I'm an award-winning communications strategist with over a decade of experience in public relations and media. I currently serve as managing partner of the 135th Street Agency, a marketing/PR firm based in New York and Atlanta. At 135th, I oversee the company’s day-to-day operations and spearhead most PR projects for film and television clients such as Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros, the Weinstein Company, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, Disney, Screen Gems, Turner, WE tv, Paramount, and Lionsgate.
As managing partner, I help execute the creative vision for each client and transform ideas into viable consumer and press activations. I've secured major national media placements at outlets such as ABC’s “The Chew,” CNN, HLN, USA Today, NPR, People, US Weekly and led various campaigns, including premiere events for OWN’s “The Haves and the Have Nots” and “Love Thy Neighbor;” screening programs for Lee Daniels’ The Butler and Fruitvale Station; college campus takeovers with the cast of Think Like A Man and Jumping The Broom; an 8-city mall tour for TV One’s “Love That Girl;” and publicity/red carpet management of the annual Urbanworld Film Festival.
A native of Wilson, N.C., I attended Spelman College as an English major and History minor. During my freshman summer of 1995, I landed two simultaneous internships – one as a promotions/publicity intern at Pendulum Records (where I met Founder & CEO of the 135th Street Agency, Shante Bacon) and the other as a writer in the marketing department at Bad Boy Records. I went on to graduate cum laude from Spelman in 1998 and, after a brief stint at Accenture Consulting as an analyst, I moved to New York City in 1999 where I pursued a career as a freelance writer. I got my start as a fact-checker for Rolling Stone, O Magazine, In Style, Seventeen and Blaze. I then went on to write for VIBE, Complex, XXL, The Source, Savoy, Honey, Fader, The Ave and Creative Loafing. During my writing career, I've interviewed artists such as Jill Scott, Ludacris Nas, Nelly, T.I., and Bow Wow and many more.
I've been featured in Crain's Atlanta, Black Enterprise, ESSENCE, VIBE Vixen, KING, Rolling Out and on the Food Network.
My awards and recognition include:
* 2015 PRNews Top Women in PR
* 2014 Who’s Who in Black Atlanta “Most Influential” Honoree
* Five-Time Winner NAMIC Excellence in Multicultural Marketing Awards (EMMA) from 2013-2015 for 135th campaigns for OWN, BET, Carol's Daughter, MYX Fusions Moscato
* Named one of Rolling Out’s Top 25 Women of Atlanta (2013)
* Named one of Hello Beautiful’s 25 Women to Know (2013)
* Recipient of the Black Women in Film Network’s Untold Stories Winner (2012)
* Recipient of the “High Heel Award” at the Trumpet Awards for excellence in marketing (2011)
* 2010 Winner of American Advertising Federation’s Mosaic Award, “Special Recognition” for 135th's “Love N’ Haiti” campaign for City of Miami
* Named one of ESSENCE’s“Top 21 innovative business women under 40” (2010)
* 2010 Finalist for Atlanta Business League’s “Creative Style Award”
* 1998 Hurston-Hughes Award for Best Creative Writing Portfolio