TALENT PROCUREMENT:
ATHLETES & ARTISTS, RELATIONSHIPS & TRUST
* Photo Credit: ChopShop Creative Agency
Born and raised in Oakland California the first generation of immigrants, I knew I had to grind from a early age. In 1994 my senior year in high school I took up photography, leading me to shoot Oakland native artists the Luniz (I Got 5 On It). From that point on, I began to hone my skills shooting the Bay Area hip hop lifestyle scene. This passion lead me to 4080 magazine (third largest nationally distributed hip hop magazine at the time) where I worked as the photo editor for 3 years. After my stint at 4080 I expanded my portfolio, shooting for some of the largest Music/Lifestyle publications that included The Source, The Fader and Rap Pages. In preparation for my photo shoots I would take it upon myself to directly contact streetwear brands for product to integrate into the shoots creating better production value for the Artist and exposure for the brands. These brand collaborations established relationships with in the fashion industry and lead to me working with some of the biggest record labels in the industry. While working with the record labels I shot content for PR, creative and documentry purposes. From there I began documenting the tours for De La Soul, Westside Connection, Snoop/DPG, Scarface and Hieroglyphics to name a few. My artist and industry relationships continued to expand as I learned the business from behind a camera lens. The next step in my career was focused on consulting both the labels and artists with marketing strategies, concepts and working records. Those labels included Priority, Tommy Boy, Death Row, Ruthless, Virgin and Rap-A-Lot.
(*These images are a few of my favorite images of BTS throughout my years)
These opportunities and bonds built provided me experience to acquire a diverse marketing background representing top-tier brands, with a focus on maintaining the brand’s and artist’s integrity. With 19+ years of experience in the content, electronics, entertainment and street wear categories. The brands I have been blessed to work with have grown to become leaders in their respective industries. While developing impactful programs effecting end consumers and retail environments, I have made strategic decisions to elevate the brands positioning increasing consumer consideration. I strongly believe that a marketing strategy should entertain, engage and educate the consumer. With the belief that creative conceptual development is imperative to ensure the brand will maintain personality and market position. Alignment of the right synergies of brand/talent/product/partner contribution has been key to successful national campaigns and strategy I have developed. My talent consideration/procurement process is focused on key variables: Targeted Demographic, Relevancy, Availability, Usage Rights, Interest in the Brand/Concept, Skills/Ranking & most importantly them as an individual. The end goal is to establish a partnership with talent who REPRESENTS THE VALUES OF THE BRAND.
