Show notes
In this episode, Mark speaks with Carmen Jones, the Senior Director of Experiential of Essence. With over 20 years of experience, Carmen is responsible for the brands notable live and virtual events, including Essence Festival of Culture, Black Women in Hollywood, and Essence Fashion House to name a few. Learn what it takes to produce one of the nation’s largest festival, The Essence Festival of Culture. 00:40 Started in banking &educational finance 1:39 Working in Wine & Spirits led to Events business3:17 Launched own Event planning business6:06 Lifestyle of consumer 3608:12 Brand Persona11:19 Understand the “Why” & “Who”12:05 Process & timeline13:13 Ideation Roadmap15:48 Producing Essence Festival23:40 Wish known before: Power of my Peers25:41 Virtual Events27:50 Operating during COVID29:06 Support Black-owned Business31:00 Advise to professionals34:09 Essence Fest Carmen Jones Instagram @mscarmenj linkedin.com/in/carmenrjones https://www.essence.com/essence-festival-2022/ https://www.essence.com/ Mark Testa https://www.markstephenagency.com [email protected] https://www.linkedin.com/company/mark-stephen-design-&-production/ Instagram @markstephenea https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK13o22i4RxQvbAgwwlh9tQ?view_as=subscriberThanks for tuning in. Check us out at on https://www.instagram.com/markstephenea/