On New Year's Eve 2020 we spoke to Certified Meeting Professional, master multitasker and ultimate hustler, Cherrón Gardner. We dive into imposter syndrome, how to give yourself grace and still be successful, how partnerships can be a blessing and if event planning is a sustainable career. It was a great conversation with so many gems.  Cherrón has over 15 years of production experience. From weddings and conferences to music festivals and luxury events there’s nothing she can’t plan. Previously Cherrón has worked for Live Nation, Porsche, IMG, HarperCollins Children's Books and ICM to name a few. Currently, she is Senior Event Marketing Specialist for a Tech Company planning events and managing the corporate global event strategy. A workaholic who manages multiple businesses, including her own event planning firm, Cherrón vows never to recover from the travel bug. When not working, traveling, or at brunch, you can find Cherrón curled up with a good book or listening to music. A northern girl living in a southern world, Atlanta has been home for the past 9 years but she will always be a Jersey girl. "I don't want to do anything that I'm not fearful of" - Cherrón Gardner Follow her (and all of her businesses) on IG @mscgardner @cgtheeventlife @sportsbiznetwork @heysistercousin @coffee_till_champagne @championshipspeakers

In this episode, we chat with Lori Hall & Jessica Lane Alexander, the founders of Pop’N Creative - a Multicultural Marketing Collective focused on digital and social content creation and experience design. Lori and Jessica created Pop'N as a result of the their exposure to tone-deaf pitches and witnessing brands fail miserably with diverse consumers throughout the years. They craft campaigns and content that give people a reason to genuinely care about your brand. They listen both socially and culturally, because cultural nuances influence how a message is received, and then they build strategies to create the right experiences for the right audiences. They have a collective 25+ years of experience and their primary mission is to help brands authentically connect with highly-coveted multicultural audiences. Tune in to this fun interview as we:  Learn step-by-step how to pitch and successfully execute a client campaign with a deep dive into their planning of the L.A.'s Finest premiere Get introduced to the day-to-day of agency life and the skill-set needed to get your foot in the door  Determine how to find your voice as an activist within your industry as they did Determine if you are on the correct education/career path for you to have your dream career This is an episode you don't want to miss!

Welcome to season 2 of The Party Crashers Podcast!  Season 2 is all about taking a deep-dive and walking you through how to pull off different types of events; Conferences, Live Events, Festivals, Premieres, Wedding etc. We hope you have your life jacket ready! In Episode 1, we sit down with Adriana Contreras, Director of Production at Crown+Conquer to chat about how they pulled off the Spotify Secret Genius Award show (Pre-Covid).  Of course Adriana shares other tips and fun stories about her journey in the industry.  Adriana Contreras started her career working with brands such as adidas, Boost Mobile, Virgin Mobile, the Academy  and prior to joining Crown + Conquer as the Director of  Production she worked at Create & Cultivate. With over 18 years experience, Adriana has developed a diverse skill-set that has spanned marketing, advertising  and event production. Adriana has a passion for producing multifaceted events  for the brands she works with, wanting to connect consumers in an authentic way with the brands. Her specialty lies in being forward thinking, decisive, creative  and interpreting a strategic vision into a brand’s activation. Now as a Director here at Crown + Conquer, Adriana  oversees all of C+C’s experiential events & projects,  servicing a wide range of clients like Amazon, YouTube,  Sprite and many others. REMEMBER  TO LIKE, COMMENT AND SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PODCAST!    Follow us on Instagram @thepartycrasherspodcast . Email us with questions, appearance requests or sponsorship opportunities:  [email protected]     As always thank you to Nathaniel W. James (@nateplayskeyz) for your  editing and music production services. For more info about Crown + Conquer, check out @wearecrownandconquer on IG (Heads up. We spotted an open Sr. Event Manager position. Check out the post here on linkedIn)

Itika Oldwine, owner of Oldvine florals,  landed an internship at The Oprah Winfrey Show after completing her Master’s Degree in Social Science at the University of Chicago. Soon after, she joined their production team through their final season in 2011 while modeling with the Ford Modeling Agency. After the final season, she moved back to California and secured a job in the marketing department at AEG where she produced over 100 events at LA Live. The inspiration to launch her own floral company came in 2017 after working under Eric Buterbaugh for 3 years. She realized that she needed to launch Oldvine Florals as a vessel for her take on blooming creations and to give a modern twist to the flowery landscape of L.A. Oldvine Florals is a luxury floral boutique which specializes in gifts, weddings and events. Some of their most notable clients are Jay-Z, Beyonce, Gabrielle Union, Hennessy, OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network and Linda Perry. In this episode Itika shares how you can leverage your relationships to get your resume on the right desk; A party crashing moment that included Justin Bieber's "Beliebers" terrorizing several city streets and how it takes a leap of faith (and a plan) to become an entrepreneur. REMEMBER TO LIKE, COMMENT AND SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PODCAST!  Follow us on Instagram @thepartycrasherspodcast . Email us with questions, appearance requests or sponsorship opportunities: [email protected]  Follow Itika on her IG @oldvineflorals and check out her work on her website at oldvineflorals.com As always thank you to Nathaniel W. James (@nateplayskeyz) for your editing and music production services.

This week we sat down with Tara Melvin, owner of Perfect Planning Events and Signature Concepts, L.L.C., an event planning and management company.  Tara knew from early on that her calling was in event planning but it was with strategic planning, consistency and knowledgeable mentors helping her along the way that she became the force she is today.  In this episode, we chat about the importance of studying your craft in order to become an expert in your field; how to put on your business hat to efficiently run your creative company; and how to manage multiple streams of income without breaking a sweat. Tara is active within the event planning community serving as Founder & Organizer of The Signature C.E.O. Conference, Founder & Mentor of The Executive Wedding Planner Mentor Program, Networking Event Organizer for Thursday Therapy Network DC and ambassador for a few well known bridal publications.  Remember to like, comment and subscribe to our podcast!  Follow us on Instagram @thepartycrasherspodcast. Email us with questions, appearance requests or sponsorship opportunities: [email protected] Follow Tara on her IG @perfectplanning and check out her work on her website at perfectplanningevents-dc.com As always thank you to Nathaniel W. James (@nateplayskeyz) for your editing and music production services.

This week we talk to Amy Anaiz, a New York based intimate editorial wedding and portrait photographer.  With humble beginnings she always had a love for photography. When she decided to go full time into photography she knew she wanted to educate herself in her craft. Forming bonds in the industry, Amy was able to build a name for herself and climb the entrepreneurial ladder. In this episode, she shares how she stays true to her brand and also shares teachable moments that we, event professionals, all have to learn while coming up in this industry. She attributes her success to being consistent and protecting her brand while doing so. Tune in as she shares tips and tricks on how event professionals and photographers can properly brand themselves in the event space.  In this episode we talk about: What event professionals should post on social media during the current crisis How to get better detail shots on your own without a photographer or fancy equipment Learning how to work with mother nature when shooting an outdoor wedding How collaborating with others in your industry can be extremely beneficial or harmful in the long run  Remember to like, comment and subscribe to our podcast! Follow us on Instagram @thepartycrasherspodcast . Email us with questions, appearance requests or sponsorship opportunities: [email protected] Follow Amy in IG @amyanaizphoto and check out her work on her website at https://amyanaiz.com/ As always thank you to Nathaniel W. James (@nateplayskeyz) for your editing and music production services.

We're your hosts Laurie James and Neakai Lewis. This week on The Party Crashers Podcast we speak with Ayron B of Bella Dawn Events. She has been in the industry for over 12 years and believes in the power of showing up, executing and manifesting joy in all forms. Tune in as she shares how she used her talents to help the social justice fight for Black people. Reminding us that the news does not always give us an accurate picture of current events but we can still show up for our people. We all share our experience being Black in the event industry. And although many of us are tired of teaching others how to treat us, we end our podcast by sharing tips on how the industry can help. As well as how event professionals can lend their talents to amplify the message and be an agent of change.  Remember to like, comment and subscribe to our podcast. Follow us on Instagram @thepartycrasherspodcast .  Email us with questions or sponsorship opportunities: [email protected]. Follow Ayron B.  as she continues the marathon @ayron_bella and donate to the cause through Cash App ($ayrona) or Venmo (@Ayron-Adamson). As always thank you to @nateplayskeyz for your editing and music production services. To our listeners, remember we aren't done yet; keep supporting Black-owned business, share our stories and amplify our voice. There is much work still to be done to level the playing field.  

Brittney Escovedo is the founder of the New York based experiential agency, Beyond 8.  After graduating from The Art Institute in San Francisco with a degree in Fashion Design,  she began her career in Public Relations working for Seventh House and Factory PR.  She ventured into the world of freelancing and eventually opened Beyond 8 wanting to change the cut throat event industry.  Now, as a business owner, she is able to focus on the things that are most important to her - treating her employees fairly, being humble and providing a space for minorities within the industry through her productions.  Brittney has over 15 years of experience within the event production space and has worked with companies like ESSENCE, Gucci, Wells Fargo, Nike, Sephora to name few. In this episode, we discuss how she built this international production agency and the key tools she used to set herself up for success. You also don't want to miss her party crashing moment and her thoughts on working your way up in the industry.   TUNE IN AS WE CRASH ANOTHER PARTY!  If you are enjoying this podcast, please rate it on Anchor and share it with your network. Follow us on Instagram @ThePartyCrashersPodcast  Follow Brittney on Instagram @Brittneyescovedo and see the amazing work that she does with her team Beyond8.co

Join us as we interview Melissa C. Potter, award winning Producer and Head of Social Impact and Communications with Odyssey Impact.  Melissa creates a platform for diverse voices to be heard in traditional media spaces. She has produced several critically acclaimed, award winning documentary and short-form pieces that focus on the issues of criminal justice, sexual and gender-based violence, interfaith healing, and urban gun violence.  Awards include: winner of Best Documentary Short 2018 at the Tribeca Film Festival; winner of the Peabody Award 2018; and winner of Prize for Human Rights at the Venice Film Festival. While she currently focuses on social impact initiatives, her impressive resume began in an unlikely place - the music business.  Join us as we chat with Melissa about the path she took and how it all ties into her passion.  We'll discuss how it was to be a black woman in the music industry in the late 90s/early 2000s.  She'll also share gems on how to make your skills transferable to any career path and how remaining tech savvy during a pandemic can help you keep your job.   TUNE IN AS WE CRASH ANOTHER PARTY!  If you are enjoying this podcast, please rate it on Anchor and share it with your network. Follow us on Instagram @ThePartyCrashersPodcast  Follow Melissa on Instagram @MelissaCPotter   See the amazing work that Odyssey Impact is doing: https://www.odyssey-impact.org/