Since its first conference, CultureCon went from an intimate headcount of 150 attendees to close to 2,000 during last year’s event — where Tracee Ellis Ross, Dave East, Regina King and other big names took the panel stage. The Creative Collective NYC’s annual conference for multicultural creatives has even bigger plans for 2020, and Unbothered had a chance to catch up with some of the amazing Black and brown women on the team to discuss all they’ve accomplished.
“CultureCon 2019 was an out-of-body experience,” founder Imani Ellis tells R29Unbothered. “It felt like the creative homecoming of our dreams. I remember standing on the stage alongside the CultureCon team and just thinking, ‘Is this real?!’ So many months of planning and teamwork goes into CultureCon, and to see it all come to life is a feeling I will never forget.”
Ellis, who also works full-time as a Communications Director for Bravo, E! and Oxygen — where she spearheads press strategy on shows including the Emmy-nominated Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Million Dollar Listing New York, E! News programming and more — is especially excited about what’s ahead. “CCNYC is growing everyday and that’s been exciting to witness,” she adds.
The CCNYC’s goal is to evolve without losing what draws hundreds to their meetups each year. This year, they’ll introduce their first-ever CultureCon job fair, where guests will have the opportunity to interface with talent recruiters and explore different career options.
“The planning process for CultureCon is a machine, with preliminary planning beginning at the top of the year and momentum picking closer to the event,” Ellis explains. “Because our team is filled with all-stars, everyone kills it on their own and then we bring all the individual pieces together to create something truly special.”
By Stephanie Long, Refinery29
Full article @ Refinery29