (Industrial Control Systems), AI, and sales engineering, he has been acquired more than once, held a wide array of roles, from partner marketing to channel and IT, and lived to tell the tale.
🖇 Connect with Marc:
📬 Get in Touch with us:
Want to be on CyberCMO Confidential? Email us at podcast@cybersecuritymarketingsociety.com
🎧 Follow the Hosts:
- Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn.
- Charles Gold on LinkedIn.
Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Breaking Through in Cybersecurity Marketing. Join the Cybersecurity Marketing Society on our website, on our main LinkedIn page, or our podcast LinkedIn page, and keep up with us on Twitter.
See you in the next episode!
