15 years ago, when we met, our conversation was based
on if we had our own company in the entertainment field,
what would we do different? We wanted to form a company
that had a reputation for discovering the "best"
new talent in the NY tri-state area & beyond! At the
same time, we wanted artist to be informed & educated
with the correct information, and steered clear of the
pitfalls that so many before them have endured!
Shortly after Sept.11th,'01, my wife made the first move.
She started this company, and she immediately began her
search for talent. She would soon meet an industry insider
from Hidden Beach Recordings ( Chris Henry-Marketing/Promotions)
who would serve as her mentor, and assist her in the early
going.
About 6 months later, I put my personal business venture
down to join her on her quest! It was at that moment ,
we took our dream off the shelf and we began to live it!
In a matter of weeks we started to find several gifted
artist in the many places we visited. We started to bring
these artist to showcases around the city to give them
exposure, but at the same time we monitored the details
about the showcase. Who "produced" the show,
sound system , format , party promoter vs. producer ,etc.
We began the thought process of how would we do a show
when the time came for us to "step up"!
In a very short period of time, we developed a reputation
for having high quality acts in R & B. A friend of
ours, Jesse Atkinson of PromoRadio-91.9FM gave us a call
told us about a promoter in "Soul Café"
that he knew needed assistance finding new R & B talent.
This was our opportunity to shine! With this co-promotion
at Soul Café , we debuted our first showcase on
July 3rd '03, and it was a hit!
Around the same time, we began attending seminars given
by NetWork Shops, a small group of young black professionals
who work for ASCAP. We became faithful supporters of this
event, and we tapped in to the staff and the powerful
guest speakers.
Instantly, a "new" format idea was in our heads!
On Aug.17th '03, we co-sponsored PromoRadio's-UMA's: ,
Unsigned Music Awards , and the A&R Power Summit.
This gave us great exposure. After this event, our phone
has NOT stopped ringing………
Just before the UMA's, we met Brian Mapp & Titus Ash
of "StreetVizion"(BCAT Cablevision/Time Warner)
at a NetWork Shop event. They came to our show and fell
in love with our talent. They began to air our shows around
the city on the local cable access .After sharing our
vision with them, we now have a working relationship that
we both enjoy. On Nov. 20th '03, we introduced the 1st
StarLink Entertainment Showcase-"Sophisticated Soul"
to the NY area. It was a great show! We have a seminar
element in the middle of the show to inform & educate
the artist, managers & industry types!
This is just the beginning, for we are focused & poised
to take a "quantum" leap in 2004. The best is
yet to come!
