Hella' Opinions 2018
The Experience
We are back with another amazing event put together by two powerful forces in black media right now, The Creative Collective NYC and BuzzFeed News. I mean, who else could put together an event of this magnitude, gather hundreds of melanated people in one room making sure that they all leave weak to their knees as they smile from ear to ear? … I’ll wait. I must start by giving a shout out to Harlem Shake for blessing our black, southern taste buds with those scrumptious burgers. If you are ever near W 124th Street, you should definitely visit their restaurant if you haven’t already. Also, I can’t forget the beautiful Sylvia Obell. She did an amazing job at keeping our crazy panel from ripping each others heads off as they discussed hot topics from Issa Rae’s American Comedy Series, “Insecure”. This event was hilarious and as most call it these days, “a vibe”. If you are anything like myself or any of the people in attendance, then that would mean that you are not only a fan of “Insecure“ the show, but that you are also hella’ opinionated like our panel and would have appreciated our small debate about all of the drama in the series so far. It was definitely a night to dig deep in your feelings and let your emotions over the span of 3 seasons spill out. But on a serious note, there is no way you could begin to be disappointed with this event. Moments like the ones you’ll see below can’t be faked and can only be brought to you by TheCCnyc and BuzzFeed News. For that, we are grateful!
Harlem Shake
Harlem Shake is a Central Harlem based restaurant which attributes itself to successfully capturing the full essence of Harlem’s Afrocentric culture and community found in its early renaissance days. They are known worldwide, for their Pat LaFrieda grilled Harlem Classic burgers and an array of other delicious options that can be found on their menu.
The Panel
Entertainment Reporter, Sylvia Obell did a wonderful job of keeping our hella’ opinionated panel under control as they dived deep into the drama that “Insecure” has to offer. Co-Host of State of the Culture Scottie Beam and Jinx, opened the night by giving all in attendance a brief explanation of what the HBO Original series is all about and why you should be watching it, if you are not currently doing so. Sr. Beauty Editor Essence Gant, wasn’t afraid to jump right into the tea and let us know how she really felt about topics revolving around our favorite love triangles; Issa, Daniel, Lawrence and Nathan & Molly, Dro and Candice. Cory Townes played devil’s advocate and it landed him in the hot seat, ultimately ending in him failing at trying to support our oh-so-trash brothers out there who have found themselves in similar open relationships.
Huffpost Editor Taryn Finley as well as our other sisters on the panel were quick to rebuttal some of the points that Cory and our brothers threw out. Even the crowd chimed in pulling them into deeper water and just when we thought all hope was lost for our fellas on the panel, veteran Culture Reporter Jozen Cummings, swooped in with the save. In a ‘Drizzy’ Drake costume, he used his powers of Instagram worthy captions to resuscitate those men that the ladies easily killed off in the beginning of the event. Open Late with Peter Rosenberg Producer Mouse Jones, completed this masterpiece of an event by taking us to church and reminding us that we all could leave these trash partners happy if we just remembered one thing … the “OPEN” in open-relationship. Amen to that!
BuzzFeed News
It’s always a pleasure collaborating with BuzzFeed News. The office is full of great people, good vibes and most importantly they know how to make their guest feel at home. Thank you for helping The Creative Collective team create a fun environment for young black entrepreneurs pursuing a creative career path. I’m such a fan of the Hella’ Opinions series and to stay up to date about all things “Insecure” via BuzzFeed News check out their YouTube channel.
