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The Atlanta event brought panelists across the corporate, entertainment, and entrepreneurial spaces.
The “Come Up” is upon us. The new organization partnered with The One Club For Creativity for a Black networking brunch in Atlanta.
As part of the club’s “Where Are All The Black People At?” programming, The Come Up brunch connected Black professionals across industries for its May 4 event. It intended to foster community through food and mentorship channeled through its attendees and accomplished panelists.
Panels featured key speakers sharing their journeys to entrepreneurial or corporate success. Its “Access Granted” panel included marketing directors at Coca-Cola, creative strategists, and VML’s Global Chief Design Officer, Kaleeta McDade. During the discussion, attendees gained knowledge on building careers from the ground up or learning to pivot into new fields. Equally, its lay-off conversation engaged seasoned HR professionals on how to prepare and elevate when being laid off.
Moreover, Deja Mays, a moderator for the panels and co-founder of The Come-Up, spoke to BLACK ENTERPRISE about the partnership with The One Club to dismantle the obstacles stopping Black professionals from rising in the ranks.
“We reached out to The One Club because we noticed there were things going on in the industry with mid-level talent,” shared Mays.
“[We thought] a brunch would be the perfect way to connect people and bring them together. There’s a lot of Black talent in Atlanta that is on the come up, they just need the right resources and people supporting them to get there.”
Lastly, its final conversation introduced Peter Brooks, vice president of Growth Strategy for BET and VH1 at Paramount, and the founders of the city’s top creative consulting firms, Butter ATL and Atlanta Influences Everything. The theme of “Your Network is Your Net Worth” emphasized that the connections one builds throughout one’s career can be a determining factor toward growth and success.
Brooks, who also founded consulting firm 28th and Foster, shared his personal reasoning for becoming a panelist and why he aligns with the firm’s mission of building connections.
“Being able to find that tribe is really important. Being amongst people that have value and want to give that value, I just love it,” expressed Brooks. “In the entertainment world, there’s always new things going on, from new technologies or processes. Always stay hungry to learn and be willing to develop new connections where you can provide value to the space. ”
The Come Up also hopes this journey will lead to more Black leaders in the C-suite and beyond. Although the initiative is just getting started, its focus on community-building and career success continues to level up.
Mays added, “We need to connect as a community as we’re stronger together. Everybody starts from somewhere, if we can just connect one person to that right person, I think we’ve done our job. We want everyone who attends to feel empowered and have the tools to get to the next level in their career.”
The One Club’s website features its latest events and future endeavors with The Come Up.
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