Horizon Media certified 85% of employees as AI-powered "angels"

The Challenge

Equipping every employee for what comes next. Horizon had an ambitious vision: transition from media agency to marketing intelligence leader and growth partner for clients, helmed by HorizonOS. Leadership knew that to realize that vision, their entire workforce needed to be AI-first, so they could help clients navigate AI-powered marketing.

Section's diagnostic revealed the gap wasn't buy-in. People were genuinely ready to engage, but they were uncertain about the role of AI in their work. The diagnostic found:

• Horizon had higher proficiency than industry peers – but not enough to drive real business value
• Foundational AI skills existed, but were underleveraged
• Employees couldn't clearly articulate Horizon's AI vision and priorities
• Learning was siloed, with some departments further ahead than others

The Solution

Horizon selected Section through a formal RFI process. They wanted a partner who could design a certification path tailored to media and marketing, not just provide content, and support the measurement infrastructure needed for an organization-wide rollout. The partnership covers:

• AI Maturity Diagnostic: stakeholder interviews and an organization-wide pulse check to identify where employees are on AI
• Custom curriculum design: a certification program culminating in employees "earning their wings" through a three-course Section path (AI Crash Course, AI For Problem Solving, AI for Marketers) and five Horizon-specific courses covering Data Foundations and dedicated Blu Platform modules
• Cohort-based rollout: five cohorts launched August 2025 with a March 2026 completion deadline, mixing live and on-demand sessions, dedicated calendar time, and manager-reinforced messaging at each stage
• Reporting and tracking infrastructure: a unified dashboard consolidating completion data across all eight requirements
• Ongoing partnership as Horizon moves from foundational AI knowledge to applied workflows in 2026

"I set the expectation early: not learning AI now is the equivalent of ignoring the internet back then. It's the baseline. Once that became clear, everything shifted. It stopped being a training program and became a new tool to sharpen thinking, a built-in thought partner, and an investment in their own growth."

Matt Higgins, Head of Strategy, Blue Hour Studios

The program launched in August 2025, with AI upskilling formally required for all Horizon Media employees. Bob Lord, President of Horizon Media, publicly earned his Blu Angel wings, so leadership visibly participated rather than just endorsed. Managers reinforced the program and deadline at every cohort stage. Employees who completed certification earned their Blu Angel wings, plus physical rewards including stickers and LinkedIn certificates.

Horizon turned the certification into an aspirational achievement with its own brand: custom wings iconography, branded rewards, and digital credentials. Phrases like "Do you have your wings yet?" and "Are you an Angel yet?" became part of everyday conversation.

"We blocked an hour every Friday on our whole team's calendar. It sent a clear signal that this wasn't something you fit in when you had spare time – it was something we were doing together. That shared commitment made a real difference in how seriously people took it."

Sam Rose, Michael Cohen, and Mike O'Connor, from the Investment Team at Horizon Media

The unified dashboard gave precise visibility into who was certified, who was in progress, and who needed intervention, without manual cross-referencing between systems. When people knew completion was tracked precisely, the program stopped feeling optional.

"We started to see people genuinely want their wings — not because they had to, but because their colleagues already had theirs. That peer energy is what turns a mandate into a movement. To sustain it, our data had to be real-time and accurate. People were reaching out every day and we had to be ready with the right stats to keep them moving"

Suzanne McEachern Gross, VP of Product Marketing, Horizon Media

The Results

Horizon reached 85% certification completion by the end of Q1 2026. Leadership now frames 2026 as the year of application: foundational knowledge is in place, and AI needs to change how work gets done. The partnership with Section continues as Horizon moves from individual AI literacy to team-wide, transferable AI workflows, with content cascaded through a dedicated Resource Center, Community Office Hours, and a Teams channel with over 1,800 Blu Platform users.

Lessons from Horizon + Section include:

• Diagnose for the real barrier, not the assumed one. The diagnostic revealed opportunities in confidence building and policy clarity, not knowledge.
• Frame mandates as shared commitment. Required training was positioned as a collective investment, made more credible by leadership doing the work publicly.
• Make the deadline real, and protect the time. Calendar blocks, cohorts, and a hard March 2026 deadline signaled that AI upskilling was a priority.
• Build reporting infrastructure before you launch. You cannot manage accountability at scale without visibility.
• Year 1 creates the conditions; year 2 captures the value. Organizations that stop at foundational knowledge have done the hard work without capturing the return.