Black EnterprisePhotos » Black Enterprise http://www.blackenterprise.com Your #1 Resource for Black Entrepreneurs, Professionals and Small Businesses Thu, 20 Jun 2013 06:16:45 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 PHOTOS: Face2Face Africa Celebrates Leaders of the African Diaspora http://www.blackenterprise.com/career/photos-face2face-africa-celebrates-leaders-of-the-african-diaspora/ http://www.blackenterprise.com/career/photos-face2face-africa-celebrates-leaders-of-the-african-diaspora/#comments Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:57:23 +0000 BlackEnterprise.com http://www.blackenterprise.com/?p=292750 On June 15, Face2Face Africa, a premier media and events company, hosted a night of excellence, honoring leaders of the African diaspora at The Times Center in the heart of New York City. The F.A.C.E. List Awards, sponsored by State Farm and Arik Airlines and hosted by Eric J. Henderson of the Huffington Post (pictured, left), was a star-studded event that included performances and a special giveaways. Pan-African leaders who received awards included Carlos Lopes, Ph.D., executive secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa; Peace Anyiam-Osigwe, CEO and founder of the African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA); George Ntim, founder and president of the African Development Foundation; Korto Momolu, Bravo TV’s Project Runway contestant and award-winning designer; Aziz G. Adetimirin, founder of The Network Journal; and award-winning actress Jackie Appiah. (Images: Sam Eltosam) Ghanaian actress Lydia Forson presents an award. Honoree Peace Anyiam-Osigwe was recognized for her impact in the global film industry as founder of the African Movie Academy Awards. George Ntim, founder and president of the African Development Foundation, was honored for his work with fiscal development and advocacy in Africa. Designer and Bravo TV's "Project Runway" alum Korto Momolu, was honored for her work in the fashion industry. Face2Face Africa co-founder and chairman Isaac Boateng addresses the audience. Michelle D. Hare, multicultural business development specialist at State Farm, prepares to present an award. Honoree Aziz G. Adetimirin, founder of The Network Journal, was honored for his more than 20 years of highlighting business leaders of color. Carlos Lopes, Ph.D., executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa, was honored for his work in Africa. Award-winning actress Jackie Appiah was honored for her excellence in the global film industry. A trumpet player from Akroft & Co Live shows off his skills. Face2Face Africa co-founder and COO, Sandra Appiah, addresses the audience. African gospel singer Yaw Osei-Owusu performs. Nadia Sasso, 24, was chosen, out of seven finalists, for the Young Africans Committed to Excellence Award (Y.A.C.E.) for her work with her foundation Yehri Wi Cry. Popular Nigerian entertainer, DJ Universe, and MUI PR founder, Ijeoma Genevieve Mbamalu, joins Ellen Osei of Raising Hope Foundation and F2FA co-founder Sandra Appiah on stage. Proceeds from the event went to the organization, which aims to raise awareness and funds for African orphans. Singer Nicole Ortiz performed a tribute to the honorees at the event. Singer Peter Jericho, left, performed during the event. Face2Face Africa chairman, Isaac Boateng, and COO Sandra Appiah join actress Jackie Appiah on the purple carpet. Nadia Sasso, Y.A.C.E. award winner, is joined by supporters on the purple carpet. BlackEnterprise.com producer Janell Hazelwood joins actress Jackie Appiah after her purple-carpet interview. Ghanaian-American singer Jay Ghartey was one of seven Y.A.C.E. award finalists. BlackEnterprise.com producer Janell Hazelwood was also a Y.A.C.E. award finalist. Y.A.C.E. award finalist and executive director at The Royalty Lifestyle Group, Solo Nnanna, left, is joined by Arik Airlines' Kobina Brew-Hammond and guest. ]]> http://www.blackenterprise.com/career/photos-face2face-africa-celebrates-leaders-of-the-african-diaspora/feed/ 1 Family Business: Brandy, Ray J & Their Commercial Bloodline http://www.blackenterprise.com/lifestyle/family-business-brandy-ray-j-their-commercial-bloodline/ http://www.blackenterprise.com/lifestyle/family-business-brandy-ray-j-their-commercial-bloodline/#comments Fri, 14 Jun 2013 05:01:59 +0000 Amber McKynzie http://www.blackenterprise.com/?p=289112 norwood family brandy and ray j brandy and mom brandy mom and ray j willie norwood brandy brandy and mom ray j for the love of ray j moesha brandy and ray j snoop and brandy brandy singing ]]> http://www.blackenterprise.com/lifestyle/family-business-brandy-ray-j-their-commercial-bloodline/feed/ 2 Family Business: Quincy Jones & His Hollywood Heirs http://www.blackenterprise.com/lifestyle/family-business-quincy-jones-his-hollywood-heirs-2/ http://www.blackenterprise.com/lifestyle/family-business-quincy-jones-his-hollywood-heirs-2/#comments Thu, 13 Jun 2013 22:18:03 +0000 Amber McKynzie http://www.blackenterprise.com/?p=290586 Words by Amber McKynzie With the last name Jones, there’s no question that success is literally right around the corner, at least that’s true in Hollywood. Quincy Jones is a multi-platinum record-winning producer, and has everything to show for it—including his family. While it may seem like a magic trick, as the Chicago-born legend spent much of his career traveling from country to country, he still made time to play father every now and then to his seven children—Jolie, Martina, Quincy III (QDIII), Kadida, Rashida, Rachel and Kenya. All seven children didn’t walk behind their father into the walls of a recording studio, but they certainly found their way in and around Tinseltown. From super producer to super model, the Jones’ kids have pretty much done it all. And with their credits continually showing up on scores, albums, print ads and films, they’re not planning on stopping anytime soon. Leave it to this family, and they’ll be walking in space! The Eldest Jones Heir Jolie Jones Levine is not only Quincy Jones’ first daughter; she’s his first child. Born from his first marriage to high school sweetheart Jeri Caldwell, the eldest Jones followed in the path of her father diving head first into the world of music. Enamored by mellifluous sounds, Jolie became a jazz vocalist, creating quite the catalog over the years. Model Behavior After Quincy’s first marriage came to an end, he found himself in the arms of fashion model, actress and songwriter, Ulla Andersson. During a seven-year union, the couple produced two children, the first being Martina Jones. While Martina didn’t take after her half-sister or father and go into music, but she did take after her mother and made her way to the runway. Then, in 1994, the leggy model found herself posing for Playboy in the March 1994 issue. One Name: QDIII Quincy Jones III, better known to the entertainment world as QD3, is the second child of Ulla and Quincy. As the legendary music producer’s only son, QD3 had no problem becoming his father’s mini me. While he was born in London, little Quincy grew up in Sweden where he first acquired his love for hip-hop touring as a break dancer. He eventually started producing records for local groups and earned his first gold record by 16. Quincy later moved to New York to pursue a career in music, and has clearly never looked back. Over the years he’s produced records for Ice Cube, Tupac, LL Cool J, Prince, Queen Latifah and the list goes on. While there’s no question his father influenced his career, QDIII can’t go without thanking Dr. Dre for bringing him into Ruthless records—when they existed—and helping breakout into a business that may have never been the same without him. More Than 'Pac's Fiancée Many people know Kidada Jones as the woman slated to marry Tupac Shakur just before he passed—which is true—but her names stems beyond that of a would-have-been marriage license. Kidada, Quiny’s 4th child and 1st daughter of he and 3rd wife, Peggy Lipton, decided to go through every door her parents’ names could open. At the beginning of her career, Kidada began working as a stylist for Vibe magazine—when her father owned it—and became known throughout the industry to for her keen clothing abilities when she styled Michael Jackson for the cover of the urban mag. Her style sense eventually landed her several modeling jobs, and put her in publications such as Elle, Vogue and Harper's Bazaar. She also dabbled in the acting world for a few years, making cameos in films such as Black and White (1999) and Proud (2004). Don't You Just Love Parks and Recreation? Rashida Jones is the ultimate starlet in the making. Like her sister, Kidada, Hollywood fell in love the first time they saw the California-born entertainment heiress. Rashida graduated from Harvard University in 1997, and hit the ground running the moment she walked across the stage. That same year, the now famed Parks and Recreation actress made her first television appearance in The Last Don, a TV mini-series. Over the next few years, Rashida acquired several film and television roles, it wasn’t until 2000 that she landed her first recurring role on a major network TV show—Boston Public (no longer airing). Since then, the Los Angeles-bred actress starred in her fair share of Blockbuster hits including Little Black Book (2004), I Love You, Man (2009) and Our Idiot Brother (2011), and made her way back to television starring on The Office and now reigns on Parks and Recreation. The Other Jones Rachel Jones is the daughter of a short-lived affair her father held with dancer Carol Reynolds. Daddy's Little Girl Kenya Jones may certainly be Quincy’s last child, but she is definitely not least. A mere 21 years old, the youngest Jones is quickly finding her place in the entertainment industry. Currently finding her way into fashion shoots across the country, Quincy takes pride in knowing that he’s gotten a chance to do fatherhood all over again with Kenya. His ex-wives claim he was a workaholic, and didn’t find much time for family. So in a 2008 interview with the Seattle Times, when Kenya was just 15, the super producer said, “She just got 11 A's and two B's at the Lycée Francais...I'm doing pretty good." Sisterly Love Kidada and Rashida have grown quite fond of each other over the years. In many out-and-about-photos, it seems there is never one without the other. With their lives as busy as can be, it’s good to see they still make time for one another. Nothing But Love While Quincy’s ex-wives may have a thing or two to say about the lack of time he gave to their children growing up, it seems that time really does heal all wounds because they’re nothing but smiles these days. Kidada, Rashida and Kenya certainly have nothing but love for their father. ]]> http://www.blackenterprise.com/lifestyle/family-business-quincy-jones-his-hollywood-heirs-2/feed/ 1 Family Business: Lil Wayne & The Carter Tribe http://www.blackenterprise.com/lifestyle/family-business-lil-wayne-toya-reginae-birdman/ http://www.blackenterprise.com/lifestyle/family-business-lil-wayne-toya-reginae-birdman/#comments Mon, 03 Jun 2013 04:01:41 +0000 Amber McKynzie http://www.blackenterprise.com/?p=287005 lil wayne and wife and daughter omg girlz lil wayne baby mama sarah vivian and son lil wayne toya and reginae reginae and toya birdman and his daughter bria birdman and wayne lil wayne family lil wayne pics with his children ]]> http://www.blackenterprise.com/lifestyle/family-business-lil-wayne-toya-reginae-birdman/feed/ 2 Family Business: Diana Ross & Her Familial Supremes http://www.blackenterprise.com/lifestyle/diana-ross-family-business-tracee-evan-ross/ http://www.blackenterprise.com/lifestyle/diana-ross-family-business-tracee-evan-ross/#comments Wed, 29 May 2013 04:01:58 +0000 Amber McKynzie http://www.blackenterprise.com/?p=286017 Words by Amber McKynzie Diana Ross may have initiated the family name, but her children have surely continued its legacy. While the Motown best-selling artist entered the music world in the 1960’s with the Supremes—and later parted ways to embark on her solo career—her five children, Ross, Rhonda, Tracee, Chudney and Evan, have found multiple ways to continue the legend their mother started more than 50 years ago through the realms of television, film, fashion, education and more. From Chudney and Rhonda’s top-tier collegiate education and choice careers to match to Evan and Tracee’s life on the big screen and Ross’s adventurous lifestyle celebrated through photography, the Ross coterie has found a way to expand their name’s reach and become a multi-arena conglomerate. When you’re a Ross, you know there ain’t no mountain high enough; now that’s a family business motto to live by. Diana Ross makes her iconic pose Like Mother, Like Daughter Following in the footsteps of her mother, Tracee Ellis Ross has become a successful television and film actress with a look just a striking as Diana’s. Aside from her talent on the screen, Tracee’s wild mane and engaging eyes are a replica of of none other than her mother’s. Chudney takes on the image of her mother Rhonda Ross Kendrick on a movie set Evan Ross holds up the family name Ros Naess truly loves his mother Tracee and her mother get picture perfect Familial Love While Chudney, Tracee and Evan have created their own lanes in business and entertainment, they have no problem coming together to take the spotlight in as a family. ]]> http://www.blackenterprise.com/lifestyle/diana-ross-family-business-tracee-evan-ross/feed/ 5 Tyrese Hosts VIP Fast & Furious 6 Screening in L.A. http://www.blackenterprise.com/lifestyle/tyrese-hosts-vip-fast-furious-6-screening-in-l-a/ http://www.blackenterprise.com/lifestyle/tyrese-hosts-vip-fast-furious-6-screening-in-l-a/#comments Fri, 24 May 2013 18:18:25 +0000 Amber McKynzie http://www.blackenterprise.com/?p=286399 Tyrese smiles for the media Omarion and Tyrese hug it out after the private Film and television actor Lance Gross takes over the Regal Cinemas L.A. Live red carpet. Tyrese Gibson and Lance Gross share the carpet spotlight before partying it up for the R&B singer's private movie screening. Tyrese shows the ladies some love while showing off his pearly whites for the media. Vibe magazine Executive Editor Datwon Thomas and Omarion hang out in the Club Nokia VIP Lounge. ]]> http://www.blackenterprise.com/lifestyle/tyrese-hosts-vip-fast-furious-6-screening-in-l-a/feed/ 1 Family Business: Beyoncé & the Knowles’ Clan http://www.blackenterprise.com/lifestyle/family-business-beyonce-the-knowles-clan/ http://www.blackenterprise.com/lifestyle/family-business-beyonce-the-knowles-clan/#comments Fri, 24 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 Amber McKynzie http://www.blackenterprise.com/?p=285329 Words by Amber McKynzie With Beyoncé at the forefront, the Knowles family has found their way to the top of entertainment’s food chain. As the pop diva has found herself traveling around the world to perform sell-out shows, her father, Matthew Knowles, was helping make all that happen as her manager until 2011. While those two were on the the road, Bey’s mother, Tina, didn’t just sit home alone, she got to the drawing board and designed clothing for her House of Dereon and Miss Tina by Tina Knowles fashion lines. And you can’t forget about Solange! From the bigscreen to the runway, the girl who used to be known as Beyoncé’s little sister is now turning out parties in the U.S. and across the pond as she rocks the 1s and 2s and looked up to as a fashion know-all. So if you ever thought a family business couldn’t exist, take a note or two from the Knowles’ clan. Now that’s love on top! Beyoncé and Solange pose for a sisterly fashion photo. Beyoncé, Solange, Tina Knowles and Solange's son, Daniel Juelz Smith, Jr. Solange knows how to rock a party Beyoncé, Michelle and Kelly Bey and Jay never blink when it comes to sharing the stage. B shows just jow much she loves Blue Ivy Mrs. Carter is still daddy's little girl Beyoncé, Kelly and MIchelle reunite for Superbowl XLVII Bey shows nothing but love for Blue Ivy Beyoncé and Jay-Z reign as music's first couple ]]> http://www.blackenterprise.com/lifestyle/family-business-beyonce-the-knowles-clan/feed/ 3 SEO Celebrates 50 Years of Empowering Youth Through Mentorship and Education http://www.blackenterprise.com/career/seo-50-years-empowering-youth-mentorship-career-education/ http://www.blackenterprise.com/career/seo-50-years-empowering-youth-mentorship-career-education/#comments Fri, 17 May 2013 21:00:50 +0000 BlackEnterprise.com http://www.blackenterprise.com/?p=285185 On May 16, the Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) celebrated their 50th anniversary with an awards dinner at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City. The dinner benefited SEO Scholars, SEO Career and SEO Alternative Investments, raising nearly $1.8 million. More than 1,000 guests networked, dined and witnessed the success stories of students, many from challenging circumstances in urban communities, who beat the odds to not only attend top schools in the U.S., but graduate and become employed at Fortune 500 companies. Hosted by CNBC's Seema Mody (pictured), the SEO also honored Henry R. Kravis; Julián Castro, Mayor of San Antonio; and Kelly M. Williams of The Customized Fund Investment Group. (Images: Rick Gilbert / Skyhook Entertainment) “The goal of SEO remains what it’s always been: to demonstrate that ethnic background and socio-economic status do not pre-determine a young person’s future,” said William Goodloe, President and CEO of SEO. Guests at the event included iconic filmmaker and author Melvin Van Peebles. Aliya LeeKong, chef and culinary creative director at Junoon, New York, and Aren LeeKong, managing director at Highbridge Principal Strategies, attended in support of SEO. Journalist RaVal Davis and BlackEnteprise.com associate producer Janell Hazelwood were guests at the SEO's awards dinner. Julian Johnson, SEO's senior vice president, is seen here with Erika Irish Brown, SVP and enterprise diversity recruiting and program management executive at Bank of America, and Lofton Holder, partner at Pine Street Alternative Asset Management. Robert J. McCann, SEO awards dinner chair and CEO of UBS Wealth Management Americas (WMA) and wife, Cindy McCann enjoyed the event. SEO board chair Walter Booker is seen here with SEO founder Michael Osheowitz and SEO CEO William Goodloe. Henry Kravis, co-founder of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., was an honoree and is seen here with wife, Marie Josee Kravis, economist and philanthropist. SEO awards dinner honoree Julián Castro, mayor of San Antonio, is seen here with real estate powerhouse Juny Francois. SEO scholars and alumni are seen here with San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro. For more information on Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO), visit their Website. ]]> http://www.blackenterprise.com/career/seo-50-years-empowering-youth-mentorship-career-education/feed/ 1 Meet the Tech Titans at 2013 Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Conference http://www.blackenterprise.com/technology/black-enterprise-entrepreneurs-conference-tech-titans/ http://www.blackenterprise.com/technology/black-enterprise-entrepreneurs-conference-tech-titans/#comments Wed, 15 May 2013 17:10:56 +0000 Marcia Wade Talbert http://www.blackenterprise.com/?p=284576 Never before has a group of black tech experts and financiers of such high caliber and influence been assembled for a comprehensive and engaging event as this year's Black Enterprise Entrepreneur's Conference in Columbus, Ohio. If you're a tech startup looking for an insider's view of the tech world, then you should be here. But if you can't catch the conversation on Twitter, follow the #BEEC hashtag. Here, BlackEnterprise.comtakes a look at 16 tech innovators preparing to educate and empower our registrants this week with business basics and hi-tech tools they'll need to succeed in our nation's innovation economy.--Marcia Wade Talbert With 14 years experience in design and business development, Wayne Sutton has founded two software companies, worked with large brands and advises several technology startups. The designer and digital media thought leader regularly speaks and blogs about harnessing the power of social media to foster creativity, empower communities, and build brands. He delivers value to individuals, organizations, and brands by integrating product and market knowledge to continually improve marketing, sales, product development, and user experience. Currently, Sutton is the co-founder of Cosemble, a self-service social media publishing platform for creating events and sharing experiences with the people and organizations you care about, and founder of PitchTo, which manages and rates founder pitches. Sutton regularly shares his experiences with entrepreneurs in The Accelerators, a weekly blog published by The Wall Street Journal. Prior to PitchTo Sutton, co-founded the NewMe Accelerator and launched a mobile location-based startup in 2009. He will facilitate a BE Small Business Success™ Boot Camp B: Build Your Brand on Thursday, May 16 at 4:00pm. Follow Sutton at @WayneSutton . Better known as the Small Biz Lady, Melinda Emerson, has more than 220,000 followers on Twitter.  She is an author, speaker and small business coach with expertise in small business, business development and social media marketing. Her books "Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months" and "How to Become a Social Media Ninja" are must reads. At 4:00pm on Thursday, May 16, Emerson will facilitate BE Small Business Success™ Boot Camp B: Build Your Brand. Follow Emerson's tweets at #BEEC at @SmallBizLady Mike Green is a blogger for the Huffington Post and founder and CEO of Epiphany3D, Inc., a digital education 3D immersion gaming company targeting STEM education. He is also founder of The America21 Project (A21), which seeks to leverage existing assets within urban American communities to create new opportunities and ensure competitiveness in the global innovation economy. Green is a panelist at Wednesday's symposium, Today’s Business Crisis: Educating Tomorrow’s Workforce, which is hosted by Black Enterprise in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Follow Green's tweets at @AMikeGreen2 . Jarvis Sulcer, Ph.D., is executive director of the Level Playing Field Insitute, a part of the Mitchell Kapor Foundation. Sulcer leads LPFI in expanding the impact of its education programs and institutional research. LPFI received the maximum amount of $25,000 to support the expansion of the computer science courses offered through their Summer Math and Science Honors (SMASH) program, a free, 3-year, STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) enrichment program for high-achieving, low-income high school students that come from backgrounds currently underrepresented in STEM fields. Sulcer is a panelist at Wednesday's symposium, Today’s Business Crisis: Educating Tomorrow’s Workforce, which is hosted by Black Enterprise in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Follow Sulcer at @JDSulcer . McKenzie M. Slaughter, a consultant to retail, financial services, and investment management firms, recently launched Beauty & The Bull Magazine as a centralized multi-media platform promoting women’s investor intelligence, connecting women investors to women advisors and analysts. At 11:00am on Thursday, May 16, she will speak on the panel How to Make Your Money Work for You After You’ve Worked for It! hosted by Nationwide Insurance. Follow Slaughter at @BeautyBullMag . Omar Wasow became one of the first African Americans to develop a social tool to demystify technology and help plug the digital divide between blacks and whites when he co-founded BlackPlanet in 1999. Since he left the organization in 2005, Wasow became particularly interested in the charter school movement and helped launch the Brooklyn Excelsior Charter School in 2003. This month he's finishing a Ph.D. in African and African American Studies along with a master's degree in Statistics and Government at Harvard University. Wasow will moderate a conversation about education and innovation for Wednesday's symposium, Today’s Business Crisis: Educating Tomorrow’s Workforce, which is hosted by Black Enterprise in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation at 4:00pm. Follow Wasow's tweets at @Owasow . Timothy Reese is the founding Partner of the National Minority Angel Network, a startup services company whose goal is to foster angel investments in minority lead startups throughout the US. He is also the managing partner of Forge Intellectual Capital, a successful financial advisory and consulting services firm. His past efforts have lead in the successful sale of several companies, including one he founded and sold in 2000. Reese also co-founded the Minority Angel Investors Network, which primarily serves the Mid-Atlantic Region. MAIN has made over 28 investments in 14 startups. Follow Reese's tweets at @NMANetwork . Tanisha Robinson is the co-founder of TicketFire, an iOS app that allows ticket holders to scan their paper event tickets, and then share, sell or transfer those tickets to other people. Earlier in her career, after selling her affiliate marketing portfolio, Tanisha became the founder of Fudha.com, a daily deal site focused on locally-owned, independent restaurants. Since its launch in early 2010, this social enterprise contributed over 30,000 meals to the Mid-Ohio Foodbank, supported to local restaurant community, and saved its members over $250,000 on the best independent restaurants in Central Ohio. 614 Media Group purchased Fudha.com in the summer 2011. She is also co-founder of Print Syndicate and LookHuman.com, e-commerce platforms providing well-designed, socially relevant, high quality products to consumers, on-demand. Follow Robinson's tweets at @TanishaRobinson . Navarrow Wright is the chief technology officer of Interactive One, the digital media arm of RadioOne focusing on the African-American and urban market. As CTO, Wright is responsible for the technical strategy of all the Interactive One online properties which include Hellobeautiful, The UrbanDaily,NewsOne, Elev8 and BlackPlanet. He is also responsible for the technical management of the Radio OneNetwork’s radio sites. Wright also launched the “Close the Divide for Me” project. Wight’s vision for the initiative is build awareness among underserved communities (minorities and women) about the opportunities that technology can provide in key areas such as education, healthcare, career growth and entrepreneurship. Wright will be one of the judges at Black Enterprise's Elevator Pitch Competition hosted by Pepsico. Follow Wright's tweets at @NavarrowWright . Lynn Cooper is founder and principal of SociallyAhead, a digital communications firm based in Washington, DC. Cooper's firm offers robust and proven strategies for integrating social networking activity into their promotional and brand building campaigns. Cooper is a serial entrepreneur who has built three successful companies and worked with a diverse client base on technology and marketing solutions. She is also a BlackEnterprise.com contributor, penning articles on branding and social media strategies. Follow Cooper's tweets at @SociallyAhead . Lauren Maillian Bias is a founding partner of Gen Y Capital Partners and founder and CEO of Luxury Market Branding, a strategic marketing and branding company. Gen Y invests in early stage, consumer facing mobile and internet companies and provides acceleration tools to its portfolio companies through its partnership with the the Young Entrepreneur Council, among other organizations. Maillian Bias is a serial entrepreneur with a business development mindset that concentrates on the creation and implementation of innovative yet strategic plans that build brand identity and increase revenue. She's is mentor to Women Innovate Mobile, and has spoken about entrepreneurship and business development at The University of Virginia and The Private Equity Women Investor Network (PEWIN). In 2011, Maillian Bias was recognized at The White House by the Kauffman Foundation as an Empact 100 honoree, a list that names the top 100 entrepreneurs under 30. Follow Maillian Bias' tweets at @LaurenMBias. Jonathan Gosier, a TED senior fellow alum, founded MetaLayer with business partner Matthew Griffiths in 2011 to help non-technical users perform data-driven research such as trend spotting in big data sets, predictive analytics, and visualization using drag and drop data science technology.  As an open-source product, the Philadelphia-based company works seamlessly with other data management platforms. Since its inception the product has helped customers in the intelligence community, government solutions, global crisis response, and public safety, visualize real-time sentiment of people in distress during Hurricane Irene, build products for countering violent extremism in Somalia, and use social media channels to monitor health trends and patterns using the online discussions of combat veterans. Gosier, an alum of the accelerator DreamIt Ventures will join Thursday's panel entitled Tech Startup Fast Track: Launch Code: S.U.C.C.E.S.S., where he and other early-stage tech entrepreneurs will discuss ways to leverage incubators and accelerators. Follow Gosier's tweets from #BEEC at @JonGos. Jeff Clanagan is president and CEO of Code Black Entertainment, the first independent, vertically integrated African-American-owned film studio, actively engaged in the business of feature film production, film distribution, worldwide DVD and digital assets distribution, urban marketing consulting and a production of programs for television broadcast and syndication. CodeBlack Interactive is also the creator and developer of CodeBlackTV, the world's first on-demand broadband network devoted exclusively to serving fans of black film. Follow Clanagan's tweets at @TheCodeBlackLife. Hajj Flemings is the founder of Brand Camp University, which runs the largest personal branding conference in the Midwest. He is also the author of “The Brand YU Life: Re-thinking Who You Are Through Personal Brand Management” He has been featured on NBC, Fox News, ABC, and ESPN.com; and travels nationally speaking as a brand strategist enabling personal and business brands to remain relevant. His clients include Walt Disney, Ford Motor Company, Skechers Footwear, and the U.S. Department of Defense (Telecom Division).  In 2012 at SXSW interactive, he launched a tech startup called gokit a company that develops identity kits. Follow Flemings tweets at @HajjFlemings. Chris Bennett is the co-founder and CEO of Soldsie, a payment system for merchants to sell via their Facebook feed. He is passionate about social change, innovation, and the Internet. He also co-founded Black Founders, an organization with a mission to increase the number of successful black entrepreneurs in technology.He has a background founding businesses from an early age and his last startup, LiquidBooks, was a success on the University of Pennsylvania campus. Chris holds a B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Follow Bennett's tweets at @8ennett. Charlie Tribbett is co-founder of Bolstr, a dynamic revenue generating engine that allows 'main street small businesses' to connect with potential investors. Bolstr democratizes and simplifies the process of raising money through a private offering. By utilizing the technique of "crowdfunding," Bolstr enables small businesses to reach out to their networks and communities to raise smaller investments from a larger group of people. Prior to co-founding Bolstr, Tribbett interned at JPMorgan and then spent three years at Morgan Stanley in New York working in both the Investment Banking Division and Global Capital Markets. Follow Tribbett's tweets at @Charliefour. ]]> http://www.blackenterprise.com/technology/black-enterprise-entrepreneurs-conference-tech-titans/feed/ 2 Top 5 Sports Movies of All-Time Featuring Black Film Stars http://www.blackenterprise.com/lifestyle/top-5-sports-movies-ever/ http://www.blackenterprise.com/lifestyle/top-5-sports-movies-ever/#comments Mon, 13 May 2013 04:01:56 +0000 Cedric 'Big Ced' Thornton http://www.blackenterprise.com/?p=277108 any given sunday Ali - 2001 The self-proclaimed G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time), Muhammad Ali, the former Cassius Clay, has his life featured in this dramatic film about one of the best heavyweight fighters to box. Hip-Hop's (Well, Hollywood's now) golden boy, Will Smith (The Fresh Prince), portrays the always quotable Ali in this movie that follows the life and times between his most controversial years (1964-1974). The cast included Jamie Foxx, Jon Voight, Mario Van Peebles, Ron Silver, Jeffrey Wright, Mykelti Williamson, Jada Pinkett Smith, Nona Gaye, Michael Michele and Joe Morton. coach carter love and basketball 42 jackie robinson biopic ]]> http://www.blackenterprise.com/lifestyle/top-5-sports-movies-ever/feed/ 1