BLCKNLIT

So many of us have had an idea for a business, but had literally no idea where to begin or how to get it off the ground. On this episode, Nicole Pinedo, the founder of the creative agency, Made in the District and the experiential event concept, Future of Sports tells us how she turned her love for D.C. and sports into profitable creative-based companies. She shares valuable insight on pitching brands for sponsorships, starting an LLC, and when to lawyer up.

Powered and distributed by Simplecast

African Americans are notoriously underrepresented in the long distance running world. Matthew Green, the co-founder of District Running Collective (DRC) is working to change this by fostering a community of runners who go the distance and push past percieved limitiations to redefine their impossible. On this episode of BLCKNLIT, Matt discusses his entry point into distance running and how he's dedicated the last six years to creating a fitness community in D.C.

Powered and distributed by Simplecast

Blackness is so many things, and expressed in many different ways. However, it's often policed by our own when it doesn't fall within the narrow confines of how others percieve it should be expressed. On this episode, our guest Obi Okolo, Founder of the creative agency, Stag Creative, shares his journey as a Nigerian American immigrant, growing up questioning his percieved blackness, and how that shaped his adult life and career.

Powered and distributed by Simplecast

Humor throughout our culture has served as a place for grappling with difficult topics and stereotypes. Director, screenwriter, actor and comedian, Joe Marshall is doing just that, through his recently released web series, Middle Ground. On this episode, he discusses how he’s addressing taboo topics, and breaking down stereotypes through the lens of Black millennials.

Powered and distributed by Simplecast

In this episode, BLCKNLIT talks with TRAKGIRL, one of the top female music producers, who has worked with artists like Jhene Aiko, Andra Day, Luke James, Belly and Omarion, just to name a few. We learn about the many ways she's advocating for women in the music industry to have access to more production opportunities and fair pay within the male-dominated space, as well has how she lives with a sense of purpose and gratitude.

Topher Hegngi is the Co-Founder of First Touch, an online platform for exclusive African football news and culture, built to unite soccer communities across the globe. He’s also a former professional soccer player for the US National Soccer Team. On this episode we learn how Topher’s desire to do more with his passion for soccer informed the foundation of First Touch and how his mission to elevate his local community led him to coach the next generation of soccer players and provide a platform where African soccer players are seen and heard on and off the field.

Diversity and inclusion are more than buzzwords for D.C.'s Cocktail Queen, Kapri Robinson. These words drive her purpose and mission as the founder of Chocolate City’s Best, an annual cocktail competition in Washington, D.C, highlighting talented mixologists of color from around the country. On this episode, we learn how she got her start creating opportunities for people of color in the beverage world, the importance of mentorship, and why we should be addressing the difficult conversations around race in the hospitality industry.

"Greg Howard is an award-winning journalist who has spent his career writing about race, sports, and politics in America at publications like The New York Times, Deadspin and the Dallas Observer. In 2016, he was named one of the first three recipients of The New York Times's David Carr Fellowship and in 2017, he was named one of Forbes 30 under 30: Media list. A year ago, Greg put pause on his high-powered career to explore the world and find himself through travel. He's spent the last year living in various parts of Australia, and on this episode he talks to BLCKNLIT about the steps he took to reach this level of success, the moment he realized it was time to take a step back, and what he's learned about himself as an African American man living abroad.

"

Pierre Edwards, known as District Dodger is a visual artist and director based in D.C. He utilizes multiple visual mediums for his art experiences including video, photography, light design, projection, paintings and more. Just this past weekend he debuted an immersive art experience called Paramnesia. We'll explore his creative process, from ideation to execution, as well as the idea that art should always be inclusive not exclusive.

Shakirah Hill, a leader in social impact marketing and innovation, joins us for our first episode. She’s the Vice President of Digital Strategy for a National creative services and strategic communications agency based in D.C. She helps organizations ranging from the NAACP to Nestel find the right audiences online to create positive and sustainable change. She’s a published author, an advocate for women of color, and a passionate social justice leader. However, in order to become the boss lady and fierce advocate that she is today, Shakirah first had to learn to surrender to her life's path.