<ul class="summary-list"><li><p><keyword id="13795528" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="imani-ellis" source="Orion">Imani Ellis</keyword> began her career as an NBC page and became a vice president at the company within 10 years.</p></li><li>She created <keyword id="13795529" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="culturecon" source="Orion">CultureCon</keyword> after noticing a lack of diversity at the conferences she attended as a publicist.</li></ul><p>Many learn about the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/this-job-more-selective-than-navy-seals-2016-6">competitive NBC page program</a> — a paid fellowship for aspiring media professionals — through the comedy series, "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfRi7V2bs3o">30 Rock</a>." Imani Ellis, however, first learned about the program through networking.</p><p>The founder of the <a href="https://www.theccnyc.com/culturecon">CultureCon</a> conference began her career as a page in the NBC program in the summer of 2012. She built her career from there, becoming the Vice President of Unscripted <keyword id="11896019" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="entertainment" source="Orion">Entertainment</keyword> Publicity at NBCUniversal within 10 years.</p><p>CultureCon, which was first ideated in Ellis's bedroom, brings thousands of young creative professionals together to share information and create opportunities. It's attracted the likes of <keyword id="12165926" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="spike-lee" source="Orion">Spike Lee</keyword>, Billy Porter, <a href="https://www.insider.com/abbott-elementary-quinta-brunson-interview-2022-2">Quinta Brunson</a>, Michael B. Jordan, Lena Waithe, Keke Palmer, and <keyword id="12759620" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tracee-ellis-ross" source="Orion">Tracee Ellis Ross</keyword>.</p><p>The conference's pop-ups, panels, and fireside chats have led to job offers, successful raise negotiations, and contracted opportunities for attendees. This year, it's stopping by three cities: Atlanta (May 2–7), Los Angeles (June 16–18) and New York (Oct. 3–8). Insider caught up with Ellis to talk about the conference's mission and the motivations that drive her.</p><p>The following is an edited transcript from our interview with Ellis.</p><p><strong>You went from an NBC page to vice president in 10 years. How important was networking to that professional journey for you?</strong></p><p>I think if you put less pressure on networking, and instead just stay curious about what the next level looks like, curious about what it would mean to be performing at the next level, I think it's a little bit more authentic. I always encourage people to approach it with authentic curiosity and hard work.</p><p>Sometimes I feel like there's been this stigma that you go to a networking event, and if you don't leave with three contacts, it wasn't a success. It's got to be more intentional than that. I have a lot of mentors who have poured into me, and I think genuinely being curious about people has really helped my career so far.</p><p><strong>Who were some of those people that you were connecting with, and how were you meeting them?</strong></p><p>As a publicist, we are working so much with journalists, and I think one of the things that was really important to me was bringing my whole self to work. When I came to work in Atlanta, I wanted to make sure that we were working with a diverse group of reporters. That includes working with <a href="https://www.lovebscott.com/">Love B. Scott</a>, or working with Eric Jones, who, of course, is [now] a booker at "Good Morning America." It was about genuine friendships, but also making sure that I was using my platform as a publicist to do inclusive storytelling.</p><div type="image" title="Regina King and Eric Jones at CultureCon" height="2838" width="3785" msid="91273515" hostid="261"></div><p><strong>Where were you meeting, internally, these people? Were you going to meetings for other departments? Were there interdepartmental meetups? </strong></p><p>I work with these people every day, so I think it's taking the extra time to set up coffees, to set up conversations. A lot of times, you're moving so quickly throughout your day, you probably aren't even counting how many people you're interacting with. What would it look like to take it a step further?</p><p>When someone comes in from the IT department and fixes your computer, I would ask, "What does that coding mean?" I'm not asking every single step, but I think having a genuine curiosity about other people's worlds is the key to networking. I think it makes you a sharper performer, because you're understanding the big picture and not just your siloed approach to your role.</p><div type="image" title="Culture Con" height="1680" width="2240" msid="91273517" hostid="261"></div><p><strong>You started CultureCon in your apartment. Why was the mission so urgent for you?</strong></p><p>I was going to conferences, and I was really feeling an out-of-body experience because I wasn't seeing the diversity on the stage that represented all the talent that I was seeing right beside me. It really was one of those, "If you don't see it, build it." I had no idea that it would grow so quickly and so big, but the team and I, all of my close friends, we really believed in it.</p><p>I think for us, it became our north star, to build something that we did not see in the world, a place where you could be your full self. You weren't code switching, you weren't making yourself smaller. You were showing up, and you could talk about all the nuances that come with being a diverse creative living today.</p><p><strong>When did you first realize the impact that CultureCon was having?</strong></p><p>The first time I realized the impact that CultureCon was having was in 2017, at the first CultureCon. It was very small, but Spike Lee was our keynote speaker. We had put our blood, sweat, and tears in this conference. We stayed up until midnight spray-painting Spike Lee letters for his room. It was very DIY, and I loved that it was because it makes the growth even more meaningful.</p><p>Right after the conference was over, a young lady came up to me, and she said, "Imani, I've never felt like this. This feels like I just left church, plus homecoming, plus my friend's cookout all in one." That was the intention, that you could come to a place that felt like it was built for you. The fact that she felt all those things was mind-blowing. Fast forward four years later, the conference is now going to three different cities.</p><p><strong>How do you curate talent for CultureCon? What do you think makes the perfect speaker for your organization's audience?</strong></p><p>We have an amazing talent team. It's led by Emmy award-winning Eric Jones, and his amazing talent team. At the beginning, in the brainstorming period, we really think about, holistically, the pulse of culture. It's not just, who's making waves right now, it's who is leaving legacy before us? Who's the next generation coming up after us? We want to make sure that we're hitting all the touch points of culture.</p><p>Atlanta, for example, it's the perfect example for the first city, because we're touching politics with Stacey Abrams. We've got music with Omeretta the Great. We have so many specific nuances.</p><p><strong>Why is it important to you to have an organization that focuses on entrepreneurship, freelancing, and "corporapreneurship" from the internal standpoint? Is that something that you guys are intentionally building into your ethos?</strong></p><p>Absolutely. Our three pillars are: hustle smarter, building a life, and driving culture. They're very intentional that those are our three pillars, because we don't want to just focus on hustle culture. We want you to hustle smarter, not harder. We also want you to build a life. Outside of work, who are you? How are you? Are you sleeping? Are you well?</p><p>Finally, it's about driving culture, and acknowledging all the contributions that we have given to culture. For us, it really is about the holistic story. I don't think everyone should be an <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-i-organize-5-hour-workday-entrepreneur-small-business-2022-4?_ga=2.113214724.1460109289.1650888701-1996747788.1647018266">entrepreneur</a>. I also think that you can be an <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/5-essential-traits-of-the-successful-intrapreneur-2013-10">intrapreneur</a>. You can make an incredible impact inside existing companies, and you need both to survive.</p><div type="image" title="Dave East Tracee Ellis Ross Pyer Moss" height="2880" width="3840" msid="91273519" hostid="261"></div><p><strong>CultureCon New York educates young creatives about professional development, and even explains to them how they can get their organization to pay for their ticket to CultureCon. Why was spreading that message important to the organization?</strong></p><p>That was so important to us ... We won a Webby for this campaign led by Skylar Kearney, who does our social media curation called, "You Deserve Juneteenth Off." I think a lot of people didn't realize that they could request Juneteenth off, that just because their company, maybe at the time, didn't acknowledge it, that it was their right to say, "This is a really important day to me. I really am going to take it off to celebrate my heritage."</p><p>You should also feel empowered to ask your supervisor or your company to send you to conferences that celebrate diversity, that celebrate all the special, unique nuances that you bring to the table. We've seen so many guests who are sponsored by their boss, they're coming with their boss, which I love to see.</p><p><strong>What about students? Why do you want students at CultureCon, and what do you want them to get from the experience?</strong></p><p>It's so important to have students at CultureCon because it is important to see all the possibilities. I think that so much starts by knowing what's available. I did not know that you could be a publicist until I was in college. I didn't even know that job existed.</p><p>Imagine being a college student, coming to CultureCon, meeting a head of talent, or the head of marketing, and understanding that all of these roles are pathways and career opportunities for you.</p><p>Students get to attend CultureCon for free, and that's literally one of my favorite things about CultureCon. We want to make sure that the next generation is getting access to all of this information, and all of these resources.</p><p>Tickets for CultureCon are <a href="https://www.theccnyc.com/culturecon#culturecon-2022/what-is-culturecon">available now</a>. </p>

CultureCon founder Imani Ellis climbed company ranks to become a vice president within 10 years. Now, she's helping young professionals of color do the same.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Between life and running my company, CultureCon, I felt burned out.</li><li>It became clear that I needed to take time off and create space to reignite my creative spark.</li></ul><p dir="ltr">I have a confession: Until about a month ago, I had never mastered the art of sitting still.</p><p dir="ltr">I was always moving from something to something and truly believed that rest could wait. As a <a href="https://www.insider.com/i-always-wished-i-could-become-a-workaholic-book-excerpt-2023-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recovering workaholic </a>and former athlete, I assigned intrinsic value to my ability to produce consistent results. Therefore, rest felt foreign to me, shame-inducing even.</p><p dir="ltr">Earlier this year, I decided to leave a full-time role in corporate to run my company, <a href="https://www.insider.com/culturecon-founder-imani-ellis-discusses-conference-networking-advice-and-diversity-2022-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Culturecon</a>, full-time. Although I was living in my purpose, something felt off. I was tired. Not take a nap and keep going tired, but creatively stunted and need to sit still for a month tired.</p><p dir="ltr">It became clear to me that I needed to create space to just think. So I decided to do what <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/learning/james-baldwin-books" target="_blank" rel="noopener">James Baldwin</a> did in 1948. I decided to go to Paris. Instead of planning a vacation, I produced my very own creative residency— a dedicated time to think, play and rest inspired by the acclaimed novelist and essayist. </p><div type="image" title="Imani Ellis stands in front of the Eiffel Tower." height="3000" width="2250" msid="102697863" hostid="261" sizebytes="223186"></div><p dir="ltr">Why Baldwin? Well, he's always been a North Star for me. I loved his ability to assign language to the deeply complicated feelings I had always known as a Black woman, but couldn't articulate, including my feelings about the Black experience, identity, and social critique.</p><p dir="ltr">My ultimate goal for the trip was to find a way back to myself and reignite the <a href="https://www.insider.com/minimalist-lifestyle-can-optimize-creativity-2019-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">creative spark</a> that I once had. I wanted to emerge as my most rested and abundant self. </p><p dir="ltr">We all need dedicated time to think and reflect without distraction. Here's how I crafted my creative residency in case you want to create your own.</p><div type="image" title="Imani Ellis sitting in a Parisian garden." height="2192" width="1644" msid="102697865" hostid="261" sizebytes="294480"></div><h2 dir="ltr">First, I prioritized playfulness and spontaneity </h2><p dir="ltr">In 1948, Baldwin arrived in Paris looking to escape the racial discrimination he had experienced in America. With the French city as his playground, he experimented and unleashed his creativity and imagination.</p><p dir="ltr">Inspired by this, I visited cafes and restaurants that James used to frequent. I also made the first part of my trip all about centering child-like wonder and the art of play. It was so refreshing to take myself a little less seriously, on purpose. </p><p dir="ltr">Here's what play looked like for me:</p><ul><li dir="ltr">Saying yes to activities that sparked joy – no matter how small. If I wanted to say no, but had no true reason to, then I'd say yes;</li><li dir="ltr">Actively seeking moments of playfulness and spontaneity; and</li><li dir="ltr">Resisting a rigid agenda and allowing myself to wander from one activity to the next.</li></ul><h2 dir="ltr"><div type="image" title="Imani Ellis sitting a table in Paris" height="1080" width="1440" msid="102697868" hostid="261" sizebytes="162228"></div></h2><h2 dir="ltr">Then, I focused on resting and being still </h2><p dir="ltr">From 1970 until his death in 1987, James lived in the South of France. He seemingly flourished in silence and spent his time hosting guests and writing in his studio.</p><p dir="ltr">Inspired by his chapter on quiet, I left bustling Paris to visit the small provençal town of  Cadenet. I challenged myself to spend more time being still. In my free time, I created an inventory of my desires, worries, and hopes. When I started to get restless, I came back to the fact that rest was on the agenda. I wasn't being lazy; this was the plan. I reminded myself that rest isn't earned. It's my birthright. </p><p dir="ltr">For me, stillness looked like this:</p><ul><li dir="ltr">Morning walks without any music, prayer, and spending a good amount of time in nature;</li><li dir="ltr">Carving out substantial time to read books — by authors such as Baldwin, of course, and Deepak Chopra) and journal;</li><li dir="ltr">Daydreaming about the future, reflecting on the past, and checking in often with how I was feeling.</li></ul><h2 dir="ltr"><div type="image" title="Imani Ellis looking over a Parisian balcony" height="3000" width="2475" msid="102697869" hostid="261" sizebytes="958962"></div></h2><h2 dir="ltr">Lastly, I took what I had learned and attempted to redefine my values to create a more balanced life</h2><p dir="ltr">For the final part of my creative residency, I returned to Paris, ready to look forward. My goal was to take everything I had learned so far about myself and transform those learnings into actionable steps toward a more clear future. </p><p dir="ltr">Refining for me looked like this:</p><ul><li dir="ltr">Revisiting my values and asking myself, "What is important to me? What do I hold sacred? Does my life reflect this?"</li><li dir="ltr">Detaching from specific outcomes and instead visualizing the most truest and fulfilled version of myself. Then I identified habits I could start to get there;</li><li dir="ltr">Identifying and shedding any unnecessary emotional weight I was carrying.</li></ul><p dir="ltr">I've just returned to New York City with a clarity I haven't felt in a very long time. My time away not only allowed me the uninterrupted time to develop my daydreams into a new reality, but it also encouraged me to enjoy the art of doing absolutely nothing — a feeling so unfamiliar to me that it took some time to acquire the skill.</p><p dir="ltr">The biggest shift I feel now is a calm path forward. I no longer feel rushed to constantly produce but am confident that when I produce, it will be born out of the truest, most peaceful version of myself. And if I chose to never produce anything again, I would still be worthy, valuable, and loved.</p><div type="image" title="Imani Ellis stands on a street in Paris." height="3000" width="2250" msid="102697871" hostid="261" sizebytes="431478"></div><p dir="ltr">What I learned most during my creative residency was that going forward, I needed dedicated time to be alone with my thoughts so that I can revisit what I really desire for my life. I realized that whether I had taken a trip to Paris or sat in my living room at home, the first step was deciding that rest and reflection were going to be a priority for me moving forward. </p><p dir="ltr">I went halfway around the world to come back home to myself.</p><p dir="ltr">Whether you're building out your own creative residency abroad or taking time to prioritize rest where you're sitting now — you are worthy of time to just think and be still . So take it and return to your truest, rested self. </p>

I'm a CEO who was burned out. So I took 30 days off from work to recharge in Paris and found my creative spark.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>"<keyword id="13166041" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="nope" source="Orion">Nope</keyword>" star <keyword id="13166042" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="daniel-kaluuya" source="Orion">Daniel Kaluuya</keyword> isn't worried about giving away spoilers for <keyword id="11949120" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="jordan-peele" source="Orion">Jordan Peele</keyword>'s next <keyword id="11897475" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="movie" source="Orion">movie</keyword>.</li><li>He told a crowd at CultureCon that Peele's films should be experienced, not described.</li></ul><p>Don't expect to get any secrets about <a href="https://insider.com/category/jordan-peele">Jordan Peele</a>'s next movie, "<a href="https://insider.com/category/nope">Nope</a>," out of star Daniel Kaluuya. </p><p>When asked by his "Get Out" costar Lil Rel Howery Thursday <a href="https://www.theccnyc.com/culturecon">at a CultureCon panel</a> whether or not it's difficult for him to leak information about one of these productions, Kaluuya immediately said, "No, it's not hard because it's hard to describe."</p><p>The response elicited a hearty laugh from the CultureCon crowd at AMC's Universal Citywalk in Hollywood. Insider was on hand at the pop-up event, occuring in Los Angeles from June 16 through 19. </p><div type="image" title="Daniel Kaluuya and Lil Rel Howery speak at CultureCon on Thursday, June 16, 2022." height="3024" width="4032" msid="92308799" hostid="261"></div><p><a href="https://www.cultureconusa.org/culturecon22">The annual Wisconsin convention</a> includes a collection of conversations, community events, courses, networking events, and more.</p><p>"There's so much happening," Kaluuya continued of the difficulty in trying to boil down a Peele film into a few sentences or words, adding a reason why he wouldn't necessarily want to divulge too much anyway: "A lot times, what I realize, is you don't want to spoil it for anyone. It's to be experienced. It's not to be described."</p><p>That's true of Peele's directorial debut, 2017's "Get Out," and his follow-up, 2019's "Us." Both films are social thrillers, shining a light on what he described to our sister site Business Insider in 2017 as "<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/get-out-jordan-peele-horror-movie-series-social-demons-2017-2">social demons</a>."  </p><p>"The best and scariest monsters in the world are human beings and what we are capable of especially when we get together," Peele said. "I've been working on these premises about these different social demons, these innately human monsters that are woven into the fabric of how we think and how we interact, and each one of my movies is going to be about a different one of these social demons."</p><div type="image" title="Daniel Kaluuya, Lil Rel Howery, and writer/director Jordan Peel attends the 23rd Annual Critics' Choice Awards on January 11, 2018 in Santa Monica, California." height="2731" width="4097" msid="92308801" hostid="261"></div><p>Kaluuya along with Keke Palmer ("Lightyear") and Steven Yeun ("Minari") stars in <keyword id="12095154" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="universal-pictures" source="Orion">Universal Pictures</keyword>' upcoming sci-fi horror directed, written, and produced by Peele.</p><p>If you've watched any of the three trailers for "Nope," they don't give a lot away. We simply know the film follows siblings OJ (Kaluuya) and Emerald (Palmer) who come into contact with a mysterious unidentified flying object that led to the death of their father.</p><p>During Thursday night's conversation, Kaluuya divulged a little more about Peele's latest film, saying the brother and sister's strained relationship is "the throughline" of the film. </p><p>"He's kind of disappointed in her. She's sick of him," Kaluuya said of OJ and Emerald being brought back together after being separate for a while. The focus on that relationship was something that excited Kaluuya about working on "Nope" since many can relate to a complicated sibling dynamic.</p><div type="image" title="Keke Palmer in Nope" height="1500" width="2435" msid="92308802" hostid="261"></div><p>Kaluuya said that even if you get "pissed off" by a brother or sister, "there's this bond that you just have each other's back no matter what bullshit happens."</p><p>"It was amazing to have that. It's a genuine love story between a brother and sister," he added.</p><p>CultureCon showed a behind-the-scenes featurette and previewed a short clip from "Nope" that highlighted the brother and sister duo in the film. </p><p>During an over 30-minute conversation, Kaluuya and Howery also reminisced about their experience on "Get Out" and Kaluuya expressed the need for more Black producers in Hollywood. </p><div type="image" title="Daniel Kaluuya and Jordan Peele" height="5249" width="7874" msid="92308803" hostid="261"></div><p>"When there's issues, you understand them. You can speak to them and you can translate on a different level," Kaluuya told the crowd of how projects thrive from more diverse producers. "You can shield and protect the creative... It's about protecting the creative, protecting the artist, letting them be proud of what they make."</p><p>Kaluuya said he's seen people who have been asked to compromise their work and it's made them give up on their project and "leave the game."</p><p>"That'll break my heart to hear that someone that's so talented, going, 'Fuck this.' And, I get it," Kaluuya said.</p><p>When Kaluuya was asked to tease once more what audiences can expect when "Nope" hits theaters, he described it as "larger than life," saying that when you see certain things on screen, they'll just make you go, "Whoa."</p><p>"Jordan's really done it," Kaluuya said, adding, "I think you'll be dazzled with what he's made."</p><p><em>"Nope" is in theaters on July 22. CultureCon will host events in New York City in October. </em></p>

'Nope' star Daniel Kaluuya is never worried about spoiling a Jordan Peele movie because they're too complex to describe

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Alice Walker's novel "The Color Purple" is being remade as a film musical.</li><li>Taraji P. Henson said executive producer Steven Spielberg, who directed the original film adaptation, understood the need for a different point of view.</li></ul><p>Over the weekend, at <a href="https://www.insider.com/culturecon-founder-imani-ellis-discusses-conference-networking-advice-and-diversity-2022-5">CultureCon</a> 2022, actress Taraji P. Henson spoke about why the upcoming musical film remake of "The Color Purple" will be unlike anything audiences have experienced before.</p><p>"I think you guys are going to be experiencing 'The Color Purple' for the first time from a Black perspective," Henson told host Blake Newby and a crowd of 3,500 attendees at the creative conference. </p><p>Based on the Alice Walker novel, "The Color Purple" focuses on the struggles of Black women living in the South in the early 1900s. It was originally made into a <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088939/">movie</a> in 1985 and was later adapted into a <a href="https://playbill.com/production/the-color-purple">Broadway play</a> in 2005. </p><p>Henson is playing singer Shug Avery in the upcoming musical remake. She clarified that she meant no disrespect to <a href="https://www.insider.com/steven-spielberg-movies-ranked-from-worst-to-best">Steven Spielberg,</a> who directed the original movie and will serve as an executive producer on the remake. </p><p>"No dig to one of our producers, Steven Spielberg, but he even understood the importance of a Black person telling this story," she continued. </p><div type="image" title="TarajiPHenson_Photo Credit Mark Clennon.jpg" height="2800" width="2240" msid="94843285" hostid="261" sizebytes="320024"></div><p>Filmmaker and musician <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7577540/">Blitz Bazawule</a> is directing the remake. <a href="https://www.insider.com/danielle-brooks-wedding-dresses-photos-2022-1">Danielle Brooks</a> will play Sofia, <a href="https://www.insider.com/halle-bailey-little-mermaid-movie-ariel-black-history-mythology-2022-9">Halle Bailey</a> will play Nettie, and <a href="https://www.insider.com/american-idol-winners-ranked-by-success-2021-3">Fantasia Barrino</a> will play Celie. </p><p>Henson also said that fans of the original movie will see changes made to the story's framing. "You will see the differences right away," she said. </p><p>She encouraged attendees to use their voices to tell similar stories. </p><p>"That's why it's important for all you filmmakers and writers and up-and-coming producers and directors, we must tell our stories, it's so important," she said to the crowd at the Brooklyn's Navy Yard.  </p><div type="image" title="The Color Purple" height="3579" width="5315" msid="94843287" hostid="261" sizebytes="697706"></div><p>"The Color Purple" tells often dark storylines, including stories of domestic violence, sexual abuse, racist violence, and financial abuse, but Henson says there is a new level of joy in its most recent retelling. </p><p>"Black people, y'all know we know how to find joy in a situation, right? We can turn our pain into joy. And that's what makes us so incredible," Henson continued. </p><p>"So that's what I love about this particular film because this doesn't harp on the trauma."</p>

Taraji P. Henson says fans will see 'The Color Purple' from the Black perspective for the first time in the upcoming musical remake

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Dotun Abeshinbioke is a set designer and the owner of Ábiké Studio in New York<em>.</em></li><li>She got into set design as a student and started making sets for friends, leading to paying clients.</li></ul><p><em>This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Dotun Abeshinbioke, the owner of Ábiké Studio in New York. Insider has verified her revenue with documentation. The following has been edited for length and clarity.</em></p><p>Three years ago, I was studying graphic design at the Parsons School of Design, and I started freelancing as a way to build out my portfolio. I initially started doing design work for T-shirts and flyers, then I started designing sets to showcase my photography. Since I was at an art school, I became familiar with props and design and decided to give it a try.</p><p>I eventually transitioned to small-scale installation work, and I decided to turn my personal work into a creative brand in November 2020. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/abike.studio/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ábiké Studio</a> was inspired by my traditional Yoruba name, which means "born to treasure."</p><p>As a creative studio, we do branding, web design, and experiential design for clients across creative fields. My business has grown entirely through word-of-mouth referrals. In 2022, Ábiké brought in six figures in revenue. Here's how I built it.</p><h2><strong>When I first started, I would imagine something I wanted to shoot and DIY it</strong></h2><p>For a while, the work was mostly for me, and initially, I hadn't imagined doing it for paying clients. My funds were very limited as a student, so if I wanted to shoot something, I'd seek out cheap alternatives to the sets that inspired me, like the curtains and checkered flooring that the Malian photographer Malick Sidibé uses. I found materials, like peel-and-stick flooring and fabrics, at discount and hardware stores and purchased things I could return later to keep my overhead low.</p><p>The help of community members and social-media followers is what shifted my transition from passion to profession. I gained traction when I started sharing more of my work <a href="https://www.instagram.com/doseofdots/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on Instagram</a> and connecting with industry peers there.</p><p>I used to go live on Instagram to show the process of building out my sets, then shared the images on my page the next day. My followers loved this content, especially during the pandemic. These posts would be sent around and eventually shared with people who hired me for jobs later on.</p><p>Friends started to refer me to other creatives, including artists who needed help with sets for music videos. One of my followers referred me to the production studio working with the artist Fabolous. He had a song with Davido and Jeremih, and the video shoot was in New York. They needed a set and had seen my work. They gave me a budget up front, which I divided up based on the cost of materials and labor.</p><p>After this project, I worked on expanding my scope, shifting away from videos to album covers, work events, and brand activations. As I grew, I could negotiate for higher budgets and higher day rates. Most of my early projects were small-scale and budget-friendly. As the work progressed, the budgets of set design projects began to range between around $5,000 and $10,000.</p><h2><strong>Business picked up in 2021 when I discovered the Creative Collective NYC</strong> <strong>and worked with Foot Locker</strong></h2><p><a href="https://www.theccnyc.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CCNYC</a> is a destination for diverse creative freelancers to connect with opportunities and partners in the industry. They operate as a networking platform and a production agency, connecting clients with teams to execute creative visions.</p><div type="image" title="A model poses for a photoshoot for Footlocker" height="6295" width="4197" msid="98363101" hostid="261" sizebytes="1470902"></div>That year, CCNYC was producing a series of photoshoots for Foot Locker and collaborating with a handful of Black-owned brands joining the retailer. There were two shoots with four brands per shoot, and I built all eight sets for the collaboration.<p>From there, a friend brought me to work on a project for Instagram. A production agency was producing the #REELJOLLOF Ghana versus Nigeria basketball game, which Instagram was hosting, and the agency thought my style would fit in with the event's creative direction. I was tasked with building out a photo activation that guests would interact with at the game.</p><p>By this point, my work was circulating between production companies and friends who work with different brands. I took on another project with the Billionaire Boys Club to help design and install in-store activations for Pokémon and Yankees collaborations.</p><div type="image" title="a gray room with New York Yankees decor" height="4160" width="6240" msid="98363102" hostid="261" sizebytes="1780498"></div><p>The person who initially brought me on for the Ghana versus Nigeria basketball game asked for me again when Instagram was planning an activation with CCNYC for the <a href="https://www.theccnyc.com/culturecon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CultureCon</a> event in October 2022.</p><p>The theme was sustainability in fashion. Being in charge of design for the installation allowed me the freedom to create based on my imagination. For guidance, I was given a 3D mock-up along with some inspiration images. Then I worked with Instagram's creative team to make a color-gradient activation out of thrifted clothes as a commentary on sustainable fashion.</p><div type="image" title="The Instagram activation at CultureCon in 2022" height="1365" width="2048" msid="98363105" hostid="261" sizebytes="367982"></div><h2><strong>My creative process revolves around a narrative arch, and I try to use storytelling as a starting point for my ideas</strong></h2><p>I ask my client what they want me to try to say, who I'm trying to speak to, and what they want to see. It's a process of world-building.</p><p>Much of the work I do is through trial and error. In instances where I had to reevaluate materials or labor, I always learned something new. The reward is seeing my visions come to life and seeing my clients be happy with what I made for them.</p><h2><strong>As a freelancer, it's imperative to</strong> <strong>learn how to be an effective project manager</strong></h2><p>Organizational skills and diligence are what made the difference for me, and it's helped me better serve the people I work with. This became valuable as I merged all the freelance work that I was doing into one distinguishable brand. I still lead most of the day-to-day work, but I now have two graphic designers who I hired in 2022 and a project manager. On a project basis, I bring on other contractors and freelancers to collaborate on branding and web design.</p><p>Clients don't always immediately understand, but my team is closely following the ideas and aesthetics on our vision boards. The physical rendition of the project in its final form is when it starts to make sense for everyone. The clients provide the objective, and my job is to lend my creativity to make it a reality.</p>

You Searched For "culturecon" and got 5 results

CultureCon founder Imani Ellis climbed company ranks to become a vice president within 10 years. Now, she's helping young professionals of color do the same.

Keyaira Boone

I'm a CEO who was burned out. So I took 30 days off from work to recharge in Paris and found my creative spark.

Imani Ellis

'Nope' star Daniel Kaluuya is never worried about spoiling a Jordan Peele movie because they're too complex to describe

Kirsten Acuna

Taraji P. Henson says fans will see 'The Color Purple' from the Black perspective for the first time in the upcoming musical remake

Keyaira Boone

I built a 6-figure company designing sets for photoshoots and events. Here's how I turned my college hobby into a business.

Skylar Mitchell