The Industry Dot Biz:
Culture Creators held its inaugural C2 Summit—presented by Hilton—in Washington, D.C.
Event held Monday, Oct 1, 2019 – For the first time ever, the event—proudly envisioned and launched by Culture Creators—transformed the Hilton Washington D.C. National Mall into a symposium of crucial cultural discourse for an audience of 250 hand-selected HBCU students. The C2 Summit is a platform that targets students of color across historically black colleges and universities, as well as public and private colleges and universities throughout the United States, provides interactive educational experiences and employment opportunities while curating access to leaders across various career paths. The summit was presented free of charge to students that applied and were accepted thanks to partner Morgan Stanley, along with the support of WME, Pepsi and JBL Audio.
Produced and handpicked by Culture Creators, an impressive list of panelists and speakers covered a wide range of topics, spanning entertainment, career, leadership, sports, and more. The panels included “THE SOUND OF CULTURE: Behind The Business of Music,” “BLACK ADVANTAGE: Using Your Cultural Fluency As Your Competitive Advantage,” “GREENLIGHT: Navigating TV/Film Content and Careers,” “WME’s GET YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME: The Business of Sports & Entertainment,” “START IT UP: Entrepreneurship in A Digital Age,” “MAKE YOUR MARK: Defining the Culture of Your Brand,” “CONTROL THE CROWD: Festivals & Live Music Business 101 Sponsored by Live Nation Urban,” “The ARC of Independence: Navigating Entertainment on Your Own Terms,” and “Entrepreneurship 101.”
Photos by: Francis-King Nnamani for Culture Creators
Meanwhile, speakers included NBA Hall of Fame ball players, top record label and entertainment industry leaders, and executives from sponsors Hilton, Morgan Stanley, WME, Pepsi and JBL Audio. Student volunteers from Howard University and the Washington D.C. Chapter of Grammy U also provided support. A full list of panelists can be found HERE.
The energy in the room was palpable and the spirit of innovation, collaboration, and support was in the air. Three students were surprised with VIP passes to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Summit after participating in an impromptu “30-second Pitch” contest hosted by moderator Marcus Noel, to which subsequent leaders agreed to cover their airfare, culminating with Hilton pitching in to provide accommodations for the winners. Additionally, John Gibson of the Motion Pictures Academy (MPA) selected two students from the Summit to be 2020 MPA Ambassadors to the American Black Film Festival (ABFF). MPA launched the program two summers ago to provide emerging content creators the opportunity to experience the festival through the eyes of MPA.
THE WHETHER was also on-site to administer professional resume services and to give students the opportunity to take professional headshots and participate in one-on-one mentorship rounds with summit speakers.
Earlier this year Culture Creators hosted its 4th Annual Innovation & Leaders Award Brunch, where businessman, television producer, comedian, philanthropist, and founder, owner, and CEO of Entertainment Studios, Byron Allen accepted the Icon Award.
Culture Creators will continue to uphold its ongoing mission to elevate and empower tomorrow’s thought leaders and creatives as the C2 Summit expands to additional cities in 2020!
