For the fifth consecutive year, Culture Creators will celebrate its “Empowered Women Campaign.” The vision of the campaign is for Black women to redefine what it looks like when women show up for themselves, each other, and the communities where they work, serve and live. The Empowered Women Campaign marks an evolution of the organization’s mission to foster “honest, thought-provoking conversations around mentorship, leadership and allyship.”
This year’s theme demystifies the idea of the “Superwoman” by focusing on how women can forge systems of organic support and thrive in every area of their lives.
Founded by Joi Brown, Culture Creators originated as a passion project while she was an executive at Atlantic Records, as she was “driven by the idea of bringing people together to celebrate one another.” With a star-studded party in October 2015, helmed by iconic DJs D-Nice and the late DJ Clark Kent, along with the support of Jessica Rosenblum and a game-changing sponsorship from her friend Carolene Robinson at VH1, Brown’s dream had become a reality. To this day, Culture Creators is on a clear mission to promote, uplift and preserve the culture.
Following a successful tenure at Atlantic and briefly working as an agent at ICM Partners, Brown went all in to turn Culture Creators from her passion project into a thriving and recognizable platform that has made an indelible imprint on the entertainment industry.
This year’s honorees include:
Sports: Dawn Staley, Women’s Basketball Head Coach, South Carolina Gamecocks; Keyeriah Miles, founder of Ladies Who Golf Club; Erin Jackson, Olympic Speed Skater; Autumn Lockwood, Associate Performance Coach, Philadelphia Eagles; Yolett McPhee-McCuin, Women’s Basketball Head Coach, Ole Miss; Tina Sloan Green, Co-Founder, Black Women in Sport Foundation; Portia Archer, CEO, Women’s Tennis Association; Genisha Metcalf, Head of Partnerships, NBA Foundation; and Monica McNutt, Sports Commentator, ESPN.
Business and Tech: Brianna Thompson, Founder & CEO, Spiked Wellness; Kay Miranda, Creative Lead, Culture Con; Modupe Congleton, CEO, Finally Free Shop; Kobi Wu, Founder & CEO, Cache AI; Daisha Roberts, Director of Programming (Fashion, Beauty, Culture), AdWeek; Amy Oraefo, Global Entertainment Attorney; Stephanie Alexis Smellie, Head of Business Development, Patreon; Aisha Bowe, Rocket Scientist, Entrepreneur & Speaker, Blue Origin; Sherrese Clarke Soares, Founder, HarborView Equity; Melissa C. Potter, Paramount Co., Content for Change; and Kim Blackwell, CEO, PMM Agency.
Art and Style: Charm La’Donna, Artist, Choreographer, Director; Georgina Ogirri, Brand Strategist & Designer, Grisé NYC; Megan Gabrielle Harris, Model & Multi-Disciplinary Artist; Kaci Merriwether-Hawkins, CEO & Founder, Black Girls in Art Spaces; Kreshonna Keane, Photographer & Interior Designer, K Studios; Mashonda Tifrere, CEO, ArtLeadHer; Storm DeBarge, Choreographer, The Land Casting Network; Danielle Scott, Mixed Media Artist; Ebony Obsidian, Actress & Ambassador; Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye, CEO & Founder, Ami Colé; and Elizabeth Acevedo, Poet & Writer.
