A few weeks ago, I wrote about how malls were not dying but rather transforming from shopping locations to experiential destinations. A similar transformation is taking place in the journalism world. Publications like the Wall Street Journal, Vanity Fair, and the Atlantic Magazine are making more money these days hosting conferences and events as they do from magazines and newspapers. I saw this first-hand when I was invited to speak at an event hosted by the Atlantic Magazine in Dallas. The event was about housing and was sponsored by Fannie Mae. It was live streamed on their website and through social media. While I was in the green room, I spoke to some of the staff from the Atlantic and they told me that they do more than 100 events like the one I participated in on a variety of topics. Thirty years ago, the music industry viewed concerts as loss leaders to promote record sales — today, the complete opposite is true. I think it’s ironic that while the internet and technology is reducing direct human interaction when it comes to some things, it is also stimulating other platforms that rely on it. I think it’s working out pretty well.
“Boomerang” was a different kind of film. It was a movie about friendship, loyalty, and romance set in NYC at a medium-sized Black-led company that sold beauty products. Boomerang had an all-black cast and a plot that had nothing to do with being Black. While that was unheard of at the time, Murphy was such a big star that it didn’t seem like a big deal.
About a year ago, I was convinced by some of my closest friends that I should do a podcast. Today it seems like everyone has a podcast, and frankly, 99% of them aren’t very good. I wasn’t sure I could do much better, but I realized I do have some ideas that some people have found interesting in the past.
The decision to invite President Barack Obama to the NAHREP Policy Conference last Spring was a decision I made with the NAHREP National Board. Anytime we have a political figure of that stature at one of our events, we know it will stimulate a lot of buzz among our members and stakeholders.