Black Tie Lounge

So, I left New York! I thought I was walking in the unexpected when I came to the city with the hopes that my hustler's drive would land me an immediate opportunity. The opportunity came but it wasn't for me. I think I was a little too honest about myself in the interview. Either way, the lease ran up, no money was coming in and I decided to leave town to visit my ailing grandfather, of which passed away while I was on my way. My intent in blogging is not to vent about all of that though--I've got other ways to handle that one. Suprisingly, I'm not frustrated about my circumstance. I'm a bit anxious, but that nervousness will pass away as I get time to deeply evaluate what I want in this next phase of life. Truth be told, I was confident something would pop up for me even before I got the opportunity to work in New York. This summer, I learned more than I can write in one blogpost. My former media writing professor encouraged me to blog about it and I will as soon a...

I get so easily distracted. I'm trying my best to think clearly while there is a conversation being had outside the office I'm occupying. Yeah, I can close the door, but I think I'm going to fight through this one. Last night I was privileged to attend a meet and greet for Council Woman Inez Dickens at a investment banker friend I made out here in Harlem. Ms. Dickens is running for her second term and used the time to encourage about about 20 middle class black professionals in their mid 20's to 30's to get involved. The key take away for the evening was that I need to get involved and gain an understanding of how public affairs works in my community. Her charge was that there is no economic advancement without political advancement, which I agree with. She encouraged us not to forget about the underclass. Strickingly, the face of the black population is consistently characterized by those in poverty or fall into anti-social behavior while the black people that work...

I'm very optimistic right now. I've been unemployed for about 3 weeks but I have strickingly regained my sense of hustle back. I'm not complaining --to be honest I'm actually in a better position than before. Last week I got a chance to connect with some very senior people in the advertising and PR field. No they haven't dropped my name to get a management position, but they have been very helpful as far as directing me to agencies and careers that may be a good fit. It is amazing how willing senior level execs in this industry are to help a young brother like myself. I am lucky that they were even down to earth enough for me to feel comfortable around them. Imagine this, a CEO of his third corporation sitting down with you and telling you that he's having lunch with another CEO of the largest PR firm and that he is going to be intentional about finding something for you. Or how about hitting it off with someone that works for a major communications holding comp...

Lately, I've blogged quite a bit about what is happening to me professionally--mainly because that has been where 150% of my time has gone to. Well not exactly, but still it has been a big focus of where my time has gone to: working hard on the job, finding a job, and where my job will take me in the future. I'm definitely not so one dimensional. Before coming out here I knew that I wanted to play a role in the community in addition to whatever job I take on. Although finding work has been my priority--I can't stay here without a job--the whole community change thing has been in the back of my mind. I moved out to Harlem two weeks ago. I'm in one of the worst neigborhoods I've ever lived in but I don't feel out of my element. Last week I did the electric slide on 135 with hundreds of people during Harlem Week. I'm surrounded by black people--my people--soul food, stores that don't take credit, streets that are pitch black past 11pm. I love it. Still I...

Well New York, tt's been a rocky one but we've made it to two months. Already I see that you are trying to get rid of me, but I'll be faithful and love you because I know I was meant to be here. All the afternoons in the parks, late nights walking from midtown to the bus, all the millions of people that have a part with you I'm gonna stay true. I'm gonna stick this out with you. We'll see where I am by the end of the month. The internship has ended and I've had a lot of time on my hands. Last week I took a lot of down time and got a lot of rest, which was good. I was going to head to Boston to get away for a bit. After some serious encouragement from a person that I consider my professional mentor, I sense that there is a greater ray of hope for me in the job market here than I once did. I want to take the time to thank Bill Heyman and his team at Heyman Associates for spoiling me to death. They put me up in a corner office with a great view of the Empire S...

As much as I want to use my blog to express what is going on around me in this time, I have to be smart about it. For the past six years, I have been a student, so I have had the freedom to talk about what I wanted on my blog. Vent my frustrations as I pleased etc. etc. Well, now that I am a professional I feel as though I have to take a different approach. I thought it would be a good idea to include my blog site on my resume, so that my future employers could catch a glimpse of who I am and want to hire me. Good idea ey? Maybe not so much. My past few posts have been venting sessions because work at an agency is not in the least bit glamorous. So why am I pursuing this? Well for one, I've spent six years as a student caught the revelation that I am going to be a lifetime learner. At an agency it is all about learning the clients business and learning about the tools that you can use to help them grow. I don't want to be in a position where I am stagnant and after two months o...

So, you are probably wondering about the status of the group project. Well after much fighting, bickering, arguing between the group we presented. During the presentation I felt like crap because things that went smoothly in practice did not run smoothly. Everyone who thought they were going to be nervous was nervous, myself included. I looked upon the faces of the judges and the audience and everyone seemed to give us the "confused, what are you talking about" look. I knew it was over. I was happy that the presentation, the group work, and all I had to deal with was over. I wanted to celebrate that. I didn't mention that each group was competing and oddly enough our group won. I am still glad it is over but I'd hate to say it but the fighting paid off. I'd never in my life dare ask to go through it again. I learned how not to approach group work. I learned that it is always best to get even the most difficult of people on your good side. I'll have much fu...

My blogs are getting further and further apart. I attribute to the fact that work life has taken off considerably. I am in my last week as an intern with McCann and I do not know if I have a job just yet. Don't worry, I had an interview with one of the account teams so I am keeping my fingers crossed. I know that the team has other candidates and I hope I fit the bill. I really do otherwise I'll have to get very creative with the year lease that I'm about to sign. Coming to New York was definitely a gamble but now that I'm here, I'd like to stay. So the real reason I've come to spread my opinion. Have you ever worked in a group with someone that is so serious about getting their way? The type of person that just won't relent and for some reason because they are so LOUD their opinions now all of a sudden seems to weigh more than the majority. Have you ever worked on a team in which someone just disagreed with everything everyone else did? It's like they...