Key Influencers
Aligned with Black America's innovators.
The voice of influencers in Black America drives our message.
Omar Wasow is pursuing a doctorate in African American studies and political science at Harvard. In addition to his graduate work, Omar is the co-founder of BlackPlanet.com and an on-air technology analyst. Under Omar’s leadership, BlackPlanet.com became the leading site for African Americans, reaching over three million people a month. Omar ... more
John Chambers is a social marketing/communications/advocacy expert. He brings more than 14 years of experience building communities around social justice causes and campaigns and affecting positive opinion and behavior change around global health and development issues. As senior vice president at GMMB, a full-service cause marketing and advertisin ... more
Mel Clements is currently the Advertising and Digital Manager – Basketball for Nike, Inc. Mel has previously worked as a Senior Interactive Brand Manager for The Coca-Cola Company and as an Interactive Strategist for Philips Design, a business unit of Royal Philips Electronics. At Nike, Mel is responsible for managing all US advertising and d ... more
Charles is a Co-Founder and Partner of the Ascend Venture Group, a venture capital firm headquartered in New York City. With approximately $155 million under management, Ascend targets investment opportunities in the applied technology and for-profit education industries. Charles was responsible for Ascend’s investments in several datacenter infr ... more
Ava DuVernay offers expertise in strategic marketing, public relations and promotions for the entertainment, lifestyle and digital industries through her award-winning firm, DVA Media + Marketing. Founded in 1999, DVA specializes in multi-platform film, television, digital and corporate campaigns. DVA clients include: Paramount, Sony, Warner Bros, ... more
Deborah Gray-Young is a seasoned marketing communications professional with 25 years experience in developing and implementing strategic marketing communications plans. Deborah’s communication philosophy is “Mindset + Content = Environment(c)”. It is from this perspective combined with her keen understanding of the consumer’ ... more
Will Griffin is President/CEO of Hip Hop On Demand, the first Hip Hop/Urban Video on Demand channel in the industry. Hip Hop OnDemand reaches 25 Million households on Comcast, Cox and Bresnan cable systems. Hip Hop OnDemand is a spin-off of Simmons Lathan Media Group, where Griffin served as President/COO for four years. Griffin’s recent [... ... more
As an accomplished film, television and stage actor, Hill Harper captivates audiences with his charismatic and authentic style, which he dedicates to each eclectic character he portrays. A Magna Cum Laude graduate from Brown University and a Cum Laude graduate of Harvard Law School, he also has a master’s degree in Public Administration from ... more
Keith is a Senior Manager within AT&T’s Media Innovation group, part of the larger Advertising Solutions organization. In this role, he’s responsible for bridging the gap between brands and AT&T’s millions of customers by developing forward thinking advertising programs that utilize technologies spanning mobile, broadband, ... more
The passion with which Siddiq approaches each situation led to the founding of Atlanta’s Rogue Venture Labs in 2007. His founding of Rogue Venture Labs is the highlight of his more than ten years in the creation, development and management of consumer-facing online ventures for publishing, broadcast and recording companies. As the principal c ... more
As Chief Executive Officer, Larry is the driving force behind Ansible’s technology and business vision. Since the company’s inception, Larry has architected key agency relationships that have dramatically enhanced the value of mobile beyond the small screen. Before co-founding Ansible, Larry served as EVP, Director of Integrated Marketi ... more
Lynne d Johnson is the SVP, Social Media for the Advertising Research Foundation, where she is responsible for content, brand and social media development and strategy, as well as developing consumer insights, market research, and true metrics for the industry at large via the ARF Social Media Council. As a consultant, Lynne works with Web [...]
Don Moore brings over 20 years of experience in a wide variety of disciplines including Brand Management, Advertising, and Media. During his career, he has repeatedly demonstrated a record of achievement and success in several fast paced, competitive markets. As President of Burrell Digital, Don oversees all elements of Burrell’s Digital prac ... more
Guy Primus is Head of Interactive Media at Overbrook Entertainment, the film, TV and interactive production company whose partners include Will Smith, James Lassiter and Ken Stovitz. Overbrook films, including “The Pursuit of Happyness,” “The Secret Life of Bees,” “Hitch,” “Lakeview Terrace,” and R ... more
James Rucker is the Executive Director of ColorOfChange.org, an online citizens’ lobby of over 450,000 people dedicated to amplifying the political voice of Black America and forcing politicians to be more responsive to its needs. ColorOfChange.org was created in the aftermath of the failed government response to Hurricane Katrina and has exp ... more
Nadja Bellan-White is a 15-year veteran of integrated marketing strategy and communications. This “A Better Chance” Alumna was not only one of the early trailblazers of Digital, New Media, and Customer Relationship Marketing, but she also helped her clients identify opportunities in the new “Transcultural Segment.” She is cu ... more
James Andrews is the managing partner/co-founder of Everywhere specializing in the creation of digital strategies, online communications, and web content production. Everywhere is a strategic communications agency that focuses on helping brands and individuals navigate the social media and online landscape to build better connections with their aud ... more