SELECTCON004. - UnitedMasters event.
- Smoove The Source.
- Jul 26, 2022
- 4 min read
By: Smoove the Source.
Cinco De Mayo, a day created by beer brands and advertising agencies, was celebrated beautifully in Brooklyn with UnitedMasters.
UnitedMasters is a record label in your pocket. That focuses on providing their artists with the rights to their music and the masters to their art. Owned by Translation own, Steve Stout.
Steven being the host of the fireside chat with Issa Rae, has built such an empire with United Masters. SelectCon is the biggest creative conference. This year was their fourth year presenting this event. Being my first time, it was truly the only place I needed to be.
SelectCon004 was pack with creatives of all mediums. Although United Masters is a distribution platform, during the event there were sections of sessions with experts like Chaz Morgan who spoke upon Creative Direction and its significance. Sabrina Kalimian who is an A&R of Untied Masters answered questions about the process and place of being an A&R. I was also able to attend a session with the one only Pablo The Don. Being the social media manager of United Masters, breaking down content calendar, hashtags and the importance of your presence on the timeline.
Having the opportunity to connect with UnitedMasters employees directly is exactly what I personally enjoy while doing to industry events. I stress very much to download LinkedIn and truly introducing yourself to connect on the platform.
Behind the tables, there was a photo station! Providing us with gifs & pics to capture the day we’ve spent in Brooklyn. I absolutely LOVED my photos and my gifs. Very smart on the marketing side.
Going up to the mezz. We were presented with a common ground area. Seating for conversations, plug in stations to charge up, snacks and a community board. Community board having two different sides, “I HAVE” and “I NEED”. On one side of the card, we’d write our names, location, positions & Instagram handles. Blue side of card would be placed on the “I HAVE THIS SKILL” and the white side would be, “I NEED SKILL”. Intentions for you to connect with someone to get to your very next step.
Going up to the roof, there were panels taking place all day. With the grace of my life, I was able to have a UM employee bring me to the rooftop so I can be present for Jim Jones and DJ Drama's podcast episode. I almost fainted while waiting on the mezz watching from the big screen. JIM JONES WAS ON STAGE. I could not have missed that.
As I was arriving to the rooftop, I was able to to grab a seat as DJ Drama was just getting into his career story. Jim emphasizing on the fact that those who display the struggle and the actual grind through their tribulations is who deserved the roles of power now.
We had about an hour of mixing time in between Jim and Issa so we were able to refresh on our drinks, network, take pics and get ourselves prepped properly. As time was going by, the playlist was playing independent artists. I was able to shazam several new songs to feature on The Spot.
Finally, the sun starts to go down and the star of the show comes out. ITS ISSA FUCKING RAE. My fellow Capricorn sister looking absolutely beautiful.
Starting conversation off with her background as a theater kid, and expressing the depth of her having background of film during her upbringing to current day. I was able to learn about Awkward Black Girl and how much weight that series holds to Issa's career. Defining the roles that your people play around you and how us as creatives will experience the doubt until we hit. Dipping into digital money, Issa filled us in on the fact she doesn't have any interest in the digital money world. Though this was an event that partnered with CoinBase, Issa is fearful of the fact one day we can wake up with a million dollars and then the next hour its gone.
Lack of certainty doesn't promise us much. I personally do not have enough understanding of that concept. Due to the lack of solid education, a lot of the black and brown community are confused, learning and growing in that area. Issa explains to us that tons of ad companies have contacted her to be the face of NFTs. Ad companies expressed to Issa that her audience trusts her and that's why she makes the best fit for the black and brown community. She chuckled while telling us that they are truly coming with the biggest of dollar for this but she is not comfortable selling something that she doesn't use or trust yet.
The creative queen herself truly knows how to fill a room. Being one of the leading ladies of the entertainment world, I am super excited to see where and what she does next. Talks of a new series were brought about and I am thrilled to hear. Issa Rae is truly an inspiration to me. Once I found out she was a Capricorn, I knew I was with her for life lol. To see women in positions of power in the creation field, its just a breathe of fresh air. Especially multi-talented women like Issa. Being a Writer, Director and an actress, she makes ideas become tangible. Like myself. She makes shit move. She is a doer. It has to be a Capricorn thing. Beyond inspiring.
It was a perfect Cinco De Mayo in Brooklyn.. I am grateful that I was one of the people who got to attend and experience SelectCon. The people I met, the connections I made, the knowledge I gained. I cannot wait to experience what's to come.
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