The Creative Collective is expanding its programming beyond CultureCon with three new ventures launching alongside the annual convention’s return to Brooklyn.
The community collective, which hosts the annual convention focused on Black and Brown creatives and provides networking events and resources to Black and Brown professionals, will launch a new content department, collegiate experience and awards ceremony in 2024.
“CultureCon is not only expanding its reach but also deepening its impact with these new initiatives,” said Shareese Bembury-Coakley, vice president, partnerships and business development at CultureCon. “This portfolio expansion supports CultureCon’s continued commitment to elevating and celebrating Black and Brown creatives and their wildest ambitions.”
With CultureCon Studios, TCC will amplify courageous and diverse stories about the perspectives, futures and experiences of Black creatives within the CultureCon ecosystem. Using a three-pronged approach, the studio company will consider social media presence, content creation and distribution around those stories.
This also includes Creator Campaigns, which will focus on taking creatives’ social content to the next level; CultureCon Originals, which will produce audio and video content created by and for Black creatives; and CultureCon Productions, a new platform to create original content that both celebrates and inspires.
The Creative Collective’s new CultureCon on Campus program will serve as an immersive experience for HBCU students, supporting and empowering them as they envision paths to achieve their dreams. This one-day event aims to equip students who are aspiring creatives with the tools, mentorship and knowledge that will enable them to turn their dreams into tangible realities.
The event will feature a variety of experiences including the ‘Money Stage’, a series of workshops focused on money management skills; “Creator Studio,” a dedicated space where creators can produce engaging content on-site during the convention; “The Break Room”, where participants have access to wellness offerings for mind, body and soul; and “The Lab,” an interactive and immersive venture into the world of gaming and technology.
The expansion of the Creative Collective in 2024 will also include the Creative Class Awards, honoring the next generation of Black culture changers. The inaugural, one-night, in-person ceremony, which will take place in New York in February, will celebrate the brilliance and unapologetic spirit of Black creatives who have profoundly influenced culture.
“We are on a mission to provide our community with the platform and community they need to imagine a more equitable and diverse creative future,” said Imani Ellis, founder and CEO of CultureCon and The Creative Collective. “As we look to our exciting next chapter, we are excited to empower the creatives in our community and ensure their talents are not only recognized, but magnified.”
The Creative Collective also announced on Friday that CultureCon will return for the seventh time next year. Spike Lee, Will Smith, Tracee Ellis Ross, John Legend, Regina King, Sterling K. Brown, Lena Waithe, Coleman Domingo, Sanaa Lathan, Kenya Barris, Keke Palmer, Nicole Ari Parker, Karen Pittman, Jay Pharoah and Sam Jay are among the high-profile guests from the industry event’s past.
