CultureCon 2017
THE EXPERIENCE
Let's just give a big round of applause to the New York City Creative Collective team for doing such an amazing job with their first annual event, CultureCon. CultureCon is an event organized by Imani Ellis to support creative professionals in the tri-state area and she and her team have started their long, successful journey with a BANG! Immediately upon arrival, you could feel the sense of a community as hundreds of young entrepreneurs, both professional and unprofessional rushed in the 837 NYC, Samsung location ready to enjoy the long day ahead of them. The Samsung powered event began at 9 am and lasted until 6:30 pm but not a soul complained about the longevity of the event due to the constant mentally stimulating activity occurring throughout the day. Panelists from all different departments of the creative world were strategically scattered throughout the day readily giving advice to all attendees. We're talking big names such as Symone Sanders, Brandon Bryant, Nsi Obotetukudo, Andrew Nguyen, Ashley Outrageous and none other than Spike Lee himself. Food was catered by large sponsors such as Ice Cream OD, Harlem Coffee Co., &Pizza, LoLo's and more. There was not a dull moment at this event and I am very grateful for the opportunity to cover it. To the team, you are truly #CreativeAF and this event alone proves that statement to be one-hundred percent true. Good luck in the future to all of you!
Symone Sanders / Joshua Kissi / Taylor Rooks
Three power houses in the black community. Political Commentator/Representative, Symone Sanders, Creative Director/Photographer, Joshua Kissi and Sports Net New York Anchor, Host and Reporter, Taylor Rooks.
I had an opportunity to catch up with Brandon Bryant, Kia Davidson, and Jason Mayden. There is no other way to categorize this group other than by simply saying, Black Excellence. Brandon Bryant is the perfect representation of black male fashion and image, Kia Davidson is that perfect example of black female natural beauty and power and Jason Mayden has become a great example of black intellect by merging street knowledge (The Culture) with academics. This is black excellence not because of what they have accomplished but instead because of the key image they embody.
Brandon Bryant / Kia Davidson / Jason Mayden
Nsi Obotetukudo / Lauren Maillian/ Enitan Bereola
When it comes to pitching business ideas first impressions are going to play a crucial role in the positive progression of your company. Similar to the ABC series, Shark Tank, Nsi, Lauren and Enitan all pros in their fields acted as bidders or sharks "investing" some advice into young entrepreneurs trying to bring their dreams to fruition. Three tips that I've taken from this panel were to always lead with relevant experience. Start with your most successful works because that is going to grab your listeners' attention. You must also have a great team behind you. The larger your business becomes the harder it will be to run things on your own. Having a solid team of 3-5 people that you can trust, will take this load off of your shoulders. Last, know your competition and their product(s) just as well if not better than you know your own. It is an ill practice to not be aware of the people you are up against. Knowing your competition will serve you best in the fight for the similar fans, followers, and crowd you both share.
Got a shot of Andrew Nguyen, Co-Founder of The O Agency, entrepreneur national speaker and marketer for pro athletes before his panel discussion.
Andrew Nguyen & FRIENDS
Ashley Outrageous / Kéla Walker
There has always been a blurry line between the titles journalist and blogger and these two women have done a spectacular job at erasing that line and combining them both. Though I must say being a blogger style journalist has not made their jobs easier. Blogging is truly an independent profession, which leaves a lot of pressure on one person to push out content at infeasible rates. Transitioning to journalism, but keeping that blogging style of writing has given them more events, more writing and more topics to cover. Which is why both Ashley Outrageous and Kéla Walker stressed the importance of a solid team at their Women at Work talk. They've both stressed how hard it is to find good teammates but also emphasized its positive effects on your mental being. Overall, I enjoyed the talk. It reminded me of a big sister program. Reason being that what was initially supposed to be a one-sided discussion about keys to success, turned into a bunch of advice, laughs and jokes as everyone discussed obstacles and opportunities they've run into on their roads to success.
Spike Lee
I took a Films With Spike Lee course in college and I promise you reading those books have nothing on actually meeting the legend himself. This man is walking Gold! The knowledge that he shared with the crowd in a 30-minute interview was ridiculously motivational. As a young artist like myself, how could Spike Lee not be on your top 5 list of greatest writers/directors? The man is pure genius and was really ahead of his time when it came to filming topics he touched upon in his movies. I don't think Spike Lee has ever intentionally tried to be controversial, he just tends to tell the truth and because of his blunt character, people who are good at lying hate him for it. And he's going to do it again with the recreation of his film She's Gotta Have It which premieres on Netflix, November 24th, 2017.
FOR MORE IMAGES FROM CULTURECON 2017
CLICK HERE
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT THE CREATIVE COLLECTIVE NYC'S WEB SITE AT: