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Speaker 1: Afrotech Conference is back and return to AIDS Town, Houston, Texas,

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Speaker 1: from October twenty seven through thirty first, twenty twenty five

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Speaker 1: at the George R. Brown Convention Center. For years, Afrotech

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Speaker 1: has been to go to experience for black tech innovators, founders, engineers,

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Speaker 1: creators and investors. In twenty twenty five is shaping up

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Speaker 1: to be the biggest year yet, though with fortyzery to

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Speaker 1: ten hees expected. This year's conference will feature five days

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Speaker 1: of dynamic programming across six curator stages from discovery to

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Speaker 1: executive leadership. Join us to hear from industry leaders at

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Speaker 1: the forefront of change, learn from top ten engineers and designers,

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Speaker 1: and connect with recruiters from nearly two hundred companies. This year,

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Speaker 1: we're digging deeper into what's next with tracks exploring AI

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Speaker 1: and machine learning, med tech and health equity, cybersecurity, climate tech,

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Speaker 1: and much more. Whether you're launching your first startup, pivoting

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Speaker 1: into a new role, or scaling as an execut there's

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Speaker 1: something here for you. Tickets are moving fast to keep

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Speaker 1: your spot nowt at afrotech Conference dot Com.

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Speaker 2: We'll look us.

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Speaker 1: Here at Black Tech, Green Money. I'm excited about today

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Speaker 1: show because this guy is part of one of the

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Speaker 1: funniest collectives on the internet. Jonathan Newton's co founder and

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Speaker 1: chief creative Officer at dream Con and a member of

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Speaker 1: our DC world, which is all about making the fans laugh.

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Speaker 1: That's what they're about. Their job is to make you

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Speaker 1: laugh and provide entertainment through skids, vlogs, short films, and more.

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Speaker 1: Dream Con, for its part, is a premier entertainment convention

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Speaker 1: founded by artc World dream Con unit's enthusiasts globally to

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Speaker 1: celebrate gaming, anime, sports, film, music, and pop culture while

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Speaker 1: fostering inclusivity, and it sensed to belonging.

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Speaker 2: Welcome John, Hey, Hey, thanks for the introduction. Absolutely to

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Speaker 2: be here, man, I think it's gonna be good. And

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Speaker 2: what you're doing as well.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, yes, and that's why we wanted you here to

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Speaker 1: talk about what you're doing. So I think I want

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Speaker 1: to start here. So in high school, friends told you guys,

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Speaker 1: and I've heard it even also, like anime is not cool.

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Speaker 1: It's cool now, but I it was not cool you

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Speaker 1: know when we were coming up. How much of dream

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Speaker 1: kind is about reclaiming that narrative and provide you know,

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Speaker 1: proving that black people and black fans of anime, you know,

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Speaker 1: have a have a space in geek culture.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, for sure.

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Speaker 3: I think with dream Con, you know, it's it's a

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Speaker 3: cultivation of all the people that either dealt.

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Speaker 2: With similar you know hard then in high school, middle.

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Speaker 3: School or whatever, where you know, it wasn't as mainstream

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Speaker 3: or as open minded to just be into these certain

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Speaker 3: things once you got you know, once you get first

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Speaker 3: past a certain age, you know how you just know

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Speaker 3: how we be sometime man, you too old to be

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Speaker 3: this and that you feel me and so you know,

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Speaker 3: when you get to under those type of social pressures,

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Speaker 3: you tend to keep it to yourself, stay more reserved

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Speaker 3: for those specific things, and really just indulge in those

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Speaker 3: things in your own.

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Speaker 2: Private space at home.

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Speaker 3: So with dream Time, it's really cool to see that,

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Speaker 3: you know, we were able to use that same energy

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Speaker 3: things that we've dealt with while we was growing up

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Speaker 3: and really just provide a location, a space for all

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Speaker 3: those people with life planning individuals to all just kind

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Speaker 3: of show up together and just be open with it

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Speaker 3: when you know, because you know, I think growing up

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Speaker 3: they thinking like we got to keep to ourselves. Well,

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Speaker 3: now I'm in a space of other people who've all

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Speaker 3: done the same thing. Hold on, like, we don't got

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Speaker 3: to do that no more. And now the world is

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Speaker 3: kind of like acknowledging it, you know, it's impossible to

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Speaker 3: ignore it. So yeah, I think that's really a big

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Speaker 3: part of dream kind of how it got started, and yeah,

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Speaker 3: support of it.

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Speaker 1: Yeah. And so you've gone from numbers of eight hundred

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Speaker 1: people in twenty eighteen to thirty four thousand just this

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Speaker 1: past year. And so when did you realize that you

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Speaker 1: had gone from just a convention to like this was

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Speaker 1: a movement or the culture.

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Speaker 3: I think, I mean really honestly, for us, we felt

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Speaker 3: like that was like that way from the very beginning,

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Speaker 3: you know. And but I think once we kind of

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Speaker 3: transitioned to going from Austin, I mean from we was

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Speaker 3: in like the Dallas area and we moved to Austin,

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Speaker 3: and it was like a really large jump, and you know,

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Speaker 3: we were from like six thousand people to twenty so

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Speaker 3: it was like a really big growth and we really

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Speaker 3: were like, man, like, you know, they're gonna stick around

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Speaker 3: for a while, right, So at first, when we had

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Speaker 3: the first year to a hunder people, we expected I

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Speaker 3: just transparently. The first year, we thought we were going

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Speaker 3: to have ten thousand people. So whenever we had eight hundred,

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Speaker 3: you're like, oh, man, I guess it really wasn't you know,

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Speaker 3: as many people as we thought. But we just kept

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Speaker 3: sticking to it and it just started growing and growing

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Speaker 3: and growing and made it.

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Speaker 1: What made you stick with it when you thought it

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Speaker 1: was gonna be ten thousand you get eight hundred most people, you.

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Speaker 4: Know, Yeah, I would say that the thing that made

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Speaker 4: us stick with it was the fact that, you know,

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Speaker 4: on the contents side, like even though in person, you know,

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Speaker 4: we only had injury people us as a collective, and

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Speaker 4: as with our content our channel, like our videos were

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Speaker 4: going viral, they were hitting people was in comments telling

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Speaker 4: us like man, like I.

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Speaker 3: Remember I was doing this, or hey, I wish I

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Speaker 3: had friends that were into these things. So like we're

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Speaker 3: looking at online everybody talked about it, and in person,

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Speaker 3: you know, we were thinking like, okay, well maybe it's

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Speaker 3: just simple the fact that you know, it's.

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Speaker 2: The first year.

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Speaker 3: Like people, you know, even myself, it's like if I

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Speaker 3: see something popping up, I might not go to person,

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Speaker 3: you know, I need to see how it is looking first,

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Speaker 3: let me see what the feedback is. Why, you know,

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Speaker 3: spend that money on a flight or hotel.

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Speaker 2: You feel me?

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Speaker 3: So I think it was just the the in person

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Speaker 3: one showed us that there is a space for it.

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Speaker 3: But online, what we were doing, we were going to

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Speaker 3: such an alarming rate that we knew that the people

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Speaker 3: out there, and I think it was just a matter

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Speaker 3: of time. Was kind of our thought process.

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Speaker 1: You know, there are other conventions and confresces that touch

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Speaker 1: on this subject matter, and you know, and I wonder,

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Speaker 1: like what your unique value proposition was, like you there

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Speaker 1: there was a quote I found from you guys where

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Speaker 1: you said, originally we were planning on visiting anime comic

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Speaker 1: conventions as guests to meet and interact with our fans

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Speaker 1: in a fun setting. However, many of these conventions, except

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Speaker 1: for a small few, were either ignoring us or turning

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Speaker 1: us away and saying we wouldn't fit in. So we

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Speaker 1: decided from there instead to make excuses, or instead instead

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Speaker 1: of making excuses or complaints, we would create our own, bigger,

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Speaker 1: better convention. What was it about those other conventions that

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Speaker 1: they were not seeing?

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Speaker 3: So, I mean, before we even knew about the convenient space,

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Speaker 3: before we had ever even been talent, right, It was

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Speaker 3: more about the diversity, the lack of diversity that they

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Speaker 3: had in their rosters. I think it was just like, Okay,

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Speaker 3: we know obviously from top of the shows.

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Speaker 2: Like Dragon ball Z or Ugo, all the all.

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Speaker 3: The classic shows that you know, we grew up seeing

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Speaker 3: on TV that they're going to bring these certain voice

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Speaker 3: actors in certain time levels there naturally. But I think

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Speaker 3: that because there was a lack of acknowledgement that our

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Speaker 3: community as well were into these things that reflected within

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Speaker 3: their their rosters or just across the board, we just

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Speaker 3: felt like, man like, even us we had like I

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Speaker 3: think at the time, we had like a million subscribers, right,

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Speaker 3: and we were I got the million off of just

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Speaker 3: the content that you know, Mark was creating to build

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Speaker 3: this fan base around these certain things like anime and gaming,

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Speaker 3: all these different things. So for us, we were just

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Speaker 3: definitely like, well, we feel we definitely feel like we're

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Speaker 3: big enough to be able to show up in these

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Speaker 3: spaces and the talent in our way, like, yeah, we

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Speaker 3: not in the shows, but we are actually driving the

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Speaker 3: culture towards the same niche area as well. And I

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Speaker 3: think that you know, it's just something that it was

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Speaker 3: an earlier time. I think that maybe they just I'm

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Speaker 3: not going to just blame anyone specifically, right, but I

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Speaker 3: think that it was definitely something that we were like, well,

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Speaker 3: we're not about to fight for you know, we're not

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Speaker 3: going to fight for a spot.

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Speaker 2: We're going to just make our own. Yeah too much. Yeah,

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Speaker 2: for sure.

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Speaker 1: For sure. When yeah, when you're in the middle of

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Speaker 1: these plannings, you're playing dream con or more RDC projects,

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Speaker 1: how do you know whether you're making a decision as

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Speaker 1: a fan, as an executive, or as like an architect

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Speaker 1: of the culture, Like, how do you ensure that you're

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Speaker 1: not just you know, being narrow minded in one of

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Speaker 1: those respects.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean I think that we are luckily, we

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Speaker 3: are very socially aware of just everything, right, you know,

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Speaker 3: because we're in a group, because we you know, have

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Speaker 3: the opportunity to speak to each other and have like

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Speaker 3: seven different perspectives, you you know, from that level as

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Speaker 3: a group, we use a lot of those things within

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Speaker 3: our content, and I think that's why we've been able

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Speaker 3: to stay around so long, because we're able to adapt

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Speaker 3: to what's.

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Speaker 2: Going on on the world. You know.

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Speaker 3: We also make content around so many different avenues and

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Speaker 3: so many different perspectives, Like we're not just making content

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Speaker 3: or Internet.

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Speaker 2: We're doing gaming, black culture, sports, you know, music.

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Speaker 3: We have so many different things where we have a

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Speaker 3: viral videos in each area to where it's like, hey, look,

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Speaker 3: were staying around you feel me like whatever's going on?

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Speaker 2: Were doing that?

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Speaker 3: And I think that using that energy in a visit

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Speaker 3: perspective is like, hey, as a business, what can we

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Speaker 3: do to make sure not only that this is something

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Speaker 3: that can have longevity and stay diverse as wrong as

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Speaker 3: well as well as like just thaying around, but also

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Speaker 3: acknowledging the fact that we are accustomed to creating projects

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Speaker 3: working with lots of different people. So when you scale

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Speaker 3: ITT to dream Powd, we have an amazing team of

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Speaker 3: individuals who are a part of us on the outside.

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Speaker 2: They're not in the content room.

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Speaker 3: Sometimes when you're working on content and everybody lives in

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Speaker 3: one house, you can get very close minded on that.

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Speaker 3: But we brought in like other Dreamers who had similar

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Speaker 3: backstories to us, but they work in professional areas and

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Speaker 3: different backgrounds, whether it's accounting, finance, all this different stuff

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Speaker 3: that keeps us open minded and I think that's kind

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Speaker 3: of where the success has led because we're not only

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Speaker 3: just going off of our own individual thought process.

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Speaker 2: We have like a solid team of people who, you know,

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Speaker 2: I will.

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Speaker 3: Say transparently, when we first started, there's a lot of

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Speaker 3: people came on just voluntarily.

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Speaker 2: It wasn't like hey, you got to pay me to do.

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Speaker 3: It was people reaching out to us wanting to be

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Speaker 3: a part is because they acknowledged what we had. And

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Speaker 3: he look, uh, you know, I got a full time job.

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Speaker 3: You know, I just graduated college. I just got my

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Speaker 3: massive degree. But like I see what I got going on.

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Speaker 3: You know what I'm saying, You know, I do want

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Speaker 3: to like where can I fit in? So then yeah, exactly.

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Speaker 3: So then you see that and you're like, okay, well cool,

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Speaker 3: you can fit in what you what you do? Like, well,

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Speaker 3: I just got you know, I'm a CPA. It's all bad. Yeah,

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Speaker 3: Like I don't know nothing about no finances. Let's learn

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Speaker 3: from this person who can teach us. I think the

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Speaker 3: best thing we can have is having smart people around

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Speaker 3: us who are helping us.

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Speaker 2: Learn as well on the way and not having too

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Speaker 2: much ego.

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Speaker 1: You know, I think a lot of creatives just assume

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Speaker 1: Bigger is always better, you know, and then and obviously

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Speaker 1: you know, getting bigger is the goal in many of

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Speaker 1: these things. Bigger shows, bigger conventions.

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Speaker 2: Bigger audiences, et cetera.

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Speaker 1: But you know, bigger comes with costs. Also, it's not

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Speaker 1: just better full stop. Can you talk about some of

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Speaker 1: the things that people may not realize are the other

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Speaker 1: side of bigger, but you typically don't see it until

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Speaker 1: you're bigger.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, for sure.

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Speaker 3: I think, Yeah, when we were smaller, I think a

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Speaker 3: lot of the decisions were weighted way easier than.

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Speaker 2: What they are now.

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Speaker 3: I think back then, it's like, okay, we want to like,

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Speaker 3: I think bigger is better, but it just depends on

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Speaker 3: what your definition of better is. Because it's like, more

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Speaker 3: people means we need to, you know, invest more into

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Speaker 3: security and more intelligicities. I mean, if we messed up

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Speaker 3: on any type of program and then that causes a

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Speaker 3: large chain reaction, that means that any little MISTAKEY potentially

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Speaker 3: make means that on social on social media now there's

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Speaker 3: a big, bigger role to that. You gotta factor all

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Speaker 3: those different things in the same way that you know

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Speaker 3: it's a double sworde and the same way that the

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Speaker 3: community has gathered together to uplift us to be successful.

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Speaker 2: They can also tear you down if you don't honor

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Speaker 2: what they do. And they knowledge.

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Speaker 3: I mean, I'm sure if anyone that has a presence

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Speaker 3: or deal with this knows that.

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Speaker 2: Right.

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Speaker 3: But dream Plounce started in a timeframe, you know, still

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Speaker 3: early social media where that was, like people are still

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Speaker 3: figuring it out. And I think now y'all know twenty

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Speaker 3: twenty five, like we know the power of social.

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Speaker 2: Media, and.

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Speaker 3: We just why don't you just you know, keep it

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Speaker 3: respectful and listen to your audience.

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Speaker 2: That's a big thing. You can give more.

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Speaker 3: People, Like I said, more security, you got a factor

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Speaker 3: and now you getting getting bigger partnership situations and conversations

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Speaker 3: now as hold on, we need some uh some better

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Speaker 3: legal we need better this is this because now it's

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Speaker 3: a lot going on, and I think it's just all

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Speaker 3: about just being prepared and some of those people who

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Speaker 3: came in earlier, who invested in earlier, who had skilled areas,

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Speaker 3: get to learn alongside you.

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Speaker 2: So I think.

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Speaker 3: We're very blessed and we're very happy to be getting bigger.

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Speaker 3: But there is a big part of being able to

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Speaker 3: adjust to all those things that come with being bigger,

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Speaker 3: especially in a small time fl Like I said, when

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Speaker 3: we went from the one year where we went from

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Speaker 3: six thousand to twenty thousand, man, it was like we

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Speaker 3: didn't know what was getting ourselves into.

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Speaker 1: So yeah, so you've got content, conventions, partnerships, intellectual properties,

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Speaker 1: a lot of moving pieces. I imagine there's got to

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Speaker 1: be like some core principles and things that you always

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Speaker 1: evaluate opportunities against when you're making decisions. Can you talk

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Speaker 1: about how you, you know, make that decision making process happen.

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Speaker 2: I mean, it really depends.

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Speaker 3: I think that for us, we definitely have it very

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Speaker 3: strict guideline for our standards of what we want to

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Speaker 3: what we want and who we want to associate with. Regardless,

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Speaker 3: it's not always just about the money you have the money.

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Speaker 3: You know, money could be great, but if it's not

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Speaker 3: a good fit, then we do feel that our attends

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Speaker 3: will be able to see that, you know, And I

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Speaker 3: think that's just around our brand.

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Speaker 2: We're very very down to earth, We're very very like hey, like.

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Speaker 3: What is natural to us on our platform and I

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Speaker 3: think that, Yeah, the conversations are definitely just kind of

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Speaker 3: more so like waying opportunities to keep us on the

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Speaker 3: original goal. I think the originally like the good thing

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Speaker 3: about dream Time, you know what I love is because

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Speaker 3: you know the event itself, it's called dream time.

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Speaker 2: It's built off of dreams.

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Speaker 3: And I think when you think about dreams, that is

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Speaker 3: something that that's relatable to everybody. I think a lot

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Speaker 3: of people think like, oh, I don't watch anime. I'm

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Speaker 3: not you know, there's no reason for me to go

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Speaker 3: to dream Time when you show up there and you're like,

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Speaker 3: oh wait, there is an anime, but there's gaming.

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Speaker 2: Oh they got music.

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Speaker 3: Oh they're playing the All Star Celemty basketball game, football,

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Speaker 3: all these different things and just lack excellence all in

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Speaker 3: one space of people just being themselves. And I think

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Speaker 3: that when we come of dealing with different people, we

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Speaker 3: really make that notion pretty clear from the beginning, like hey, look,

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Speaker 3: we would love to have your part in this, but

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Speaker 3: we kind of take the creative control on that and

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Speaker 3: be like, hey, look here's how we feel it will

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Speaker 3: work for you.

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Speaker 2: Here's what we're not gonna do. You know what I'm saying.

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Speaker 3: You got to really just kind of stick your foot

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Speaker 3: down and be like, hey, look like this, because if

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Speaker 3: you have a bad partnership, the brand can't get blamed.

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Speaker 2: We are you know, you know.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, so we're like, hey, it don't matter with the

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Speaker 3: money because y'all can mess up the money in the future.

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Speaker 2: So y'all cast up in the future won't get blamed.

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Speaker 1: You know, you talk. I've heard you use the phrase

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Speaker 1: like world building, like your intentional on building, you know,

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Speaker 1: world building around what you have going on, and not

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Speaker 1: just in media, but events also. And so with that approach,

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Speaker 1: it can't just be about a one two, three, four

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Speaker 1: DA account convention. How do you how do you build

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Speaker 1: something that's like three hundred and sixty five days a

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Speaker 1: year it's a living thing versus just like a conference.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, and it's crazy you bring it up, because that's

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Speaker 3: been like a really reoccurring discussion right.

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Speaker 2: Now for us.

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Speaker 3: It's like, okay, like we have this amazing product, right

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Speaker 3: it comes around once a year, you know, but how

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Speaker 3: do we make it to where you know, people keep

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Speaker 3: it on their mind a little bit longer throughout the year,

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Speaker 3: Like what are some other things we can do throughout

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Speaker 3: the year to build towards the type of it? And yes,

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Speaker 3: the event is just getting bigger on the weekend. But

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Speaker 3: what else can we do? And so I think the

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Speaker 3: biggest thing right now when it comes to products is

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Speaker 3: really focusing on a great storyline. Obviously, we always storify

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Speaker 3: everything because of just our content. We're just all storytellers, right,

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Speaker 3: So how do you apply a really great story to

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Speaker 3: this event itself? Because everybody that's coming to the event

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Speaker 3: are all here because they are very fans of these

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Speaker 3: great anime stories, right, and so you can kind of

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Speaker 3: create an experience for them to make them feel like

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Speaker 3: they're even more part of the process leading up to

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Speaker 3: it and afterwards. And I think that when people get

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Speaker 3: more invested into the story of the product before and after,

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Speaker 3: then that gives us as a company more opportunities to

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Speaker 3: do things before and after as well, to keep it

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Speaker 3: on their mind throughout the year, whether that's like doing meetups,

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Speaker 3: doing you know, little satellite events. You know, maybe we

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Speaker 3: can take certain components of each category that's appointed dream

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Speaker 3: Con and do it in different cities, right, Like Okay,

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Speaker 3: maybe we can go to Atlanta and do something that's

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Speaker 3: just sports, and then that ties into the main event.

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Speaker 3: Maybe we set up a whole gaming circuit where Okay

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Speaker 3: online all the aspiring esport gamers. You know, we're going

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Speaker 3: to have you all compete for six months and the

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Speaker 3: top sixteen players get to get flown out to Dream

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Speaker 3: con right, And so now you now we have different

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Speaker 3: incentives going out throughout the year, or maybe we branch

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Speaker 3: outs and separate IP. Maybe we start our charity foundation

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Speaker 3: and we do different community things throughout the year that

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Speaker 3: all still tie up to our main things to where

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Speaker 3: it's almost like it's like Dreamcole would be the super Bowl, right,

378
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Speaker 3: you got the whole you know, in NFL, you got

379
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Speaker 3: the league to have it all the regular season and

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Speaker 3: you get the playoffs and then boom super Bowl.

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Speaker 2: That's what I feel like we can create.

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Speaker 3: Dream pac could be the anime Black NERD super Bowl,

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Speaker 3: and we can have regular season of other activities. So

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Speaker 3: that's a bit way I can put it.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I wonder like, what were the indicators that told

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Speaker 1: you guys early on that a convention would work, Because

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Speaker 1: I think about there's so many, you know, social media influencers,

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Speaker 1: people who may be funny, they may be beautiful, they

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Speaker 1: may have some sort of attraction online that they put

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Speaker 1: out a product and they can't sell nothing, or they

391
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Speaker 1: try to show up somewhere and ain't nobody coming to

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Speaker 1: see them. So what was it about the following that

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Speaker 1: you built online that said, you know what, people will

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Speaker 1: get a flight, they will get on the bus, they

395
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Speaker 1: will get you know, a rental card, they will get

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Speaker 1: a hotel room, stay on somebody's fot or to come

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Speaker 1: see us. What was it about that?

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Speaker 3: I will say for the group, the collective itself, because

399
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Speaker 3: just transparently before while it was happening, I wasn't even

400
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Speaker 3: a part of the group yet, right, I was actually

401
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Speaker 3: just a fan.

402
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Speaker 2: I was a fan first, and my.

403
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Speaker 3: Partner Mark, he is the one that I founded the group, right,

404
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Speaker 3: So I was a fan and I was like, Man,

405
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Speaker 3: I'm at home, I'm thinking like, man, I wish I

406
00:19:23,280 --> 00:19:25,320
Speaker 3: have some friends who could just get it together like them,

407
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Speaker 3: because I feel like we could do.

408
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Speaker 2: Some stuff right.

409
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Speaker 3: And so luckily I was blessed to be in a

410
00:19:29,960 --> 00:19:32,040
Speaker 3: situation where I end up getting closer and we ended

411
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Speaker 3: up being able to work together and then eventually get

412
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Speaker 3: to dream time. But even just using myself as an example,

413
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Speaker 3: I was like, well, I was willing to travel and

414
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Speaker 3: do these things to get closer to some people who

415
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Speaker 3: inspire me. What is to stop these other people around

416
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Speaker 3: the world to potentially do that. And if you see

417
00:19:46,359 --> 00:19:48,680
Speaker 3: where I'm going with this, so it's like and then

418
00:19:48,720 --> 00:19:53,119
Speaker 3: on top of that, right, the differing the difference with RDC,

419
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Speaker 3: I would say, is that we were making content around

420
00:19:57,480 --> 00:20:02,399
Speaker 3: this black anime game, I mean subculture very early and

421
00:20:02,480 --> 00:20:04,399
Speaker 3: when it was still like in its infancy, right, and

422
00:20:04,480 --> 00:20:07,160
Speaker 3: so you know, being credited as one of the main

423
00:20:07,200 --> 00:20:11,920
Speaker 3: people who really started to make black people and anime

424
00:20:12,119 --> 00:20:15,199
Speaker 3: be popular. Not that they didn't like it, we publicized it.

425
00:20:15,240 --> 00:20:17,920
Speaker 3: We were a driving force to men to be like, hey,

426
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Speaker 3: look like whenever we you know, the earlier via our

427
00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:23,880
Speaker 3: videos were going on YouTube and they was sitting twenty

428
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Speaker 3: million US and going to Japan, people in the commers

429
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Speaker 3: would be like, oh wow, Like yeah, you know, I

430
00:20:29,600 --> 00:20:31,440
Speaker 3: do like NME, but I didn't even know, Like I

431
00:20:31,480 --> 00:20:33,920
Speaker 3: didn't know people was talking about it like this, Like

432
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Speaker 3: I didn't know there were other people like that. And

433
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Speaker 3: we were like yeah, and they see that we're getting

434
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Speaker 3: successful office and now they feel a little, you know,

435
00:20:39,320 --> 00:20:41,440
Speaker 3: a little more confident to talk about it online. Now

436
00:20:41,520 --> 00:20:44,000
Speaker 3: we're starting to get these little comunities on Facebook, make

437
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Speaker 3: people start in groups and clubs and collections.

438
00:20:45,840 --> 00:20:47,960
Speaker 2: All these in the things, right, So then.

439
00:20:49,280 --> 00:20:51,520
Speaker 3: You see that it's almost like everybody was just waiting

440
00:20:51,520 --> 00:20:53,880
Speaker 3: for somebody to break through, and once they broke through,

441
00:20:53,920 --> 00:20:55,600
Speaker 3: they can look and say, all right, been cool, I

442
00:20:55,600 --> 00:20:56,000
Speaker 3: could talk.

443
00:20:55,920 --> 00:20:56,880
Speaker 2: About it, you know what I'm saying.

444
00:20:56,880 --> 00:20:59,600
Speaker 3: And it's cool right because now you know, even with this,

445
00:21:00,040 --> 00:21:03,000
Speaker 3: we're getting popular off of that, we're getting acknowledgment from

446
00:21:03,040 --> 00:21:06,439
Speaker 3: different celebrities. Now you've started to get rappers talk about it.

447
00:21:06,480 --> 00:21:08,520
Speaker 3: Now people you go back through and it's like people

448
00:21:08,600 --> 00:21:11,240
Speaker 3: idolizing these rappers and whatnot. And so even then they're like, oh,

449
00:21:11,320 --> 00:21:12,800
Speaker 3: it's cool to talk about it. I'mna put some of

450
00:21:12,800 --> 00:21:14,680
Speaker 3: that in my music. So now it's spread into music.

451
00:21:14,840 --> 00:21:16,520
Speaker 3: And then you go to sports. You see people in

452
00:21:16,600 --> 00:21:18,560
Speaker 3: the end zone and they're doing like to may and

453
00:21:18,600 --> 00:21:21,080
Speaker 3: maya move and different things, and oh snap, I'll look

454
00:21:21,119 --> 00:21:24,000
Speaker 3: up to athletes too. So now everybody's getting in on

455
00:21:24,080 --> 00:21:27,480
Speaker 3: it. It's getting more acceptable. And I say all that to

456
00:21:27,520 --> 00:21:32,160
Speaker 3: say that because everyone was holding this in for all

457
00:21:32,240 --> 00:21:35,320
Speaker 3: their youth, middle school, high school, and college.

458
00:21:35,359 --> 00:21:38,280
Speaker 2: Right. The first person that was like, hey all, look,

459
00:21:38,960 --> 00:21:40,359
Speaker 2: I understand how y'all.

460
00:21:40,119 --> 00:21:42,120
Speaker 3: Was because we was there and look where we're going

461
00:21:42,200 --> 00:21:45,280
Speaker 3: right now, were about to create this live event. Y'all

462
00:21:45,280 --> 00:21:48,000
Speaker 3: should pull up and meet other like minded people out there,

463
00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:49,720
Speaker 3: because now it's quite a hard definement. And I think

464
00:21:49,760 --> 00:21:53,040
Speaker 3: that that alone gave us the success to bring it because,

465
00:21:54,920 --> 00:21:58,280
Speaker 3: like I said, it's called green card. And the thing

466
00:21:58,320 --> 00:22:00,240
Speaker 3: with the word dream is that dreams are it is

467
00:22:00,280 --> 00:22:03,600
Speaker 3: something that's that is relatable across the boards. No, there's

468
00:22:03,600 --> 00:22:07,119
Speaker 3: no specific individual that it's it's something that's relatable for

469
00:22:07,160 --> 00:22:09,360
Speaker 3: everybody to want to chase there. And so when you

470
00:22:09,440 --> 00:22:12,520
Speaker 3: by coming to dream time, you feeling like you're taking

471
00:22:12,520 --> 00:22:15,000
Speaker 3: a step closer towards your dream, which is something that

472
00:22:15,040 --> 00:22:18,440
Speaker 3: people will invest in buying a flight and getting a

473
00:22:18,480 --> 00:22:21,280
Speaker 3: hotel or you know, if I'm at a job right

474
00:22:21,280 --> 00:22:22,840
Speaker 3: now and I'm working by nine to five and I'm

475
00:22:22,880 --> 00:22:24,800
Speaker 3: really unhappy and I see some people that look up

476
00:22:24,840 --> 00:22:26,600
Speaker 3: to are doing some stuff.

477
00:22:26,359 --> 00:22:28,760
Speaker 2: I really want to do, then you know, I might

478
00:22:28,840 --> 00:22:29,320
Speaker 2: be willing to.

479
00:22:29,320 --> 00:22:30,760
Speaker 3: Sleep on the floor in the hotel. If I need

480
00:22:30,800 --> 00:22:32,879
Speaker 3: to mean is that I can meet some people. So

481
00:22:33,480 --> 00:22:36,320
Speaker 3: I think that's our foundation. It's the foundation of that

482
00:22:36,640 --> 00:22:40,000
Speaker 3: the success after we have each year, if they're getting biggers,

483
00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:43,400
Speaker 3: getting our heights and it's becoming popular. I think that's

484
00:22:43,600 --> 00:22:45,439
Speaker 3: the key to us that makes us different. We're not

485
00:22:45,520 --> 00:22:47,199
Speaker 3: just selling like some merch you know. I think the

486
00:22:47,200 --> 00:22:48,760
Speaker 3: merchant is like, all right, cool, you buy the shirt,

487
00:22:49,080 --> 00:22:51,440
Speaker 3: throw it on the floor. This is we're selling an

488
00:22:51,440 --> 00:22:53,080
Speaker 3: experience in a dream.

489
00:22:53,520 --> 00:22:56,720
Speaker 1: So dream Con isn't just about building one weekend of

490
00:22:56,760 --> 00:23:00,920
Speaker 1: community events each year. Is about extending that ecosystem into

491
00:23:00,960 --> 00:23:03,879
Speaker 1: new spaces and platforms. And this year, yes, we're proud,

492
00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:06,600
Speaker 1: you know at Blavity to partner with you know you

493
00:23:06,680 --> 00:23:09,960
Speaker 1: guys on the Creator Summit at Afrotech in a couple

494
00:23:10,040 --> 00:23:11,880
Speaker 1: of weeks and the first of its kind of experience

495
00:23:11,960 --> 00:23:15,679
Speaker 1: designed to empower black digital entrepreneurs and creators. This is

496
00:23:15,720 --> 00:23:20,159
Speaker 1: a one day event happening at Afrotech in Houston, bringing

497
00:23:20,160 --> 00:23:27,160
Speaker 1: together TikTokers, YouTubers, podcasters, twitch streamers, esports, talent and more.

498
00:23:27,200 --> 00:23:30,680
Speaker 1: And so we're gonna do workshops, panels, fireside chats and

499
00:23:30,720 --> 00:23:34,200
Speaker 1: the goal is to help creators turn influence into income,

500
00:23:34,560 --> 00:23:39,120
Speaker 1: grow authentic communities, and build sustainable businesses in the creator economy.

501
00:23:40,119 --> 00:23:45,639
Speaker 1: So talk about with all that, how you and Blavity

502
00:23:45,960 --> 00:23:50,040
Speaker 1: designed your programming to be both visionary and practical for

503
00:23:50,119 --> 00:23:51,800
Speaker 1: the next wave of black creators.

504
00:23:53,160 --> 00:23:56,960
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think that, you know, I think with Morgan,

505
00:23:57,320 --> 00:23:58,639
Speaker 3: you know, the kind of what you you know, what

506
00:23:58,800 --> 00:24:02,359
Speaker 3: y'all got going on. Obviously it's more center our tech,

507
00:24:02,400 --> 00:24:06,280
Speaker 3: but I think that tech in itself plays a heavily

508
00:24:06,760 --> 00:24:10,720
Speaker 3: strong part in the success of a Dragon Force for

509
00:24:11,960 --> 00:24:14,520
Speaker 3: our community as well. Right, you know, techn applies Tech

510
00:24:14,560 --> 00:24:16,640
Speaker 3: applies everything at this point. Right, so when it comes

511
00:24:16,640 --> 00:24:19,240
Speaker 3: to being able to watch you know, people who developed

512
00:24:19,240 --> 00:24:21,880
Speaker 3: the stream services for people to watch, and people developing

513
00:24:21,920 --> 00:24:24,639
Speaker 3: the technology to play these games and do these things

514
00:24:24,640 --> 00:24:27,159
Speaker 3: and work in these spaces. It's all. It's really the

515
00:24:27,200 --> 00:24:29,399
Speaker 3: glue to everything for us. And so it just was

516
00:24:29,400 --> 00:24:31,600
Speaker 3: a and then on top of the fact that you

517
00:24:31,640 --> 00:24:33,920
Speaker 3: guys are doing it in this you know, same situation.

518
00:24:34,040 --> 00:24:36,200
Speaker 3: Y'all was in Austin. We was in Austin, then y'all

519
00:24:36,200 --> 00:24:38,000
Speaker 3: moved to Houston. Then we had to move to Houston,

520
00:24:38,040 --> 00:24:42,280
Speaker 3: and you know, and we're dealing with a demographic of people.

521
00:24:42,480 --> 00:24:44,640
Speaker 2: You know, it's it just makes sense for us.

522
00:24:44,760 --> 00:24:47,680
Speaker 3: So then from there it's like, okay, well this makes sense, right,

523
00:24:48,160 --> 00:24:50,479
Speaker 3: how do we you know, we're not competing against each other.

524
00:24:50,560 --> 00:24:52,639
Speaker 3: It's just like, hey, look y'all got y'all audience, and

525
00:24:52,680 --> 00:24:56,520
Speaker 3: we have ours. How can we come together and amplify

526
00:24:56,720 --> 00:24:58,359
Speaker 3: as a whole? Right, So I say all, I have

527
00:24:58,400 --> 00:25:01,280
Speaker 3: to say that whate of our strong suits for dream

528
00:25:01,320 --> 00:25:03,760
Speaker 3: Find as well. Obviously we got past the categories of anime,

529
00:25:03,840 --> 00:25:06,520
Speaker 3: game and sports music, TV film.

530
00:25:06,320 --> 00:25:10,480
Speaker 2: But the core of our side is the creator space. Uh.

531
00:25:10,520 --> 00:25:13,399
Speaker 3: We credit the success of dream Find heavily on their

532
00:25:13,440 --> 00:25:16,240
Speaker 3: careers because in the earlier days, we wasn't you know,

533
00:25:16,280 --> 00:25:18,440
Speaker 3: when we were starting, we wasn't able to go get

534
00:25:18,480 --> 00:25:21,480
Speaker 3: the Japanese voice actors or these other you know, the

535
00:25:21,480 --> 00:25:24,320
Speaker 3: white voice actors of this. We just had to be like, hey, look,

536
00:25:24,720 --> 00:25:27,200
Speaker 3: we like na game and we liked all these things,

537
00:25:27,480 --> 00:25:31,560
Speaker 3: and it's just us, y'all, y'all fans of us, pull up,

538
00:25:31,720 --> 00:25:34,119
Speaker 3: you know. We reached out to our other creator friends

539
00:25:34,160 --> 00:25:36,760
Speaker 3: who had audience as well, Hey can y'all you know, y'all,

540
00:25:36,880 --> 00:25:38,960
Speaker 3: can you pull up and we can do this and

541
00:25:38,960 --> 00:25:41,480
Speaker 3: set up the program and just to really to bring

542
00:25:41,520 --> 00:25:43,760
Speaker 3: the people. So the foundation of dream Clind was built

543
00:25:43,760 --> 00:25:46,800
Speaker 3: off the creators. That's the mem one part on why

544
00:25:46,960 --> 00:25:49,639
Speaker 3: it even started, right or to get it things. So

545
00:25:49,960 --> 00:25:53,199
Speaker 3: I say all, I have to say that using that

546
00:25:53,240 --> 00:25:57,080
Speaker 3: same energy when it comes to the creative space right now,

547
00:25:57,280 --> 00:26:00,720
Speaker 3: when we look at what Blavity is doing, and there's

548
00:26:00,760 --> 00:26:03,040
Speaker 3: a large creator aspect to tech as well, there's a

549
00:26:03,040 --> 00:26:06,280
Speaker 3: whole bunch of like it's I would I would credit

550
00:26:06,320 --> 00:26:10,240
Speaker 3: to in all levels. I didn't seen so many tech

551
00:26:10,960 --> 00:26:12,760
Speaker 3: people who are in the creator space.

552
00:26:13,119 --> 00:26:14,560
Speaker 2: And so for us, what we want.

553
00:26:14,440 --> 00:26:17,639
Speaker 3: To do is find a way on bringing our expertise

554
00:26:17,680 --> 00:26:20,960
Speaker 3: in that creator space and compliment the Blavity Atho tech

555
00:26:21,000 --> 00:26:25,000
Speaker 3: space as well. And yeah, I mean I feel like

556
00:26:25,000 --> 00:26:27,040
Speaker 3: it's it's pretty clear at this point, like we just

557
00:26:27,040 --> 00:26:30,160
Speaker 3: want to find a way how can we amplify Athro

558
00:26:30,280 --> 00:26:32,240
Speaker 3: tech and provide the things that we've learned over all

559
00:26:32,240 --> 00:26:35,399
Speaker 3: this time in exchange for stuff in the technology that

560
00:26:35,440 --> 00:26:37,200
Speaker 3: we want to learn from market. And I think that's

561
00:26:37,240 --> 00:26:40,679
Speaker 3: what makes this, you know, this partnership such an amazing

562
00:26:40,760 --> 00:26:43,600
Speaker 3: theme because it's just really naturally integrated.

563
00:26:43,600 --> 00:26:46,000
Speaker 2: It's not about money, it's not about all these things.

564
00:26:46,040 --> 00:26:48,560
Speaker 3: It's a matter of just us recognizing each other and

565
00:26:48,600 --> 00:26:49,800
Speaker 3: saying like, hey, y'all, like.

566
00:26:49,800 --> 00:26:51,120
Speaker 2: We both are in the.

567
00:26:51,080 --> 00:26:53,600
Speaker 3: Same space and you know, have like how can we

568
00:26:53,640 --> 00:26:56,879
Speaker 3: make this make sense to everybody that's what I'm excited about.

569
00:26:57,480 --> 00:26:59,639
Speaker 1: Yeah, and I love that you position this that you know,

570
00:26:59,720 --> 00:27:02,840
Speaker 1: I get the most pervasive question I get about afro tech,

571
00:27:02,960 --> 00:27:05,280
Speaker 1: you know, and people are considering going They're like, you know, well,

572
00:27:05,320 --> 00:27:07,920
Speaker 1: I'm not in tech, and I'm like, you probably are

573
00:27:08,400 --> 00:27:11,040
Speaker 1: in tech, but just because you just don't know it,

574
00:27:11,080 --> 00:27:13,480
Speaker 1: and like you could be in healthcare, you're still utilizing

575
00:27:13,520 --> 00:27:16,159
Speaker 1: technology to do what you do. You could be, you know,

576
00:27:16,200 --> 00:27:19,359
Speaker 1: a barber, beautician. You probably are still using technology to

577
00:27:19,400 --> 00:27:21,320
Speaker 1: do what you do. And so I love that you

578
00:27:21,440 --> 00:27:22,840
Speaker 1: position that, And so I want to I want to

579
00:27:22,880 --> 00:27:25,719
Speaker 1: talk about Houston real quick, because we have moved to Houston.

580
00:27:25,760 --> 00:27:27,640
Speaker 1: You know, we moved Houston last year, we're there this year,

581
00:27:28,040 --> 00:27:31,399
Speaker 1: and you guys moved to Houston also, And what is

582
00:27:31,440 --> 00:27:35,560
Speaker 1: the difference in that? What what difference did that make

583
00:27:36,000 --> 00:27:38,879
Speaker 1: in the ability to grow and scale this in a

584
00:27:38,920 --> 00:27:43,880
Speaker 1: way that mattered to the mission, Like us moving moving

585
00:27:43,920 --> 00:27:44,320
Speaker 1: to Houston.

586
00:27:44,840 --> 00:27:47,440
Speaker 3: What I shout in Houston, I'll say, shout out to

587
00:27:47,440 --> 00:27:50,160
Speaker 3: Houston because the energy and I was, I mean, you've

588
00:27:50,160 --> 00:27:54,680
Speaker 3: seen Austin and Houston as well, like us, No.

589
00:27:54,960 --> 00:27:58,480
Speaker 2: Austin to you as watching it y'all here too.

590
00:27:58,560 --> 00:28:01,400
Speaker 3: I just think that, you know, I lead the reason

591
00:28:01,400 --> 00:28:03,479
Speaker 3: why we had to leave, or reasons out of our control,

592
00:28:03,680 --> 00:28:05,840
Speaker 3: right with the changes in Austin and that, and so

593
00:28:06,359 --> 00:28:09,040
Speaker 3: what we learned doing in Austin. Austin was great, but

594
00:28:09,080 --> 00:28:11,439
Speaker 3: when we came to Houston, I feel like the energy

595
00:28:11,720 --> 00:28:14,120
Speaker 3: was just just a different level, right, that was more

596
00:28:14,880 --> 00:28:18,080
Speaker 3: more relatable. Houston's way more culture, And that's just the

597
00:28:18,080 --> 00:28:19,120
Speaker 3: fact it's more culture.

598
00:28:19,200 --> 00:28:21,080
Speaker 2: It's just it fits well.

599
00:28:20,920 --> 00:28:24,679
Speaker 3: With our demographic and people there. And on top of that,

600
00:28:24,760 --> 00:28:28,160
Speaker 3: Houston itself kind of even extending the handout they showed up,

601
00:28:29,280 --> 00:28:31,480
Speaker 3: you know, and even right now as I'm going through

602
00:28:31,480 --> 00:28:33,879
Speaker 3: this whole New year, playing like I didn't have so

603
00:28:33,920 --> 00:28:38,120
Speaker 3: many different relationships and connections and people just talking about

604
00:28:38,200 --> 00:28:40,280
Speaker 3: dream Con like you know, like stars in their eyes

605
00:28:40,280 --> 00:28:42,200
Speaker 3: and just being like, Wow, I didn't.

606
00:28:42,000 --> 00:28:43,280
Speaker 2: Even know that this was happening.

607
00:28:44,560 --> 00:28:48,960
Speaker 3: And it's really giving us an extra fire to want

608
00:28:48,960 --> 00:28:51,320
Speaker 3: to make sure that this next upcoming event is as

609
00:28:51,320 --> 00:28:54,400
Speaker 3: great as possible, because I think the Houston community allies

610
00:28:54,440 --> 00:28:57,520
Speaker 3: and the Houston's one thing about our sinities is very

611
00:28:57,520 --> 00:29:00,000
Speaker 3: diverse as well, and I think that Houston is diverse

612
00:29:00,280 --> 00:29:03,320
Speaker 3: and it aligns really well. And on top of all

613
00:29:03,400 --> 00:29:08,480
Speaker 3: that like there's just you know, there's just there's just

614
00:29:08,520 --> 00:29:13,200
Speaker 3: more relatableness from that. I think that just makes it

615
00:29:13,240 --> 00:29:15,120
Speaker 3: just work better in my opinion. I think this last

616
00:29:15,160 --> 00:29:17,680
Speaker 3: year the difference. You know, we were a little bit bigger.

617
00:29:18,800 --> 00:29:21,760
Speaker 1: At a bit bigger, yeah, a lot bigger.

618
00:29:22,080 --> 00:29:23,960
Speaker 3: Yeah, you know, I have to doubt player. But we

619
00:29:24,040 --> 00:29:26,320
Speaker 3: had city officials come out there. I ain't never I

620
00:29:26,360 --> 00:29:28,360
Speaker 3: ain't know city officials who care about coming to an

621
00:29:28,360 --> 00:29:30,479
Speaker 3: event like that, right, And so they're out there and

622
00:29:30,680 --> 00:29:33,040
Speaker 3: giving their certificates and stuff, and I was like, oh,

623
00:29:33,120 --> 00:29:34,880
Speaker 3: and then I see them and I'm like, oh, you

624
00:29:34,920 --> 00:29:37,120
Speaker 3: know there's some some brothers like us you've been mew

625
00:29:37,240 --> 00:29:39,880
Speaker 3: the's even more of like dang, like we can really

626
00:29:40,000 --> 00:29:42,800
Speaker 3: just understand each other already off the bat, you know.

627
00:29:42,920 --> 00:29:45,480
Speaker 3: So that's what That's what I'm aside about being here

628
00:29:45,760 --> 00:29:48,760
Speaker 3: and non biasedly I am from Houston, Borner raise, right.

629
00:29:48,680 --> 00:29:51,360
Speaker 2: So so that was just an extra acting to the cake.

630
00:29:51,920 --> 00:29:55,360
Speaker 1: How are you thinking about how AI is all could

631
00:29:55,440 --> 00:29:59,640
Speaker 1: impact conventions you know and content? You know? So I

632
00:29:59,680 --> 00:30:02,640
Speaker 1: think it two things creating opportunities. How would AI create

633
00:30:02,680 --> 00:30:05,360
Speaker 1: opportunities for you in the in the live event space

634
00:30:05,800 --> 00:30:08,200
Speaker 1: and potentially some of the downsides to it.

635
00:30:10,560 --> 00:30:13,880
Speaker 3: That's a tough question because I just feel like with AI,

636
00:30:13,960 --> 00:30:16,600
Speaker 3: there's some like I just feel like AI can just

637
00:30:16,600 --> 00:30:20,000
Speaker 3: be applied to so many different areas. I would say

638
00:30:20,120 --> 00:30:23,800
Speaker 3: that I can see the pros and cons depending on

639
00:30:23,800 --> 00:30:25,760
Speaker 3: which air of it. Right now, I think for AI

640
00:30:25,920 --> 00:30:29,000
Speaker 3: like it can help definitely make things move quicker, right,

641
00:30:29,440 --> 00:30:30,960
Speaker 3: help us gets turned answers quicker.

642
00:30:31,000 --> 00:30:33,080
Speaker 2: Whether it's like using things like CHATCHBT, like.

643
00:30:33,200 --> 00:30:35,840
Speaker 3: Just the little things of learning that we had to

644
00:30:35,960 --> 00:30:38,800
Speaker 3: like go, you know, extra lengths to learn and understand

645
00:30:38,800 --> 00:30:43,240
Speaker 3: about it is definitely being adjusted to adjusted to that

646
00:30:43,400 --> 00:30:46,280
Speaker 3: direction to make it easier even for myself, right And

647
00:30:47,080 --> 00:30:49,600
Speaker 3: I think that, you know, there is a kind of

648
00:30:49,640 --> 00:30:52,240
Speaker 3: the I think the scariness of it is the unknown

649
00:30:52,960 --> 00:30:55,200
Speaker 3: of what it can potentially be in the future. I

650
00:30:55,240 --> 00:30:58,720
Speaker 3: don't know exactly how AI will necessarily affect the event

651
00:30:58,800 --> 00:31:01,400
Speaker 3: space from an overall grand scheme of things in the future.

652
00:31:02,160 --> 00:31:04,760
Speaker 3: I don't know if AI can potentially recreate an event

653
00:31:05,640 --> 00:31:07,920
Speaker 3: like the dream con you know, maybe who knows, But

654
00:31:08,560 --> 00:31:10,040
Speaker 3: that's not really something that I feel like.

655
00:31:11,680 --> 00:31:13,800
Speaker 2: I can predict at this moment. I just think that.

656
00:31:15,600 --> 00:31:18,200
Speaker 3: There is depending on what space I know, like you know,

657
00:31:18,240 --> 00:31:22,080
Speaker 3: with dream con we deal with a lot of original artists,

658
00:31:22,160 --> 00:31:26,400
Speaker 3: a lot of musician, you know, athletes, like, there's a

659
00:31:26,480 --> 00:31:29,040
Speaker 3: lot of different entertainment and I think the how AI

660
00:31:29,120 --> 00:31:33,520
Speaker 3: affects entertainment as a whole will would probably yes, directly

661
00:31:34,880 --> 00:31:37,840
Speaker 3: affect dream Coon in the future. But I really don't know,

662
00:31:38,600 --> 00:31:41,000
Speaker 3: like in what way yet, And I think that's just

663
00:31:41,080 --> 00:31:43,040
Speaker 3: something that you know, just what time can tell. I

664
00:31:43,080 --> 00:31:45,160
Speaker 3: don't think anyone really can know. All we have is

665
00:31:45,160 --> 00:31:48,360
Speaker 3: really more so predictions, and I think, yeah, we just

666
00:31:48,440 --> 00:31:50,480
Speaker 3: got to adjust and see how it goes.

667
00:31:50,760 --> 00:31:51,800
Speaker 2: Honestly, that's fair.

668
00:31:52,480 --> 00:31:56,200
Speaker 1: What's a dream you're still chasing that people might not expect.

669
00:31:57,720 --> 00:32:03,840
Speaker 3: A dream that I'm chasing, So I would say, I mean,

670
00:32:03,880 --> 00:32:05,320
Speaker 3: the number one thing for me is, you know, one

671
00:32:05,320 --> 00:32:07,080
Speaker 3: of the things I want to be is a producer, right,

672
00:32:07,200 --> 00:32:09,240
Speaker 3: and I'm not talking about like just a music producer.

673
00:32:09,440 --> 00:32:11,560
Speaker 3: I think I want to be a producer in entertainment.

674
00:32:11,760 --> 00:32:14,400
Speaker 3: I think that dream Pind is a good stepping stone

675
00:32:14,440 --> 00:32:17,440
Speaker 3: for me to gain and acquire tools to become that

676
00:32:17,560 --> 00:32:21,200
Speaker 3: type of person in the long run. You know, Like

677
00:32:21,360 --> 00:32:24,720
Speaker 3: I said, I think for me, the most appealing aspect

678
00:32:24,800 --> 00:32:27,320
Speaker 3: to that is the fact that I want to be

679
00:32:27,520 --> 00:32:31,440
Speaker 3: the person who could potentially work on projects, you know,

680
00:32:31,920 --> 00:32:34,680
Speaker 3: fund projects, you know. Pat people come to me with

681
00:32:35,000 --> 00:32:37,800
Speaker 3: whatever dream or great ideas they have and it's like, hey, John,

682
00:32:38,080 --> 00:32:40,800
Speaker 3: I really believe in this, man, Like do you believe

683
00:32:40,880 --> 00:32:41,200
Speaker 3: in into?

684
00:32:41,360 --> 00:32:41,960
Speaker 2: What can you do?

685
00:32:42,120 --> 00:32:44,280
Speaker 3: And then how can I come in and support that aspect?

686
00:32:44,360 --> 00:32:46,120
Speaker 3: And I think with dream can it gives me a

687
00:32:46,200 --> 00:32:48,680
Speaker 3: good experience to do that because in a way, right

688
00:32:48,800 --> 00:32:50,840
Speaker 3: like I always compare a dream pind like a movie,

689
00:32:50,920 --> 00:32:53,080
Speaker 3: Like right now, if this, if dream Clond was a movie,

690
00:32:53,360 --> 00:32:57,320
Speaker 3: I'm pretty much the producer slash showrunner, you know what

691
00:32:57,320 --> 00:33:00,600
Speaker 3: I'm saying, Like I'm over here, like I'm looking talent.

692
00:33:00,720 --> 00:33:03,120
Speaker 3: Those are my actors, you feel me, And I'm getting

693
00:33:03,120 --> 00:33:05,480
Speaker 3: my assistant director. That's you know some of our director

694
00:33:05,560 --> 00:33:09,520
Speaker 3: level executives, right, you know, we're creating the release state.

695
00:33:09,680 --> 00:33:11,160
Speaker 3: You know, we got to like, all right, the movie

696
00:33:11,240 --> 00:33:13,920
Speaker 3: drops on next summer, that's when the event starts, and

697
00:33:13,960 --> 00:33:16,520
Speaker 3: then we have the marketing rollout leading up towards it,

698
00:33:17,080 --> 00:33:18,680
Speaker 3: the marketing roll out and leaving towards the event. So

699
00:33:18,840 --> 00:33:20,360
Speaker 3: in a lot of ways, there's a lot of different

700
00:33:20,400 --> 00:33:22,560
Speaker 3: things that compare to that. But for me, one of

701
00:33:22,600 --> 00:33:25,600
Speaker 3: my things is becoming a producer, getting some more other

702
00:33:25,680 --> 00:33:30,120
Speaker 3: projects under my belt, whether that's in film, music, you know, television,

703
00:33:30,200 --> 00:33:34,000
Speaker 3: all that. Like I really believe that I often be

704
00:33:34,120 --> 00:33:37,440
Speaker 3: that person. And also just to you know, with my

705
00:33:37,560 --> 00:33:41,760
Speaker 3: partner Mark, he you know, his dream is to become

706
00:33:42,080 --> 00:33:43,520
Speaker 3: or he is. You know, he's working on being a

707
00:33:43,600 --> 00:33:45,880
Speaker 3: director and writer. Those are his main things. That's why

708
00:33:46,000 --> 00:33:47,960
Speaker 3: he started to Collective in the first place, because he

709
00:33:48,120 --> 00:33:51,720
Speaker 3: wanted He created the group to give himself a stepping

710
00:33:51,800 --> 00:33:52,600
Speaker 3: stone to.

711
00:33:52,720 --> 00:33:55,000
Speaker 2: Get closer to his dream of being a writer, director.

712
00:33:55,000 --> 00:33:57,800
Speaker 3: And so my goal is to hopefully have dream con

713
00:33:57,880 --> 00:33:59,800
Speaker 3: give me a stepping stone to become a producer, so

714
00:34:00,080 --> 00:34:02,640
Speaker 3: I can circle back and we can work together and

715
00:34:02,840 --> 00:34:05,240
Speaker 3: be like, hey, lo, look here's what we created. Thank

716
00:34:05,320 --> 00:34:07,880
Speaker 3: you for giving me this opportunity. You know I didn't learn,

717
00:34:07,960 --> 00:34:09,880
Speaker 3: I didn't tee up on the producer side. You know,

718
00:34:09,960 --> 00:34:12,880
Speaker 3: maybe one day we can work on projects together outside

719
00:34:12,920 --> 00:34:13,560
Speaker 3: of dream Time.

720
00:34:13,680 --> 00:34:14,439
Speaker 2: So that's my dream.

721
00:34:14,880 --> 00:34:19,479
Speaker 1: Yeah, one last question, I think the you you talked

722
00:34:19,560 --> 00:34:23,400
Speaker 1: earlier about how like like you came into something that

723
00:34:23,640 --> 00:34:26,200
Speaker 1: was already starting to pop, like you, like you weren't

724
00:34:26,239 --> 00:34:29,440
Speaker 1: originally one of those part of the collective, but you

725
00:34:29,560 --> 00:34:32,279
Speaker 1: were a fan and you found your way in partnership

726
00:34:32,360 --> 00:34:34,879
Speaker 1: with these guys as part of the team. There's there's

727
00:34:34,920 --> 00:34:38,600
Speaker 1: a ton of people who might be fans of you know,

728
00:34:38,760 --> 00:34:42,400
Speaker 1: other creators of the influencers, et cetera, who are like,

729
00:34:42,560 --> 00:34:44,960
Speaker 1: you know, I would love to be on that ride,

730
00:34:45,840 --> 00:34:48,680
Speaker 1: and they believe that they have some value to provide.

731
00:34:49,520 --> 00:34:53,200
Speaker 1: What was how did it happen that you know, there

732
00:34:53,200 --> 00:34:56,879
Speaker 1: are there's this thing that's over here popping and you're like, man,

733
00:34:56,920 --> 00:34:57,800
Speaker 1: I want to be part of that.

734
00:34:58,440 --> 00:34:58,920
Speaker 2: What was that?

735
00:35:00,320 --> 00:35:02,839
Speaker 1: What was the bridge to number one? Even getting them

736
00:35:02,920 --> 00:35:03,840
Speaker 1: to pay attention to you?

737
00:35:04,520 --> 00:35:05,080
Speaker 2: And or you?

738
00:35:05,239 --> 00:35:07,319
Speaker 1: How did you How did you get a flag big

739
00:35:07,480 --> 00:35:09,200
Speaker 1: enough to get the pay attention?

740
00:35:10,239 --> 00:35:13,480
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think, I mean it's not a short answer,

741
00:35:13,640 --> 00:35:16,080
Speaker 3: but I can give this as I can, right, you

742
00:35:16,160 --> 00:35:19,600
Speaker 3: know I think the so yeah, like I was working

743
00:35:19,680 --> 00:35:23,040
Speaker 3: as a leasing agent right out of apartment community. I

744
00:35:23,120 --> 00:35:25,640
Speaker 3: was working, you know, my nine to five, and I

745
00:35:25,760 --> 00:35:27,960
Speaker 3: was just a fan watching videos right and then. And

746
00:35:28,160 --> 00:35:31,360
Speaker 3: so they are the first people who let me understand

747
00:35:31,640 --> 00:35:36,279
Speaker 3: somebody who was a reserved nerd right that people were

748
00:35:36,760 --> 00:35:37,640
Speaker 3: making content.

749
00:35:37,440 --> 00:35:38,879
Speaker 2: Like this and going viral and get in love.

750
00:35:38,960 --> 00:35:40,880
Speaker 3: And I was like oh wow, okay, And you know,

751
00:35:41,040 --> 00:35:42,800
Speaker 3: if you really want to understand the space, there's like

752
00:35:42,840 --> 00:35:46,239
Speaker 3: different levels to it because I think back then people

753
00:35:46,320 --> 00:35:49,839
Speaker 3: had just a very specific archetype of person that they

754
00:35:49,920 --> 00:35:52,480
Speaker 3: think people who watch anime are, you know, just to

755
00:35:52,560 --> 00:35:56,000
Speaker 3: be transparent, right, And so with Mark, to me, he

756
00:35:56,239 --> 00:35:58,920
Speaker 3: was a person where in high school I would never

757
00:35:59,040 --> 00:36:00,000
Speaker 3: have guessed that he was in the end.

758
00:36:00,400 --> 00:36:02,520
Speaker 2: He was like the cool dude. He was in the middle.

759
00:36:02,560 --> 00:36:06,960
Speaker 2: He was cool with the athletes, the hoodlums, you feel me.

760
00:36:07,040 --> 00:36:08,160
Speaker 2: But he was often cool with the.

761
00:36:08,200 --> 00:36:10,440
Speaker 3: Nerd cities that y'all like, hey, I'm in the middle.

762
00:36:10,560 --> 00:36:12,759
Speaker 3: So every refuse. It's just a right person that was

763
00:36:12,760 --> 00:36:15,560
Speaker 3: ab to bring everybody. And I think that that type

764
00:36:15,600 --> 00:36:19,959
Speaker 3: of archetype for this type of space was I didn't

765
00:36:19,960 --> 00:36:22,120
Speaker 3: know that was a thing, right, so, and I think

766
00:36:22,200 --> 00:36:23,600
Speaker 3: that was a big credit to where when he was

767
00:36:23,640 --> 00:36:26,160
Speaker 3: making content in the earlier days and we was making

768
00:36:26,200 --> 00:36:28,160
Speaker 3: the hood videos, he was making the sports videos, were

769
00:36:28,200 --> 00:36:30,080
Speaker 3: making the music and doing the anime things and him

770
00:36:30,160 --> 00:36:32,960
Speaker 3: really really loving the anime part, but having like a

771
00:36:33,040 --> 00:36:36,480
Speaker 3: different archetype it was very it made him stand out

772
00:36:36,560 --> 00:36:40,000
Speaker 3: more back then to where now you're getting both communities

773
00:36:40,040 --> 00:36:41,960
Speaker 3: now you're getting us watching him, and then you got

774
00:36:42,000 --> 00:36:44,360
Speaker 3: the other side being like, oh, he's just funny, Like

775
00:36:44,480 --> 00:36:46,439
Speaker 3: this video is just funny, right. So I say often

776
00:36:46,520 --> 00:36:48,360
Speaker 3: say that as me when I'm working, When I was

777
00:36:48,400 --> 00:36:50,680
Speaker 3: working my job and noticing that it made me a fan,

778
00:36:51,160 --> 00:36:55,400
Speaker 3: so then it inspired me. Dream is a very big

779
00:36:55,480 --> 00:36:57,080
Speaker 3: part for him. So it inspired me to try and

780
00:36:57,120 --> 00:36:58,920
Speaker 3: make my own content at the time. So at the

781
00:36:58,960 --> 00:37:02,680
Speaker 3: time I was alan he doing it, man, I really like, I'm.

782
00:37:02,560 --> 00:37:02,960
Speaker 2: Sick of this.

783
00:37:03,200 --> 00:37:04,319
Speaker 3: Let me just go ahead and try and see if

784
00:37:04,320 --> 00:37:05,640
Speaker 3: I can do my own things so I won't get

785
00:37:05,640 --> 00:37:07,920
Speaker 3: try to get my friends, hey, y'all, like we could

786
00:37:07,960 --> 00:37:08,799
Speaker 3: make our own stuff too.

787
00:37:09,760 --> 00:37:10,600
Speaker 2: It didn't play out.

788
00:37:10,640 --> 00:37:12,719
Speaker 3: You know, it's harder to get people to kind of

789
00:37:12,719 --> 00:37:14,480
Speaker 3: buy in on the dream when they don't really see

790
00:37:14,520 --> 00:37:16,200
Speaker 3: the full vision in the end. And I think that

791
00:37:16,320 --> 00:37:18,399
Speaker 3: was something that put me down because I didn't feel

792
00:37:18,400 --> 00:37:21,400
Speaker 3: like I had people who were trying to push towards

793
00:37:21,440 --> 00:37:23,839
Speaker 3: that as far as I did. And so I say,

794
00:37:23,840 --> 00:37:25,160
Speaker 3: all I have to say, that's kind of how I

795
00:37:25,239 --> 00:37:27,040
Speaker 3: started getting to the mindset of like knowing that there

796
00:37:27,080 --> 00:37:28,240
Speaker 3: is something more for myself.

797
00:37:29,040 --> 00:37:31,600
Speaker 2: So I was just a follower. You know. Sometimes they'd

798
00:37:31,600 --> 00:37:32,560
Speaker 2: be working on a new videos.

799
00:37:32,640 --> 00:37:35,480
Speaker 3: Sometimes they'd be like, hey, y'all, we're looking for X

800
00:37:35,560 --> 00:37:37,479
Speaker 3: amount of people because we're trying to make this new video.

801
00:37:37,560 --> 00:37:40,120
Speaker 3: And sometime, you know, it'd be thousands when people responding.

802
00:37:40,239 --> 00:37:42,680
Speaker 3: So I send my little email or my message. Never

803
00:37:42,719 --> 00:37:46,719
Speaker 3: really got a response, right, and then one time they're like, oh,

804
00:37:46,960 --> 00:37:48,680
Speaker 3: one time they did respond and like, hey, can you

805
00:37:48,760 --> 00:37:51,120
Speaker 3: send a picture? Yeah, you know, I theyre trying to

806
00:37:51,160 --> 00:37:53,160
Speaker 3: see what the person looks like potentially, So I send

807
00:37:53,239 --> 00:37:56,560
Speaker 3: my picture and they didn't respond. So I said my

808
00:37:56,600 --> 00:37:58,719
Speaker 3: picture they respond for that, and then they responded. So

809
00:37:58,760 --> 00:38:00,920
Speaker 3: then months passed by. I'm still tying figure out a

810
00:38:00,920 --> 00:38:02,880
Speaker 3: lot of life. I'm saving up money. I'm already in

811
00:38:02,880 --> 00:38:04,200
Speaker 3: my mind thinking like, yeah, let me just save up

812
00:38:04,280 --> 00:38:06,920
Speaker 3: enough money so I can leave this job and figure

813
00:38:06,920 --> 00:38:11,520
Speaker 3: out how to do it myself. And uh, A situation

814
00:38:11,640 --> 00:38:13,719
Speaker 3: happened with my sister. She's from Dallas, she's you know,

815
00:38:13,880 --> 00:38:16,719
Speaker 3: in PR like a reporter, and they were doing like

816
00:38:16,840 --> 00:38:22,080
Speaker 3: this this segment essentially about black creators. And I was

817
00:38:22,200 --> 00:38:25,000
Speaker 3: telling her that I that I followed these people, I'm

818
00:38:25,040 --> 00:38:27,320
Speaker 3: fans of these people who make content, and so she

819
00:38:27,440 --> 00:38:28,880
Speaker 3: was like, well, yeah, you can find a way to

820
00:38:28,920 --> 00:38:29,440
Speaker 3: get ahold of.

821
00:38:29,440 --> 00:38:31,560
Speaker 2: Them, maybe we can bring them on the news for

822
00:38:31,800 --> 00:38:35,160
Speaker 2: a segment as well. So that happens. So then I'm

823
00:38:35,160 --> 00:38:37,680
Speaker 2: over here, send an email. I'm like, hey, I'm you know.

824
00:38:37,719 --> 00:38:40,960
Speaker 3: I send another email basically a proposal saying, hey, y'all, like,

825
00:38:42,040 --> 00:38:44,279
Speaker 3: I got this opportunity on the news in Dallas News.

826
00:38:44,440 --> 00:38:45,960
Speaker 3: I'm real big fans of y'all. I think I'll be

827
00:38:46,000 --> 00:38:49,480
Speaker 3: a good fit for this. And they ended up responding.

828
00:38:49,640 --> 00:38:52,040
Speaker 3: So they responding like, yeah, we'll do it, and I

829
00:38:52,120 --> 00:38:53,520
Speaker 3: was like, well, I just want to record some stuff

830
00:38:53,520 --> 00:38:55,480
Speaker 3: ahead of time to kind of a build this segment

831
00:38:55,520 --> 00:38:57,360
Speaker 3: out there. So they're like all right, fine, pull up.

832
00:38:58,000 --> 00:38:59,680
Speaker 3: So I was in Houston and they were in Dallas.

833
00:38:59,719 --> 00:39:02,000
Speaker 3: I was four hour drive, so I drove four hours

834
00:39:02,120 --> 00:39:04,920
Speaker 3: to Dallas. I showed up to the house on the like,

835
00:39:05,040 --> 00:39:08,920
Speaker 3: you know, like what's up. They're like okay, And basically

836
00:39:09,000 --> 00:39:10,800
Speaker 3: I was just kind of asking them questions about like

837
00:39:10,840 --> 00:39:13,520
Speaker 3: their background, basically trying to build something up to get

838
00:39:13,680 --> 00:39:17,920
Speaker 3: enough of enough stuff to pitch to my sisters to

839
00:39:18,400 --> 00:39:20,560
Speaker 3: push the station to bring them on there. So I

840
00:39:20,600 --> 00:39:22,719
Speaker 3: spent a whole day with them, just learning about them,

841
00:39:22,719 --> 00:39:25,400
Speaker 3: and it was just really cool to just see that

842
00:39:25,480 --> 00:39:27,600
Speaker 3: they were just regular people just like me who just

843
00:39:27,680 --> 00:39:28,480
Speaker 3: had a platform.

844
00:39:28,640 --> 00:39:29,080
Speaker 2: You feel me.

845
00:39:29,200 --> 00:39:31,800
Speaker 3: And although I already thought that, but you know, sometimes

846
00:39:31,800 --> 00:39:34,239
Speaker 3: people off came get a lot of different energy. So

847
00:39:34,400 --> 00:39:37,200
Speaker 3: that's how we got in the same space. And what's

848
00:39:37,360 --> 00:39:38,640
Speaker 3: and what's I was in what I thought it was

849
00:39:38,680 --> 00:39:39,640
Speaker 3: on the door, I was all right, you know what

850
00:39:39,680 --> 00:39:40,000
Speaker 3: I'm saying.

851
00:39:42,320 --> 00:39:44,239
Speaker 2: So it was like I got my foot in the door.

852
00:39:44,360 --> 00:39:49,399
Speaker 3: We started talking, but I wasn't like my attention wasn't

853
00:39:49,480 --> 00:39:51,800
Speaker 3: to do anything. I think what one thing is important

854
00:39:51,840 --> 00:39:54,280
Speaker 3: that some people will just reach out to these people

855
00:39:54,360 --> 00:39:56,320
Speaker 3: and just ask for everything. Sometimes you got to just

856
00:39:56,400 --> 00:39:58,879
Speaker 3: earn your way in there. You can't just be like, hey,

857
00:39:59,800 --> 00:40:01,759
Speaker 3: I I'm the dreamer too, actually be in the group.

858
00:40:01,800 --> 00:40:04,759
Speaker 3: It's more like, just make yourself valuable and when it's time.

859
00:40:05,000 --> 00:40:07,239
Speaker 3: When time happens, it happens, you feel me. It's whatever

860
00:40:07,320 --> 00:40:09,919
Speaker 3: God decides for you and your your future. I didn't

861
00:40:10,000 --> 00:40:11,680
Speaker 3: ask to be in the group. I never asked. I

862
00:40:11,760 --> 00:40:13,080
Speaker 3: never was like, hey can I be in the group.

863
00:40:13,120 --> 00:40:15,200
Speaker 3: I never said hey, can you put me in videos.

864
00:40:15,400 --> 00:40:17,839
Speaker 3: I've been waiting for the opportunities when they reached out

865
00:40:17,880 --> 00:40:19,400
Speaker 3: to and I made sure that I was one of

866
00:40:19,440 --> 00:40:22,239
Speaker 3: the first people to respond each time, and eventually you

867
00:40:22,320 --> 00:40:25,600
Speaker 3: feel me as we start, it becomes associates that.

868
00:40:25,719 --> 00:40:26,800
Speaker 2: I was the one that I recognized.

869
00:40:26,840 --> 00:40:30,200
Speaker 3: I was like, man, y'all beking these hit anime videos,

870
00:40:30,280 --> 00:40:33,080
Speaker 3: Like I feel like y'all should go to some of

871
00:40:33,160 --> 00:40:35,759
Speaker 3: these other events around Texas to be talent. I was

872
00:40:35,760 --> 00:40:37,880
Speaker 3: the one that came with that idea, right, and They're like,

873
00:40:39,280 --> 00:40:42,440
Speaker 3: I mean, sure, if you can. So then they basically

874
00:40:42,480 --> 00:40:43,880
Speaker 3: gave me the green to see if I could do it.

875
00:40:44,360 --> 00:40:46,840
Speaker 3: And this is I'm not a gouba, I'm just associate.

876
00:40:47,360 --> 00:40:49,000
Speaker 2: So as I got it, I got it. You know.

877
00:40:49,160 --> 00:40:51,200
Speaker 2: So when I'm at work during my break.

878
00:40:51,000 --> 00:40:53,719
Speaker 3: I'm out here putting together templates, I'm like, hey, I

879
00:40:53,760 --> 00:40:55,680
Speaker 3: basically was telling all these these businesses that I was

880
00:40:55,719 --> 00:40:57,919
Speaker 3: a manager. I was like, hey, I'm the management group

881
00:40:58,000 --> 00:41:00,920
Speaker 3: for this group called RDC. They had hit videos and

882
00:41:01,000 --> 00:41:02,719
Speaker 3: make stuff. I think that they be you know, I

883
00:41:02,760 --> 00:41:05,760
Speaker 3: think y'all was talentless is great, but it's not too diverse.

884
00:41:05,800 --> 00:41:07,480
Speaker 3: I think that you guys should have some people like

885
00:41:07,560 --> 00:41:09,799
Speaker 3: this year and so I've seen like a whole bunch

886
00:41:09,800 --> 00:41:13,719
Speaker 3: of emails, right, I sent all those emails, but only two.

887
00:41:13,920 --> 00:41:16,360
Speaker 3: Only two responded out of those things, right, So the

888
00:41:16,440 --> 00:41:18,440
Speaker 3: two that did respond, I was like, all right, bet,

889
00:41:18,480 --> 00:41:20,000
Speaker 3: I'm gonna work with it. So then whenever I got

890
00:41:20,040 --> 00:41:22,680
Speaker 3: the two that responded, you know, I hit them up.

891
00:41:22,680 --> 00:41:24,200
Speaker 3: I'm like, y'all, I got y'all books, I got a

892
00:41:24,200 --> 00:41:25,759
Speaker 3: gig for y'all. You feel me like, I was just

893
00:41:25,840 --> 00:41:26,880
Speaker 3: like I didn't know what I was doing. I was like,

894
00:41:27,080 --> 00:41:29,200
Speaker 3: I got y'all booked out, and then all bet, So

895
00:41:29,760 --> 00:41:31,279
Speaker 3: we went to these different events. We went to the

896
00:41:31,280 --> 00:41:34,440
Speaker 3: first event, the first one went to we did a panel,

897
00:41:35,640 --> 00:41:37,600
Speaker 3: never did a panel before. We're all right, let's just

898
00:41:37,760 --> 00:41:41,040
Speaker 3: let's just see. So we did the panel. Full room

899
00:41:41,120 --> 00:41:43,759
Speaker 3: was booked up, like fans were all in the room,

900
00:41:44,040 --> 00:41:45,120
Speaker 3: and we were like wow.

901
00:41:45,440 --> 00:41:46,520
Speaker 2: Like he was like, wow, I.

902
00:41:46,520 --> 00:41:49,120
Speaker 3: Didn't know that people was gonna show up in person

903
00:41:49,280 --> 00:41:51,480
Speaker 3: for us side of panel. And I was like, I

904
00:41:51,600 --> 00:41:54,800
Speaker 3: mean you should have because like y'all, y'all doing something crazy.

905
00:41:54,880 --> 00:41:57,480
Speaker 3: So that was that was episode one. So we did

906
00:41:57,560 --> 00:41:59,719
Speaker 3: that and they're like, Okay, that's cool. I appreciate you.

907
00:41:59,800 --> 00:42:01,880
Speaker 3: Don like, thank you for setting this all up. By

908
00:42:01,920 --> 00:42:03,600
Speaker 3: then I got you man, like I'm gonna keep looking

909
00:42:03,600 --> 00:42:05,400
Speaker 3: for some more gigs you feel me like whatever I

910
00:42:05,520 --> 00:42:07,759
Speaker 3: was calling at the time, while I'm going back home

911
00:42:07,840 --> 00:42:08,719
Speaker 3: to my job and working.

912
00:42:08,880 --> 00:42:09,000
Speaker 4: Right.

913
00:42:09,160 --> 00:42:12,120
Speaker 3: So then the second place we went to was in Houston, ironically,

914
00:42:12,520 --> 00:42:15,960
Speaker 3: and we went to that one, but that one they

915
00:42:16,000 --> 00:42:17,840
Speaker 3: didn't really give us any kind of social promo. They

916
00:42:17,880 --> 00:42:20,160
Speaker 3: basically were just like, oh, yeah, y'all, can you know,

917
00:42:20,719 --> 00:42:22,560
Speaker 3: y'all can show up and just let people know your years,

918
00:42:22,920 --> 00:42:25,279
Speaker 3: you know what I'm saying. And we were just walking

919
00:42:25,280 --> 00:42:27,319
Speaker 3: around and as we were walking around the building, people

920
00:42:27,360 --> 00:42:28,839
Speaker 3: were just kind of like coming up to us, coming

921
00:42:28,880 --> 00:42:29,920
Speaker 3: up to us, coming up to us, and it was

922
00:42:29,960 --> 00:42:30,840
Speaker 3: crazy amount.

923
00:42:30,560 --> 00:42:32,080
Speaker 2: People who were just in our faces.

924
00:42:32,280 --> 00:42:35,959
Speaker 3: Yeah, and I think that the it started to click

925
00:42:35,960 --> 00:42:38,400
Speaker 3: a little bit right, and we were like, dang, we

926
00:42:38,400 --> 00:42:40,480
Speaker 3: didn't even know people would show us love. So then

927
00:42:40,520 --> 00:42:44,520
Speaker 3: months pasted, right, I'm doing my thing, and then one

928
00:42:44,600 --> 00:42:48,200
Speaker 3: day Mark was like, man, like, I know you've kind

929
00:42:48,200 --> 00:42:50,640
Speaker 3: of been helping us with getting to these different events,

930
00:42:50,719 --> 00:42:53,480
Speaker 3: but like what if we just like just started our

931
00:42:53,520 --> 00:42:56,200
Speaker 3: own event. And I was like yeah, I was like, yeah,

932
00:42:56,239 --> 00:42:59,040
Speaker 3: y'all should like you know, He's like yeah, but like

933
00:43:00,440 --> 00:43:02,640
Speaker 3: like can you help, like can you help us do it?

934
00:43:02,719 --> 00:43:02,839
Speaker 2: Right?

935
00:43:02,880 --> 00:43:05,480
Speaker 3: Because I don't even know nothing about that. In my mind,

936
00:43:05,520 --> 00:43:08,400
Speaker 3: I'm like me either. I never ran a convention.

937
00:43:09,000 --> 00:43:11,279
Speaker 2: But what I did know is that I was I

938
00:43:11,440 --> 00:43:13,480
Speaker 2: was tired of doing what I was doing, you feel me?

939
00:43:13,600 --> 00:43:15,920
Speaker 3: So my answer right thing was, I got it. I'm

940
00:43:15,920 --> 00:43:17,719
Speaker 3: gonna figure it out. So we hung up the phone call.

941
00:43:18,120 --> 00:43:19,879
Speaker 3: I went on Google. I said, how do you start

942
00:43:19,920 --> 00:43:22,279
Speaker 3: a convention? And the rest is history from there, I

943
00:43:22,400 --> 00:43:24,480
Speaker 3: was just learning. I started to go, you know, I

944
00:43:24,520 --> 00:43:26,719
Speaker 3: started up with gofund me. I said, hey, look y'all, look,

945
00:43:27,600 --> 00:43:29,320
Speaker 3: we even trying to go to all these different events.

946
00:43:29,400 --> 00:43:31,440
Speaker 3: They kind of been turning us away. You feel me

947
00:43:31,520 --> 00:43:33,160
Speaker 3: like people are not really seeing the vision for it.

948
00:43:33,440 --> 00:43:35,319
Speaker 3: So we decided we just gonna start our own thing.

949
00:43:35,600 --> 00:43:37,760
Speaker 3: So I'm creating this go fund me to raise some money.

950
00:43:38,000 --> 00:43:39,920
Speaker 3: Just I ain't trying to be too much money. I

951
00:43:40,080 --> 00:43:42,960
Speaker 3: want to raise enough money so we can start a website,

952
00:43:43,040 --> 00:43:44,919
Speaker 3: we can get a graphic design and make a logo,

953
00:43:45,400 --> 00:43:48,160
Speaker 3: just to make something tangible for y'all to just digest.

954
00:43:48,320 --> 00:43:50,680
Speaker 3: So that way it don't it goes from just talking

955
00:43:50,920 --> 00:43:55,360
Speaker 3: to happening. So I got about like three thousand. I

956
00:43:55,440 --> 00:43:58,040
Speaker 3: just closed the go fund me. I got the logo

957
00:43:58,120 --> 00:44:00,360
Speaker 3: stuff going. I got the website going, and then we

958
00:44:00,480 --> 00:44:01,680
Speaker 3: started social media.

959
00:44:01,719 --> 00:44:04,040
Speaker 2: And then from there Mark was like, oh, you got it.

960
00:44:04,120 --> 00:44:04,640
Speaker 2: I was like yeah.

961
00:44:04,719 --> 00:44:06,520
Speaker 3: He's like, all right, I'm talking about it on YouTube channel.

962
00:44:06,760 --> 00:44:08,480
Speaker 3: So he's like, hey, y'all, we started an own convention.

963
00:44:09,080 --> 00:44:09,480
Speaker 2: This is this.

964
00:44:10,440 --> 00:44:13,040
Speaker 3: And then from there the dynam was Mark's like, all right, look,

965
00:44:13,040 --> 00:44:16,040
Speaker 3: I'm gonna focus on making sure the group stays big

966
00:44:16,080 --> 00:44:18,160
Speaker 3: and gets bigger and bigger, making viral videos. I don't

967
00:44:18,200 --> 00:44:20,680
Speaker 3: really care too much about the organization of the event.

968
00:44:20,800 --> 00:44:22,680
Speaker 3: I just wanted to be good. I said, all right

969
00:44:22,760 --> 00:44:26,040
Speaker 3: that I don't really care too much about doing the videos.

970
00:44:26,040 --> 00:44:27,800
Speaker 3: I'm gona figure out how to do this convindious stuff.

971
00:44:28,040 --> 00:44:30,200
Speaker 3: And so that was a dynamic. At first it was already,

972
00:44:30,239 --> 00:44:33,520
Speaker 3: see the group, I'm working on building an event, and

973
00:44:33,600 --> 00:44:34,520
Speaker 3: then eventually.

974
00:44:34,200 --> 00:44:35,719
Speaker 2: It's like, oh, you might as well get moving with us.

975
00:44:35,800 --> 00:44:37,160
Speaker 2: So I don't caay, I move with you with y'all

976
00:44:37,239 --> 00:44:37,440
Speaker 2: so we.

977
00:44:37,480 --> 00:44:40,080
Speaker 3: Can kind of have because I was kind of living

978
00:44:40,120 --> 00:44:42,200
Speaker 3: in my car at the time, and he's like, well,

979
00:44:42,280 --> 00:44:43,560
Speaker 3: y'all can just stay with us and we can just

980
00:44:43,600 --> 00:44:47,279
Speaker 3: figure this out. And then from there, as you start

981
00:44:47,360 --> 00:44:49,200
Speaker 3: to live in the house, now they're making videos and

982
00:44:49,239 --> 00:44:49,560
Speaker 3: they're like.

983
00:44:49,719 --> 00:44:51,839
Speaker 2: Hey, John, can you come help us up this video?

984
00:44:51,920 --> 00:44:53,360
Speaker 2: You might as well get in here. And I was

985
00:44:53,440 --> 00:44:54,439
Speaker 2: like all right, cool.

986
00:44:54,840 --> 00:44:57,719
Speaker 3: And then from there he's like, man, like, I really

987
00:44:57,800 --> 00:44:59,560
Speaker 3: am to start paying you because you know you're helping

988
00:44:59,680 --> 00:45:00,960
Speaker 3: for this to take a lot of times.

989
00:45:01,200 --> 00:45:02,960
Speaker 2: And then from there that's when I became a member

990
00:45:03,000 --> 00:45:06,319
Speaker 2: of the group. Unintentionally, right. I didn't. I didn't ask

991
00:45:06,360 --> 00:45:07,520
Speaker 2: to be in the group. He was like, hey, man,

992
00:45:07,520 --> 00:45:09,800
Speaker 2: you can helping us. You wanted the seven.

993
00:45:10,120 --> 00:45:12,080
Speaker 3: The fans started recognizing me as a fit, me as

994
00:45:12,120 --> 00:45:14,399
Speaker 3: a seven person. And then so now I'm the group

995
00:45:14,480 --> 00:45:16,000
Speaker 3: and I'm doing this and I say all I have

996
00:45:16,080 --> 00:45:17,960
Speaker 3: to say is that's how. That's how it got to

997
00:45:18,040 --> 00:45:20,360
Speaker 3: the point it was. And then boom we did the

998
00:45:20,400 --> 00:45:22,120
Speaker 3: first event. It was eight hundred people. We thought it

999
00:45:22,120 --> 00:45:24,280
Speaker 3: was about to be ten thousand. We're like, dang, we failed.

1000
00:45:25,320 --> 00:45:27,160
Speaker 3: I think it broke even. And somebody was like, no,

1001
00:45:27,400 --> 00:45:29,960
Speaker 3: breaking even is not feeling breaking us. You can do

1002
00:45:30,280 --> 00:45:32,480
Speaker 3: you can do your two. That was something I knew.

1003
00:45:32,480 --> 00:45:34,239
Speaker 3: I said, oh, you're right, we can't do you too.

1004
00:45:35,120 --> 00:45:37,719
Speaker 3: And that's how it started. That's how I got in

1005
00:45:37,800 --> 00:45:39,640
Speaker 3: the position. So I really got in this position by

1006
00:45:40,719 --> 00:45:43,480
Speaker 3: I won't say accident, but I gotten here by just

1007
00:45:43,719 --> 00:45:44,319
Speaker 3: the grace of God.

1008
00:45:44,360 --> 00:45:47,040
Speaker 1: I feel like, man, I'm so glad to ask that question.

1009
00:45:47,200 --> 00:45:48,680
Speaker 1: That was a remarkable story.

1010
00:45:49,520 --> 00:45:52,520
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's I could get to, like everybody know in

1011
00:45:52,719 --> 00:45:55,320
Speaker 3: order how it happened. I never asked is sometimes it

1012
00:45:55,480 --> 00:45:57,120
Speaker 3: was about just being in the right position at the

1013
00:45:57,200 --> 00:45:57,760
Speaker 3: right time.

1014
00:45:58,280 --> 00:46:00,880
Speaker 1: And you came with value and come just asking for

1015
00:46:01,000 --> 00:46:02,400
Speaker 1: something came a value.

1016
00:46:02,520 --> 00:46:04,320
Speaker 2: That's the one thing I didn't ask for nothing. And

1017
00:46:04,640 --> 00:46:07,360
Speaker 2: I and I took a chance on myself.

1018
00:46:07,400 --> 00:46:09,799
Speaker 3: I quit my job and I loved in the car

1019
00:46:10,080 --> 00:46:12,360
Speaker 3: for a little while because I really believed in what

1020
00:46:12,560 --> 00:46:13,000
Speaker 3: was happening.

1021
00:46:13,360 --> 00:46:17,120
Speaker 2: And yeah, man, I think that I use myself as

1022
00:46:17,200 --> 00:46:21,080
Speaker 2: proof of motivation. That like is really just crazy.

1023
00:46:21,200 --> 00:46:22,839
Speaker 3: Just to even just talk about it now, it really

1024
00:46:22,960 --> 00:46:26,160
Speaker 3: makes me not emotional, but it makes me really understand

1025
00:46:26,280 --> 00:46:29,080
Speaker 3: the value and just believing in yourself, and it really

1026
00:46:29,160 --> 00:46:31,480
Speaker 3: makes me want to fight harder for the aspect of

1027
00:46:31,920 --> 00:46:35,080
Speaker 3: what we call dream car. Like, I took a chance

1028
00:46:36,440 --> 00:46:39,520
Speaker 3: and I seen some dudes doing some stuff that I

1029
00:46:39,560 --> 00:46:42,040
Speaker 3: always wish I could do with my friends, and they

1030
00:46:42,200 --> 00:46:45,400
Speaker 3: set me into that easily, and we turned that energy

1031
00:46:45,600 --> 00:46:49,040
Speaker 3: into creating this space for other people who potentially might

1032
00:46:49,120 --> 00:46:51,200
Speaker 3: be in that same situation that I was in eight

1033
00:46:51,280 --> 00:46:55,480
Speaker 3: years ago. And I think because we are bringing those

1034
00:46:55,520 --> 00:46:58,520
Speaker 3: type of people around is why we've been successful, because

1035
00:46:58,600 --> 00:47:03,000
Speaker 3: we are Our product that we're selling is simply chasing

1036
00:47:03,080 --> 00:47:05,160
Speaker 3: your dream. At the end in the grand scheme of

1037
00:47:05,200 --> 00:47:07,000
Speaker 3: things like people like I don't watch anything might no

1038
00:47:07,320 --> 00:47:11,120
Speaker 3: like this is a dream card. So yeah, that's that

1039
00:47:11,239 --> 00:47:12,880
Speaker 3: end of my myologue.

1040
00:47:13,000 --> 00:47:13,400
Speaker 1: I love it.

1041
00:47:13,640 --> 00:47:14,359
Speaker 2: I love it, y'all.

1042
00:47:14,400 --> 00:47:16,759
Speaker 1: Look forward to seeing you for the Blaby to Create

1043
00:47:16,760 --> 00:47:20,919
Speaker 1: a Summer in Partnership Dream con happening Friday, October thirty

1044
00:47:21,000 --> 00:47:25,040
Speaker 1: first at afro Tech and H ten Excited I see

1045
00:47:25,120 --> 00:47:27,160
Speaker 1: Sue Jonathan Newt, thank you so much to join me.

1046
00:47:28,360 --> 00:47:32,400
Speaker 1: Afrotech Conference is back and return to Eighthtown, Houston, Texas,

1047
00:47:32,440 --> 00:47:35,319
Speaker 1: from October twenty seventh through thirty first, twenty twenty five

1048
00:47:35,719 --> 00:47:39,120
Speaker 1: the George R. Brown Convention Center. For years, Afrotech has

1049
00:47:39,160 --> 00:47:44,320
Speaker 1: been to go to experience for black tech innovators, founders, engineers, creators, investors.

1050
00:47:44,480 --> 00:47:46,160
Speaker 1: The twenty twenty five is shaping up to be the

1051
00:47:46,200 --> 00:47:49,960
Speaker 1: biggest year yet, though with fortyzery attendees expected, this year's

1052
00:47:50,000 --> 00:47:53,200
Speaker 1: conference will feature five days of dynamic programming across six

1053
00:47:53,320 --> 00:47:57,279
Speaker 1: curator stages, discovery to executive leadership. Join us to hear

1054
00:47:57,320 --> 00:48:00,319
Speaker 1: from industry leaders at the forefront of change, learn from

1055
00:48:00,360 --> 00:48:03,000
Speaker 1: top ten engineers and designers, and connect with recruiters from

1056
00:48:03,040 --> 00:48:06,040
Speaker 1: nearly two hundred companies. This year, we're digging deeper into

1057
00:48:06,120 --> 00:48:09,680
Speaker 1: what's next with tracks exploring AI and machine learning, mad

1058
00:48:09,760 --> 00:48:13,839
Speaker 1: tech and health equity, cybersecurity, climate tech, and much more.

1059
00:48:14,120 --> 00:48:16,919
Speaker 1: Whether you'relaunching your first startup, pivoting into a new road,

1060
00:48:17,160 --> 00:48:19,480
Speaker 1: or scaling as an execu it's something here for you.

1061
00:48:19,880 --> 00:48:22,080
Speaker 1: Take us and moving fast to keep your spot now

1062
00:48:22,200 --> 00:48:25,520
Speaker 1: at afrotech Conference dot Com. Black Tech Green Money is

1063
00:48:25,520 --> 00:48:28,240
Speaker 1: a production of Blavity afro Tech on the Black Effect

1064
00:48:28,280 --> 00:48:31,080
Speaker 1: podcast Networking Night Hire Media, and it's produced by Morgan

1065
00:48:31,120 --> 00:48:34,680
Speaker 1: Debonne and me Well Lucas, with the addigital production support

1066
00:48:34,719 --> 00:48:37,960
Speaker 1: by Kate McDonald, Sarah Ergan and Jada McGee. Special thank

1067
00:48:37,960 --> 00:48:40,360
Speaker 1: you to Michael Davis and Lovebeach. Learn more about my

1068
00:48:40,440 --> 00:48:42,880
Speaker 1: guessing other tech. This shot is an innovators at afrotech

1069
00:48:42,960 --> 00:48:45,799
Speaker 1: dot Com. The video version of this episode will drop

1070
00:48:45,880 --> 00:48:48,000
Speaker 1: to Black Tech Green Money on YouTube, so tap in

1071
00:48:48,840 --> 00:48:51,480
Speaker 1: enjoy your black tech, green money. Share us to somebody,

1072
00:48:52,360 --> 00:48:54,399
Speaker 1: Go get your money, Peace and love,