A ‘Model Citizen’ – The Greenlight Projects shares inspiration today with Philanthropist, Author & Chef, Jayda “Divva” Cabbell

“Helping someone with problems bigger than mine”, is the motto that drives

Jayda 'Divva' Cabbell

philanthropist, entrepreneur and chef, Jayda Cabbell to devote herself to helping others in need.  “If I can bring an ounce of sunlight to someone whose having a dark moment by just being me, then I’ve done my job!” It is this amazingly inspiring perspective that influences this humble ‘butterfly’ to remain happy & humble through all circumstances! And trust, she’s had her share of situations and circumstances.

Jayda “Divva” Cabbell, (wife, mother, community servant, personal chef, entrepreneur, author, speaker and humble butterfly), migrated to Atlanta by way of New Orleans via Hurricane Katrina. Upon arrival she knew immediately that it would be a struggle continuing her company Divva Dishes in a city as large as Atlanta, instead of feeling sorry for herself and her four children she decided to help others facing greater problems than her own. She began feeding the homeless right outside of the hotel she was living in and gained a clientele with the homeless and hungry before she could even begin branding Divva Dishes.

Once Jayda got on her feet, she took her mission further by going inside the homes of less fortunate families.  Jayda, full of sunshine and love, went into these homes supplying them with a new dinner table, and preparing a meal for the family while teaching the children etiquette and basic kitchen skills.
“I created this experience to bring families to the table and to show others, you can still be fly and fabulous while utilizing your gifts to help others,” she explains. Jayda understands her gift is in the art of inspiration. Everything she does is about inspiring others.

Jayda has written a cook book memoir titled “What Storm Are You Talking About? Life After Hurricane Katrina”, which features Cajun and Creole recipes that she has created or critiqued, along with inspirational tales of trials and triumph. The book will be available early 2011.

In addition to the various programs under her non-profit foundation (BITS), Jayda also gives hours of service to other non-profits, churches and community programs.  She loves traveling to prepare her signature dishes for those in need. Her ultimate goal is to inspire others to Give, Live & Love.  While living up to being a “Divva” with two V’s!!

You can catch Jayda and her inspiring story today at 11am ET on The Greenlight Project with media entrepreneurs Tamika & Rochelle on Blogtalk Radio.  You can also visit Jayda’s website for more information at http://www.jaydacabbell.com/.

Listen Up PR Students: Cision’s New Program Offers Free Subscription to Students

The Daily Dog News Feed: 09/09/10

Cision Enhances College and University Program By Offering Free CisionPoint PR Software to U.S. and Canadian Public Relations Students

Cision (www.cision.com) announced a major enhancement to its College and University Program: “CisionPoint for Colleges and Universities,” a free and comprehensive training, education and certification curriculum, designed especially for public relations students. With the enhanced College and University Program, U.S. and Canadian PR students will be trained in CisionPoint, the public relations software used by 90 percent of top PR firms.

They’ll understand how to leverage the power of CisionPoint to plan PR campaigns based on in-depth research on over a million media contacts and hundreds of thousands of media outlets; how to connect effectively with key audiences; how to monitor and analyze media coverage; how to optimize social media communications; and other key skills.

“Learning CisionPoint gives our PR students a competitive advantage in obtaining internships and employment,” said Stephen Whyte, a member of the Communications Department faculty of Utah Valley University, which began using Cision’s software solution in its classrooms in 2009. “We plan to continue to use CisionPoint as a strategic tool in our courses to prepare our students for a future PR career.” Click here to continue reading

Former Big Agency Heads Move into Boutique Agency Arena

Hello Folks!  It’s been a while since I’ve had a chance to write and update about the goings on in the life of a media entrepreneur.  Our agency continues to grow and Rochelle and I have been here and there managing new products in Fashion, Music & Entertainment, new media – the whole nine!  But as I take a moment to drink in my java and check in on you guys – I found this article very interesting.  What we already know to be true is starting to have an impact in other known places….

Enjoy.

Daily Dog News Feed: 09/02/10 mw communications Launches in Dallas

mw communications (www.mw-communications.com), a newly formed public relations agency, has announced its launch in Dallas. The agency, created by communications veteransHeidi McKinley and Gail Whitcomb, will offer clients a fresh perspective to their communications programs by leveraging their global agency backgrounds and expertise combined with a boutique agency approach. mw communications’ services include comprehensive public relations, communications consulting, strategy development and crisis and issues management. Clients will have the benefit of working with two senior counselors who take a hands-on, customized approach to their business and public relations programs. By creating a unique perspective for clients, the agency will engage stakeholders and reach the target markets that are vital to each clients’ success. “We identified a need among local, regional and national companies for a boutique public relations firm that understands the market and brings global agency experience to the table,” said McKinley, principal, mw communications llc. Click here to read the full story…

Meet The Root’s Media & Culture Critic, Natalie Hopkinson on The Greenlight Project!

The Greenlight Project is back from our little vacation!! On this show, Friday, July 23, 2010 we will be talking to The Root’s own, Natalie Hopkinson.  Natalie holds the title of the Media and Culture Critic there and is also a member of the adjunct journalism faculty at the Prestigious Georgetown University and co-author of Deconstructing Tyrone (Cleis Press, 2006).

Graduating from one of the top HBCUs’, Howard University, as a Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in Political Science and also earning a master’s and doctoral degree from the University of Maryland-College Park’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism.  Her late 1990s master’s thesis analyzed the first generation of Web-only general audience journalistic publications, including Salon and Slate.

With striving for greatness she later joined the Washington Post-owned Slate Group as a founding editor of the pioneering web journal of politics and culture, The Root. Her doctoral work showed Jurgen Habermas’ theory of the public sphere at work in Washington, D.C.’s go-go music culture.  (Side bar) My friends from Maryland LOVE “go-go” music!!!!   The work of this young lady has appeared in the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, Slate, New York Times.com, NPR, WJLA and the BBC.

Not only has Mrs. Natalie Hopkinson mastered her career, but she is also a loving mother of two, married and will be attempting her first triathlon in the upcoming year!  Good luck to you Mrs. Natalie Hopkinson.  I would love some tips on the triathlon because I am still trying to make it through a mile!!! J

Tune into The Greenlight Project, Friday, July 23, 2010 to hear from Mrs. Natalie Hopkinson at 11am EST!!!!  Join us online or dial (646) 727-3906.

We also discussed the following in Rochelle’s Diverse Moves in Media:

Desiree Rogers, former white house social secretary talks what was in the white house and what’s next for her

http://clutchmagonline.com/newsgossipinfo/desiree-rogers-talks-white-house-ebony-why-its-wasnt-about-her/

Former White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers interviewed recently with Fox News Chicago.

On whether the American people will ever have a fair view on her accomplishments during her appointment after the White House crashers incident, Rogers set a record for producing 370 events in one year’s time.

Clutch Magazine Founder builds a team and Launches Coco and Creme

http://cocoandcreme.com/2010/07/welcome-to-coco-creme-thank-you/

A sister site to CLUTCH, Coco & Crème is a new and exciting online editorial experience focusing exclusively on urban fashion and beauty. Filling the void for up-to-the-minute style dishes from the street to the red carpet, Coco & Crème offers the fashion obsessed an user-friendly interface with visually stunning layouts, and some of the Web’s dopest styling, and photography!

Coco & Crème promises daily fashion and beauty news, product reviews, designer and model profiles, weekly plus-size features, video how-tos, and more!

The Coco & Crème Team:
Deanna “Dede” J. Sutton
Geneva S. Thomas
Audra E. Lord
Chelsea Smith
Teneille Craig
Nikki J. Duckworth

Living on the Grid: Your Digital Paper Trail

http://www.blackweb20.com/2010/07/20/living-on-the-grid-your-digital-paper-trail/

While technology provides many conveniences, privacy advocates are concerned that individuals are leaving an unprecedented amount of personal information about themselves stored on public and private servers.

Let’s look at a typical day of a person who uses common technologies.  Under each time slot, I note the places her information is stored. 5:50a-8:00p

While most of this information is aggregated and made anonymous by online service providers, there is no guarantee that this information can not be subpoenaed by a court order or a divorce attorney.  While few of us can avoid using credit cards, much of the information we provide is done on a voluntary basis.  Furthermore, as smartphones become more powerful and consolidate our online lives, they become single points of failure for protecting our personal information.  The digital age’s freedom has to be weighed against the cost to our privacy.

Angela Benton to Receive MMTC Award, All Five FCC Commissioners to Attend Conference

http://www.blackweb20.com/2010/07/19/angela-benton-to-receive-mmtc-award-all-five-fcc-commissioners-to-attend-conference/

Black Web Media Founder/CEO Angela Benton will be inducted into the Minority Media & Telecom Council (MMTC) Hall of Fame, in recognition to her contributions to diversity and inclusion in media.

Black Web Media is the parent company that publishes Black Web 2.0, Politic365 and Young Black Professional Guide, among other properties. Benton has built the media brand from the ground up, with Black Web 2.0 as the leading online publication for African-Americans interested in technology and new media. She is also one of Fast Company Magazine’s Most Influential Women in Technology for 2010 and was named as one of Ebony Magazine’s Power 150.

And in Tamika’s ‘Da Scoop’ we dished on:

USDA reconsiders firing of Ga. official over speech on race

You all know about the political fallout started by a republican blogger that caught wind of a taped NAACP rally that Department of Agriculture’s regional director Shirley Sherrod served as a keynote.  Simply sharing her story of how helping a white farmer transformed and ignited her hidden racism, Sherrod was hoping to shed light on race relations by admitting her erroneous thinking and how facing the pain of what put the racisim there in the first place (her father was killed by a white farmer I believe when she was a child), by helping this man save his farm (the white man), she began to see NOT color, but people and that all poor people suffer no matter what color they are.  Well Mr. Conservative took that sound bite and ran with it all the way to Washington and within a matter of minutes of arriving, The NAACP, Roland S. Martin and The White House was beating down Mrs. Sherrod’s door to charge her as guilty and when they couldn’t reach her, they called her and thanks to good ole technology she was asked to PULL OVER on the side of the road and TEXT her resignation!  How ‘bout that! Can you imagine what that was like?  I’m not sure she even understood what was happening fully at the time.  And now the USDA reconsiders her firing with all kinds of public and private apologies and wanna give her a new job, look at that!  Wow, right?

I’m proud of her for immediately accepting interviews from major outlets like Good Morning America, CNN, etc. to get her story out and good for her for taking her time to THINK about what she desires to create for herself next.  This is a story we will continue to watch for sure!

http://www.ajc.com/news/usda-reconsiders-firing-of-574027.html

Vogue Africa, We Hardly Knew Ye

http://www.afrobella.com/2010/07/21/vogue-africa-we-hardly-knew-ye/

This story is courtesy of our sister station Afrobella’s Patrice Yursik on her blog www.afrobella.com. Cameroonian Photographer Mario Epanya had a wonderful idea of bringing Vogue to Africa and he set about creating that reality for himself.  Living in Paris as a beauty photographer and art director, Epanya shot a number of beautiful covers. His goal was to prove that Vogue Africa could be viable, vibrant, and admired. On July 16, Epanya announced on the Vogue Africa Facebook page that Conde Nast turned down the idea. Check out the article and weigh in!

Serena Williams, Big Butts and the Painful Path to Self-Love

http://www.theroot.com/views/defense-big-butts-and-smiles

This just in from The Root and written by TWS Media’s Afrobella host, Patrice Yursik who’s an amazing blogger/writer.  Yursik has a beautiful way of celebrating the differences of what make us women, human.  In this beautifully written article, she dissects Serena’s interview in Haper’s Baazar magazine where Williams talks about having a hard time learning to accept her curves but how finally doing so has empowered her to all possibilities.  A very empowering viewpoint!

Signing off,

Intern Tia Tia

The Greenlight Project has a Father’s Day Conversation

A father-daughter relationship is like none other.  For many years the lack of fatherly love has become an epidemic in our society.  Mothers are taking on the role of being both parents, but there is no comparison to the male influence.  Author Alicia Michelle Morgan expresses her thoughts and personal feelings about the relationship with her father in their book, Father and Daughter Time: Conversations from the Heart.

Alicia Michelle Morgan was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. This Louisiana native is as unique in substance as the flavorful combinations in a pot of gumbo.  Alicia may be somewhat quiet in demeanor but no one will argue that a little sassiness is a subtle part of this Southern girl’s darling personality.

A graduate of Tuskegee University and New Mexico State University with degrees in engineering it’s hard to imagine at first glance an introspective and outside the box thinker lies beneath. The birth of the pen name A.M. Morgan is the outer extension of an inner voice taking on a new world where an appreciation for the creative and performing arts takes center stage.

A multi-faceted woman on a mission to turn literary passions into a fulfilling career A.M. Morgan will not stop until the ambitions of this writer with a little business savvy is the foundation of the successful brand 3 Morgan Publishing. 3 Morgan Publishing is the birth of a family dream in which the extraordinary gift of writing will provide insightful words to spark engaging conversations.

D. Lester Morgan, co-author of the book, Father and Daughter Time: Conversations from the Heart, is the father of author A.M. Morgan. With one of his favorite quotes being, “It’s not how long you live but the quality of life that you have while you are here,” you have to acknowledge the fact that this individual lives everyday to the fullest! The intellectual level of Mr. Morgan and his daughter A.M. Morgan is truly impactful to followers of their work.

D. Lester Morgan is a Slidell Louisiana native who is a country boy at heart who enjoys living the simple life.  He believes that in order to develop holistically one has to be mentally and physically fit. As part of that development he reads regularly and runs 5-10 miles daily. He received a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Secondary Education with a History Minor from Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

This is only the beginning of a story that starts on an unpaved road with an unyielding faith and commitment to reach its final destination. It is with great pleasure and joy to see the manifestation of lifelong dreams becoming a reality through the voices of A.M. Morgan, D. Lester Morgan and JL Morgan.

The time to praise and truly appreciate our fathers is coming soon, June 20^th, so in order to hear the voices and conversations amongst A.M. Morgan and her father D. Lester Morgan, listen to The Greenlight Project on tomorrow, Friday June 17th at 11am EST.  I can assure you that you will want to miss this. In addition to tuning in, you should pick up her book at the nearest bookstore, Amazon.com or at her site www.ammorgan.net : Father and Daughter Time: Conversations from the Heart.

Diverse Moves in Media: Rochelle Valsaint

• BET Awards ‘10 to Unveil First Ever ‘Fandemonium Award’
• Adworld Explores Final Frontier: Africa, ‘Continent of Opportunity’

Marketers, Agencies Seek on-the-Ground Support in Fast-Growing Ghana, Nigeria and Angola

Posted by Rupal Parekh on 06.14.10NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — When WPP’s Ogilvy & Mather struck a deal in late April with global communications group Scangroup Limited, it was a clear sign that the world’s-largest holding company has officially set its sights on advertising’s last frontier: Africa.

“Increasingly, Africa is the continent of opportunity, rather than war, disease and poverty,” the company, which has spent the last two decades conquering Asian markets, wrote in its last annual report. Indeed, Miles Young, Global CEO of Ogilvy & Mather, said that with many African countries developing middle classes, “they are assuming the characteristics of Latin America and Asia as they were 20 years ago.”

By BlackCanseco | DIAMOND BAR, CA

Check out: 19th Hole Magazine & Monarch Magazine – two magazines to watch! Subscribe Today!

Weekly Dish

• Diddy’s Questionable Parenting Skills – Tamika believes it’s irresponsible, Rochelle believes it’s his money to use how he’s pleased in the lives of his children.  What do you think?
• An article in The Atlanta Post, in celebration of African football – Talks about the Top 8 Highest Paid Black or African-Heritage Soccer Stars At The World Cup whose drive and dedication to the sport have made the 2010 World Cup in South Africa possible. Tamika says it’s some pretty pieces of beautiful chocolate ‘foreign’ eye candy, take a look!
• The President addressed the oil spill from the Oval Office earlier this week.  He called it the ‘Worst Environmental Disaster’ U.S. Has Ever Faced. Our friends over at The Root.com shared this article . Take a read and tell us if you agree with The President’s mandate to have BP finance a 3rd party required to compensate the workers and business owners who have been harmed as a result of his company’s recklessness. And this fund will not be controlled by BP. The Greenlight Project gives Mr. President 2 green thumps up, do you agree?

Thank you for listening and tune in next week!  Happy Father’s Day Father’s & Have a Great Weekend!

Cancer Awareness and Identification within Women of Color

The show’s focus today on The Greenlight Project was the diagnosis and treatment of cancer and bringing awareness to the Lymphomathon Run and its mission to support the research of Lymphoma cancer.

Diverse Moves in Media and Business and the Community:

The Do’s and Don’ts of Twitter: Everyone is Watching

Apple’s Next iPhone Found In A Bar

The Mass Appeal Of Gang Starr

Canadian-Born R&B Star Melanie Fiona Sings Of Love, Pain

HBO Renews ‘Treme’ for Second Season

Benjamin Hooks (1925-2010).

Dorothy Height (1912-2010).

Featured Guests:

Dr. Beverly Yates, ND

Dr. Yates is an experienced clinician, with over 16 years in practice as a licensed Naturopathic doctor.   Her patient treatment areas focus on chronic illnesses, including heart health, high blood pressure, cholesterol problems, diabetes, digestion and gut problems (IBS, Crohn’s disease, Ulcerative Colitis), depression and mood disorders, weight loss, HCG Reset Your Metabolism Program, allergies, asthma, eczema, psoriasis, sleep concerns and sleep apnea, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and stress relief. Dr. Yates is an experienced public speaker, and a national TV and radio personality.  She was recently featured on the PBS American Health Journal TV show on Naturopathic Medicine on the Heart Disease and Diabetes segment.  Dr. Yates has appeared on broadcast TV on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox News, and been on the NPR Point of View, Sirius Satellite International Medicine and CNN Medicine and Health radio programs.

Dawn Kamara

Dawn Kamara is a native of Washington, DC and has been living in the Atlanta area for the past four years.  She is the oldest of four children, has a background in the legal profession, where she has held various Paralegal and Investigative positions.  She is a single parent of two daughters. One is a senior in high school and the other is a sophomore in college.  She left corporate America in November 2007 with a vision to do something that would have a positive impact on people lives.  While pursuing her endeavors she was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s T-Cell Lymphoma (Stage 3).  Her story is one that hasn’t been told.  Her struggles to fight for remission were not only to save her own life but the lives of her children.  They lost their Dad, December 2005, which initially prompted to the move to the south.  Dawn attended a Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF) to educate herself about the disease and find additional resources for battling cancer.  The adjustments of this journey have challenged her in areas that should be shared with many.  Her goal is to keep fighting for remission and a quality of life with her family and friends.  Dawn believes that God has a plan for her life; therefore, she has decided to speak out on Lymphoma and help bring awareness to cure this disease.

Some helpful links to useful resources for cancer treatment and credible resources online:

http://www.cancercenter.com/
This is the website for the Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA), where the oncologists work with naturopathic doctors to create an integrative, holistic treatment plan for patients with cancer at all stages of diagnosis.

To find licensed Naturopathic Physicians (N.D.) around the country (not all states license NDs):
http://www.Naturopathic.org/
http://www.NatureDoctor.org/

There are licensed NDs who specialize in cancer care, the website is
http://www.oncanp.org/

Credible resources can be found at:

http://www.pubmed.gov/

http://www.cdc.gov/

http://www.nih.gov/

http://www.mayoclinic.com/

Hot Topics:

• Brother of Mo’Nique discusses molestation and abuse
• The CDC confesses that reports showing nearly half of all black women have herpes was inaccurate.

Advertising/Promotions of the Week:

TWS & Chocolate Pink Productions will host The FashionGlam Trunk Show, an exclusive fashion nirvana featuring Atlanta’s most distinguished trendsetters.  The FashionGlam Trunk will be an evening of fashion glitz and glamour fused with prizes and activities. Your tax-deductible admission is only $25 and includes 3 drink tickets, food, live entertainment and 5 hours of a shopping experience that’ll make your heart smile! You will have the opportunity to view designs from up-and-coming designers, as well as established brands, that will be available at sample sale prices. This amazing event will be held Saturday, May 15 at East Andrews in Buckhead, 56 E Andrews Drive Northwest, Atlanta, GA 30305-1316. Proceeds will benefit the Leukemia & Lyphoma’s Team in Training. Please check out my training page for more information or to donate. http://pages.teamintraining.org/ga/rnr10/tmorrishgq

Join us next week on The Greenlight Project as we’ll have our special blogger’s roundtable discussion where things will get quite interesting and debatable, so tune in! Be sure to check us out at our agency by visiting www.twstheunagency.com where we’re undoing things and making it better, until next time, let your perspectives be heard!

How The Book of Me Inspires The Book of You

I sat at my desk typing this post with much on my mind and not sure of the focus of this post. There are many things have touched my life over the past two weeks. Beginning with the very personal and cathartic testimony of my challenges with weight and body image, to the deaths of public people many of us know about – Dorothy Height, Benjamin Hooks and GURU as well as a close family death of the last of a generation in my family.

Each of these life touches made me think more and more about the story I am crafting for my life. And, I realized that as I blog about whatever part of my life I am focused on at the moment, the most important requirement is that it be authentic me. That can emotionally taxing and difficult to get to sometimes in a world where we’re surrounded by only seeing the surface of things, but, I remind myself and those around me of that intention as often as I can.

As a marketing expert and new media entrepreneur, one of my greatest joys is being immersed in the quality stories that talk about challenges yet find the silver lining and the hope. I get exposure to many in my daily media fix. Others I get in obvious places and not so obvious places. And still, with as many stories as I am exposed, I find there is still room for more stories from perspectives that speak to, look like and reflect me.

I feel honored to be consciously making the choice to tell some stories for the first time or echoing other stories through the work we are doing with The Greenlight Project and other ventures to come from TWS Media. At the same time the story of a company dared to be started by two women (Rochelle Valsaint and Tamika Morrison) with a vision is a story of faith, test, perseverance and determination that is also being told. The details are being unfolded in real time and not always to our liking. Believe me y’all when I tell you, we are not sure what the day, week and/or month holds for us sometimes in our pursuit of entrepreneurship. But, we know what is being told is faith we have in the walk. And we are purposeful in this work daily.

So as we walk toward our dreams, we look to support and inspire the dreams of others by ‘Greenlighting’ some people, places, products, services and things that might not have otherwise gotten ‘the go.’

And we hope our audacity to create this story of legacy will touch many for years to come.

The Greenlight Project Interviews Award Winning Filmmaker Christine Swanson

By: K. Denise Richardson

Acclaimed filmmaker Christine Swanson on the set of her film All About You

Listen in tomorow, 4/2/10 @11a, EST as Rochelle and Tamika interview multiple award-winning filmmaker Christine Swanson on The Greenlight Project http://www.blogtalkradio.com/greenlightproject!

Christine  acquired a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Notre Dame double majoring in Film Theory and Japanese. She also earned her MFA in Film from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where she was selected to become a Willard T.C. Johnson Fellow, the most prestigious fellowship given a student.

Christine has developed, written, and directed movie projects for many companies including HBO Films and Magnolia Pictures. She and her husband, producer Michael Swanson, currently run Faith Filmworks, an independent film company, and have been featured in The New York Times, JET Magazine, Uptown Magazine, Christianity Today and CNN as a rising duo in the entertainment industry. CNN also identified Christine as one of the most promising filmmakers to emerge from NYU’s graduate film program since Martin Scorsese, Ang Lee, Oliver Stone and Spike Lee, who served as Christine’s directing teacher.

Most recently, Christine wrote and directed the 2008 romantic drama feature film, All About Us, starring Boris Kodjoe, Ryan Bathé, Luke Swanson, LaTanya Richardson, Academy Award nominee Ruby Dee with a special appearance by Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman. All About Us was invited to the prestigious Heartland Film Festival, The Chicago International Film Festival and the Cannes Festival du Film Panafricain.

A heartfelt storyteller, Christine was requested to revise the entire screenplay for Woman Thou Art Loosed before it headed into production. The film, starring Kimberly Elise, Loretta Devine and T.D. Jakes, went on to win the 2004 Santa Barbara International Film Festival and the Blockbuster Audience Award for Best Feature Film at the 2004 American Black Film Festival. The film was released in U.S. theaters to great acclaim in October 2004, before becoming a best seller for 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.

In 2004, Christine directed national commercials for her alma mater, the University of Notre Dame, featuring Emmy winner Martin Sheen and television personality Regis Philbin. The spots were awarded gold medals for best commercials by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.

Christine is currently adapting a popular novel into a screenplay and is preparing to direct two feature films. A Detroit native, Christine and her husband are the proud parents of four children.

SXSW in Living Color

Tamika, my partner gave an introduction to SXSW in her blogpost yesterday to catch up those, like herself, who were in her words “clueless to the brilliance” of the annual Austin conference that connects, technology, film, and music.

I am continuing the SXSW conversation today bringing you a round-up of diverse people and happenings that took place last weekend. This also helps me feel like I was there. I have known about the conference for a year now. And, I commit to make it in person, maybe next year. But, in the meantime thanks for all those that have allowed me to live vicariously through ustream, video, audio and  blogposts.

Black Blogging Rock Stars and Adria Richards

Thanks Adria Richards of But You’re A Girl for you panel review of the Black Blogging Rock Stars and a bit about your panel on Sci-Fi and Tech’s similarities

 

Black in Tech Meetup

I was able to experience this lively discussion which included a Kanye moment as described by James Andrews’ blogpost.

 

Latinos in Tech Meetup

Inspired by Blacks in Tech, Latinos in Tech decided they would host their own event. See the pics.

 

Baratunde Thurston Tells Us How to be Black

And the ever Informing and Entertaining Baratunde Thurston grabs the SXSW audience according to Venture Beat.

 

Hopefully, I’ll be there next year standing next to these thought leaders reminding these influential new media leaders of their power to connect our buying power with image power on the big screen, small screen, computer screen and everything in between