1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,320 Speaker 1: Black, Tech, Green Money, Will Luca's here, and you know 2 00:00:02,400 --> 00:00:04,880 Speaker 1: this is special because you know when the guest get 3 00:00:04,960 --> 00:00:07,600 Speaker 1: as big as they are today, you know it's it's 4 00:00:07,680 --> 00:00:10,560 Speaker 1: it must be something going on in the seasons, some's 5 00:00:10,600 --> 00:00:13,080 Speaker 1: in the water, because when you got people like amani 6 00:00:13,119 --> 00:00:16,159 Speaker 1: Ellis on the show, you know it's gonna be a 7 00:00:16,239 --> 00:00:19,880 Speaker 1: special kind of conversation. So amani Ellis is a founder 8 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:23,840 Speaker 1: and CEO of Culture KHN and the Creative Collective. Culture 9 00:00:23,840 --> 00:00:28,560 Speaker 1: con is the leading industry, creative festival and intersection of creativity, 10 00:00:28,560 --> 00:00:31,400 Speaker 1: culture and community. And the Creative Collective is on a 11 00:00:31,480 --> 00:00:35,919 Speaker 1: mission to provide community and resources, highlight resources there right 12 00:00:35,960 --> 00:00:39,479 Speaker 1: there for the next generation of a world changing entrepreneurs 13 00:00:39,479 --> 00:00:40,360 Speaker 1: and creatives. 14 00:00:40,440 --> 00:00:44,239 Speaker 2: Welcome and money, Well, thank you so much for having me. 15 00:00:44,560 --> 00:00:47,480 Speaker 2: I have been itching to talk to this. I'm happy 16 00:00:47,520 --> 00:00:48,000 Speaker 2: to be here. 17 00:00:48,479 --> 00:00:50,640 Speaker 1: It is my pleasure and so I want to start 18 00:00:50,680 --> 00:00:53,160 Speaker 1: this off going back. I'm interested in the origin story. 19 00:00:53,280 --> 00:00:56,840 Speaker 1: So let's go back to I think it's twenty sixteen. 20 00:00:57,280 --> 00:01:00,320 Speaker 1: You are in your Harlem apartment. You know, you're in 21 00:01:00,360 --> 00:01:03,960 Speaker 1: the biggest city, like the most important city in many ways. 22 00:01:04,280 --> 00:01:06,959 Speaker 1: When you talk about culture and creativity and fashion and 23 00:01:07,080 --> 00:01:11,880 Speaker 1: music in the world and you feel some void of community, 24 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:16,160 Speaker 1: and I wonder what was that void? If you look back, 25 00:01:16,400 --> 00:01:18,320 Speaker 1: what was that book? Can you define it and what 26 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:19,240 Speaker 1: you were looking for? 27 00:01:20,440 --> 00:01:22,160 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean when I look back, you know, I 28 00:01:22,240 --> 00:01:26,199 Speaker 2: was working as a publicist, working in television and really 29 00:01:26,240 --> 00:01:28,960 Speaker 2: loved my corporate job. But the irony of living in 30 00:01:29,200 --> 00:01:33,160 Speaker 2: New York at that time was I couldn't find my community, 31 00:01:33,720 --> 00:01:36,480 Speaker 2: and so I thought, I just can't be the only one, 32 00:01:36,800 --> 00:01:39,680 Speaker 2: and I invited a few friends over to my apartment 33 00:01:39,680 --> 00:01:42,680 Speaker 2: in Harlem. I made food for them, and the question 34 00:01:42,760 --> 00:01:46,319 Speaker 2: that I asked was what are you working on? But 35 00:01:46,400 --> 00:01:49,040 Speaker 2: it can't be work because I knew that what was 36 00:01:49,080 --> 00:01:51,920 Speaker 2: happening at the time was there was this transactional feeling 37 00:01:51,960 --> 00:01:54,200 Speaker 2: of what do you do? Where do you live? What 38 00:01:54,240 --> 00:01:56,000 Speaker 2: do you do where do you live? And I thought, 39 00:01:56,400 --> 00:01:59,720 Speaker 2: no matter what someone does today, it doesn't define what 40 00:01:59,760 --> 00:02:02,000 Speaker 2: they're going to go on to do. No matter where 41 00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:03,720 Speaker 2: they live today, it doesn't define where they're going to 42 00:02:03,760 --> 00:02:05,240 Speaker 2: go on to live. So how can we get a 43 00:02:05,280 --> 00:02:08,919 Speaker 2: little bit deeper? And that is how Creative Collective was born. 44 00:02:09,720 --> 00:02:12,760 Speaker 2: Fast forward to us meeting outside of my living room. 45 00:02:13,240 --> 00:02:17,079 Speaker 2: We were meeting so often that I thought, I think 46 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:19,760 Speaker 2: we can make this a conference. And then in twenty seventeen, 47 00:02:20,400 --> 00:02:22,360 Speaker 2: that is when culture con was born. We had one 48 00:02:22,440 --> 00:02:26,200 Speaker 2: hundred and fifty people. Spike Lee was our first speaker, 49 00:02:26,680 --> 00:02:28,200 Speaker 2: and the rest was really history. 50 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:30,799 Speaker 1: So before I get to my next one, how do 51 00:02:30,880 --> 00:02:33,360 Speaker 1: you go from an idea to Spike Lee saying yes? 52 00:02:34,840 --> 00:02:37,960 Speaker 2: I think in the beginning there is got to be 53 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:41,440 Speaker 2: a little bit of obsession, a lot of obsession, because 54 00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:44,040 Speaker 2: in the beginning of anything, there's so many reasons to 55 00:02:44,160 --> 00:02:47,720 Speaker 2: not do it. You don't feel qualified, you don't feel ready, 56 00:02:48,120 --> 00:02:50,639 Speaker 2: you don't know if you have the resources. But I 57 00:02:50,720 --> 00:02:54,640 Speaker 2: think that the drive and the obsession has to outweigh 58 00:02:55,240 --> 00:02:58,200 Speaker 2: the fear, even if you're not that confident in it. 59 00:02:58,280 --> 00:03:01,720 Speaker 2: And so for me, I've all always been someone who 60 00:03:01,760 --> 00:03:07,000 Speaker 2: believes in very little quest in the direction of my dreams. 61 00:03:07,120 --> 00:03:10,520 Speaker 2: So I don't start thinking culture con. I start thinking, 62 00:03:11,400 --> 00:03:14,000 Speaker 2: can I get twenty people to show up to my 63 00:03:14,040 --> 00:03:18,760 Speaker 2: apartment consistently? And I think the more that you keep 64 00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:22,360 Speaker 2: promises to yourself, the easier it is to build traction, 65 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:26,520 Speaker 2: because you know, the twelve thousand person conference that we 66 00:03:26,639 --> 00:03:30,920 Speaker 2: had a month ago was definitely not built. You know, 67 00:03:31,480 --> 00:03:34,519 Speaker 2: from a living room apartment. But it was the consistency 68 00:03:34,560 --> 00:03:38,400 Speaker 2: and the community that helped to kind of like accelerate 69 00:03:38,440 --> 00:03:39,080 Speaker 2: that ambition. 70 00:03:40,080 --> 00:03:42,720 Speaker 1: You know, I read that you are a PK preachiest kid. 71 00:03:42,720 --> 00:03:46,280 Speaker 1: I'm a preacher's kid also, and yeah, yeah, And I 72 00:03:46,320 --> 00:03:49,480 Speaker 1: think about, like, because you've used this word, and you know, 73 00:03:49,560 --> 00:03:52,120 Speaker 1: your whole work is around this word of community. And 74 00:03:52,160 --> 00:03:54,160 Speaker 1: I think about, you know, if I define community, it 75 00:03:54,240 --> 00:03:58,400 Speaker 1: is that safety, that fellowship, that gathering of people who 76 00:03:58,520 --> 00:04:02,120 Speaker 1: are looking in the same direction. And even if you're 77 00:04:02,120 --> 00:04:03,560 Speaker 1: not doing the same thing, you're at least looking in 78 00:04:03,600 --> 00:04:06,440 Speaker 1: the same direction. So the work that you're doing today, 79 00:04:07,280 --> 00:04:09,840 Speaker 1: how would you kind of correlate it to being a 80 00:04:09,840 --> 00:04:13,240 Speaker 1: PK like that church experience? Is this like a remix 81 00:04:13,280 --> 00:04:15,880 Speaker 1: of the church experience, like how you're gathering people. 82 00:04:17,360 --> 00:04:20,440 Speaker 2: I love the way that you just defined community of 83 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:24,160 Speaker 2: looking in the same direction. I will quote you moving forward, 84 00:04:25,360 --> 00:04:29,200 Speaker 2: I'm going to use that well. But I think, yes, 85 00:04:29,480 --> 00:04:32,760 Speaker 2: I think that there are so many seeds planted inside 86 00:04:32,800 --> 00:04:37,039 Speaker 2: of each of us, so many experiences and our childhood 87 00:04:37,120 --> 00:04:40,640 Speaker 2: and our kind of unique journeys that come to fruition 88 00:04:40,800 --> 00:04:43,919 Speaker 2: and bloom later on in your life. And so I 89 00:04:43,960 --> 00:04:46,240 Speaker 2: mean when I look back, and of course the story 90 00:04:46,279 --> 00:04:48,280 Speaker 2: makes so much more sense than when I was really 91 00:04:48,360 --> 00:04:52,760 Speaker 2: living it, but absolutely moving from town to town, having 92 00:04:52,800 --> 00:04:56,560 Speaker 2: to start over again and again. My parents are pastors now, 93 00:04:56,560 --> 00:04:59,200 Speaker 2: but growing up they were missionaries, so we lived on 94 00:04:59,279 --> 00:05:03,680 Speaker 2: Air Force base. They worked in prisons. I have two sisters, 95 00:05:03,680 --> 00:05:06,360 Speaker 2: and we would move to places like O Calla, Florida, 96 00:05:06,400 --> 00:05:09,680 Speaker 2: and Pleasant Grove, Alabama. And every single time I'd have 97 00:05:09,760 --> 00:05:12,560 Speaker 2: to start over, and I didn't really have the luxury 98 00:05:12,640 --> 00:05:15,120 Speaker 2: of being the shy girl in the corner. I had 99 00:05:15,200 --> 00:05:18,760 Speaker 2: to make some friends. And so when I think about 100 00:05:18,800 --> 00:05:22,760 Speaker 2: how I would make those friends, it always started with curiosity. 101 00:05:23,320 --> 00:05:24,839 Speaker 2: And the same thing was when I would go to 102 00:05:24,920 --> 00:05:27,840 Speaker 2: new churches. I would just ask people questions, where are 103 00:05:27,880 --> 00:05:30,560 Speaker 2: you from, how long have you been going here? What 104 00:05:30,640 --> 00:05:33,720 Speaker 2: are the best snacks? Like let me know? And we 105 00:05:33,760 --> 00:05:37,080 Speaker 2: would build community. And so I think so much of 106 00:05:37,600 --> 00:05:41,279 Speaker 2: who I am now is recognizing that where you see 107 00:05:41,320 --> 00:05:44,200 Speaker 2: someone is never where they started. And so I always 108 00:05:44,279 --> 00:05:47,680 Speaker 2: want to try to get back to what makes us similar, 109 00:05:48,080 --> 00:05:50,720 Speaker 2: not what makes us the same, but like what makes 110 00:05:50,760 --> 00:05:54,520 Speaker 2: us similar? And I think that definitely started, you know, 111 00:05:54,640 --> 00:05:58,679 Speaker 2: with Bible study and church and just meeting all different 112 00:05:58,720 --> 00:06:00,800 Speaker 2: types of people around the world. 113 00:06:02,160 --> 00:06:05,440 Speaker 1: You once described the early days of the Creative Collective 114 00:06:05,480 --> 00:06:08,279 Speaker 1: this way. You said, the only rule for this invitation 115 00:06:08,600 --> 00:06:10,839 Speaker 1: was that they had to bring someone that they could 116 00:06:10,960 --> 00:06:15,560 Speaker 1: vouch for. And I think about that, you know, vouching mechanism. 117 00:06:15,680 --> 00:06:18,599 Speaker 1: It's like, how did that shape the initial culture of 118 00:06:18,640 --> 00:06:21,400 Speaker 1: the group and how do you scale that? 119 00:06:23,400 --> 00:06:29,000 Speaker 2: I think, you know, trust is such a direct pipeline 120 00:06:29,080 --> 00:06:32,880 Speaker 2: to safety, and the mechanics of it in the beginning 121 00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:36,440 Speaker 2: were I was a woman living alone in Harlem, and 122 00:06:36,520 --> 00:06:40,279 Speaker 2: so for pure safety, I needed to make sure that 123 00:06:40,320 --> 00:06:44,240 Speaker 2: my friends understood the weight of that invitation, that they 124 00:06:44,240 --> 00:06:47,119 Speaker 2: were inviting someone to a place. They were inviting someone 125 00:06:47,120 --> 00:06:49,799 Speaker 2: to a place where I was going to be laying 126 00:06:49,800 --> 00:06:52,600 Speaker 2: my head that I lived. That person would forever have 127 00:06:52,680 --> 00:06:55,400 Speaker 2: my home address. And I think my friends took that 128 00:06:55,520 --> 00:06:58,359 Speaker 2: very seriously because of their love for me, and so 129 00:06:58,440 --> 00:07:01,760 Speaker 2: they were very intentional with who can I vouch for? 130 00:07:01,839 --> 00:07:04,159 Speaker 2: Who can I bring here? And I think when we 131 00:07:04,200 --> 00:07:07,120 Speaker 2: look back to kind of like the fact that like 132 00:07:07,520 --> 00:07:10,640 Speaker 2: even the Harlem Renaissance and the fact that the Harlem 133 00:07:10,640 --> 00:07:14,800 Speaker 2: Renaissance was birthed during the Great Depression, I don't think 134 00:07:14,840 --> 00:07:21,080 Speaker 2: that that is I don't think that that is a coincidence. 135 00:07:21,320 --> 00:07:24,080 Speaker 2: I think that art is kind of born out of 136 00:07:24,160 --> 00:07:27,440 Speaker 2: these gatherings. It's born out of us being together, It's 137 00:07:27,440 --> 00:07:32,200 Speaker 2: born out of storytelling. And so I the vouch for 138 00:07:32,440 --> 00:07:37,360 Speaker 2: is something that I think became, honestly like a vacuum, 139 00:07:37,440 --> 00:07:42,680 Speaker 2: a vacuum for intimacy. And when we ask people what 140 00:07:42,760 --> 00:07:45,080 Speaker 2: are you working on and it can't be worked well 141 00:07:45,160 --> 00:07:48,320 Speaker 2: like you, you would have been so surprised. We had 142 00:07:48,320 --> 00:07:52,360 Speaker 2: people saying, I'm working on talking to my mom. We 143 00:07:52,400 --> 00:07:54,440 Speaker 2: haven't spoken in two years, but I think this is 144 00:07:54,480 --> 00:07:56,440 Speaker 2: the year that I'm going to do it, or I'm 145 00:07:56,480 --> 00:07:59,920 Speaker 2: working to be more vulnerable in my romantic relationships because 146 00:08:00,360 --> 00:08:02,080 Speaker 2: I'm a boss at work, but I don't know how 147 00:08:02,080 --> 00:08:04,800 Speaker 2: to be vulnerable and romance. And I'm kind of looking 148 00:08:04,800 --> 00:08:07,400 Speaker 2: around like, oh, this is what we're doing, Like this 149 00:08:07,440 --> 00:08:12,160 Speaker 2: is what But people just needed permission to just be 150 00:08:12,280 --> 00:08:14,840 Speaker 2: a little bit more honest. And so I think as 151 00:08:14,880 --> 00:08:18,160 Speaker 2: we have scaled, what we try to do is make 152 00:08:18,320 --> 00:08:22,120 Speaker 2: very big rooms feel small, and so we call that 153 00:08:22,160 --> 00:08:26,080 Speaker 2: scaling intimacy. Because when you come to culture con, even 154 00:08:26,120 --> 00:08:28,680 Speaker 2: though it might feel corporate or it might feel large, 155 00:08:28,840 --> 00:08:33,079 Speaker 2: we're doing icebreakers We've got a tradition called leave your Fears. 156 00:08:33,480 --> 00:08:35,640 Speaker 2: And when you come into Culture con there's a wall 157 00:08:36,120 --> 00:08:38,400 Speaker 2: where you write down your fear and you hang it 158 00:08:38,480 --> 00:08:42,000 Speaker 2: up and you can see thousands of people's fears. And 159 00:08:42,040 --> 00:08:45,319 Speaker 2: we do that not to put fear at the forefront, 160 00:08:45,720 --> 00:08:48,520 Speaker 2: but to show you that everybody is scared of something. 161 00:08:49,280 --> 00:08:52,160 Speaker 2: Even the people that you think are fearless. It's not 162 00:08:52,160 --> 00:08:55,560 Speaker 2: that they're fearless, is that they're courageous. And so that 163 00:08:55,760 --> 00:08:58,120 Speaker 2: I think is how we scale intimacy, is kind of 164 00:08:58,440 --> 00:09:02,120 Speaker 2: showing the humanity that lives inside of everyone. 165 00:09:02,720 --> 00:09:07,440 Speaker 1: No, that's beautiful. So I read that you famously kept 166 00:09:07,440 --> 00:09:10,480 Speaker 1: your corporate job while you were building this community and 167 00:09:10,520 --> 00:09:12,320 Speaker 1: it was growing, and you said, you know, I'm not 168 00:09:12,480 --> 00:09:15,480 Speaker 1: I'm not quitting yet. I want you to think back 169 00:09:15,480 --> 00:09:19,160 Speaker 1: about that time and what did you learn about side 170 00:09:19,240 --> 00:09:23,800 Speaker 1: hustles and keeping the day job that you know, we 171 00:09:23,880 --> 00:09:27,680 Speaker 1: might have, you know, wrong thoughts about in our social 172 00:09:27,720 --> 00:09:29,240 Speaker 1: discourse in your opinion. 173 00:09:30,440 --> 00:09:33,360 Speaker 2: Yeah, at the time, you know, the economy was booming, 174 00:09:33,520 --> 00:09:36,160 Speaker 2: so there was a lot of rheteric about just quitting 175 00:09:36,200 --> 00:09:40,400 Speaker 2: your job. A lot of people were famously quoted saying, 176 00:09:41,120 --> 00:09:45,120 Speaker 2: you know, leave, just quit, like you'll figure it out. 177 00:09:45,440 --> 00:09:47,920 Speaker 2: And I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but 178 00:09:47,960 --> 00:09:52,439 Speaker 2: I just knew that that wasn't my story for two reasons. 179 00:09:52,960 --> 00:09:57,000 Speaker 2: One because where I was I was learning, and when 180 00:09:57,040 --> 00:10:00,840 Speaker 2: I realized, wait a minute, I'm getting paid to learn, 181 00:10:01,440 --> 00:10:05,000 Speaker 2: it completely changed how I approached my corporate job. So 182 00:10:05,080 --> 00:10:07,840 Speaker 2: instead of just going through the motions, I really was like, 183 00:10:08,200 --> 00:10:10,400 Speaker 2: why do we do things like this? And why is 184 00:10:10,440 --> 00:10:13,360 Speaker 2: that so important? And I became a better leader at 185 00:10:13,400 --> 00:10:17,320 Speaker 2: work because I was very invested in the why. And 186 00:10:17,360 --> 00:10:20,760 Speaker 2: I think the other piece was all of those whys, 187 00:10:20,840 --> 00:10:22,760 Speaker 2: even though I didn't know it at the time, for 188 00:10:22,960 --> 00:10:26,880 Speaker 2: preparing me to lead my own team, my own company 189 00:10:27,280 --> 00:10:30,960 Speaker 2: in my own way. And so for anyone who's in corporate, 190 00:10:31,360 --> 00:10:33,600 Speaker 2: instead of just thinking of it as like a job 191 00:10:33,640 --> 00:10:36,960 Speaker 2: and you're schlepping to work, think of it as business school. 192 00:10:37,440 --> 00:10:42,240 Speaker 2: Get informationals with different teams and different departments. Understand why 193 00:10:42,280 --> 00:10:44,720 Speaker 2: the marketing team cares so much about what the sales 194 00:10:44,760 --> 00:10:48,000 Speaker 2: team has to say, or why is the CFO always 195 00:10:48,040 --> 00:10:51,720 Speaker 2: so upset that we're over budget? Why is the PR team, 196 00:10:52,200 --> 00:10:55,079 Speaker 2: you know, breaking the pavement and making sure that everyone's 197 00:10:55,160 --> 00:10:58,680 Speaker 2: talking about the different activations that you're doing, because that 198 00:10:58,800 --> 00:11:02,440 Speaker 2: is how a business is successfully run, and you need 199 00:11:02,520 --> 00:11:05,880 Speaker 2: all the components. And so as a CEO, you've got 200 00:11:05,960 --> 00:11:07,960 Speaker 2: to really figure out what are the parts of the 201 00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:11,120 Speaker 2: business that you don't care about, and then you've got 202 00:11:11,120 --> 00:11:13,600 Speaker 2: to really care about them because a lot of times 203 00:11:13,640 --> 00:11:17,000 Speaker 2: what we see is that creatives are super hyper fixated 204 00:11:17,360 --> 00:11:19,200 Speaker 2: on what it feels like and they're like, I'm going 205 00:11:19,280 --> 00:11:22,760 Speaker 2: to get someone else in here to understand the numbers. 206 00:11:23,400 --> 00:11:25,400 Speaker 2: I think that you need to know how to do 207 00:11:25,520 --> 00:11:28,760 Speaker 2: everything so that when you hire someone in that role, 208 00:11:29,760 --> 00:11:33,040 Speaker 2: you understand the mechanics of are they great at their job? 209 00:11:33,320 --> 00:11:35,640 Speaker 2: Are they not great at their job? You know what 210 00:11:35,720 --> 00:11:39,840 Speaker 2: is Oprah say? She signs every single check right? And 211 00:11:39,920 --> 00:11:43,640 Speaker 2: so I think those are all the benefits of learning 212 00:11:43,679 --> 00:11:45,840 Speaker 2: at a corporate job. Now here's the other thing, and 213 00:11:45,920 --> 00:11:48,880 Speaker 2: this isn't very popular, but it's I stand on this 214 00:11:48,920 --> 00:11:53,360 Speaker 2: one hundred percent. I didn't have a side hustle. I 215 00:11:53,400 --> 00:11:54,880 Speaker 2: had two full time jobs. 216 00:11:55,320 --> 00:11:55,840 Speaker 1: Oh wow. 217 00:11:56,200 --> 00:11:59,559 Speaker 2: And I think that distinction is important because I think 218 00:11:59,559 --> 00:12:03,560 Speaker 2: a lot of people maybe are thinking, oh, I'm just 219 00:12:03,640 --> 00:12:09,000 Speaker 2: gonna do my side thing during my work hours. One 220 00:12:09,040 --> 00:12:10,400 Speaker 2: of the things I say, and I don't say this 221 00:12:10,480 --> 00:12:12,440 Speaker 2: to brag. I just say this to kind of show 222 00:12:12,880 --> 00:12:16,520 Speaker 2: the energy that I was putting into it while I 223 00:12:16,559 --> 00:12:21,160 Speaker 2: had culture Con. I got promoted seven times at NBCUniversal. 224 00:12:22,000 --> 00:12:24,559 Speaker 2: And the reason I say that is I wasn't coasting 225 00:12:24,760 --> 00:12:29,840 Speaker 2: at work. I wanted to really still be the best. 226 00:12:29,960 --> 00:12:34,000 Speaker 2: And so if you are thinking about starting something, make 227 00:12:34,040 --> 00:12:36,880 Speaker 2: sure that the reputation at you're nine to five isn't 228 00:12:36,920 --> 00:12:42,320 Speaker 2: that is she okay? Because however you do anything is 229 00:12:42,320 --> 00:12:46,000 Speaker 2: how you do everything. And so NBC, because of the 230 00:12:46,040 --> 00:12:48,680 Speaker 2: work ethic and because of the relationships that I built, 231 00:12:48,960 --> 00:12:52,560 Speaker 2: they're now a sponsor of culture Con. And I don't 232 00:12:52,559 --> 00:12:54,719 Speaker 2: think that would have been the case if I was 233 00:12:54,800 --> 00:12:57,280 Speaker 2: kind of giving them only twenty percent effort. 234 00:12:57,679 --> 00:13:00,320 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's really good and it's a great segue. And so, 235 00:13:00,400 --> 00:13:03,720 Speaker 1: like you, you've built these relationships with major brands that 236 00:13:03,760 --> 00:13:08,280 Speaker 1: have partnered with culture Con, HBO, Max, Netflix, Square and more. 237 00:13:09,600 --> 00:13:12,960 Speaker 1: When you think about the relationship of those brands and 238 00:13:13,040 --> 00:13:17,320 Speaker 1: their investment in culture con, how do you partner and 239 00:13:17,360 --> 00:13:20,240 Speaker 1: ensure that they're not just renting the culture, but they're 240 00:13:20,280 --> 00:13:23,320 Speaker 1: they're really invested in and they really want to be 241 00:13:23,800 --> 00:13:26,720 Speaker 1: a collaborative and you know, pay creators and work with 242 00:13:26,800 --> 00:13:29,880 Speaker 1: creators and you know, make sure that the program itself 243 00:13:31,200 --> 00:13:32,600 Speaker 1: is sustainable and can grow. 244 00:13:33,960 --> 00:13:36,400 Speaker 2: I think one of my favorite things about our partners 245 00:13:36,559 --> 00:13:39,480 Speaker 2: is it's truly a partnership. So in the beginning we 246 00:13:39,600 --> 00:13:43,920 Speaker 2: have brainstorming time, which is what does your community need 247 00:13:44,440 --> 00:13:47,880 Speaker 2: and what within our ecosystem can solve for that problem. 248 00:13:48,200 --> 00:13:50,720 Speaker 2: And so you know, our presenting partner this year was 249 00:13:50,800 --> 00:13:56,439 Speaker 2: Chasing Incredible Partners and they're all about educating and empowering 250 00:13:56,880 --> 00:14:01,760 Speaker 2: the entrepreneur, and we were launching an entrepreneur summit and 251 00:14:01,800 --> 00:14:04,240 Speaker 2: we worked hand in hand with them to build out 252 00:14:04,280 --> 00:14:08,319 Speaker 2: that programming, to talk about P and L, to talk 253 00:14:08,360 --> 00:14:11,160 Speaker 2: about the difference between a line of credit and VC, 254 00:14:11,880 --> 00:14:14,320 Speaker 2: to make sure you understand as a business which one 255 00:14:14,360 --> 00:14:17,400 Speaker 2: are you actually the more qualified for. And I think 256 00:14:17,480 --> 00:14:20,160 Speaker 2: that's a perfect example of kind of how we're partnering 257 00:14:20,160 --> 00:14:22,800 Speaker 2: with these brands. It's not like let's just slap a 258 00:14:22,840 --> 00:14:24,640 Speaker 2: logo on the step and repeat. And then we were 259 00:14:24,680 --> 00:14:29,000 Speaker 2: at culture Con. I think every brand is very intentional 260 00:14:29,160 --> 00:14:33,800 Speaker 2: about making sure that there's trust, and that trust for 261 00:14:34,040 --> 00:14:36,640 Speaker 2: starts with the culture Con team, and then it's our 262 00:14:36,680 --> 00:14:39,720 Speaker 2: responsibility as a collective to make sure that we are 263 00:14:39,760 --> 00:14:42,520 Speaker 2: representing the best interest of our community. So we have 264 00:14:42,920 --> 00:14:45,480 Speaker 2: focus groups. We have a focus group actually later today. 265 00:14:45,920 --> 00:14:49,280 Speaker 2: For every single month, we are talking to fifty stakeholders 266 00:14:49,280 --> 00:14:52,440 Speaker 2: in our community about what do we need more of, 267 00:14:52,720 --> 00:14:55,320 Speaker 2: where should we pivot, what do we get right, what 268 00:14:55,360 --> 00:14:59,640 Speaker 2: can we improve? And from that data and the data 269 00:14:59,640 --> 00:15:02,520 Speaker 2: of all the people who attend our events, we're aggregating 270 00:15:02,560 --> 00:15:05,680 Speaker 2: it and taking those learnings directly to our brands. 271 00:15:06,480 --> 00:15:09,760 Speaker 1: You know, along that same line about the creators particularly, 272 00:15:09,800 --> 00:15:14,600 Speaker 1: you mentioned before that creators didn't have to feel embarrassed 273 00:15:14,640 --> 00:15:17,320 Speaker 1: that they didn't have all the answers. There's spaces that 274 00:15:17,360 --> 00:15:21,480 Speaker 1: they do feel and that embarrassment and that shame. Can 275 00:15:21,520 --> 00:15:25,360 Speaker 1: you talk about why getting over that shame is important, 276 00:15:25,480 --> 00:15:28,480 Speaker 1: how it keeps them from opportunity, and what can be 277 00:15:28,600 --> 00:15:31,560 Speaker 1: done tactically strategically to get over that shame. 278 00:15:32,800 --> 00:15:36,480 Speaker 2: Yeah. I mean, when I look at the leaders that 279 00:15:36,640 --> 00:15:40,280 Speaker 2: I really respect, and I'm not talking about the people 280 00:15:40,320 --> 00:15:42,880 Speaker 2: who have it all together, I'm talking about actual Like 281 00:15:42,960 --> 00:15:47,760 Speaker 2: I've seen the receipts. I've never seen a very strong 282 00:15:47,840 --> 00:15:51,680 Speaker 2: leader who says I know everything. Anyone who tells me 283 00:15:51,760 --> 00:15:54,200 Speaker 2: I know everything, I'm very scared of them. Like I 284 00:15:54,440 --> 00:15:57,200 Speaker 2: literally distrust them because I've met some of the smartest, 285 00:15:57,280 --> 00:16:01,160 Speaker 2: most powerful people in the world, and they're always asking 286 00:16:01,280 --> 00:16:04,400 Speaker 2: questions and they're always able to be self aware enough 287 00:16:04,440 --> 00:16:06,600 Speaker 2: to know what they don't know. And so if I'm 288 00:16:06,640 --> 00:16:10,600 Speaker 2: looking at the CEO and presidents of these large companies 289 00:16:10,720 --> 00:16:14,880 Speaker 2: who are like, oh, I don't know that, that gives 290 00:16:14,880 --> 00:16:17,960 Speaker 2: me permission to not have to know everything as well. 291 00:16:18,440 --> 00:16:22,880 Speaker 2: And so I think for any creator or entrepreneur who 292 00:16:23,000 --> 00:16:26,240 Speaker 2: kind of is hitting that like shame that, shame wall, 293 00:16:26,920 --> 00:16:30,400 Speaker 2: I would encourage you, and I call this the Wikipedia play. 294 00:16:31,360 --> 00:16:36,840 Speaker 2: Find five different entrepreneurs that really inspire you, and let's 295 00:16:36,880 --> 00:16:41,000 Speaker 2: call that your mount rushmore and go on their Wikipedia 296 00:16:41,080 --> 00:16:47,760 Speaker 2: page and read their Wikipedia page and identify three things 297 00:16:47,800 --> 00:16:51,160 Speaker 2: that they did very very well, and then identify three 298 00:16:51,200 --> 00:16:54,960 Speaker 2: mistakes that they made and refer to that. And that 299 00:16:55,120 --> 00:16:58,160 Speaker 2: helps me see that like, you're not the highs, you're 300 00:16:58,160 --> 00:17:02,520 Speaker 2: not the lows, You're right there in the middle. Because 301 00:17:02,520 --> 00:17:05,760 Speaker 2: I think sometimes we create idols of people that we admire, 302 00:17:06,240 --> 00:17:08,679 Speaker 2: but there are people that have made a ton of mistakes, 303 00:17:10,240 --> 00:17:12,680 Speaker 2: and usually there are people that have admitted that they've 304 00:17:12,680 --> 00:17:14,359 Speaker 2: made a ton of mistakes. And that's kind of what 305 00:17:14,440 --> 00:17:17,040 Speaker 2: I would tell anyone who's kind of stuck in the 306 00:17:18,600 --> 00:17:22,159 Speaker 2: I don't know what I'm doing phase because we're like 307 00:17:22,200 --> 00:17:23,280 Speaker 2: all there all the time. 308 00:17:25,440 --> 00:17:29,800 Speaker 1: You know, you were effectively a community builder before a CEO, 309 00:17:30,400 --> 00:17:32,920 Speaker 1: you know, and those require different muscles, you know, how 310 00:17:32,960 --> 00:17:35,679 Speaker 1: did you develop them? And what was the hardest part 311 00:17:35,720 --> 00:17:36,119 Speaker 1: about that? 312 00:17:38,920 --> 00:17:41,399 Speaker 2: I still consider myself both, but I definitely have to 313 00:17:41,440 --> 00:17:45,040 Speaker 2: wear both hats because they are different hats. I think 314 00:17:45,160 --> 00:17:50,280 Speaker 2: a CEO, I really had to understand that there's just 315 00:17:50,320 --> 00:17:56,560 Speaker 2: a time and place for different mindsets. Meaning I might 316 00:17:56,640 --> 00:18:00,880 Speaker 2: want to be all things, but there's a five amount 317 00:18:01,160 --> 00:18:04,840 Speaker 2: of time and priorities that I have to focus on 318 00:18:05,119 --> 00:18:08,959 Speaker 2: to do anything great. And so in the beginning, you know, 319 00:18:09,440 --> 00:18:13,639 Speaker 2: because you're a community there's so many ideas, right like 320 00:18:14,160 --> 00:18:16,359 Speaker 2: you should start a pink club, you should start a 321 00:18:16,400 --> 00:18:18,600 Speaker 2: running club, you should go to this country, you should 322 00:18:18,640 --> 00:18:20,879 Speaker 2: go to that city. And in the beginning that was 323 00:18:20,960 --> 00:18:24,720 Speaker 2: driving my strategy, whatever kind of feedback I was getting. 324 00:18:25,320 --> 00:18:27,480 Speaker 2: I was like, yes, we should do this, we should 325 00:18:27,520 --> 00:18:30,679 Speaker 2: do that, And my team was like where are we going? 326 00:18:30,760 --> 00:18:34,040 Speaker 2: And I was like, I don't know. And I realized 327 00:18:34,080 --> 00:18:38,320 Speaker 2: as a CEO, it's important to aggregate that data. But 328 00:18:38,440 --> 00:18:41,159 Speaker 2: I've got to have and set a very clear vision 329 00:18:41,560 --> 00:18:43,639 Speaker 2: so that I'm not burning us out, and I have 330 00:18:43,680 --> 00:18:46,360 Speaker 2: to be able to explain to the community. I hear you, 331 00:18:46,480 --> 00:18:48,960 Speaker 2: I saw that comment, this is what we're focused on 332 00:18:49,160 --> 00:18:51,520 Speaker 2: this year, and next year we might be able to 333 00:18:51,520 --> 00:18:53,720 Speaker 2: pivot and focus on that. But that was something that 334 00:18:53,800 --> 00:18:57,760 Speaker 2: I think as a community builder, I was really able 335 00:18:57,800 --> 00:19:06,280 Speaker 2: to kind of be very very almost like two osmosis, 336 00:19:06,320 --> 00:19:10,320 Speaker 2: like every single comment came straight to my heart because 337 00:19:10,320 --> 00:19:13,840 Speaker 2: it felt so personal. And now I see that personal 338 00:19:14,200 --> 00:19:17,359 Speaker 2: that feedback. I see it as a compliment that people 339 00:19:17,400 --> 00:19:20,919 Speaker 2: care enough in a time when people have an intention 340 00:19:21,080 --> 00:19:24,159 Speaker 2: span of three seconds, that they care enough to give feedback. 341 00:19:24,520 --> 00:19:27,080 Speaker 2: That's a compliment that you care. We were trending for 342 00:19:27,160 --> 00:19:31,520 Speaker 2: eight days this year during a government shutdown, and as 343 00:19:31,560 --> 00:19:35,159 Speaker 2: much as that's kind of like mind boggling to me, 344 00:19:36,200 --> 00:19:38,639 Speaker 2: I choose to receive that as care. I choose to 345 00:19:38,680 --> 00:19:40,720 Speaker 2: receive that as community. 346 00:19:42,440 --> 00:19:44,800 Speaker 1: One of the best things I've learned about you is 347 00:19:44,840 --> 00:19:47,160 Speaker 1: that in your bio, not in your bio, but things 348 00:19:47,160 --> 00:19:49,000 Speaker 1: that other people have written about you, they called you 349 00:19:49,040 --> 00:19:52,639 Speaker 1: a world builder, and you know, award winning world builder. 350 00:19:53,080 --> 00:19:57,320 Speaker 1: When you look at the landscape of black businesses, what 351 00:19:58,000 --> 00:20:01,679 Speaker 1: world do you think still needs to be built twice. 352 00:20:03,400 --> 00:20:06,239 Speaker 2: I think there needs to be a return of the 353 00:20:06,280 --> 00:20:11,680 Speaker 2: basics of the reality of entrepreneurship. I think that there's 354 00:20:11,800 --> 00:20:16,119 Speaker 2: kind of been a disservice of how much time it takes. 355 00:20:16,800 --> 00:20:19,159 Speaker 2: And a lot of that is because founders are so 356 00:20:19,240 --> 00:20:23,159 Speaker 2: busy building. Sometimes we don't have the luxury to be like, 357 00:20:23,960 --> 00:20:25,399 Speaker 2: here's what a day in my life looks like, and 358 00:20:25,440 --> 00:20:28,120 Speaker 2: sometimes we honestly think nobody will care. And what I'm 359 00:20:28,200 --> 00:20:32,119 Speaker 2: learning now is that that experience or even like here's 360 00:20:32,119 --> 00:20:34,000 Speaker 2: what my week looks like, here's how I set up 361 00:20:34,080 --> 00:20:38,199 Speaker 2: my meetings, can be very very helpful. And so I 362 00:20:38,240 --> 00:20:40,639 Speaker 2: think what our hope is with Culture con in twenty 363 00:20:40,680 --> 00:20:45,800 Speaker 2: twenty six is more of the unveiling of the day 364 00:20:45,840 --> 00:20:50,840 Speaker 2: to day life of the entrepreneurship journey. I meet with 365 00:20:50,960 --> 00:20:54,399 Speaker 2: amazing founders all the time, and I'll just say, so, 366 00:20:54,440 --> 00:20:58,280 Speaker 2: you've got an LLC, right, and they're like, no, but 367 00:20:58,320 --> 00:21:02,200 Speaker 2: I've got a logo. And again, there's no shame in that, right. 368 00:21:02,240 --> 00:21:05,800 Speaker 2: But there needs to be mentorship that says and that 369 00:21:05,880 --> 00:21:08,280 Speaker 2: for me was my dad. I was like, culture gone 370 00:21:08,400 --> 00:21:10,600 Speaker 2: so great, and he's like, great, but you have an 371 00:21:10,720 --> 00:21:12,920 Speaker 2: LLC right, And I was like, Dad, it's not even 372 00:21:12,960 --> 00:21:16,000 Speaker 2: a thing. He was like, okay, okay, but just get 373 00:21:16,000 --> 00:21:19,600 Speaker 2: an ELLS. And so I think we need more of that. 374 00:21:19,680 --> 00:21:25,240 Speaker 2: We need more of the accountability and the community mentorship, 375 00:21:25,359 --> 00:21:28,560 Speaker 2: and we're working on some answers to that problem, because 376 00:21:28,600 --> 00:21:31,920 Speaker 2: again it also starts with the first question that you asked, 377 00:21:31,920 --> 00:21:35,920 Speaker 2: which is getting over the shame. And what I've realized 378 00:21:36,040 --> 00:21:40,480 Speaker 2: is the quicker you can say I need help, Oh 379 00:21:40,560 --> 00:21:43,639 Speaker 2: my gosh, it like it's a muscle once you just 380 00:21:43,720 --> 00:21:46,919 Speaker 2: once you realize that everybody needs help and that you're not, 381 00:21:47,240 --> 00:21:50,480 Speaker 2: you know that there's no prize for suffering. I ask 382 00:21:50,520 --> 00:21:53,040 Speaker 2: for help all the time, and I tell people I 383 00:21:53,040 --> 00:21:56,760 Speaker 2: don't know things all the time, and I'm better for it. 384 00:21:57,760 --> 00:22:01,880 Speaker 1: Yeah, I wonder your thoughts on So when I started 385 00:22:01,920 --> 00:22:05,280 Speaker 1: building like real companies, so I've had like play companies 386 00:22:05,320 --> 00:22:08,280 Speaker 1: growing up or whatever, like real companies, I was in 387 00:22:08,720 --> 00:22:12,160 Speaker 1: tech and if you're not building a unicorn or trying 388 00:22:12,160 --> 00:22:14,359 Speaker 1: to build a unicorn in tech, then what are you doing, 389 00:22:14,480 --> 00:22:17,080 Speaker 1: Like to build a lifestyle business? Is like, Yeah, that's 390 00:22:17,320 --> 00:22:19,760 Speaker 1: that's cute. You do that over there. And as I 391 00:22:19,800 --> 00:22:24,000 Speaker 1: started to develop and make sure like I realized that was, 392 00:22:24,080 --> 00:22:26,879 Speaker 1: like number one, a faulty way of thinking that a 393 00:22:26,960 --> 00:22:30,240 Speaker 1: lifestyle business was just cute over there. But this is 394 00:22:30,280 --> 00:22:33,640 Speaker 1: real life, and these people are building businesses that can 395 00:22:33,680 --> 00:22:36,320 Speaker 1: do for number one, that can do real numbers. They 396 00:22:36,359 --> 00:22:38,480 Speaker 1: can take care of a family, they can take care 397 00:22:38,880 --> 00:22:42,919 Speaker 1: of employees, they can hire people. But just because it 398 00:22:42,960 --> 00:22:46,480 Speaker 1: isn't trying to scale to billion dollars or more does 399 00:22:46,520 --> 00:22:48,520 Speaker 1: not mean it's not a legitimate enterprise. And that's just 400 00:22:48,600 --> 00:22:50,320 Speaker 1: one of your thoughts. I don't really have a question. 401 00:22:50,520 --> 00:22:52,520 Speaker 1: That's one of your thoughts on that way of thinking. 402 00:22:53,560 --> 00:22:56,399 Speaker 2: I think that's I think I think that way of 403 00:22:56,440 --> 00:22:59,920 Speaker 2: thinking is revolutionary because that's exactly what I mean intern 404 00:23:00,040 --> 00:23:04,200 Speaker 2: terms of really pulling back the veil of what success 405 00:23:04,200 --> 00:23:07,159 Speaker 2: looks like because a lot of us have been taught 406 00:23:07,240 --> 00:23:10,800 Speaker 2: to just read the headlines, but sometimes the fine print. 407 00:23:10,960 --> 00:23:15,320 Speaker 2: Usually the fine print is way more important, right because 408 00:23:15,400 --> 00:23:18,679 Speaker 2: everything that you raise you have to pay back and 409 00:23:18,760 --> 00:23:22,520 Speaker 2: then some. And I think for the unicorns and the 410 00:23:22,560 --> 00:23:26,240 Speaker 2: success stories, that's aspirational and it's exciting and it's possible, 411 00:23:26,680 --> 00:23:30,960 Speaker 2: but also you can find a tremendous amount of happiness 412 00:23:31,000 --> 00:23:35,200 Speaker 2: fully owning and self funding your business, taking home a 413 00:23:35,320 --> 00:23:38,600 Speaker 2: salary because peace also has a price, right, And so 414 00:23:38,720 --> 00:23:41,160 Speaker 2: that's why you've got to kind of look within and say, 415 00:23:41,440 --> 00:23:46,280 Speaker 2: what is my personal tolerance level? What is satisfaction to me? 416 00:23:46,320 --> 00:23:49,399 Speaker 2: Because I think that's another thing is if you don't 417 00:23:49,480 --> 00:23:53,480 Speaker 2: know what will make you satisfied, you're never going to 418 00:23:53,560 --> 00:23:56,840 Speaker 2: reach it. I knew when I was at NBCUniversal I 419 00:23:56,840 --> 00:23:59,160 Speaker 2: wanted to be a vice president. I became a vice 420 00:23:59,200 --> 00:24:03,000 Speaker 2: president by the time I was thirty, and people said, money, 421 00:24:03,359 --> 00:24:06,000 Speaker 2: don't you want to be an executive vice president? Don't 422 00:24:06,040 --> 00:24:08,800 Speaker 2: you want to be the first black chairman. Don't you want? 423 00:24:09,080 --> 00:24:13,159 Speaker 2: And I said no, thanks, and they were like, everybody 424 00:24:13,200 --> 00:24:16,639 Speaker 2: wants that, right. But I had kind of seen the 425 00:24:16,680 --> 00:24:19,639 Speaker 2: bandwidth of the executive vice president and I had decide, 426 00:24:19,640 --> 00:24:23,160 Speaker 2: you know what, I'm going to be satisfied at vice president. 427 00:24:23,520 --> 00:24:26,159 Speaker 2: If I had never set that goal for myself, I 428 00:24:26,280 --> 00:24:29,159 Speaker 2: might let other people convince me I should stay for 429 00:24:29,240 --> 00:24:32,280 Speaker 2: ten more years to become the next level. And so 430 00:24:32,440 --> 00:24:34,680 Speaker 2: again it just goes back to kind of your original 431 00:24:34,720 --> 00:24:38,560 Speaker 2: comment of the lifestyle business and being able to take 432 00:24:38,600 --> 00:24:41,720 Speaker 2: care of your family. That sounds like a great life 433 00:24:41,760 --> 00:24:41,920 Speaker 2: to me. 434 00:24:43,800 --> 00:24:46,760 Speaker 1: Yeah, So I want to talk about AI for a second, 435 00:24:46,800 --> 00:24:51,600 Speaker 1: because you know, we have these digital communities we're part of. 436 00:24:51,920 --> 00:24:55,280 Speaker 1: AI is changing so much about our daily lives, and 437 00:24:55,320 --> 00:24:59,920 Speaker 1: I wonder what your view is on how our continuing 438 00:25:00,119 --> 00:25:05,560 Speaker 1: marching down this road of social digital communities AI will 439 00:25:06,000 --> 00:25:10,440 Speaker 1: either reinforce the need for human connection or will change 440 00:25:10,480 --> 00:25:11,680 Speaker 1: the way we meet up. 441 00:25:13,920 --> 00:25:16,320 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's so interesting. I mean, I really feel like 442 00:25:16,359 --> 00:25:18,960 Speaker 2: we need to get some regulation in here asap. But 443 00:25:20,520 --> 00:25:24,960 Speaker 2: I do believe that the easiest way to predict the 444 00:25:25,040 --> 00:25:27,080 Speaker 2: future is to look into the past, right, And so 445 00:25:27,119 --> 00:25:32,160 Speaker 2: there's always been an obsession with technological advances, and the 446 00:25:32,200 --> 00:25:36,160 Speaker 2: other side of that coin is that then there is 447 00:25:36,480 --> 00:25:40,280 Speaker 2: a nostalgia for how things used to be. So you 448 00:25:40,400 --> 00:25:44,200 Speaker 2: have millennials kind of missing the days. I just saw 449 00:25:44,240 --> 00:25:46,400 Speaker 2: that there's a woman who has a company where she's 450 00:25:46,440 --> 00:25:50,680 Speaker 2: selling landline phones because gen Z and Jenelfha that's grown 451 00:25:50,760 --> 00:25:53,840 Speaker 2: up always being connected. Now they miss the days of 452 00:25:54,280 --> 00:25:57,080 Speaker 2: you can only contact me when I'm in a certain place. 453 00:25:58,119 --> 00:26:00,399 Speaker 2: Our generation got sidekicks, so we were so excited with 454 00:26:00,400 --> 00:26:03,440 Speaker 2: our raizor phones. And so I always ask my parents 455 00:26:03,440 --> 00:26:05,560 Speaker 2: and my grandmother she was a waitress during the Civil 456 00:26:05,640 --> 00:26:09,560 Speaker 2: rights movement, and I always ask the older generations like 457 00:26:10,280 --> 00:26:13,879 Speaker 2: is it wild to like watch all of this unfold? 458 00:26:14,600 --> 00:26:17,000 Speaker 2: And I think they say the same thing that we're 459 00:26:17,040 --> 00:26:18,920 Speaker 2: going to say when we get to that age, which 460 00:26:18,960 --> 00:26:22,439 Speaker 2: is so much of it is cyclical. And so I 461 00:26:22,480 --> 00:26:26,119 Speaker 2: think with AI, it absolutely is going to make us 462 00:26:26,280 --> 00:26:30,760 Speaker 2: want to want to touch grass and each other. We're 463 00:26:30,800 --> 00:26:33,840 Speaker 2: seeing it already with the run clubs and the reading clubs. 464 00:26:33,920 --> 00:26:37,119 Speaker 2: And my cousin, he is twenty one years old, has 465 00:26:37,160 --> 00:26:41,680 Speaker 2: a beeper a beeper, and so I mean, you can't 466 00:26:41,720 --> 00:26:45,560 Speaker 2: help but chuckle, because it is kind of like whatever 467 00:26:45,640 --> 00:26:51,240 Speaker 2: there is a bountyful of, you will always miss the 468 00:26:51,280 --> 00:26:54,400 Speaker 2: other thing. It's just human nature to want the old 469 00:26:54,440 --> 00:26:57,000 Speaker 2: thing back. And so I think there's a ton of 470 00:26:57,040 --> 00:27:00,240 Speaker 2: benefits to AI. I do think we need to be 471 00:27:00,320 --> 00:27:04,320 Speaker 2: responsible with it in terms of content and art, but 472 00:27:04,520 --> 00:27:06,840 Speaker 2: I also think that there's ways that AI can work 473 00:27:06,880 --> 00:27:11,719 Speaker 2: alongside art that doesn't require it to replace the artists, 474 00:27:12,080 --> 00:27:16,480 Speaker 2: but to accelerate the process. And for me, I know 475 00:27:16,560 --> 00:27:21,480 Speaker 2: that it's sometimes a little bit of of a sore 476 00:27:21,600 --> 00:27:25,280 Speaker 2: spot because there's something so human about art and I 477 00:27:25,280 --> 00:27:28,760 Speaker 2: think we should preserve that. And so that's why I 478 00:27:28,760 --> 00:27:33,320 Speaker 2: think it's important to really focus on the regulation how 479 00:27:33,320 --> 00:27:36,760 Speaker 2: can we make sure that we're protecting people or putting 480 00:27:36,760 --> 00:27:40,880 Speaker 2: some sort of disclaimer on what we're seeing to make 481 00:27:40,920 --> 00:27:43,720 Speaker 2: sure that the misinformation isn't spreading. 482 00:27:43,960 --> 00:27:47,360 Speaker 1: Yeah, you know you live. You live between Le York 483 00:27:47,520 --> 00:27:51,080 Speaker 1: City and Atlanta, and I just wanted your perspective on 484 00:27:51,280 --> 00:27:56,359 Speaker 1: like the how how both places have influenced your leadership style, 485 00:27:56,400 --> 00:28:01,040 Speaker 1: your your your boss style, your entrepreneurial Is this different? 486 00:28:02,240 --> 00:28:05,919 Speaker 2: Yeah? Man? New York changed my life. I got there 487 00:28:05,920 --> 00:28:07,800 Speaker 2: when I was in sixth grade. My mom took me 488 00:28:08,280 --> 00:28:10,880 Speaker 2: and she says this, I don't remember, but she says 489 00:28:10,920 --> 00:28:18,959 Speaker 2: that I said, I'm home, but I just in Atlanta. 490 00:28:18,480 --> 00:28:22,440 Speaker 2: I grew up in the South saying yes ma'am, no sir. 491 00:28:22,920 --> 00:28:24,639 Speaker 2: And when I got to New York and my boss 492 00:28:24,680 --> 00:28:26,560 Speaker 2: told me I could call her by her first name, 493 00:28:27,440 --> 00:28:30,240 Speaker 2: I was like, no, I can't, I literally can't. She 494 00:28:30,320 --> 00:28:34,480 Speaker 2: was like, but you will, And it just it accelerated 495 00:28:34,480 --> 00:28:37,399 Speaker 2: my ambition. It just I wouldn't be who I was 496 00:28:37,920 --> 00:28:41,400 Speaker 2: if I hadn't been challenged by New York. My first job, 497 00:28:41,600 --> 00:28:44,320 Speaker 2: I was so slow that the other four coordinators they 498 00:28:44,320 --> 00:28:46,480 Speaker 2: could run circles around me. I had to come in 499 00:28:46,560 --> 00:28:49,200 Speaker 2: four hours early to do the same job that they 500 00:28:49,200 --> 00:28:52,800 Speaker 2: were doing, and it humbled me in a way that 501 00:28:53,440 --> 00:28:57,440 Speaker 2: I really liked because I was a former athlete and 502 00:28:57,480 --> 00:29:01,440 Speaker 2: I was being challenged and so New York there's nothing 503 00:29:01,520 --> 00:29:05,360 Speaker 2: like that energy. It's just like it's gonna test you. 504 00:29:06,880 --> 00:29:10,280 Speaker 2: But Atlanta and the reason why I have a home 505 00:29:10,360 --> 00:29:14,160 Speaker 2: here and also love being here. Atlanta is so good 506 00:29:14,200 --> 00:29:17,680 Speaker 2: for my nervous system. Atlanta is so good. It is 507 00:29:17,680 --> 00:29:19,960 Speaker 2: where my family is, and it's so good for my 508 00:29:20,040 --> 00:29:24,400 Speaker 2: mental health, and I need both because I really believe 509 00:29:24,600 --> 00:29:29,160 Speaker 2: in seasonality. So there are certain seasons well where I'm outside, 510 00:29:29,720 --> 00:29:34,760 Speaker 2: I'm on Fifth Avenue, I'm taking really great meetings, and 511 00:29:34,800 --> 00:29:38,960 Speaker 2: there's some weekends in Atlanta, I'm at estate sales, I'm 512 00:29:39,000 --> 00:29:42,640 Speaker 2: eating fried catfish, and both of them are like equally, 513 00:29:42,800 --> 00:29:44,240 Speaker 2: who I am? 514 00:29:44,480 --> 00:29:49,480 Speaker 1: That's beautiful. What's the most common question you get asked 515 00:29:49,520 --> 00:29:51,960 Speaker 1: that you never tired it? Can you never get tired 516 00:29:51,960 --> 00:29:52,479 Speaker 1: to answer it? 517 00:29:53,800 --> 00:29:57,520 Speaker 2: Ooh? I always get asked with the younger version of 518 00:29:57,520 --> 00:30:02,640 Speaker 2: Imani in twenty seventeen, believe that culture con got this big? 519 00:30:03,240 --> 00:30:06,920 Speaker 2: And the answer is absolutely not. If she knew, she 520 00:30:07,080 --> 00:30:11,960 Speaker 2: probably wouldn't start. And so I'm often thinking of her 521 00:30:12,200 --> 00:30:19,840 Speaker 2: and thankful for her because I just I'm living so 522 00:30:20,160 --> 00:30:24,680 Speaker 2: far beyond what I imagined, and I think that it's 523 00:30:24,720 --> 00:30:26,560 Speaker 2: just such an honor, I think to be in service 524 00:30:26,600 --> 00:30:30,160 Speaker 2: of this specific community. I mean, I've always been in 525 00:30:30,320 --> 00:30:34,640 Speaker 2: admiration of people of service. And I admire James Baldwin 526 00:30:34,760 --> 00:30:38,640 Speaker 2: for like, just like the critical thought that he gave us. 527 00:30:38,760 --> 00:30:41,520 Speaker 2: I admire Martin Luther King for like the community building 528 00:30:41,560 --> 00:30:44,080 Speaker 2: he gave us. And so I just see myself as 529 00:30:44,080 --> 00:30:47,120 Speaker 2: a part of that mosaic, Like how can I just 530 00:30:47,880 --> 00:30:51,000 Speaker 2: leave it all on the field while I'm still here? 531 00:30:52,600 --> 00:30:54,960 Speaker 1: I have an DC question for you, So what is 532 00:30:54,960 --> 00:30:57,600 Speaker 1: that thing every day carry? Like? What is that thing? 533 00:30:58,280 --> 00:31:01,080 Speaker 1: Can't be a phone that and MONI just has to 534 00:31:01,160 --> 00:31:04,160 Speaker 1: have before she leaves the house. This is always with 535 00:31:04,240 --> 00:31:06,560 Speaker 1: you every day, Carrie. 536 00:31:09,160 --> 00:31:13,160 Speaker 2: I know I'm like other than my phone, you know 537 00:31:13,200 --> 00:31:16,360 Speaker 2: what I'll say, my or ring. I am a fan 538 00:31:16,440 --> 00:31:20,480 Speaker 2: of this ora ring because I think bigger than it 539 00:31:20,760 --> 00:31:24,560 Speaker 2: just telling you that you're stressed, which I think people 540 00:31:24,560 --> 00:31:26,560 Speaker 2: are like, well, I already know that I'm stressed. I 541 00:31:26,600 --> 00:31:29,840 Speaker 2: think what it has showed me is how well and 542 00:31:30,000 --> 00:31:33,959 Speaker 2: undetected my stress can be. Because there are days when 543 00:31:34,000 --> 00:31:36,040 Speaker 2: I'm like that was a great day, and the or 544 00:31:36,240 --> 00:31:38,760 Speaker 2: ring will say you were four hours more stressed than 545 00:31:38,800 --> 00:31:42,400 Speaker 2: you were usually, And it really makes me start to 546 00:31:42,480 --> 00:31:45,520 Speaker 2: think about all the ways that we have normalized stress 547 00:31:46,320 --> 00:31:48,560 Speaker 2: and how it just shows up in our body. So 548 00:31:48,880 --> 00:31:52,720 Speaker 2: I was a doubter in the beginning, but I do 549 00:31:52,840 --> 00:31:54,480 Speaker 2: not leave home without that orror ring. 550 00:31:54,720 --> 00:31:59,560 Speaker 1: Yeah. What are you reading or watching or listening to 551 00:31:59,680 --> 00:32:01,480 Speaker 1: right now? I don't know if you are book readers? 552 00:32:01,560 --> 00:32:07,600 Speaker 2: I mean, yeah, to my left is literally a library. 553 00:32:08,200 --> 00:32:16,640 Speaker 2: It's color coded. What am I reading? I actually, I 554 00:32:16,680 --> 00:32:22,320 Speaker 2: actually just finished a book, Bell Hooks, all about love 555 00:32:23,640 --> 00:32:30,160 Speaker 2: and fantastic, just fantastic. I just read that she purposely 556 00:32:30,680 --> 00:32:35,240 Speaker 2: lowercase the letters in bell Hooks, and I didn't even 557 00:32:35,320 --> 00:32:40,240 Speaker 2: It's like everything she did was so intentional. But it 558 00:32:40,360 --> 00:32:43,840 Speaker 2: just talks a lot about her approach to love, our 559 00:32:45,360 --> 00:32:49,840 Speaker 2: our communal approach to love, and and I don't know, 560 00:32:50,000 --> 00:32:53,560 Speaker 2: I think it just it just melts me because I 561 00:32:53,600 --> 00:32:57,160 Speaker 2: think the older that I get like less, am I 562 00:32:57,280 --> 00:33:00,560 Speaker 2: this like stone cold? I probably never or was her, 563 00:33:00,640 --> 00:33:02,960 Speaker 2: but I think society told me I had to be her. 564 00:33:03,320 --> 00:33:07,160 Speaker 2: I am such a lover girl. I cry when I 565 00:33:07,240 --> 00:33:11,880 Speaker 2: see happy things. My favorite place to be and I'm 566 00:33:11,880 --> 00:33:13,680 Speaker 2: going on a tangent, but I'm going to land the plane. 567 00:33:14,120 --> 00:33:17,000 Speaker 2: My favorite place to be is the airport. There is 568 00:33:17,080 --> 00:33:21,280 Speaker 2: so much love in an airport, and so even reading 569 00:33:21,280 --> 00:33:25,040 Speaker 2: that book helped me identify how that even though the 570 00:33:25,080 --> 00:33:28,520 Speaker 2: news is like doom and gloom and doom and gloom, 571 00:33:29,160 --> 00:33:32,360 Speaker 2: there are so many everyday interactions of like love. So like, 572 00:33:32,400 --> 00:33:34,239 Speaker 2: I don't know, I just finished reading that book and 573 00:33:34,840 --> 00:33:37,600 Speaker 2: I'm trying to read less business books right now because 574 00:33:37,640 --> 00:33:40,480 Speaker 2: that was all I used to read was Harvard Business Review. 575 00:33:41,800 --> 00:33:45,400 Speaker 2: And now I'm like, Ammanie, just balance. 576 00:33:47,520 --> 00:33:50,600 Speaker 1: One more? Like who was? If you can name one 577 00:33:50,600 --> 00:33:53,600 Speaker 1: of the dopest creatives you've gotten to know since you've 578 00:33:53,640 --> 00:33:55,480 Speaker 1: been doing the culture Khan. 579 00:33:56,680 --> 00:34:01,360 Speaker 2: Oh Mark Clennon, Oh my goodness. So Mark Clennon is 580 00:34:01,400 --> 00:34:04,600 Speaker 2: a friend of mine photographer. He was our first ever 581 00:34:04,720 --> 00:34:09,640 Speaker 2: portrait photographer at Culture cod and I'm talking like dirt floor, 582 00:34:09,800 --> 00:34:13,680 Speaker 2: but he made it amazing. He has now become a director, 583 00:34:14,280 --> 00:34:17,520 Speaker 2: world renowned artist again continues to be a great friend. 584 00:34:18,239 --> 00:34:23,000 Speaker 2: Shot the cover of Time magazine, and it's just been 585 00:34:23,040 --> 00:34:28,239 Speaker 2: amazing to watch him grow and bloom and always push himself, 586 00:34:29,840 --> 00:34:31,759 Speaker 2: especially because we're kind of a part of the same 587 00:34:31,800 --> 00:34:37,080 Speaker 2: school of community builders and kind of not being in 588 00:34:37,200 --> 00:34:39,720 Speaker 2: one box. I feel like he started as a photographer 589 00:34:40,080 --> 00:34:43,840 Speaker 2: and he was like, I can tell stories across mediums. 590 00:34:44,040 --> 00:34:47,120 Speaker 2: So now he's directing films. But yeah, that's my guy. 591 00:34:47,200 --> 00:34:48,240 Speaker 2: He's great Mark. 592 00:34:49,440 --> 00:34:58,520 Speaker 1: And finally, what would you leave this audience of black creators, entrepreneurs, founders, vcs, technologists, 593 00:34:58,640 --> 00:35:01,279 Speaker 1: people trying to figure it out. What would you leave 594 00:35:01,320 --> 00:35:02,279 Speaker 1: this audience with? 595 00:35:04,040 --> 00:35:11,640 Speaker 2: I would say that I think the future of the 596 00:35:11,719 --> 00:35:15,759 Speaker 2: industry right now relies in organic storytelling. I think we've 597 00:35:15,800 --> 00:35:20,000 Speaker 2: been doing a lot of templatization and we're finally entering 598 00:35:20,040 --> 00:35:23,280 Speaker 2: I think the next phase of a renaissance, a wild 599 00:35:23,320 --> 00:35:25,200 Speaker 2: wild West, and I think the people that are going 600 00:35:25,239 --> 00:35:28,200 Speaker 2: to be successful in the next ten years are people 601 00:35:28,200 --> 00:35:32,200 Speaker 2: who can solve very specific niche problems. 602 00:35:33,120 --> 00:35:35,880 Speaker 1: And Manie Ellis, thank you so much for joining 603 00:35:35,880 --> 00:35:39,040 Speaker 2: Me, Thank you for having me with Fantastic, Fantastic