QUEEN SPEECH FROM AN ENTERTAINMENT PUBLICIST

My God-given right to comedy, honesty, optimism and witty banter

[lathepowerpublicist]

FASHIONABLY LATE TO THE BLACK PANTHER PARTY

[lathepowerpublicist]

Black Panther Power Watch & After Show

[lathepowerpublicist]

Lesbehonest, I haven’t read a comic book since 1995...

And I don’t come from generations of Black Panther stans. But if it wasn’t for #BlackTwitter class of 2016, I may still never know.  

Though I’m pretty sure my ancestry.com report will definitely say I’m 99.9% Wakandian. I’m just kidding... I don’t use ancestry.com.

But listen, this is not another rave movie review. Even though I am definitely here for the Black Girl Magic and Queen Speak happening across this magical melanin-ed cinematic universe. From the social impact alone, Black Panther truly does deserve all its glory and I would love to serve it to you but the truth is I missed more than half the film.

I know. It’s not right.

So while the citizens of Wakanda reclined in heavenly bliss, dipping into each handful of Orville Redenbacher’s buttery sin, I was preparing for VanDaBry Entertainment’s 20th episodic anniversary. For hours, we were placing decorative vibranium branches in vases and positioning it just perfectly in front of our panel for the photographers. Step and repeats. Red carpets...Look, this event was oozing Black Panther through each of its proverbial pores.

I knew the film was over when the tribe, decked in royal garb and warrior threads, entered in droves into our private After Show.

We mingled with a few well to do celebs, drank champagne and most of us contributed to a thoughtful panel discussion. (Read Celebrate the Most Anticipated Film of the Year in the District at the Black Panther Watch Party and Cocktail Reception) for the full list. It was the recipe that you want to see on a panel. Everyone brought their own unique flavor. I particularly love some good ole’ meaningful convo. Especially when we can all agree that this amazing predominantly black cast of actors left their souls on the screen. The parts that I did see, I can’t deny, I was blown away.

I can’t be more excited that IndependentlyPR was a part of this historic Hollywood film. Pardon me, this box office busting motion picture.

And in closing, so what if I may have showed up fashionably late to the Black Panther Party, I’m going to see the film again so until then just know “I’m rooting for everybody black.”

Peace.

[lathepowerpublicist]

I just won a Power 30 under 30 Award!!!

Thanks Apex Society and Porsche Cars of North America 2016

[lathepowerpublicist]

BLOG: Breakfast at SiriusXM

[lathepowerpublicist]

[lathepowerpublicist]

[lathepowerpublicist]

Industry icons adorn the walls as reminders and celebrations of music past, present and future.

[lathepowerpublicist]

BREAKFAST AT SIRIUSXM

Soooo, I was invited to attend breakfast at SiriusXM as part of the Georgetown Entertainment Media Alliance (GEMA). When I arrived at approximately 9:00am, I was escorted upstairs by a fellow Hoya named Zepplin. Per the security checks, he fobbed us up the elevator and we quickly chatted about our majors as recent alumni. Once upstairs , I was greeted by, Mitch, our GEMA organizer inside our conference room on the third floor of the building. The third floor is where the adults sit - our tour guide, Rick would tell us later. “The children play on the second floor.”

But prior to the tour, we indulged in bagels and donuts and watched footage from the Sirius XM YouTube channel while the 12-ish of us casually introduced ourselves to each other. The program began with more structured introductions followed by an informal discussion led by our, also alumni, presenters, JulieAnne and David. JulieAnne serves as VP, digital sales and marketing while David is the senior director, web content development

And yes, I was excited that we dived headfirst into 60 minutes of comm talk. No PowerPoints, notes or Prezis, just straight talk and some informal Q&A.

We discussed the trajectory of satellite radio, it’s brand DNA, value proposition, marketshare as well as their curated customer experiences. The discussion also lightly hit on working inside SiriusXM and the “passion points” that are shared inside their organization. Yes, the p word: passion. A conversation that, I feel, too often is overlooked and undervalued. What motivatedms employees is critical in understanding the composition of an organization, but this discussion was short-lived. Instead, we evolved the conversation, wrapped up our thoughts and transitioned into the second half of the program.

Once we were introduced to Rick, the videographer and long time SiriusXM-er, things moved quickly. He showed us around the second floor where all the toys were - ya know, the studios and performance spaces. His bold personality and wit helped made his deep knowledge of the history of the organization that much more interesting. We moved at a steady pace, meeting and chatting with radio personalities, engineers and producers. While there, I was surprised and excited to see Christina from Dinner with an Alumni [blog] interning in the station with “The Pulse”. 

Between exchanging my tweets for snaps, touching the piano played by Paul McCartney, to celebrating the Flintstones anniversary with Phlash Phelps from “The 60s” show, this SiriusXM experience was memorable. All in all, the breakfast and our personal tour was the perfect kickoff for an otherwise cavalier Friday morning.

[lathepowerpublicist]

ULTIMATE POWER WATCH PARTY SERIES [RECAP]

We’ve been working nonstop for three weeks (and counting) of Season 3 of VanDaBry’s Ultimate Power Watch Party Series.

According to Variety.com, in season two the hit TV show, "Power" reached  more than 1.4 million viewers, attracting the attention of men and women alike. So, when asked to hop aboard the Power train in just two weeks before the season premiere, well we couldn’t help but accept the offer.

Throughout this project, we have been surrounded by dedicated, persevering, self-starters with a vision to create a successful and memorable event. Led by our client, Dr. Greg Banks, VanDaBry LLC’s, CEO, we were compelled to not only think critically about every logistical detail, but develop a creative and attention-grabbing copy around this unique experience. 

The result, pure “Power” fandamonium! DC’s “Power” Watch Party Series features three levels of music, themes, screening rooms, open panel discussions, specialty cocktails and gourmet tastings by TTC Private Chefs. The blue carpet entrance, step and repeats and ultra premium tequila tastings from our sponsor, Exodo also made this a standout event. By partnering with fellow PR czars, our kickoff panel was powered by GO PUCK, which were awesome and useful gifted items for each of our panelist.

To date, this event has caught the attention of The Source, On The Set Magazine, DMV Podcast and other media affiliates. Our panelists have included: WPGC’s DJ Jealousy, celebrity wine sommelier and radio host, Richard Glover, former Miss DC USA/Miss USA runner up, WPGC 95.5 media correspondent and ABC7′s Poet, cofounder of Very Smart Brothas Panama Jackson, founder of TTC Concepts, Timothy Thompson and Black Alley band member, Josh, among many other talents.

Though this event has all the right ingredients - if not mixed just right it could end disastrously. I’d be remiss to say that things fell perfectly into place, as we dealt with a plethora of back-end issues, but we were prepared and ready for change. We secured panelists that would be interested for our post-Power conversation and pitched to media. We also interviewed our guests as well as created promotional content at the event through Snapchat, Twitter and Instagram. The event was also promoted through multiple meetup groups, Facebook invitations and cross-media promotions.

The press release about this event was posted on PRLog and fans registered through our Eventbrite link.

[lathepowerpublicist]

On April 7, 2016, I hosted “Dinner With An Alumni” at my home. I was accompanied by five current Georgetown University students from sophomores to seniors whose interests focused around music, entertainment, communications and pubic relations.

With my infamous seafood pasta on deck, the students packed their plates and we sat down to engage in an hour long discussion about my company, IndependentlyPR, the beauty and the beasts of the business.

[lathepowerpublicist]

Five talented students sat in the infamous “hippie circle” at my home and engaged in thoughtful conversations about the transition from studies to successful careers. I had an opportunity to share with them details of my own path and the advice that I received to help guide my career trajectory. At Georgetown, arts and media are not mainstream majors and your place in this industry is not guaranteed. It’s all about networking and consistency. After talking with them, it seemed they were ready for the challenge. So, I called a very special client to give even more insight into the business. Alisha “M’Jestie” Brooks has been my client for over 5 years. With several Billboard-charting tracks, platinum success from penning Rihanna’s first single and international success, she took a few minutes to offer some additional guidance.

[lathepowerpublicist]

Even if some of them decide not to pursue professional careers in the music industry, my hope is they follow their passion - whatever that may be.

Hoya saxa,

La

[lathepowerpublicist]

The marketing team is hard at work to produce the Georgetown 365 standard. A campaign that promotes inclusion and accessibility across campus.

(pictured left to right)

Ramneek Kaur, LaWanda White, Ariel Chu, Anisha Thadani

[lathepowerpublicist]

Georgetown 365

Georgetown 365 is a grassroots campaign that empowers the collective. This initiative challenges event planners to go beyond simply meeting accessibility standards. It is designed to provide resources that support the unique needs of the entire Georgetown University community in achieving inclusion across campus. Engage with us online at #GU365, Facebook and Twitter.

[lathepowerpublicist]

[lathepowerpublicist]

The “District Speaks” Town Hall

In 2012, I co-founded DC Young Urban Professionals (DC YUPies) to help cultivate a community ambitious and creative professionals. The group isn’t geared towards one particular gender, race, culture or industry. And what’s different about our organization is that we do simply host networking events nor do we follow the status quo. Instead, we position ourselves as the game changers, Our members are entrepreneurs, thought leaders and influencers. 

On Thursday, May 28 DC YUPies collaborated with Jonelle Henry’s Districtly Speaking hosted their 1st Town Hall at 201 Bar on Capitol Hill. This happy hour brought together many enthusiastic professionals to discuss the social and political issues happening around Washington.

About Districtly Speaking

Launched in 2011, Districtly Speaking provides participants the space to debate and discuss the most talked about social and political issues during our monthly town halls and regular happy hours.Districtly Speaking allows professionals and community leaders to build their networks and community relationships.