"Good people should know other good people, we can Work, Play, Love and Laugh together."-Che
Chase Republic, A Brand Communications agency has launched their “ In The Black” apparel and merhcandise! The meaning of “In the Black” is an individual or company that turns a profit to be in good economic standing. A double entendre we can appreciate! Get Connected with Chase Republic on Instagram at @intheblack.chaserepublic or visit their website at https://intheblck.com
They don’t sell apparel. They created an allegory!
As Women’s History Month concluded, I was pleasantly surprised and honored to be included in Def Jam’s past and present highlight of women that have impacted the music entertainment business.
When I first walked through the doors of Def Jam records in 2000 (yes 20 years ago), I couldn’t believe how culturally uniformed the entire staff appeared to be. For one, it wasn’t clear to identify the leaders in top to middle management from the supporting staff ( i.e. VP, Directors, Managers to Assistants). Everyone seemed to embody a work ethic that was imaginable. Everyone was a leader in their own right, they all worked beyond expectations.
I walked in daily as an intern, but left each night feeling like a boss.
For as long as I could remember, I had a genuine love for music, yet I had no idea what it meant to be in the music business. In time, I clearly learned and adjusted quickly to what it meant to be a part of the Def Jam movement and the business overall. To witness the peak of success under the leadership of Lyor Cohen, Kevin Liles and Julie Greenwald, will forever be humbling.
On my last day at Def Jam, I walked out by title as a thriving Executive Assistant, today I stand as an entrepreneur focusing on brand marketing and business develop to continue pushing forward. I’m am forever grateful to have been at such an amazing record company .
After a recent trip to San Francisco to attend TechCrunch’s DISRUPT SF conference, I am super motivated to dive deeper into the world of tech to learn, inform and advise many people of color the value and importance of interjecting into this thriving industry.
While I am no stranger to tech, there is still more information to become familiar with daily.
In March of 2018, I along with a team of partners, developers and creative advisors launched a mobile entertainment social application called MURGE.
MURGE was fortunate to be featured for two weeks on the main page in the App Store and later on Google Play. The journey to building and launching a social app was quite intense, accompanied by several highs and lows. Working on user acquisition and funding was even more intense. MURGE had the success of launching and now the team was working to get users to see the value. In brief, the work never ends.
To get to my main point, DISRUPT SF reminded me that a room of tech talents can come together to showcase their amazing prototypes, seek funding, communicate their business objectives and overall hope they have created a product that will be in high demand.
Many of the attending tech talents were searching for information, opportunity, access or financial resources. They had the confidence, determination and team. All were hoping to acquire the right investor or branding opportunity.
What I also noticed was the limited representation of African and Latin American inclusion. This is not to say, we are not welcomed, this is simply questioning if we are engaging enough in the tech space?
While there are several types of niche resources, forums and entry level opportunities for those who aspire to code, build websites, design apps, etc. That is not the only element to entering the Tech industry. This blog post is simply not about that. This blog post is about building awareness and sharing a perspective of a branded forum (TechCrunch) that I embrace.
For example, I focus on business development, project management, creative UX/UI advisory, fundraising and overall product branding. I want to find aspiring people of color that have an interest in the work that I do and help them find their way.
My initiative “Shades Of Tech” will focus on finding people of color that have an aspiration to get into tech but may not be aware of how to start. I want to seek aspiring coders, developers, creators and more. Where are you? What are your app ideas? What skills can you apply to the tech industry? Are you aware of your tech talents? Do you need capital? Lets help you find it!
I truly believe there is a stigma applied to people of color and their lack of interest in tech. I want to change that narrative and build the ecosystem that grows immensely.
“Shades Of Tech” will aim t prove that “Information and Opportunity is never Black and White!”…….Or is it?
I had the pleasure of attending the pre-launch of a limited edition luxury hat line presented by one of our favorite basketball player’s Carmelo Anthony. #7 is hands down a class act! The NBA talent is proving he is more than an athlete…..he has the “Heart Of An Entrepreneur!”
It was so dope to be in a room with an established NBA super star talent and watch him interact with young professionals and influencers- the culture, to promote his new endeavor. From fly a%% models, great music, food and bumping in to some of the entertainment industry’s finest. The entire vibe was chill. Everyone was treated as a VIP. The mid-day turn up was spent admiring the beautiful and sleek hats, taking selfies, group pics and overall networking to bridge new relationships with a powerful collective.
I admit….I saw Courtney Kemp (writer for 50 cent’s Power for you non watchers lol) and had the urge to tell her she has me super stressed out post the season finale of Power. I didn’t get my chance since there were enough fans surrounding her and sharing their sentiments………I’m sure I’ll see her again.
Be sure to look out for #MeloMade you’re guaranteed to grab one or two hats!
Located at Studio 10 on 356 West 12th street
There is something about the number seven. I just love the number seven! Although July is the seventh month of the year, it's not exactly my favorite month. However, I was born on the seventh day of March and I decided seven would be my number..........
The number seven has a few meanings, the one I CONNECT to the most refers to completeness and the aspect of things well done. This of course is subjective but for me the road to completeness is LIVING more and BECOMING more....I want to do this very well.
So far this year, I have truly lived more than I have in a few years. I won't parade with the mantra of "Living My Best Life" because that wouldn't exactly be true. However, I have challenged myself in ways I've never imagined. The biggest one yet, say "YES To ME" more often without feeling guilty and NO to anything or anyone that doesn't add value to my life.......trust me this is a process.
Overall, I think we all should embrace the beauty of the seventh month of the year and every day moving forward. There is something in the air this Summer and while our paths along the journey of completeness may vary, be sure to live abundantly and become more positive....it really feels good.
For the rest of the month, wake up everyone morning and say "Oh July Oh July......I'm starting the day by living my best life!"
Leave the business cards, bring the rosè!
I'm not exactly sure where it came from, however I am suddenly a huge fan of rosè wine and anything with rosè in it. I'm guessing it makes me feel mature and quite adult. Whatever the reason I'm careful to "Rosè Responsibly!" I thought it would be cool to host a rosè theme roof top bbq in honor of June 9th's #Nationalrosèday. I gathered up a small group of cool, positive living friends for a good convo food, games, fun and refreshing rosè wine. We "Linked in Pink" (my favorite color is blue so this was a big step for me), although I do admit I am actually growing very fond of pink these days.......it must be the rosè. Overall, some cool connections were made and we all had a great time. There was even a marriage proposal! Not a real one but nonetheless a proposal LOL. Check out some of the photos. Maybe you can link us at the next event!
Since I love to word play, I thought about naming a concept for an event that would involve brunch and an open forum discussion for women and men to come together to talk about life, work, dating, fitness, politics and more, I came up with "WoMENtoring." The focus of this event was to allow the ladies to ask any question that comes to their mind and for the guys to answer these questions in their most honest way. While no one is offering professional advisory, this round up is simply to get some raw, organic insight aka "MENtoring" from everyday people exchanging stories based on their personal experiences.
We had a blast listening and learning about how the male and female mind interprets information. I think we are all a tad bit insane but overall it was a good time.
If you would like to join the next roundtable,
email:Info@CheConnects.com include your name age and the topic you would like to discuss.
"WoMENtoring" Sneak Peek-Dating, Marriage, Posting on Social Media
A table talk brunch with a diverse group of people to exchange on life experiences.
"Women ask, Men will advise, all truth no lies."
Celebrating Women's History Month By Living Our Best Life!
The "Grow and Glow" Event series
Last Month, CheConnects introduced the "Grow and Glow" event series. The series launched with "Tale Of A Womanpreneur" to celebrate women in business.
“Grow and Glow” is designed to provide a place for entrepreneurs to connect with established professionals to share and exchange knowledge on how to make it in varying industries. Through a series of special events, CheConnects will celebrate the hard work and journey (GROW) of amazing professionals and highlight their success (GLOW).
A special thank you to the guests speakers, LaTrice Burnette, RaVaughn Brown, Brandi Kellam, Danielle Saunders, Khalilah Beavers, Najah Rahmaan, Georgie, Rain and all of the amazing guests who attended. Your support will continue to help this series Grow and Glow!
"We can plant a seed, water it daily and wait for it to blossom, but we must ensure we have placed our seed in a cultivating garden and watch it GROW." -Che
Dajae Williams, Manufacturing Engineering, NASA
Dajae "Moe" Williams, a St. Louis native and member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, incorporated, has recently branched out to explore solutions to creatively combine science and the arts. By going against the motto "You can't have it all," she has used that to land several internships with companies such as Anhesuer Busch, John Deere, Toyota, Apple, Dot Foods, and eventually allowing her to receive a job as a Manufacturing Engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Dajae recently graduated from Missouri S&T with a B.S. in Engineering Management, in which she was the Commencement speaker for her December Fall 2017 class. During her stay at the College, she passionately held the title as President of Missouri S&T National Society of Black Engineers. Outside of working hard, Ms. Williams's other interest include engaging in public speaking, music production, songwriting, space exploration and an occasional game of basketball.
CheConnects and a few of her friends had the pleasure of attending the taping for Wild'N Out's season 11 in Brooklyn, NY. It was a blast!
We don't want to spoil it, but season 11 might be the best season. The new episodes are hilarious. You'll have to tune into MTV to catch it!
Shout to superwoman Aja Patterson for being the #Connect, she took great care of the Che team.
