CultureCon CEO Imani Ellis dishes on 2021 virtual event CultureCon At Home
The highly anticipated event is 100% free due to Square becoming a leading partner at this year's conference
This summer, The Creative Collective NYC, a community dedicated to creatives of color and the architects of CultureCon, will be hosting CultureCon At Home, a virtual playground for creatives of color that will take place from June 7-13.
The highly anticipated event is 100% free due to Square becoming a leading partner at this year’s conference.
CultureCon is a conference dedicated to uplifting and impacting entrepreneurs, creatives, and professionals of color. Founded in 2019, the conference was created by Imani Ellis to offer a global space for creatives of color to connect virtually. The concept, bred from her Harlem apartment with partner Eric Jones over two years ago, has formed the necessary space for minority and marginalized communities to share their voices and creative ideas.
The weeklong conference will have one-on-one chats, mentorship office hours, break-out rooms, and daily skill-building workshops and opportunities to shop and support small businesses.
“There is something special about walking into a room that was built especially for you; it just feels different. This conference was built for creatives of color, by creatives of color, and the team behind the scenes is thinking through every detail of the experience. It’s the ultimate creative homecoming, and it’s filled with intention,” Ellis, who is also the founder and CEO of The Creative Collective NYC, tells theGrio.
In previous years, CultureCon speakers included Will Smith, Spike Lee, Tracee Ellis Ross, John Legend, Regina King, Lena Waithe, Coleman Domingo, Sanaa Lathan, Keke Palmer, and more.
The event’s theme for this year is “We are Culture. Nothing Moves without us” and the event has several star-studded talents to offer inspiration to guests. The event is packed with celebrities and influencers such as Michael B. Jordan, Chloe x Halle, Regina Hall, Ziwe, Lucky Daye, and several other gifted creatives to share personal insight!
“We think that Jay-Z quote captures the essence of CultureCon —— we want to empower our community because we are the ones we’ve been waiting for, and remind them that the best way to begin pursuing their dreams is just to start,” Ellis emphasizes to theGrio.
Eric Jones, the talent lead of CultureCon and The Creative Collective NYC, played a vital role in spearheading the talent for CultureCon’s events. Jones explained that the guests are people who are using their God-given talents, their acquired platforms, and their missions to inspire, uplift, and truly help people of color.
“It doesn’t necessarily always have to be a celebrity either; people on the ground, activists, community leaders, and everyday citizens who are in effect agents of change. Those people are the faces and voices who are wanted and needed in spaces like CultureCon,” Jones emphasizes.
Although most of the conference will be virtual, there is still a list of hybrid experiences on the conference agenda, from an exclusive screening of In The Heights in Atlanta to intimate brunches hosted by Grey Goose in Atlanta and Chicago.
Ellis pointed out that COVID-19 really forced CultureCon to stretch and innovate as a team for this years’ conference. “We had to prioritize all the intentions of an in-person event and make sure that that same level of detail shined through in a virtual world,” she said.
“I can’t wait for our community to interact with the CultureCon campus we built and to connect with each other.”
CultureCon will be hosting their virtual conference from June 7-13, and you can get your tickets to CultureCon by visiting the official CultureCon website.
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