December 18, 2017, Brooklyn, NY- A select group of students from Ascend Charter School and Young Women’s Leadership School got an opportunity to attend the Brooklyn Made Me Career Invitational Hosted By DJ Self. The event gave these students an opportunity to meet and pick the brains of several entertainment industry professionals ( DJ Self, Chris Green, Alicia Ferriabough Taylor, Sable Fields, Bianca N. Edwards, Tashara Jones, Donshea Hopkins, Jill Shelhorse, O’niel F. Anderson). The event was the result of a collaborative effort by several organizations: WOODstack/ WOODstack IVY, GWININ Entertainment, Lauren Media Group, NYC Parks, Fortell Communications, and Adidas.
The panel gave career advice, told stories of starting out and what it took for them to get where they are today. The consistent message from the panel was that hard work, persistence, dedication to your craft, building lasting friendships/relationships and creating a game plan will get you to where you want to go. The panel didn’t hold anything back, they painted a realistic picture of what to expect and the sacrifices made to get to their current position in life. The event served as an eye-opener for most of the students. Many were surprised to learn that working in the entertainment industry is not always as fabulous as some might think, especially when just starting out in the business; there is a lot of grunt work in the beginning.
The panel provided the students with lots of advice some of which they could implement now, such as how to have social media work for them to advance their brand and career goals. Students were urged to become more conscious of what things they put on their social media feeds because companies now use social media as a hiring tool, which can either hurt or help your brand. Many of the panel members also urged the students to start doing things now with their spare time and putting the things they create or are good at out to the world.
Not only did the students receive great career advice but also received a mini concert. Safaree Samuels from Love And Hip Hop made a surprise appearance and performed one of his songs from his recently released album Fur Coat vol. 1. The attending students also received book bags filled with goodies courtesy of ADIDAS and the Brooklyn Clothing store WOODStack.
