1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:02,720 Speaker 1: Enjoying Black Tech Green Money. It would mean a lot 2 00:00:02,800 --> 00:00:05,200 Speaker 1: if you rate us five stars on Apple Podcast or 3 00:00:05,200 --> 00:00:08,039 Speaker 1: Google Play. The way the algorithm works. The more you 4 00:00:08,160 --> 00:00:10,799 Speaker 1: rate and say nice things, they'll introduce black tech Green 5 00:00:10,800 --> 00:00:13,920 Speaker 1: Money to more people and more of us need this content. 6 00:00:14,600 --> 00:00:17,800 Speaker 1: So thank you for rating this podcast five stars. Today, 7 00:00:19,280 --> 00:00:28,000 Speaker 1: afro Tech seventeen, San Francisco, California, tech investor and Platinum's 8 00:00:28,040 --> 00:00:31,720 Speaker 1: last Grammy Award winning rapper Chamillionaires on the afro Tech 9 00:00:31,760 --> 00:00:34,199 Speaker 1: stage talking about how he found his way into the 10 00:00:34,240 --> 00:00:37,920 Speaker 1: world of investing in tech startups. A little known fact 11 00:00:38,240 --> 00:00:41,199 Speaker 1: is Mr Ride and Dirty wasn't investor early in his 12 00:00:41,280 --> 00:00:45,080 Speaker 1: tech career in a company called Makers Studio, which would 13 00:00:45,120 --> 00:00:48,159 Speaker 1: later be sold to Disney for reported six hundred seventy 14 00:00:48,200 --> 00:00:52,400 Speaker 1: five million dollars. On the afro Tech stage, these stresses 15 00:00:52,440 --> 00:00:55,440 Speaker 1: the hunger for knowledge and the power of relationships that's 16 00:00:55,480 --> 00:00:59,400 Speaker 1: required to be successful at scale. What I did was 17 00:00:59,800 --> 00:01:03,040 Speaker 1: I focused on the information and relationships Because if I 18 00:01:03,040 --> 00:01:05,479 Speaker 1: asked everybody in this room, thinking about the last person 19 00:01:05,520 --> 00:01:07,840 Speaker 1: that you bumped into that you know probably could have 20 00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:10,200 Speaker 1: helped you, Um, did you follow up with that person 21 00:01:10,360 --> 00:01:13,119 Speaker 1: on email? Did you did you reach out to that person. 22 00:01:13,160 --> 00:01:14,959 Speaker 1: Did you stay in touch with that person that? Think 23 00:01:14,959 --> 00:01:16,600 Speaker 1: about how many people in the room next to you 24 00:01:16,640 --> 00:01:18,839 Speaker 1: could possibly help you on your journey to be something great. 25 00:01:19,160 --> 00:01:20,959 Speaker 1: Right now sitting next to you have no idea. This 26 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:23,720 Speaker 1: person sitting next to you. We take that for granted. 27 00:01:24,440 --> 00:01:27,679 Speaker 1: We do not value relationships and information like we should. 28 00:01:27,959 --> 00:01:30,720 Speaker 1: The whole time I was on a path to consume 29 00:01:30,880 --> 00:01:33,800 Speaker 1: information as much as possible. Somebody said, well, what about 30 00:01:33,840 --> 00:01:35,760 Speaker 1: these other people to have more advantages than us. Yeah, 31 00:01:35,760 --> 00:01:37,920 Speaker 1: that's true, they do have more advantages than us. But 32 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:40,959 Speaker 1: information is right under your nose right you go. I 33 00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:42,680 Speaker 1: used to get frustrated in school only for you, of 34 00:01:42,880 --> 00:01:45,160 Speaker 1: h and you had this routine where you would go 35 00:01:45,200 --> 00:01:47,120 Speaker 1: in there and you would, you know, learn during this 36 00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:48,880 Speaker 1: period and then you have to come back the next day. 37 00:01:48,920 --> 00:01:50,880 Speaker 1: I was like, give it to me now, I need 38 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:53,680 Speaker 1: it now, because they were here ten years in front 39 00:01:53,680 --> 00:01:56,200 Speaker 1: of us, and I'm showing up in this tech world 40 00:01:56,200 --> 00:01:58,840 Speaker 1: and seeing all these people already with all these advantages, 41 00:01:59,160 --> 00:02:01,520 Speaker 1: already with all the equity, and I'm late to the party, 42 00:02:01,600 --> 00:02:03,240 Speaker 1: and I'm like, I need that now. I need it 43 00:02:03,280 --> 00:02:08,040 Speaker 1: all right now for me. I'm Will Lucas and Mrs 44 00:02:08,120 --> 00:02:11,560 Speaker 1: Black Tech, Green Money. I'm gonna introduce you to some 45 00:02:11,600 --> 00:02:13,800 Speaker 1: of the biggest names, some of the brightest minds and 46 00:02:13,919 --> 00:02:17,280 Speaker 1: brilliant ideas. If you're black in building or simply using 47 00:02:17,320 --> 00:02:19,920 Speaker 1: tech to secure your bag, this podcast is for you. 48 00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:28,000 Speaker 1: Troll Thomas is the founder of Black Excellence Brunch and 49 00:02:28,040 --> 00:02:30,639 Speaker 1: Then You'll event that gives Black Excellence a seat at 50 00:02:30,639 --> 00:02:33,800 Speaker 1: the table. His work spans from career beginnings on the 51 00:02:33,840 --> 00:02:37,640 Speaker 1: historic Obama presidential campaign in two thousand eight to overseeing 52 00:02:37,680 --> 00:02:40,840 Speaker 1: talent relations and communication with some of the biggest brands 53 00:02:40,880 --> 00:02:46,120 Speaker 1: at Viacom to perfectly align socially good causes, corporations and celebrities. 54 00:02:47,040 --> 00:02:49,640 Speaker 1: Many people work to produce events, so I asked Troll, 55 00:02:49,840 --> 00:02:52,160 Speaker 1: how has he been able to get corporate buy into 56 00:02:52,200 --> 00:02:55,959 Speaker 1: authentic events for the culture. What is it he understands 57 00:02:55,960 --> 00:02:59,920 Speaker 1: about how to decipher corporate objectives to securing their participation. 58 00:03:00,440 --> 00:03:04,120 Speaker 1: My secret is actually no secret at all. It's just authenticity. 59 00:03:04,480 --> 00:03:07,680 Speaker 1: You know. I go in there as myself. Um, and 60 00:03:07,680 --> 00:03:10,400 Speaker 1: that's the biggest thing I think, or the biggest mistake 61 00:03:10,440 --> 00:03:12,359 Speaker 1: a lot of people making. They say, well, what does 62 00:03:12,639 --> 00:03:15,200 Speaker 1: the brand want? What do they what do they want? 63 00:03:15,200 --> 00:03:16,960 Speaker 1: Who do they want? Me? To be, you know. And 64 00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:20,200 Speaker 1: so they're shape shape shifting and colde switching and changing 65 00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:23,919 Speaker 1: all these things about themselves. But the thing about it 66 00:03:23,960 --> 00:03:27,760 Speaker 1: is an idea that's yours, something that's yours. It is 67 00:03:28,160 --> 00:03:30,280 Speaker 1: of you, you know what I mean is you've been 68 00:03:30,320 --> 00:03:34,120 Speaker 1: your author. Like the Black Excellence Brunch came from my 69 00:03:34,320 --> 00:03:37,680 Speaker 1: experience as a black person growing up in South Carolina 70 00:03:37,840 --> 00:03:40,720 Speaker 1: and my mom posting these Sunday dinners at my house 71 00:03:41,320 --> 00:03:44,480 Speaker 1: at well at her house, at our house, right, Um, 72 00:03:45,120 --> 00:03:48,440 Speaker 1: and I you know, and that's my truth, you know. 73 00:03:48,440 --> 00:03:51,760 Speaker 1: And I created that from the essence of who I am. 74 00:03:52,120 --> 00:03:54,520 Speaker 1: So at no point when I go to these brands, 75 00:03:54,680 --> 00:03:58,200 Speaker 1: am I trying to be something else or sell something else. 76 00:03:58,240 --> 00:04:01,440 Speaker 1: I'm going in I'm giving them that same essence. And 77 00:04:01,480 --> 00:04:04,440 Speaker 1: I feel like that's the thing that makes people buy 78 00:04:04,480 --> 00:04:08,000 Speaker 1: into it. I never forget, you know, the first uh 79 00:04:08,400 --> 00:04:11,040 Speaker 1: French that that I had a big corp response to 80 00:04:11,120 --> 00:04:14,640 Speaker 1: a corp responsor in general, which was Netflix. It happened 81 00:04:14,760 --> 00:04:19,440 Speaker 1: so organically, you know. I was sitting at um at 82 00:04:19,680 --> 00:04:23,559 Speaker 1: dinner with some friends of mine and I was gonna 83 00:04:23,600 --> 00:04:26,680 Speaker 1: do the brunch anyway, you know what I mean? Um, 84 00:04:26,800 --> 00:04:28,840 Speaker 1: And you know I was saying, hey, guys, I want 85 00:04:28,880 --> 00:04:30,080 Speaker 1: you to come to this thing. I want you to 86 00:04:30,120 --> 00:04:33,120 Speaker 1: do this thing with me, and and they were like, oh, 87 00:04:33,320 --> 00:04:36,039 Speaker 1: this seems really cool. I remember you did this in 88 00:04:36,080 --> 00:04:38,800 Speaker 1: New York and you did that when you came uh here, 89 00:04:38,839 --> 00:04:40,120 Speaker 1: so this is kind of the next step of that. 90 00:04:40,160 --> 00:04:41,680 Speaker 1: And I was like, yeah, yeah, that's the next step. 91 00:04:41,720 --> 00:04:44,480 Speaker 1: I'm growing it. And they said, well, what do you 92 00:04:44,480 --> 00:04:46,480 Speaker 1: you know, the general question, well, what do you want 93 00:04:46,480 --> 00:04:48,400 Speaker 1: to do? Where do you see it going? I said, 94 00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:50,840 Speaker 1: you know, what would be great? Um? And I had 95 00:04:50,839 --> 00:04:54,000 Speaker 1: been watching Netflix. They had just launched Strong Blackly and 96 00:04:54,040 --> 00:04:57,680 Speaker 1: I remember thinking this is so incredible, like what they're doing, 97 00:04:57,800 --> 00:05:00,680 Speaker 1: the intentionality behind it, at the offense tensity that I 98 00:05:00,760 --> 00:05:02,520 Speaker 1: felt from it. And I said, you know, it would 99 00:05:02,560 --> 00:05:05,800 Speaker 1: be great to partner with Netflix and to do something 100 00:05:05,800 --> 00:05:08,560 Speaker 1: with strong Black Lead because I feel like they're highlighting 101 00:05:08,560 --> 00:05:11,279 Speaker 1: strong black leadings, strong black leads and TV and film 102 00:05:11,480 --> 00:05:13,320 Speaker 1: and I'm doing it in real life and so this 103 00:05:13,440 --> 00:05:17,400 Speaker 1: is a great collaboration. Do you know the divinity of 104 00:05:17,400 --> 00:05:22,320 Speaker 1: it all? The girl that was sitting right next to me, Um, Jasmine, 105 00:05:22,360 --> 00:05:26,000 Speaker 1: who was amazing and works at Netflix. She was sitting 106 00:05:26,040 --> 00:05:30,000 Speaker 1: there and she said, hey, I'm Jasmine and I run 107 00:05:30,160 --> 00:05:33,560 Speaker 1: strong Black lead at Netflix, and I'm just like wow. 108 00:05:33,680 --> 00:05:36,440 Speaker 1: But I said that to say that, for me, it 109 00:05:36,520 --> 00:05:39,680 Speaker 1: was just authentic. It wasn't me trying to like sell 110 00:05:39,880 --> 00:05:42,960 Speaker 1: a thing or do. It was just me authentically being 111 00:05:42,960 --> 00:05:46,839 Speaker 1: myself and speaking from that place and that I believe 112 00:05:46,920 --> 00:05:51,200 Speaker 1: attracts what you need. And so when I go to 113 00:05:51,279 --> 00:05:54,200 Speaker 1: these brands and I have these conversations, I'm strategic, right. 114 00:05:54,240 --> 00:05:57,680 Speaker 1: I think about who is the right person to contact 115 00:05:57,800 --> 00:06:01,640 Speaker 1: at the brand or um, you know that sort of thing. 116 00:06:01,720 --> 00:06:06,080 Speaker 1: So if there's any massaging, it's thinking about those things. 117 00:06:06,320 --> 00:06:08,400 Speaker 1: But when I get to have the conversation like we're 118 00:06:08,440 --> 00:06:14,039 Speaker 1: having now, I am a hundred percent myself and also, well, 119 00:06:14,120 --> 00:06:17,400 Speaker 1: I'm not afraid to walk away from something that doesn't align. 120 00:06:17,839 --> 00:06:20,120 Speaker 1: And that's another mistake I think that people make is 121 00:06:20,160 --> 00:06:25,599 Speaker 1: that they they give off this air of desperation, which 122 00:06:25,640 --> 00:06:29,680 Speaker 1: nobody really wants to be attached to something that's that's desperate. Right. 123 00:06:30,080 --> 00:06:32,320 Speaker 1: We all want to feel like, you know, you kind 124 00:06:32,320 --> 00:06:35,719 Speaker 1: of don't need us, you know, And I think but 125 00:06:35,839 --> 00:06:38,800 Speaker 1: for me, it ain't pretending like it it's it's it's 126 00:06:38,880 --> 00:06:42,039 Speaker 1: the truth of the matter is whether I had brands involved, 127 00:06:42,080 --> 00:06:45,480 Speaker 1: it's not I was gonna do it, you know. And 128 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:48,120 Speaker 1: that's the same energy I take into those meetings. Keep 129 00:06:48,160 --> 00:06:50,479 Speaker 1: that same energy, right, and I keep that same energy 130 00:06:50,480 --> 00:06:52,919 Speaker 1: when I go into those meetings. It's just like, Okay, 131 00:06:53,040 --> 00:06:54,839 Speaker 1: this can happen with you, and I love that, but 132 00:06:54,880 --> 00:06:59,279 Speaker 1: guess what it's gonna happen with or without you? And 133 00:06:58,600 --> 00:07:00,960 Speaker 1: um and if it doesn't in line, then I walk 134 00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:02,840 Speaker 1: away and I say, hey, you know, guys, this is 135 00:07:02,920 --> 00:07:06,400 Speaker 1: this is why could why should uh people get so 136 00:07:06,520 --> 00:07:09,840 Speaker 1: used to brands or companies or corporations telling them this 137 00:07:09,880 --> 00:07:12,120 Speaker 1: isn't a good bit for us right now. Well, sometimes 138 00:07:12,160 --> 00:07:14,320 Speaker 1: it's not a good fit for me, Like this is 139 00:07:14,440 --> 00:07:16,320 Speaker 1: a good fit for me right now, and this you know. 140 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:19,320 Speaker 1: And so I just know my work when I walk 141 00:07:19,360 --> 00:07:21,880 Speaker 1: into those meetings as well. So so let's back up 142 00:07:21,920 --> 00:07:24,640 Speaker 1: a little bit, because it sounds like if that, if 143 00:07:24,680 --> 00:07:26,360 Speaker 1: that was the extent I knew of your story, it 144 00:07:26,360 --> 00:07:28,440 Speaker 1: sounds like you just walk in and say, hey, I'm 145 00:07:28,440 --> 00:07:31,400 Speaker 1: trail like you are somebody to get the meeting, and 146 00:07:31,400 --> 00:07:33,960 Speaker 1: so let's talk about who you are, because I I 147 00:07:34,040 --> 00:07:35,960 Speaker 1: want to make sure you know it's black tech, green money. 148 00:07:36,000 --> 00:07:37,680 Speaker 1: I want to make sure people have the keys to 149 00:07:37,880 --> 00:07:42,160 Speaker 1: getting in that room in order to show their authenticity. 150 00:07:42,200 --> 00:07:45,400 Speaker 1: So how what what is it that you've done historically 151 00:07:45,960 --> 00:07:47,880 Speaker 1: that gets you the meeting in the first place, that 152 00:07:47,920 --> 00:07:50,000 Speaker 1: puts you in the room next to the lady who 153 00:07:50,120 --> 00:07:54,920 Speaker 1: runs strong black lead. Yeah, yeah, yeah, great question. And um, 154 00:07:55,040 --> 00:07:57,480 Speaker 1: and thank you for for that compliment. You are the 155 00:07:58,360 --> 00:08:03,800 Speaker 1: crown king of the flood compliment. Um no, man, I 156 00:08:04,040 --> 00:08:12,200 Speaker 1: you know, honestly, it is work ethic and uh and 157 00:08:12,200 --> 00:08:14,680 Speaker 1: and one thing that I'm really good at and I 158 00:08:14,760 --> 00:08:19,440 Speaker 1: acknowledge that I'm great ending and I'm great at seeing 159 00:08:19,600 --> 00:08:24,400 Speaker 1: something and then aligning the thing the pieces so that 160 00:08:24,440 --> 00:08:28,200 Speaker 1: it really comes to life. So you know, I've done 161 00:08:28,800 --> 00:08:32,040 Speaker 1: And I also I'm an advocate of knowing how everything runs. 162 00:08:32,080 --> 00:08:33,920 Speaker 1: You know, have you ever heard that when people tell 163 00:08:33,920 --> 00:08:36,559 Speaker 1: the story of like you know, um, if you want 164 00:08:36,559 --> 00:08:38,439 Speaker 1: to be the CEO of company, you need to know 165 00:08:38,800 --> 00:08:41,600 Speaker 1: everything from what the gender does to you know, the 166 00:08:41,679 --> 00:08:46,080 Speaker 1: hot But I am an advocate of understanding all of 167 00:08:46,440 --> 00:08:49,080 Speaker 1: the moving pieces. And so you know, I get to 168 00:08:49,120 --> 00:08:51,679 Speaker 1: a point where I can do events because I've done 169 00:08:51,760 --> 00:08:58,120 Speaker 1: pr I've done marketing, I've set up tables for events, 170 00:08:58,160 --> 00:09:02,640 Speaker 1: i helped launch a event series called Musically Master Menu, 171 00:09:02,760 --> 00:09:05,560 Speaker 1: which I think gave me the best insight. It was 172 00:09:06,120 --> 00:09:11,520 Speaker 1: at H one Stafe Music, which is a nonprofit that's 173 00:09:11,520 --> 00:09:15,280 Speaker 1: a part of viacom UM that gives music education to 174 00:09:15,480 --> 00:09:18,240 Speaker 1: schools all across the schools and kids all across the country. 175 00:09:18,760 --> 00:09:21,080 Speaker 1: And UM one thing that I was kind of in 176 00:09:21,200 --> 00:09:26,800 Speaker 1: charge of is UH is helping bring in funds for 177 00:09:27,120 --> 00:09:31,280 Speaker 1: the organization. And I love being created. So I said, well, 178 00:09:31,320 --> 00:09:32,959 Speaker 1: you know, we got together and we were like, well, 179 00:09:32,960 --> 00:09:36,320 Speaker 1: what if we do this UH, this dinner series, And 180 00:09:36,400 --> 00:09:38,600 Speaker 1: so we called the Musically Master Menu and what we 181 00:09:38,600 --> 00:09:42,280 Speaker 1: did was prepared a chef with a musician, and the 182 00:09:42,400 --> 00:09:46,920 Speaker 1: chef curated UH a menu based off a song or 183 00:09:46,960 --> 00:09:49,680 Speaker 1: an album, and then we would have the artists performed 184 00:09:49,800 --> 00:09:51,760 Speaker 1: at the event and it was this dinner and we 185 00:09:51,800 --> 00:09:55,000 Speaker 1: raised lots of money, et cetera. But you know, it 186 00:09:55,120 --> 00:09:59,120 Speaker 1: was moments like that, UH that I learned all of 187 00:09:59,160 --> 00:10:03,440 Speaker 1: these skills that were necessary to do what I do now, 188 00:10:03,760 --> 00:10:06,680 Speaker 1: you know. And so I think, to answer your question, 189 00:10:06,840 --> 00:10:11,200 Speaker 1: it's playing the different positions and playing them and and really, 190 00:10:11,640 --> 00:10:14,440 Speaker 1: you know, learning as much as I could and putting 191 00:10:14,480 --> 00:10:17,480 Speaker 1: all these tools. One of my mentors always tells me 192 00:10:17,520 --> 00:10:20,800 Speaker 1: about putting tools in your toolbox and then once you 193 00:10:20,840 --> 00:10:22,320 Speaker 1: get to a certain place, you can go back and 194 00:10:22,320 --> 00:10:23,920 Speaker 1: you're like, oh, I can use that hammer for this 195 00:10:24,800 --> 00:10:27,960 Speaker 1: wrench with this. And so I was constantly along my 196 00:10:28,080 --> 00:10:32,800 Speaker 1: career from you know, working at the news stations where 197 00:10:33,040 --> 00:10:35,200 Speaker 1: now I can interview people right, which I did with 198 00:10:35,240 --> 00:10:38,920 Speaker 1: these events, to you know, doing pr and publicity, which 199 00:10:39,200 --> 00:10:42,400 Speaker 1: now I know how to contact the publicists and what 200 00:10:42,520 --> 00:10:45,000 Speaker 1: to say to get you know, the time to my events, 201 00:10:45,160 --> 00:10:49,120 Speaker 1: to you know, actually putting on the events, setting the tables, 202 00:10:49,200 --> 00:10:52,600 Speaker 1: knowing how things go, to you know, having to pitch 203 00:10:53,040 --> 00:10:57,559 Speaker 1: different brands UM and bring in corporate responses to donate 204 00:10:57,600 --> 00:10:59,960 Speaker 1: to the foundation UM that I was working for souls. 205 00:11:00,120 --> 00:11:02,720 Speaker 1: All those tools that now I could go back in 206 00:11:02,840 --> 00:11:05,439 Speaker 1: and pull out. But along with the tools came contact. 207 00:11:06,320 --> 00:11:10,920 Speaker 1: You know, your network. Work is your network, it really 208 00:11:10,960 --> 00:11:14,320 Speaker 1: really is. So you know, um, lots of people that 209 00:11:14,400 --> 00:11:17,160 Speaker 1: I've met along the way, you know, while I was 210 00:11:17,240 --> 00:11:20,960 Speaker 1: building along my journey. I can reach back out to 211 00:11:21,000 --> 00:11:24,680 Speaker 1: those people and if they're not the person, they can say, hey, 212 00:11:24,720 --> 00:11:28,040 Speaker 1: I'm not the person, but this is the person. Because 213 00:11:28,080 --> 00:11:30,000 Speaker 1: that's I'm so glad you said that, because you know 214 00:11:30,080 --> 00:11:33,880 Speaker 1: this business is about relationships, right, And I remember listening 215 00:11:33,920 --> 00:11:36,760 Speaker 1: to this Easter Rate quote where I'm gonna paraphrase it, 216 00:11:36,760 --> 00:11:39,000 Speaker 1: but she talked about, you know, people are always trying 217 00:11:39,040 --> 00:11:41,200 Speaker 1: to like get with the east Rays or get with 218 00:11:41,240 --> 00:11:43,959 Speaker 1: the Denzels, or get with the big dog, when it's 219 00:11:44,000 --> 00:11:46,600 Speaker 1: actually the people next to you that you should be 220 00:11:46,640 --> 00:11:48,680 Speaker 1: in the trenches with, and you build it together like 221 00:11:48,720 --> 00:11:52,960 Speaker 1: she did with her friends. To your point alongside that is, 222 00:11:53,000 --> 00:11:58,560 Speaker 1: how do you build purposeful relationships where yes, we're all homies, 223 00:11:58,600 --> 00:12:04,040 Speaker 1: were all good, but produced value for each other. Also yeah, yeah, 224 00:12:04,200 --> 00:12:09,040 Speaker 1: so I think the way to do that Again, it's 225 00:12:09,080 --> 00:12:13,760 Speaker 1: like I always talk to people about transact being transaction 226 00:12:14,520 --> 00:12:18,720 Speaker 1: versus versus being purposeful, And so for me, I don't 227 00:12:18,760 --> 00:12:23,040 Speaker 1: focus on what I can get for from somebody. I'm 228 00:12:23,080 --> 00:12:25,640 Speaker 1: always thinking about, Okay, what can I bring to the table, 229 00:12:25,720 --> 00:12:30,760 Speaker 1: what can I add? How can I add value? What 230 00:12:30,760 --> 00:12:34,800 Speaker 1: what am I leaving here? As opposed to like what 231 00:12:34,880 --> 00:12:37,640 Speaker 1: am I what am I getting? Or just saying hey 232 00:12:37,679 --> 00:12:40,000 Speaker 1: this is an A two B thing. It's like, well, 233 00:12:40,120 --> 00:12:44,360 Speaker 1: let's really connect, let's have a genuine connection, let's really 234 00:12:44,440 --> 00:12:47,680 Speaker 1: build with one another. And as a result, you know, 235 00:12:47,960 --> 00:12:50,760 Speaker 1: people will bring things to me. You know, I've gotten 236 00:12:50,760 --> 00:12:53,680 Speaker 1: to the point now. I was having this conversation the 237 00:12:53,720 --> 00:12:59,320 Speaker 1: other day where things, uh literally, I'm attracting opportunities, I'm 238 00:12:59,360 --> 00:13:03,319 Speaker 1: attracting things to me. I'm attracting people and attracting relationships. 239 00:13:03,400 --> 00:13:07,160 Speaker 1: And it's because I put out that energy of you 240 00:13:07,200 --> 00:13:09,280 Speaker 1: know what, like I want to get to know will 241 00:13:09,400 --> 00:13:12,400 Speaker 1: for will, right, Like I want to know about you 242 00:13:12,440 --> 00:13:15,280 Speaker 1: know where you're from, what what you what you like? 243 00:13:15,559 --> 00:13:18,760 Speaker 1: You know who you you know what music you listen to, 244 00:13:18,960 --> 00:13:21,720 Speaker 1: like that sort of thing. And I think that you 245 00:13:21,760 --> 00:13:25,120 Speaker 1: know when you when you enter the space with that 246 00:13:25,200 --> 00:13:27,760 Speaker 1: kind of authenticity, with that kind of genuine iss, people 247 00:13:27,880 --> 00:13:32,200 Speaker 1: let down there the guard of you know, being used 248 00:13:32,320 --> 00:13:34,840 Speaker 1: or trauma or whatever that they're They're like, you know what, 249 00:13:35,320 --> 00:13:40,880 Speaker 1: I can relax and as a result they you have 250 00:13:41,040 --> 00:13:44,760 Speaker 1: this more more genuine connection. Too. Many of us are 251 00:13:44,880 --> 00:13:48,199 Speaker 1: taught to not be boastful, you know about our successes, 252 00:13:48,600 --> 00:13:51,360 Speaker 1: you know, but the work you do like encourages us 253 00:13:51,400 --> 00:13:54,400 Speaker 1: to recognize our value and the rewards that they come with. 254 00:13:54,520 --> 00:13:57,400 Speaker 1: Right and um, so talk about that dichotomy. How do 255 00:13:57,480 --> 00:14:01,520 Speaker 1: you balance that? Brouh. That's wow, that's such a great question. 256 00:14:01,600 --> 00:14:08,360 Speaker 1: I For me, it is this idea of you know, 257 00:14:08,480 --> 00:14:13,280 Speaker 1: we we we over celebrate, this idea of being like humble, 258 00:14:13,400 --> 00:14:17,960 Speaker 1: and you gotta like, you know, be uh quiet about everything. 259 00:14:18,160 --> 00:14:20,520 Speaker 1: You can't you know what I'm saying, like, don't get 260 00:14:20,840 --> 00:14:23,480 Speaker 1: arrogant or what And and I think that there's a 261 00:14:23,480 --> 00:14:26,280 Speaker 1: fine line, right, there's a fine line between arrogance, and 262 00:14:26,760 --> 00:14:31,360 Speaker 1: but also you have to know your worth and if if, 263 00:14:31,840 --> 00:14:34,240 Speaker 1: if you're not speaking up for yourself, if you're not 264 00:14:34,320 --> 00:14:36,800 Speaker 1: letting people know who you are and what you bring 265 00:14:36,840 --> 00:14:40,160 Speaker 1: to the table, like, then how will they know? And 266 00:14:40,200 --> 00:14:43,680 Speaker 1: so I let go of this idea that you know, um, 267 00:14:43,760 --> 00:14:46,160 Speaker 1: I gotta you know, put my head down and do 268 00:14:46,200 --> 00:14:48,520 Speaker 1: all this hard work and never like I let go 269 00:14:48,600 --> 00:14:50,240 Speaker 1: of that, and I encourage other people to let go 270 00:14:50,280 --> 00:14:54,160 Speaker 1: of that as well. Live in your excellence, shine your life, right, 271 00:14:54,200 --> 00:14:56,200 Speaker 1: you know there was there were a lot of times 272 00:14:56,320 --> 00:14:58,600 Speaker 1: will where I used to dim my light so somebody 273 00:14:58,600 --> 00:15:00,840 Speaker 1: else could feel comfortable. And now I put on the shade, 274 00:15:00,960 --> 00:15:03,600 Speaker 1: put your shades, you know what I mean. I'm not 275 00:15:03,920 --> 00:15:06,160 Speaker 1: I'm not doing that anymore. And you don't have to. 276 00:15:06,240 --> 00:15:08,000 Speaker 1: And you can and guess what, you know, you can 277 00:15:08,040 --> 00:15:10,360 Speaker 1: be nice and you can be friendly, and you can 278 00:15:10,400 --> 00:15:13,360 Speaker 1: be great to be around, but you can still know 279 00:15:13,440 --> 00:15:16,440 Speaker 1: your worth and move like you know what you're worth. 280 00:15:16,840 --> 00:15:18,480 Speaker 1: You know what I mean, Because I don't think anybody 281 00:15:18,560 --> 00:15:22,760 Speaker 1: would tell you about me that I am a arrogant person, 282 00:15:22,960 --> 00:15:26,040 Speaker 1: or that you know, I am very boast for or 283 00:15:26,080 --> 00:15:28,880 Speaker 1: anything like that. What they will tell you is that 284 00:15:28,880 --> 00:15:31,520 Speaker 1: I understand who I am, and I understand what I 285 00:15:31,560 --> 00:15:34,160 Speaker 1: bring to the table. But I also understand who you 286 00:15:34,200 --> 00:15:36,320 Speaker 1: are and what you bring to the table, you know 287 00:15:36,360 --> 00:15:41,800 Speaker 1: what I'm saying. So it is I encourage people, you know, 288 00:15:41,840 --> 00:15:46,280 Speaker 1: I that they should talk about what they're doing because 289 00:15:46,680 --> 00:15:49,360 Speaker 1: you never know. You might say, Hey, true, I make 290 00:15:49,440 --> 00:15:51,240 Speaker 1: T shirts or whatever. You know what I'm saying. You 291 00:15:51,320 --> 00:15:53,000 Speaker 1: might be doing the side I think, and and I 292 00:15:53,080 --> 00:15:55,240 Speaker 1: might be able to put you in a place where 293 00:15:55,280 --> 00:15:57,040 Speaker 1: you can do more of that what you can do 294 00:15:57,120 --> 00:15:59,880 Speaker 1: on a larger scale. But how would I know if 295 00:16:00,040 --> 00:16:03,240 Speaker 1: you didn't say anything. So how important is it that 296 00:16:03,960 --> 00:16:08,880 Speaker 1: we don't compete with each other? Compete? Yeah? Man, I 297 00:16:09,360 --> 00:16:12,520 Speaker 1: think what I'm of the mind is that what's mine 298 00:16:13,480 --> 00:16:18,320 Speaker 1: you can't have, right, what's for me, it's for me, um, 299 00:16:18,360 --> 00:16:22,320 Speaker 1: and I think that it can it That mentality came 300 00:16:22,360 --> 00:16:26,040 Speaker 1: from not operating in this space of lack or scarcity. 301 00:16:26,120 --> 00:16:30,080 Speaker 1: I think we're taught so often to that there's not 302 00:16:30,360 --> 00:16:36,680 Speaker 1: enough and that life is hard and like all these things, right, Um, 303 00:16:36,960 --> 00:16:39,400 Speaker 1: But I'm of the mind of that that we live 304 00:16:39,440 --> 00:16:43,000 Speaker 1: in an abundant universe. We live in a in a 305 00:16:43,120 --> 00:16:45,880 Speaker 1: place where we can have we can think a thing 306 00:16:46,320 --> 00:16:47,840 Speaker 1: and then it can start to be. And as a 307 00:16:47,920 --> 00:16:51,200 Speaker 1: black person, I know that to be true because look 308 00:16:51,280 --> 00:16:58,280 Speaker 1: at where how we have overcome and risen time and 309 00:16:58,320 --> 00:17:03,040 Speaker 1: time again, even under the um of oppression. Right as 310 00:17:03,040 --> 00:17:05,479 Speaker 1: so as a black person that he is different because 311 00:17:06,040 --> 00:17:09,239 Speaker 1: not only do I believe that we live in an 312 00:17:09,240 --> 00:17:12,640 Speaker 1: abundant universe, I have my ancestors to look back and say, 313 00:17:12,680 --> 00:17:15,959 Speaker 1: look what we've been able to do with everything and 314 00:17:16,040 --> 00:17:18,600 Speaker 1: everybody that's been trying to hold us back every step 315 00:17:18,600 --> 00:17:23,560 Speaker 1: of the way. So you know, I think that it's 316 00:17:23,600 --> 00:17:25,760 Speaker 1: okay to want to be the best, and it's okay 317 00:17:25,840 --> 00:17:29,480 Speaker 1: to strive for higher and bigger and better. But I 318 00:17:29,520 --> 00:17:33,439 Speaker 1: don't think you have to I have to cut you 319 00:17:33,600 --> 00:17:37,639 Speaker 1: out of anything to get what's for me. Love it, 320 00:17:37,840 --> 00:17:40,800 Speaker 1: love that. Um. I want to talk about like the 321 00:17:40,880 --> 00:17:45,920 Speaker 1: economics of events, right, And because I when I used 322 00:17:45,960 --> 00:17:50,639 Speaker 1: to throw parties and stuff, and I remember learning the 323 00:17:50,760 --> 00:17:54,800 Speaker 1: lesson that if you're counting on the door to make 324 00:17:54,960 --> 00:17:58,320 Speaker 1: the money, then you've already got it back with the door. 325 00:17:58,680 --> 00:18:00,880 Speaker 1: What you get in ticket sales should be a bonus 326 00:18:00,960 --> 00:18:03,240 Speaker 1: on top of what you already So, so can you 327 00:18:03,280 --> 00:18:09,240 Speaker 1: talk about how the economics of events actually works from 328 00:18:09,240 --> 00:18:13,280 Speaker 1: your perspective? Yeah, first of all, you know, I don't 329 00:18:13,320 --> 00:18:16,359 Speaker 1: even charge people. It's not a cost to come to 330 00:18:16,400 --> 00:18:19,320 Speaker 1: the Black Excess Brunch. You know. I'm of the mind 331 00:18:19,520 --> 00:18:25,439 Speaker 1: that uh that we that is an honor as a 332 00:18:25,560 --> 00:18:27,960 Speaker 1: brand to be a part of the Black Excellence Brunch, 333 00:18:28,040 --> 00:18:31,960 Speaker 1: because I feel like, especially you know, black people, we 334 00:18:32,160 --> 00:18:36,879 Speaker 1: give so much to the culture, to these brands, you know, 335 00:18:37,160 --> 00:18:40,760 Speaker 1: to uh we lend our voices, we lend our skills, 336 00:18:40,840 --> 00:18:43,480 Speaker 1: we lend our talents, we we we give our money. 337 00:18:43,560 --> 00:18:45,600 Speaker 1: We give so much these brands that they should want 338 00:18:45,640 --> 00:18:49,439 Speaker 1: to get back and pour into us, right, Um, but 339 00:18:50,080 --> 00:18:52,919 Speaker 1: with these events, Yeah, you're right, it's not it's not 340 00:18:52,960 --> 00:18:56,160 Speaker 1: about that. And so I had to think strategically about 341 00:18:56,200 --> 00:19:00,080 Speaker 1: how to get to the level that I wanted to 342 00:19:00,080 --> 00:19:03,080 Speaker 1: get to. And so I usually start with my budget, right, like, 343 00:19:03,400 --> 00:19:07,040 Speaker 1: what are all the things I'd like to do. You know, 344 00:19:07,119 --> 00:19:09,280 Speaker 1: what are all the components that I'd like for this 345 00:19:09,320 --> 00:19:12,800 Speaker 1: event to have? And then I think about before you 346 00:19:12,840 --> 00:19:14,800 Speaker 1: know who you can get the money from? You already 347 00:19:14,920 --> 00:19:17,359 Speaker 1: you're just writing the list. I'm thinking about what I 348 00:19:17,400 --> 00:19:19,879 Speaker 1: wanted to look like, what I wanted to look like? What? 349 00:19:20,280 --> 00:19:23,160 Speaker 1: Because I think that, you know, that is a part 350 00:19:23,160 --> 00:19:27,040 Speaker 1: of I'm a big manifesto, and that's a part of manifestation, right, Like, 351 00:19:27,119 --> 00:19:29,680 Speaker 1: you can't start with okay, well what would I have? 352 00:19:30,400 --> 00:19:31,800 Speaker 1: You know, and then I can do what I want 353 00:19:31,800 --> 00:19:33,000 Speaker 1: to do? You guys, to start well what do I 354 00:19:33,040 --> 00:19:35,360 Speaker 1: want to do? You know what I mean? And think 355 00:19:35,400 --> 00:19:38,080 Speaker 1: about all the pieces and think as grand and as 356 00:19:38,119 --> 00:19:40,040 Speaker 1: big as you can think, and as cool and as 357 00:19:40,119 --> 00:19:44,239 Speaker 1: creative as you can think, and then attract the resources. Right. 358 00:19:44,280 --> 00:19:46,240 Speaker 1: So then after I do that, I'm like, I want 359 00:19:46,240 --> 00:19:51,240 Speaker 1: to do all these things. Okay, what is aligned with that? Right? 360 00:19:51,359 --> 00:19:54,600 Speaker 1: So I'll go back since we talked about Netflix already 361 00:19:54,600 --> 00:19:56,439 Speaker 1: in the shrunk like lead. When I first so I 362 00:19:56,560 --> 00:19:59,080 Speaker 1: thought about how I want this event to look like. 363 00:19:59,240 --> 00:20:01,840 Speaker 1: I want all all these amazing you know, I wanted 364 00:20:01,840 --> 00:20:05,760 Speaker 1: to celebrate these young black people who I thought, you know, 365 00:20:05,800 --> 00:20:08,719 Speaker 1: We're excellent, you know, all the excellent people in my world, 366 00:20:09,040 --> 00:20:11,360 Speaker 1: and I wanted to celebrate them in this kind of way. 367 00:20:11,400 --> 00:20:13,840 Speaker 1: I wanted to bring a Sunday dinner to them. One 368 00:20:13,880 --> 00:20:15,879 Speaker 1: of the components of a Sunday dinner. Here's all the 369 00:20:15,920 --> 00:20:18,879 Speaker 1: things I wanted to Now, how can I make that excellent? Okay, 370 00:20:19,240 --> 00:20:21,600 Speaker 1: well I want to you know, deck it out with 371 00:20:21,640 --> 00:20:22,879 Speaker 1: the cord, and I want to do this, and I 372 00:20:22,960 --> 00:20:26,720 Speaker 1: want to do that. And then after that, I said, okay, 373 00:20:26,720 --> 00:20:29,760 Speaker 1: well what aligns with that? And I thought about Strong 374 00:20:29,800 --> 00:20:33,840 Speaker 1: Black Lead. I'm like, okay, that aligns um it just launched. 375 00:20:34,280 --> 00:20:36,359 Speaker 1: I know they've got a marketing budget. You know, from 376 00:20:36,400 --> 00:20:38,760 Speaker 1: from having worked in these spaces, I know they've got 377 00:20:38,760 --> 00:20:41,639 Speaker 1: a marketing budget. The marketing budget isn't tapped because it 378 00:20:41,760 --> 00:20:43,520 Speaker 1: just started, you know what I mean. So I'm just 379 00:20:43,520 --> 00:20:47,080 Speaker 1: thinking about all those pieces. And then I'm like, okay, well, 380 00:20:47,880 --> 00:20:51,159 Speaker 1: what happens at brunch? There's drinks, right, so and I 381 00:20:51,280 --> 00:20:55,800 Speaker 1: know that also, uh, liquor brands have budgets, so let's 382 00:20:55,840 --> 00:20:57,960 Speaker 1: let's talk to them about that. Butget and let's bring 383 00:20:58,000 --> 00:21:02,480 Speaker 1: all these pieces together. So it's just being for me. 384 00:21:02,600 --> 00:21:04,639 Speaker 1: It's starting with what do I want it to have 385 00:21:04,960 --> 00:21:09,440 Speaker 1: and then who uh that has money that I can 386 00:21:09,480 --> 00:21:37,280 Speaker 1: find too a lot. It's one thing to know who 387 00:21:37,359 --> 00:21:40,200 Speaker 1: you want to partner with for your venture. It's another 388 00:21:40,280 --> 00:21:42,480 Speaker 1: thing to sell them on the idea when they probably 389 00:21:42,480 --> 00:21:46,080 Speaker 1: aren't even thinking about you. So get incorporated buying the 390 00:21:46,200 --> 00:21:49,919 Speaker 1: projects you believe may benefit their brand. How exactly is 391 00:21:50,000 --> 00:21:53,320 Speaker 1: that done? I mean tactically, what are the steps we 392 00:21:53,320 --> 00:21:57,480 Speaker 1: should take? TRYL Thomas speaks on it. So usually I 393 00:21:57,560 --> 00:22:01,639 Speaker 1: put together a debt, you know, a pitch deck, and 394 00:22:01,640 --> 00:22:04,520 Speaker 1: I cater it to to each brand. Um, I mean 395 00:22:04,640 --> 00:22:06,760 Speaker 1: it's I don't have to tweak. Sometimes I tweak a 396 00:22:06,800 --> 00:22:08,639 Speaker 1: page or two, you know what I mean. They're there 397 00:22:08,640 --> 00:22:12,200 Speaker 1: are pieces that go with that can go in every deck, 398 00:22:12,280 --> 00:22:13,959 Speaker 1: but then there are pieces that have to be cared too. 399 00:22:14,000 --> 00:22:16,720 Speaker 1: And I think about to the point of alignment that 400 00:22:16,760 --> 00:22:20,240 Speaker 1: I was talking about. Okay, what does that brand looking for? 401 00:22:20,400 --> 00:22:25,680 Speaker 1: Some brands want as many influencers holding their stuff, posting it, 402 00:22:25,920 --> 00:22:28,400 Speaker 1: talking about it or whatever. Some brands that's what they want. 403 00:22:28,920 --> 00:22:33,480 Speaker 1: Some brands, uh, you know, want to be up. They 404 00:22:33,520 --> 00:22:36,880 Speaker 1: have like a certain amount of of budget that they 405 00:22:36,960 --> 00:22:40,320 Speaker 1: spend to have an event. Okay, how can this event 406 00:22:40,359 --> 00:22:42,760 Speaker 1: become one of those events that they have that they've 407 00:22:42,800 --> 00:22:45,800 Speaker 1: scheduled for right, and then some brands want to know 408 00:22:45,960 --> 00:22:50,880 Speaker 1: about impression. Some brands want to get this many press mentioned. 409 00:22:50,920 --> 00:22:53,800 Speaker 1: So it's just thinking about all of those pieces and 410 00:22:53,880 --> 00:22:56,639 Speaker 1: knowing the brand right, having to do your research. You know, 411 00:22:56,760 --> 00:23:00,679 Speaker 1: don't just reach out to a brand be because you 412 00:23:00,760 --> 00:23:03,679 Speaker 1: saw them on a billboard. It's like, okay, does this 413 00:23:03,800 --> 00:23:09,480 Speaker 1: align with what I'm doing? Stronger lead that aligned Netflix? Okay, cool? Um, 414 00:23:09,560 --> 00:23:12,080 Speaker 1: what are they looking for? You know, they're trying to 415 00:23:12,080 --> 00:23:15,080 Speaker 1: get more people to talk about their event? Okay, I 416 00:23:15,160 --> 00:23:17,480 Speaker 1: know that I have the friends and the contacts that 417 00:23:17,720 --> 00:23:20,720 Speaker 1: you know that have that are in this influential sphere, 418 00:23:21,000 --> 00:23:23,480 Speaker 1: so I and I was going to invite them anyway. 419 00:23:23,520 --> 00:23:26,399 Speaker 1: So now I provide them a hashtag and everything they 420 00:23:26,440 --> 00:23:28,920 Speaker 1: can use and I'll encourage people to use it. So 421 00:23:29,119 --> 00:23:33,360 Speaker 1: it's just being that's when I get strategic, when I'm 422 00:23:33,400 --> 00:23:35,720 Speaker 1: researching their brands, when I'm thinking about what they need 423 00:23:35,800 --> 00:23:38,719 Speaker 1: or what they're looking for. Um. And sometimes it's not 424 00:23:38,760 --> 00:23:41,320 Speaker 1: always what they say that they need, it is what 425 00:23:41,480 --> 00:23:43,800 Speaker 1: I look and I say, this is what you need. 426 00:23:43,920 --> 00:23:46,200 Speaker 1: Sometimes it's telling brands like this is what you need. 427 00:23:46,240 --> 00:23:48,320 Speaker 1: This is what you're missing, and I think people get 428 00:23:48,359 --> 00:23:52,040 Speaker 1: afraid to do that as well. Um, but but you know, 429 00:23:52,600 --> 00:23:54,920 Speaker 1: how will the brand know when they're missing the mark? 430 00:23:55,480 --> 00:23:57,879 Speaker 1: Like if I'm saying I'm providing this cultural event and 431 00:23:57,880 --> 00:24:02,119 Speaker 1: I'm providing these uh movers and shakers within the black community, 432 00:24:02,640 --> 00:24:06,000 Speaker 1: you know, if I can't provide some advice on how 433 00:24:06,119 --> 00:24:09,040 Speaker 1: to reach us, how to connect with us, then what 434 00:24:09,240 --> 00:24:11,520 Speaker 1: is the point? You know? So I'm also telling them 435 00:24:11,560 --> 00:24:15,000 Speaker 1: they I like what you're doing. Here is the way 436 00:24:15,000 --> 00:24:19,080 Speaker 1: that I can amplify it. So are you is it 437 00:24:19,280 --> 00:24:23,840 Speaker 1: working in tandem the getting the brands on board and 438 00:24:24,000 --> 00:24:27,520 Speaker 1: getting the people who the influencer or whoever they need 439 00:24:27,600 --> 00:24:31,480 Speaker 1: at the party, Like how are you strategizing or curating 440 00:24:31,520 --> 00:24:37,399 Speaker 1: the audience, the attendees and the partners? Yeah? Sure. So 441 00:24:38,320 --> 00:24:41,040 Speaker 1: I'll give a more recent example. Um, I partnered with 442 00:24:41,119 --> 00:24:44,639 Speaker 1: Warner Brothers for Juice in the Black Messiah, which I 443 00:24:44,640 --> 00:24:46,359 Speaker 1: don't know if you've seen the business, I've seen it. 444 00:24:47,960 --> 00:24:51,520 Speaker 1: The best movie I've seen the all years so far. Yeah, man, 445 00:24:51,680 --> 00:24:55,720 Speaker 1: so so so good. Um, Well with them, you know, 446 00:24:55,720 --> 00:24:57,920 Speaker 1: and I thought I got to see the film early, 447 00:24:58,880 --> 00:25:00,879 Speaker 1: so they sent me a screen I watched the film, 448 00:25:01,200 --> 00:25:04,760 Speaker 1: and I just thought about the people in my network 449 00:25:04,800 --> 00:25:08,639 Speaker 1: who would appreciate it, you know, um, who it resonates with, 450 00:25:08,720 --> 00:25:13,679 Speaker 1: who's on their Instagram, on their Twitter, on their you know, 451 00:25:13,880 --> 00:25:18,280 Speaker 1: Facebook or TikTok, who's talking about things that align with 452 00:25:18,320 --> 00:25:22,000 Speaker 1: this film. You know. So it's really just thinking about 453 00:25:22,040 --> 00:25:25,640 Speaker 1: those and and and the great thing about this too 454 00:25:25,920 --> 00:25:29,000 Speaker 1: is me providing this space. The event that I provide 455 00:25:29,080 --> 00:25:32,160 Speaker 1: gives the brand a chance to activate people as well. 456 00:25:32,320 --> 00:25:33,959 Speaker 1: They want to they want to talk to. So they 457 00:25:34,040 --> 00:25:37,000 Speaker 1: might have a list of people that they haven't really 458 00:25:37,040 --> 00:25:40,640 Speaker 1: known how to approach, but now they can approach them 459 00:25:40,680 --> 00:25:43,560 Speaker 1: through my vehicle of the Black Excellence frunt if that 460 00:25:43,600 --> 00:25:48,760 Speaker 1: makes anything. That So it's providing uh uh space for 461 00:25:48,840 --> 00:25:52,760 Speaker 1: them to reach out to people that they wouldn't have 462 00:25:52,840 --> 00:25:57,560 Speaker 1: a reason to necessarily before. And you know, they're they're 463 00:25:57,600 --> 00:26:00,680 Speaker 1: able to lean in. Um Fortunately, at least so many 464 00:26:00,680 --> 00:26:03,520 Speaker 1: people know about the Black Excellence Brunch and if they 465 00:26:03,560 --> 00:26:06,520 Speaker 1: haven't come, they know they know somebody who's come or 466 00:26:06,560 --> 00:26:10,560 Speaker 1: who's spoken at it. And so when when you mentioned that, 467 00:26:11,000 --> 00:26:14,320 Speaker 1: it's like people's ears pregnant, like okay, you know, and 468 00:26:14,320 --> 00:26:19,399 Speaker 1: they don't And it's and it's also less transaction for 469 00:26:19,480 --> 00:26:22,440 Speaker 1: the brand because you've given somebody something that they want 470 00:26:22,560 --> 00:26:26,280 Speaker 1: versus just asking them for something. Can you can you 471 00:26:26,480 --> 00:26:28,960 Speaker 1: uh to use a to like, for lack of a 472 00:26:29,000 --> 00:26:33,159 Speaker 1: better word, sell a person who you want in the 473 00:26:33,280 --> 00:26:37,199 Speaker 1: audience that you don't know. If you, let's say, you 474 00:26:37,240 --> 00:26:40,560 Speaker 1: know that this person should be here because judas in 475 00:26:40,600 --> 00:26:43,560 Speaker 1: the black mood sign, Oh your brand on Instagram or 476 00:26:43,560 --> 00:26:46,120 Speaker 1: TikTok or whatever, you need to be at this party, 477 00:26:46,200 --> 00:26:48,200 Speaker 1: but you don't know them. How do you then get 478 00:26:48,240 --> 00:26:53,600 Speaker 1: them there? Yeah? Well number I feel. I definitely believe 479 00:26:53,680 --> 00:26:56,520 Speaker 1: that there are six greeks of separation and they're less 480 00:26:56,800 --> 00:26:58,760 Speaker 1: and when you get in places like Los Angeles and 481 00:26:58,760 --> 00:27:02,520 Speaker 1: New York is probably like three. Um. And so I 482 00:27:02,720 --> 00:27:04,879 Speaker 1: reach out to people, you know, I reach out to 483 00:27:04,920 --> 00:27:07,400 Speaker 1: people or I reach out to someone that I know 484 00:27:08,119 --> 00:27:10,000 Speaker 1: that I do have a relationship with that has a 485 00:27:10,040 --> 00:27:15,480 Speaker 1: relationship with them. Um. And sometimes I tell the brand like, hey, 486 00:27:15,920 --> 00:27:18,800 Speaker 1: you know, which is another additive right for me to 487 00:27:18,840 --> 00:27:21,040 Speaker 1: be able to put together a list for the brand 488 00:27:21,080 --> 00:27:23,359 Speaker 1: and say this is who you should have there and 489 00:27:23,440 --> 00:27:26,919 Speaker 1: I know this because I'm tapped in because I you know. 490 00:27:27,359 --> 00:27:30,560 Speaker 1: So then they're like, oh, super appreciate that I did 491 00:27:30,640 --> 00:27:34,600 Speaker 1: that research and net work, and they use their you know, uh, 492 00:27:34,840 --> 00:27:36,760 Speaker 1: the way they throw their way around a little bit 493 00:27:36,800 --> 00:27:40,200 Speaker 1: and say, you know, it's different for Will to reach 494 00:27:40,240 --> 00:27:44,760 Speaker 1: out versus for Netflix to reach out right, um, and 495 00:27:44,800 --> 00:27:46,560 Speaker 1: so that looks a little bit different, but they don't 496 00:27:46,560 --> 00:27:48,560 Speaker 1: know that Will is the one that whispered the Netflix 497 00:27:48,600 --> 00:27:52,320 Speaker 1: is here, so and then it's a win win And 498 00:27:52,359 --> 00:27:56,320 Speaker 1: now that's someone who not only is supporting the film, 499 00:27:56,359 --> 00:27:59,240 Speaker 1: it's also they're also now supporting the Black Excellence Brunch. 500 00:27:59,800 --> 00:28:02,640 Speaker 1: And so I actually like it sometimes when it's like that. 501 00:28:03,880 --> 00:28:07,320 Speaker 1: I was reading an article and you talked about um, 502 00:28:07,560 --> 00:28:10,840 Speaker 1: you work on things that convict you, like if you 503 00:28:10,880 --> 00:28:14,480 Speaker 1: feel convicted about it, and only can when you feel 504 00:28:14,480 --> 00:28:18,680 Speaker 1: convicted truly about it. That's when you go in, UM, 505 00:28:18,880 --> 00:28:21,040 Speaker 1: talk to me about like that, because you you you 506 00:28:21,080 --> 00:28:24,320 Speaker 1: did mention earlier, Like you know, you don't have to 507 00:28:24,359 --> 00:28:27,160 Speaker 1: take every opportunity you can. You can walk away talk 508 00:28:27,200 --> 00:28:30,560 Speaker 1: to me about what convicts you and how you recommend 509 00:28:30,680 --> 00:28:34,679 Speaker 1: other people pursue that conviction versus just taking opportunities for 510 00:28:34,760 --> 00:28:41,240 Speaker 1: the take of opportunity. Man, Yes, I I definitely only 511 00:28:41,520 --> 00:28:43,800 Speaker 1: I tell people people always ask it, what do you 512 00:28:43,840 --> 00:28:45,920 Speaker 1: do you know, and I tell people at this point 513 00:28:45,960 --> 00:28:47,840 Speaker 1: in my life, I do things that I'm passionate about 514 00:28:47,840 --> 00:28:50,040 Speaker 1: with people and causes that I'm passionate about that I 515 00:28:50,080 --> 00:28:54,000 Speaker 1: care about, and that's the truth. And I feel that's taking, 516 00:28:54,280 --> 00:28:57,600 Speaker 1: you know, years of learning and unlearning to get to 517 00:28:57,640 --> 00:29:01,560 Speaker 1: that point, right. Um. But you know, I'm of the 518 00:29:01,600 --> 00:29:05,480 Speaker 1: mind that we have one life to live well, and 519 00:29:05,520 --> 00:29:08,760 Speaker 1: we have to live it on our terms. And I 520 00:29:08,840 --> 00:29:11,280 Speaker 1: realized that there was a lot of my life that 521 00:29:11,320 --> 00:29:15,400 Speaker 1: I was living on somebody else's terms. So it was 522 00:29:15,800 --> 00:29:18,840 Speaker 1: the really I started asking myself a bunch of questions. 523 00:29:18,920 --> 00:29:21,720 Speaker 1: You know, I have that journalism background, and anybody that 524 00:29:21,720 --> 00:29:23,160 Speaker 1: that's closed to me, we'll tell you that I asked 525 00:29:23,160 --> 00:29:26,440 Speaker 1: a ton of questions. But I started asking myself questions, 526 00:29:26,720 --> 00:29:30,120 Speaker 1: are you excited about this? What? What do you like 527 00:29:30,240 --> 00:29:32,120 Speaker 1: about this? What don't you like about this? If you 528 00:29:32,200 --> 00:29:34,560 Speaker 1: weren't doing this, what else would you be doing? You know, 529 00:29:34,680 --> 00:29:37,760 Speaker 1: just questions like that that were really challenging me to 530 00:29:37,920 --> 00:29:42,920 Speaker 1: be to have real conversations with myself. And as a result, 531 00:29:42,960 --> 00:29:46,600 Speaker 1: I just started to discover and uncover things about what 532 00:29:46,680 --> 00:29:50,080 Speaker 1: I liked and what I didn't like. And once I 533 00:29:50,160 --> 00:29:54,080 Speaker 1: really got to the core of who I am and 534 00:29:54,080 --> 00:29:56,960 Speaker 1: and and and granted I'm not like I haven't arrived 535 00:29:57,280 --> 00:30:01,040 Speaker 1: totally yet. I'm still you know, tat seeing you know, 536 00:30:01,360 --> 00:30:05,360 Speaker 1: but I will say that I'm a lot closer to me. Like, 537 00:30:05,400 --> 00:30:07,880 Speaker 1: what you get, what you're getting on this zoom is trail. 538 00:30:08,160 --> 00:30:10,280 Speaker 1: You know what I'm saying. I can confidently say that 539 00:30:10,440 --> 00:30:12,800 Speaker 1: whereas five years ago I couldn't. You were getting a 540 00:30:12,840 --> 00:30:16,200 Speaker 1: little bit of trail, a little trails, mama, summer trails, 541 00:30:16,200 --> 00:30:18,200 Speaker 1: best friends in college, you know what I mean? You 542 00:30:18,200 --> 00:30:20,080 Speaker 1: would get in a piece of that. And I think 543 00:30:20,280 --> 00:30:22,840 Speaker 1: all those people are still with me, but now I 544 00:30:22,840 --> 00:30:27,920 Speaker 1: can run them through the filter of myself. Um. And 545 00:30:28,000 --> 00:30:30,360 Speaker 1: so what I would encourage people to do is have 546 00:30:30,480 --> 00:30:35,520 Speaker 1: those hard conversations with you. I read this quote today, UM, 547 00:30:35,600 --> 00:30:40,040 Speaker 1: and it really resonated with me. It's like you, you 548 00:30:40,080 --> 00:30:43,560 Speaker 1: are the only person that you have to spend all 549 00:30:43,600 --> 00:30:45,720 Speaker 1: of your time with. Why are you're not in love 550 00:30:45,760 --> 00:30:49,200 Speaker 1: with yourself yet? And but it really hit me hard 551 00:30:49,320 --> 00:30:54,200 Speaker 1: because I'm like, yo, we spend so much time trying, 552 00:30:54,400 --> 00:30:58,480 Speaker 1: like disliking things about ourselves, yet we have to spend 553 00:30:58,720 --> 00:31:01,440 Speaker 1: all this time with our We should be in you, 554 00:31:01,520 --> 00:31:04,600 Speaker 1: We should wake up and be in love. I should 555 00:31:04,640 --> 00:31:08,000 Speaker 1: every day like try. I love you so much, you 556 00:31:08,040 --> 00:31:11,680 Speaker 1: know what I mean. And I think that for me, 557 00:31:12,280 --> 00:31:15,840 Speaker 1: this that self discovery has has been. That has been, 558 00:31:16,200 --> 00:31:19,360 Speaker 1: you know, unlearning, Like I said, a lot of things 559 00:31:19,440 --> 00:31:21,800 Speaker 1: that I was taught or told that I should be 560 00:31:21,880 --> 00:31:24,160 Speaker 1: and I shouldn't be. Like even the concept that life 561 00:31:24,240 --> 00:31:28,000 Speaker 1: is is hard. You know how many times have you 562 00:31:28,080 --> 00:31:31,200 Speaker 1: said that just based on what somebody else has told you? 563 00:31:32,000 --> 00:31:34,520 Speaker 1: But that's you know, that's not true. Life does not 564 00:31:34,600 --> 00:31:37,520 Speaker 1: have to be hard, you know what I mean. And 565 00:31:37,600 --> 00:31:39,800 Speaker 1: so it's just it was just unlearning a lot of 566 00:31:39,840 --> 00:31:42,720 Speaker 1: those things. And once you get to that point, UM, 567 00:31:43,520 --> 00:31:46,520 Speaker 1: where you are comfortable with you, where you're asking yourself 568 00:31:46,520 --> 00:31:49,320 Speaker 1: the hard questions, where you've taken the time to learn 569 00:31:49,360 --> 00:31:51,680 Speaker 1: what you like and unlearn what you don't like, then 570 00:31:52,040 --> 00:31:53,920 Speaker 1: you know you can be a lot more intentional and 571 00:31:53,960 --> 00:31:56,600 Speaker 1: you can work on things that you are passionate about 572 00:31:56,920 --> 00:31:59,120 Speaker 1: um and that you know make you come alive, and 573 00:31:59,640 --> 00:32:03,720 Speaker 1: you're okay walking away from anything that is not aligned 574 00:32:03,720 --> 00:32:07,120 Speaker 1: with that. So I imagine it's easy for a lot 575 00:32:07,160 --> 00:32:09,800 Speaker 1: of people to hear you say you know you do 576 00:32:09,920 --> 00:32:12,560 Speaker 1: things you love with people or things you love and 577 00:32:12,560 --> 00:32:15,200 Speaker 1: you're passionate about, right, But they they look at their 578 00:32:15,240 --> 00:32:16,800 Speaker 1: like me, Oh, if it was that easy, you know, 579 00:32:16,880 --> 00:32:19,000 Speaker 1: we always just go do things we love people that 580 00:32:19,080 --> 00:32:21,400 Speaker 1: we you know, are passionate about it. But how do 581 00:32:21,440 --> 00:32:25,360 Speaker 1: you how do you know that people want what it 582 00:32:25,480 --> 00:32:30,320 Speaker 1: is that you're passionate about because you still gotta eat. Yeah, 583 00:32:30,480 --> 00:32:33,640 Speaker 1: Oh that's a great question, and it is. It is 584 00:32:33,760 --> 00:32:39,880 Speaker 1: really just um, I feel like and I always get 585 00:32:39,960 --> 00:32:42,280 Speaker 1: really kind of you know, in my head when I 586 00:32:42,320 --> 00:32:47,040 Speaker 1: answered this question, because um, I understand. So they're practical, 587 00:32:47,960 --> 00:32:52,440 Speaker 1: logical thinkers, right, realists if you will. And then they're 588 00:32:52,560 --> 00:32:55,800 Speaker 1: optimists people who just believe that. And I tend to 589 00:32:55,800 --> 00:32:59,360 Speaker 1: to to leave weigh over on the optimist side, So 590 00:32:59,400 --> 00:33:02,680 Speaker 1: I think sometimes just hard for for realists to understand that. 591 00:33:02,760 --> 00:33:07,600 Speaker 1: But I think simply put it, like, you know, going 592 00:33:07,640 --> 00:33:09,240 Speaker 1: back to what I was talking about, what's for you? 593 00:33:09,320 --> 00:33:12,640 Speaker 1: It's for you, It's I don't I think people life 594 00:33:12,680 --> 00:33:16,360 Speaker 1: becomes hard for people or things become difficult when you 595 00:33:16,480 --> 00:33:19,680 Speaker 1: desire something that is not in line with you, that 596 00:33:19,880 --> 00:33:22,880 Speaker 1: is not for you. Right when I'm wanting what what's 597 00:33:22,920 --> 00:33:26,200 Speaker 1: for Will? When I'm trying to ride in Will's lane? 598 00:33:26,440 --> 00:33:29,080 Speaker 1: Then yeah, it's hard for me, you know what I mean, 599 00:33:29,080 --> 00:33:31,719 Speaker 1: because I'm not I don't have all the tools in 600 00:33:31,720 --> 00:33:35,240 Speaker 1: my toolbox that will has. So when it's time for 601 00:33:35,240 --> 00:33:36,720 Speaker 1: you to use the hammer, you can use the ham. 602 00:33:36,920 --> 00:33:39,160 Speaker 1: But if I haven't gotten that, or if if that's 603 00:33:39,160 --> 00:33:41,440 Speaker 1: not in my tool box then or a different kind 604 00:33:41,480 --> 00:33:43,560 Speaker 1: of hammer, you've got a different kind of hammer than 605 00:33:43,600 --> 00:33:45,800 Speaker 1: I got, Right, it's hard for me to do it 606 00:33:45,840 --> 00:33:48,400 Speaker 1: with with the wrong hammer or the wrong wrench or 607 00:33:48,440 --> 00:33:50,800 Speaker 1: the wrong screw. You know what I'm saying. And so 608 00:33:50,920 --> 00:33:55,840 Speaker 1: I think that and social media makes this uh amplifi 609 00:33:55,880 --> 00:33:59,920 Speaker 1: asis right, people coverting what other people have, people wanting 610 00:34:00,080 --> 00:34:02,240 Speaker 1: to get to this place. Even when I say I 611 00:34:02,320 --> 00:34:05,760 Speaker 1: do things I love that you know, with people I love, 612 00:34:06,640 --> 00:34:11,080 Speaker 1: I'm not telling people you know, to only do what 613 00:34:11,200 --> 00:34:14,279 Speaker 1: I do. What I am saying is that when you 614 00:34:14,360 --> 00:34:17,840 Speaker 1: are aligned with who you are, when you are I 615 00:34:17,960 --> 00:34:21,400 Speaker 1: have done the inner work, when you are moving in 616 00:34:21,560 --> 00:34:26,439 Speaker 1: your purpose, it'll fit. Things will work out. And then 617 00:34:26,680 --> 00:34:29,879 Speaker 1: you can't say, oh, I'm doing things I love with 618 00:34:29,960 --> 00:34:33,600 Speaker 1: people I love, right, because it's aligned with you. Um, 619 00:34:33,640 --> 00:34:36,759 Speaker 1: but that doesn't always look like what's what's with me? 620 00:34:36,960 --> 00:34:42,239 Speaker 1: What's for for for me? Or for you. And the 621 00:34:42,360 --> 00:34:44,239 Speaker 1: last thing I'll say about that is, you know, to 622 00:34:44,280 --> 00:34:48,800 Speaker 1: your point where people have to eat, um, I do. 623 00:34:49,400 --> 00:34:54,840 Speaker 1: I'm I've done every single kind of anything, right, like 624 00:34:54,960 --> 00:35:00,719 Speaker 1: from working at McDonald's to you know, working with Presidental 625 00:35:00,719 --> 00:35:05,040 Speaker 1: bomb Like I've done all sorts of things. Um. But 626 00:35:05,320 --> 00:35:09,759 Speaker 1: what I take taking with me in every single uh 627 00:35:10,160 --> 00:35:13,160 Speaker 1: thing that I that I did, I when I've always 628 00:35:13,160 --> 00:35:15,279 Speaker 1: felt something that I was I always found something that 629 00:35:15,320 --> 00:35:18,840 Speaker 1: I was passionate about within it. That's one thing. So 630 00:35:19,200 --> 00:35:22,720 Speaker 1: you know at McDonald's, I hated cleaning the ice cream machine, 631 00:35:23,000 --> 00:35:27,160 Speaker 1: but I love talking love, you know, making people happy 632 00:35:27,239 --> 00:35:29,759 Speaker 1: and talking to people through the drive through. And it 633 00:35:29,880 --> 00:35:32,640 Speaker 1: was something about like getting on that intercom and like 634 00:35:32,840 --> 00:35:35,440 Speaker 1: hearing people's voices and talking to them and then seeing 635 00:35:35,440 --> 00:35:37,400 Speaker 1: them when they came around the corner. I loved that, 636 00:35:37,840 --> 00:35:39,319 Speaker 1: and so I was always like, oh, let me do 637 00:35:39,360 --> 00:35:40,839 Speaker 1: work to drive through, Let me work to drive through, 638 00:35:40,880 --> 00:35:42,840 Speaker 1: let me work to drive through. And then it became 639 00:35:43,000 --> 00:35:45,600 Speaker 1: something that I was excited to do, you know what 640 00:35:45,680 --> 00:35:49,200 Speaker 1: I mean. So if you are a person who does 641 00:35:49,440 --> 00:35:52,719 Speaker 1: isn't necessarily is of the mind like, well, I have 642 00:35:52,800 --> 00:35:54,920 Speaker 1: to eat, so I have to work this job. I 643 00:35:55,000 --> 00:35:58,160 Speaker 1: challenge people to find something within that space, within what 644 00:35:58,200 --> 00:36:00,440 Speaker 1: they're doing that they love and that they can gravitate 645 00:36:00,960 --> 00:36:03,440 Speaker 1: and guess what that will take you to the next space. 646 00:36:03,960 --> 00:36:07,120 Speaker 1: You know. There's whenever I got to a point of, 647 00:36:07,800 --> 00:36:11,319 Speaker 1: you know, feeling good about what I was doing, I 648 00:36:11,440 --> 00:36:16,000 Speaker 1: often graduated to the next level of my life. Um. 649 00:36:16,080 --> 00:36:18,600 Speaker 1: And so that is the advice that I would that 650 00:36:18,640 --> 00:36:21,960 Speaker 1: I would give people. And then once you figure it out, 651 00:36:22,040 --> 00:36:25,040 Speaker 1: once you get that formula down, once you are are 652 00:36:25,239 --> 00:36:29,080 Speaker 1: moving and you are aligning, then only the things that 653 00:36:29,120 --> 00:36:31,360 Speaker 1: you love will start coming to you and you'll be 654 00:36:31,400 --> 00:36:35,360 Speaker 1: able to work on those. And I hope that makes sense. Yeah, 655 00:36:35,880 --> 00:36:39,719 Speaker 1: how have you learned, um, to keep the momentum of 656 00:36:39,760 --> 00:36:44,680 Speaker 1: an event alive in between cycles like that? What are 657 00:36:44,680 --> 00:36:46,520 Speaker 1: the tactics like? What do you what do you actually 658 00:36:46,640 --> 00:36:49,719 Speaker 1: do to build the hype for the next one four 659 00:36:49,800 --> 00:36:55,640 Speaker 1: months after the event? The last one is over five months? Yeah, man, um, honestly, 660 00:36:57,040 --> 00:37:01,320 Speaker 1: I so I'll talk about the Black ex Unch in particular, 661 00:37:01,480 --> 00:37:03,440 Speaker 1: and um, there are a few things that I was 662 00:37:03,520 --> 00:37:08,799 Speaker 1: very intentional about. One is I was intentional about not 663 00:37:09,320 --> 00:37:13,680 Speaker 1: like curating the guest list, not curating, no, curing the 664 00:37:13,680 --> 00:37:15,960 Speaker 1: guest I was about to say, not just inviting people, 665 00:37:16,920 --> 00:37:19,680 Speaker 1: curing the guests. I was very intentional that I wanted 666 00:37:19,719 --> 00:37:22,560 Speaker 1: to curate the guest list. I want to to uh 667 00:37:22,920 --> 00:37:26,560 Speaker 1: put together this you know, dream team of people that 668 00:37:26,960 --> 00:37:33,239 Speaker 1: would attend this event. And unintentionally that created kind of 669 00:37:33,280 --> 00:37:36,360 Speaker 1: an exclusivity. So people are like, wait, how do I 670 00:37:36,600 --> 00:37:38,360 Speaker 1: how did you? Where did that come from? What? What? 671 00:37:38,480 --> 00:37:39,840 Speaker 1: How did you get invite to that? You know what 672 00:37:39,920 --> 00:37:44,359 Speaker 1: I mean? Um? And with that, I also only sent 673 00:37:44,440 --> 00:37:47,880 Speaker 1: the invites out a week before the event happened. M hm, 674 00:37:49,120 --> 00:37:55,719 Speaker 1: So I was about like I sent people. Uh basically, 675 00:37:55,800 --> 00:38:00,520 Speaker 1: I message people the event UH invite seven day years before. 676 00:38:00,640 --> 00:38:02,880 Speaker 1: I just message everybody saying, hey, I really want you 677 00:38:02,920 --> 00:38:05,600 Speaker 1: to be here. UM, this is something special for me. 678 00:38:05,640 --> 00:38:08,640 Speaker 1: I want to celebrate you and honor you. Uh. There 679 00:38:08,719 --> 00:38:11,319 Speaker 1: here it is. And people are usually pretty responsive to 680 00:38:11,360 --> 00:38:15,919 Speaker 1: that and so um and I didn't want people sharing it, 681 00:38:17,160 --> 00:38:20,279 Speaker 1: which is the reason why I did. I didn't want, 682 00:38:20,560 --> 00:38:22,840 Speaker 1: you know, to send it two weeks three weeks in advance, 683 00:38:22,920 --> 00:38:26,160 Speaker 1: and then I have everybody in there and their brother 684 00:38:26,239 --> 00:38:28,320 Speaker 1: and sister showing up at the door, you know, because 685 00:38:28,320 --> 00:38:32,319 Speaker 1: I was doing it especially especially for specific people. So 686 00:38:32,680 --> 00:38:35,279 Speaker 1: that's another thing. And that creates this air of like 687 00:38:36,120 --> 00:38:43,680 Speaker 1: mysterious around the event. And then, um, the third thing, 688 00:38:44,080 --> 00:38:47,799 Speaker 1: uh with social media, you know everything right now, and 689 00:38:48,560 --> 00:38:51,680 Speaker 1: I didn't put anything on social media. People only learned 690 00:38:51,680 --> 00:38:59,240 Speaker 1: about the event after it happened. And that those things, 691 00:38:59,320 --> 00:39:01,920 Speaker 1: those three things with the Black Excellence PROUDJEC in particular, 692 00:39:02,480 --> 00:39:07,359 Speaker 1: really helped it grow because I had people texting me, 693 00:39:07,960 --> 00:39:10,320 Speaker 1: calling me, asking other people like how can I get that? 694 00:39:10,400 --> 00:39:13,200 Speaker 1: How do I be a part of that? Like who's who? 695 00:39:13,880 --> 00:39:15,479 Speaker 1: Like what do I need to do? I have people 696 00:39:15,520 --> 00:39:19,239 Speaker 1: submit their resume to me UM to come to a 697 00:39:19,320 --> 00:39:23,160 Speaker 1: brunch and and really it's an I'm honored you know 698 00:39:23,200 --> 00:39:27,120 Speaker 1: that people want to come. But uh, again, it was 699 00:39:27,200 --> 00:39:33,800 Speaker 1: just me curating something to uplift, uh people that I 700 00:39:33,920 --> 00:39:37,320 Speaker 1: felt were black and excellent. And I'm just being intentional 701 00:39:37,360 --> 00:39:40,440 Speaker 1: about that space. And I'm I'm very protective of the 702 00:39:40,520 --> 00:39:42,759 Speaker 1: energy of the space, you know, I want to know 703 00:39:43,480 --> 00:39:46,200 Speaker 1: who is in there and what kind of energy that 704 00:39:46,280 --> 00:39:48,440 Speaker 1: they're they're bringing with them, and so I wanted to 705 00:39:48,480 --> 00:39:53,200 Speaker 1: really protect that UM and yeah, and so it just 706 00:39:54,120 --> 00:39:58,280 Speaker 1: that coupled with the rollout of like seeing all these 707 00:39:58,360 --> 00:40:02,880 Speaker 1: beautiful pictures after word and all these things that helped 708 00:40:03,200 --> 00:40:05,439 Speaker 1: really drum up the support for and people were waiting 709 00:40:05,480 --> 00:40:08,120 Speaker 1: for the next one, knowing that they either they wouldn't 710 00:40:08,160 --> 00:40:11,080 Speaker 1: find out until seven days before the event or they 711 00:40:11,200 --> 00:40:17,560 Speaker 1: might or might not get Yeah. Wow, Um, how important 712 00:40:17,880 --> 00:40:21,520 Speaker 1: is this moment in time? And I mean this moment 713 00:40:21,560 --> 00:40:26,120 Speaker 1: of COVID, this moment of UM racial uprising, this moment 714 00:40:26,160 --> 00:40:29,880 Speaker 1: of this like what is how important is this moment 715 00:40:29,960 --> 00:40:35,200 Speaker 1: in time for black opportunity for us to take advantage 716 00:40:35,440 --> 00:40:39,600 Speaker 1: of the things that we want. This moment is very important. 717 00:40:40,480 --> 00:40:44,719 Speaker 1: It is it is our time. And I don't say 718 00:40:44,760 --> 00:40:51,320 Speaker 1: that in uh a cliche way. It is definitely our time, 719 00:40:51,520 --> 00:40:55,160 Speaker 1: you know. Um, I think that you know the there's 720 00:40:55,200 --> 00:40:57,760 Speaker 1: a the rest of all the pieces of the recipe 721 00:40:57,760 --> 00:41:03,920 Speaker 1: have come together, right like there is UM spotlight on 722 00:41:04,200 --> 00:41:09,600 Speaker 1: the black community. There is all this opportunity UM to elevate. 723 00:41:10,000 --> 00:41:14,319 Speaker 1: There is UM there are You have the ears and 724 00:41:14,400 --> 00:41:17,160 Speaker 1: the eyes of a lot of people that you didn't 725 00:41:17,200 --> 00:41:20,440 Speaker 1: have the ears and the eyes of before. And the 726 00:41:20,560 --> 00:41:25,920 Speaker 1: most you know, the most valuable thing about this moment 727 00:41:26,680 --> 00:41:31,319 Speaker 1: is that you have this We have this voice. Right 728 00:41:31,360 --> 00:41:35,880 Speaker 1: if we've ever felt voiceless, now we have this voice, 729 00:41:35,920 --> 00:41:38,880 Speaker 1: you know, and you shouldn't and and we should proudly 730 00:41:38,920 --> 00:41:44,359 Speaker 1: and confidently walk into spaces now, you know, um, if 731 00:41:44,400 --> 00:41:46,920 Speaker 1: we've ever been able to before, now is the time 732 00:41:47,000 --> 00:41:49,759 Speaker 1: to to walk in with your head held high, with 733 00:41:49,920 --> 00:41:53,600 Speaker 1: your chest out and ask for those things that that 734 00:41:53,719 --> 00:41:56,960 Speaker 1: not only you want, but that you deserve. Um. And 735 00:41:57,000 --> 00:42:00,520 Speaker 1: I think that is what this moment is a US 736 00:42:00,560 --> 00:42:18,439 Speaker 1: and we have to take advantage of black Tech. Green 737 00:42:18,440 --> 00:42:20,520 Speaker 1: Money is a production of Black of the Afro Tech 738 00:42:20,600 --> 00:42:24,279 Speaker 1: on the Black Deffect podcast network and Our Media. It's 739 00:42:24,320 --> 00:42:28,360 Speaker 1: produced by Morgan Dabon and me Will Lucas, with additional 740 00:42:28,400 --> 00:42:32,359 Speaker 1: production support by Love Beach and Raven Neerport. Special thank 741 00:42:32,400 --> 00:42:34,680 Speaker 1: you to Michael Davis and some car savan Yan you 742 00:42:34,719 --> 00:42:38,359 Speaker 1: know like the wine. Yes that's his real name. Learn 743 00:42:38,400 --> 00:42:40,920 Speaker 1: more about my guests and other tech disrupts and innovators 744 00:42:40,960 --> 00:42:45,680 Speaker 1: at afro tech dot com. Go get your money, Piece 745 00:42:45,760 --> 00:42:46,080 Speaker 1: of Love