Black Tie Lounge

Hind sight is always 20/20. Let me tell you what happened to me, starting from yesterday. I get a message from a company that I applied to via craigslist as a part-time writer. I'm desparate for work so of course I call back within the hour for further information. I speak with a gentleman who says that he wants to meet with me to do a writing test, which is very legit because most organizations have potential candidates complete one before extending an opportunity. So we agree on a meeting location and confirm that it will take place the following day. I ask what the name of the organization and he gives me an acronym to look up. So the next day comes and I get up before 6 a.m., which is crazy because I have not been on a working man's schedule considering. So I make it the metro station and am in transit to the meeting location. I'm running a little late so I call the gentleman to inform him of my potential tardiness. I get an answering machine, so I leave a message. ...

October is here and Libras rule! Shout out to my friends Brittany Ralph, Brittany Wiggins soon to be Hunt, Troy Lily aka the Urban Intellectual , Michael McElrath, Shannon Newsome soon to be Cozart, Mj Jones, Gianne Harper, GRANDMA,Brandon Pendleton, Tasha Howard, and ... right now these are all the people I can think of that are celebrating birthdays in October. Yeah we run this. The 19th is right around the corner and all I really want for my birthday is studio time. I need to catch you all up on: my work with the DC Humanities Council; a job opportunity that I'm apprehensive about but have no other choice but to take for the moment; competing in talent show early next month; and much more. Two things just happened in the past 20 minutes. I got another freelance client and tomorrow I'll be participating in my first model call. Guess I'm shaving the beard and hitting the push ups once I get off here. I'll let you know how things go.

Not sure where I was going with the title but there was something crazy that my boy Stephen F. said during a meeting with the U.N.I team. Where else can we discuss promotions strategy, review designs for the upcoming line of shirts and other apparel, while being served chicken and shrimp as we watch random YouTube clips of Antoine Dodson. Smh. . . As a result of the meeting this past weekend it looks like I'll be spending most of tomorrow sending announcements to radio stations, following up with local ministries, and doing the same for small businesses. It's keeping my PR skills fresh. Tonight I had rehearsal for my friend's wedding. No, not the wedding rehearsal. She has me and anonther friend of our's singing in her wedding, which I could have sworn was like 3 or 4 weeks away. Instead this mug is next Saturday. It's not like I have to do anything special for it except look sharp, move with swag, walk in at the right moment, and eat free food all weekend. This ...

Heads up everyone in the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia area.) If you like live music, go-go bands, dance, or are looking for something to do Saturday night, put on ya black or white tees and pary with us at the U.N.I Glow N the Dark Party. It all goes down Saturday, August 21 at Washington Bible College. Doors open at 8. Purchase your tickets at the U.N.I Shop . I'll be journaling more about this as we get closer and closer to the event.

Everybody is interested in what is going on with me. At least I'd like to think so. Last weekend my good friend and old room mate got married. It was a very beautiful wedding. I got to go snowboarding for the first time at his bachelor party. I'm loosing my point here. I'll come back to that. Probably not. So, it is official. Well it has been official for the past two months. I just chose not to talk about it. I'm partnering with a college friend to help launch a clothing line. The process has been a growing experience. Two months in and things are turning up a notch as we work toward some grassroots fundraising. This month has got to be the month that I've had so much going on. The crazy thing is that I'm not even working full-time in my field yet. I pretty much gave up on anything agency related. Not because I couldn't do it, but because . . . well actually no doors were opening, even if the door opened it wouldn't pay enough, and even if it did I...

Within the past week I took on a few ventures that I definitely believe will be worth my while creatively and professionally. To all my readers: I'm going to talk about what I'm doing without talking about what I'm doing. I'm not sworn to confidentiality, but there are some things in the works and that will launch both prior to and during the month of May that are really going to help my clients get their products and services off the ground. I took on a client that is raising money for a non-profit organization in Ghana. Ladies what is the fuss about Zumba? For this venture, I'm taking the time to learn it. I agreed to be a part of a team for a fashion client that I've been with since he decided to come off the ground. Let's just say that my experience in radio may come in handy with one of the first projects we will do. All I can say is that I'm excited about the creativity I've been surrounded by as of late. I'm ready grind and help some dream...

This past fall, I lended some writing support to a minister named Bagu, originially from the Democratic Republic of Congo and now living in Philadelphia, who has a vision to rescue African civilians in the Democratic Republic of Congo from the conflicts that have devasted the land and killed millions of people over the years. Out of his heart was birthed the Central African Parternship that will serve to rescue refugees from the DRC, provide evangelism and discipleship, and teach the refugees how to farm and build sustainable communities. Interviewing Bagu really caused me to look deeper into what was going on in Central Africa. As a media and marketing professional, I find it strange that the conflicts in this area are hardly publicized in the U.S. None the less, I thought I'd bring my readers up to speed and share something different. Check out the CAP website and read more about Bagu. You can read about how the minister rescued his family and several other refugees during an a...

I say I'm an aspiring sponge because there is so much more I can learn to soak up. I have been out of New York for about three weeks and if anything I am more knowledgeable about what is out there in terms of opportunities in the marketing communications field. My first choice is to get aboard with an agency but if I find an opportunity elsewhere I will do that. I have an interview back in New York on Thursday that I am preparing for. In preparation for it I read a chapter out of the Nature of Marketing by Chuck Brymer . I totally agree with his point that marketing now is about engaging communities. I think PR pros always knew that people create communities around issues rather than brands so to all my advertising buddies out there we need to take a deeper look at individual and community relationships in our strategies. Until I get to meet Chuck Brymer and have a conversation with him, I'll settle for reading his book. Since I'm on a budget, I was hoping to drop by the l...

I'm booking a hotel in NYC for a trip at the end of May, while listening to James Morrison "You Make It Real" on serious repeat. Right now Orlando is spanking Boston in the 3rd quarter. I've got dinner on the stove and here I am. I just got a sudden rush to blog. I can talk about how I haven't been consistent on this nor with Twitter, but honestly my focus has been on . . . a lot. I stepped out of my office for a few minutes on Thursday to allow my mind to breath while I worked on one of the last academic papers I may write for awhile. It's bitter sweet. I'm happy to be graduating but I have been on the go so much that when I thought about how I really am leaving the Virginia Tech community. I've been here for 7 years and it is coming to a close. I really can't believe it. My state of amazement didn't last long because I had to refocus my mind to finish my PR paper, a paper that I got an extension on and no one else knew about. My point is--wel...

Check out the footage from the concert. Oh my adaptor was hooked up to the plug the whole time. Can you believe that I walked by it for over two weeks and did not even take a second look until recently. Here he is performing a cover of Musiq Soulchild's "So Beautiful"

It texted my friend that is finishing her MBA at Harvard Business School and she informed me of her blog. Then I thought about how I have not blogged since Oscah became the headlining act for Radford University's Spring Concert. To his credit he was featured in WUVT's Radio-a-thon, which was a great prep for the concert in about two weeks. I just came from Valley Towing, my car was towed while I was hanging out with some co-workers at the local spot. Now that's one more headache to get my credit card balance down. I'm not worried. I'm really not worried. I'm not sure if I told you all about my visit to NYC the week before Easter. Three of my closest friends traveled up for my friend's birthday --a female friend that I've known since sophomore year. It is always good to have good people in your life and that has been a common theme for me this past year. We made it out to the Nuyorican Cafe & Poet's Society. We did some shopping in Soho and visite...

I'm playing around with some names for a show I'm helping to facilitate for April 30. Since I've entered grad school I've put my entertainment ambitions on the shelf. Well not exactly but I haven't done as much. I'm referring to working with local artists. In undergrad I did a bio for a Christian rock artist, done some background vocals for a few local hip hop acts, now I'm semi/sorta managing a local R&B Soul act. After a 2 year hiatus from concentrating on school, working in The Bahamas, to concentrating on school--it's funny how doors have opened. So April 30 kicks off the R&B/Soul Crooner, Oscah's first headlining show. I'm thinking of a name. Right now I'm stuck on Love Soul Autobiography. No strategy behind it. The name pretty much describes what the show is about. The show will also feature a performance by Chicago hip hop performer Roe. I'm excited about it. Right now I'm working out some radio appearances at WUVT and ...

An organization I'm in is hosting a formal event entitled "Lyrics & Liberation: A Soundtrack to Black Citizenship," which will be an evening dedicated to how music has played a role in expressing the political and social struggle of black people throughout the generations. The evening is organized into different musical eras starting with Jazz moving up to Hip Hop. I'm responsible for doing a monologue on the Motown Era. Not to toot my own horn but I slaved over the event name and I'm glad it stuck!! In doing some research on the period in which Motown grew I found out so much that was going on. The thrust of the monologue is to describe the Motown Era in conjunction with the achievements of blacks. Here are some things I found. In 1963 two months before the March On Washington, The Fabulous Miracles hit Top 10 on the charts with "You Really Got A Hold On Me." In 1964 one month prior to President Johnson signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964, "Da...

It has been awhile since I have written. At first I was so addictive to blogging but as I became more and more nervous about my writing style and being more politically conscious, I have definitely fallen back. Why? I don't know. I go through phases where I try to be one thing and then I move on to another. Earlier this year, I tried to write for the CT. Hence my latest blogpost. That didn't fly over and it was mostly due to a miscommunication by the staff. Oh well, I can find other places to get my writing out. Why this concern with publishing? Well, this is my last year of graduate school and for now I am trying to get a job at a PR agency. Which agency you ask? I'm not sure. They all look the same as far as I can see. Really, I want an organization that is ok with the fact that I do not know fully what I want to do. I like PR because it provides me with the variety I need and communication is a strength of mine. Either PR or teaching. I've been doing quite a bit of s...

School is back in session and everyone is talking about what they did for the summer. Some students traveled and others completed internships. Thanks to the Lagrant Foundation (TLF), I got the best of both worlds when I was selected to intern with The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism (TBMOT) on the first international internship sponsored by TLF. I have to admit that my work involved covering events at an annual festival, reporting on Independence Day celebrations, a press conference aboard a cruise line and learning more about the islands by hanging out with local Bahamians at block parties, cook outs and beaches. This four-week internship placed me at offices in Nassau, Bahamas and Plantation, FL. While, in Nassau I worked with the news bureau department for TBMOT. My first assignment was to write a release on the Junkanoo Summer Festival, a cultural festival featuring musical performances, cooking demonstrations, tropical drinks, and games for visitors of all ages. Another assignment bro...