Vol. 21: Cultural Stewardship

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Pride month is here, but how did we get here? The month is meant to celebrate the sweeping impact that LGBTQIA+ individuals, advocates, and allies have on history around the world. It's about celebrating collective dignity and visibility as equals, and a personal celebration of self acceptance. It's about recognizing the impact of movements on equality and celebrating those that are fighting for and moving the community forward. For a quick dose of knowledge, the reason we celebrate it in June is to coincide with the catalyst of the Gay Liberation Movement — eventually transforming into the current LGBTQIA+ rights movement. On June 28th, 1969, police raided a popular gay bar that served as more than just a bar but was a safe haven for the community, The Stonewall Inn in New York City. What was actually commonplace, as the LGBTQIA+ community was considered obscene, illegal, and a mental illness, turned into the start of the Stonewall Riots with patrons of the bar fighting back for days. They held their ground and one year after the uprising, we had our first Pride parade. In 2015, The Stonewall Inn was declared a historic landmark by the city of New York and later named a national monument by President Barack Obama in 2016. During such a historic moment, it's important to note some of the major figures involved. For starters, Marsha P. Johnson is the one you've heard about or maybe studied about more. She is often credited with throwing the first punch at the Stonewall Inn. She was a Black trans-woman celebrating her 25th birthday at the time of the riots. Since then, she has been celebrated in a series of books, documentaries, and films. Her actions and words continue to inspire trans-activism and will continue to do so well into the future. Sylvia Rivera was an activist and self-professed drag queen who also played a part in the Stonewall Riots. She fought for transgender rights next to Marsha, creating S.T.A.R (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries) to help house homeless LGBTQIA+ youth. Stormé DeLarverie was a gay rights activist and drag performer who was also at Stonewall when it was raided that night. When speaking to the NY Times, her friend Lisa Cannistraci said, "nobody knows who threw the first punch, but it's rumored that she did, and she said she did." DeLarverie later became a board member of the Stonewall Veterans’ Association and was an annual fixture at New York’s annual Gay Pride Parade. Up until her passing, she continued to sing at charity events and fundraisers around New York, specifically for victims of violence and domestic abuse. Welcome to our fifth installment of our monthly Behind the Bookcase series, where we dive into the unique personal topics that fascinate us and make our hearts sing! This month we are excited to feature Denise Jones and her journey as an on-air host and how she's elevated her hosting game at-home. In a short amount of time, my career has gone through a number of pivots. Starting in local radio at KJLH and Power 106 to now working with Lakers Nation while also fulfilling my role in the Business Development department at The Great Company. The shared theme in each role has been having genuine people skills.  I figured I’d take the time to share some tips and tricks of the trade when it comes to hosting, and more so now, hosting at home. I love striking up conversations with new friends because I believe, there’s always something to give and receive. With that being said, we each have the power to teach someone something. If you have doubt, I highly encourage you to ask yourself, what can you talk about for 30-minutes with absolutely no preparation? Once you answer that, I challenge you to be brave and turn your camera on. When it comes to vlogging or hosting from home, one really doesn’t need much fancy equipment. If you have a cellphone, you’re already ahead of the game. Next up, you’re going to want to invest in a ring light with a phone stand. This is going to work wonders! As a content creator, you can’t afford to shoot unsteady footage, it’ll distract you and your viewers. Another plus about this one is you can use it with your desktop for your Zoom meetings.  This one’s my favorite! A wireless remote. I wish I would’ve known about this sooner! It not only makes shooting self-portraits but it also can help you keep your mark when shooting videos! Another perk about shooting with your phone is the number of cellphone shotgun microphones there are. High-quality sound is very important and a lot easier to attain than most people think. The added benefit here is, you can take this mic to events and use it to talk and interview people. As far as background goes, use what you have! Your office, your living room, your dining room — outside! Use the space you have because it’ll be more relatable than any solid color background you get. So, save your money in this department. And that’s it really. These are my picks for shooting at home to talk about your favorite subjects or to upgrade your Zoom meeting game.  Oh, I almost forgot the most important trick in the book — have fun and be easy. After you shoot your first video, don’t stress about how you look or how your voice sounds. Just do it. Make some small edits where needed, but be easy on yourself. The videos will get easier as you continue your hosting journey. Best of luck. See you on the internet. You can find me everywhere as, youknowdenise. Have something to say? Interested in sharing an opinion piece? Reach out to us for a chance to be featured in Behind the Bookcase! Work from home has definitely changed a few things but one thing we can all agree on is the switch up to our own individual coffee and tea game. As it should be, our homes can provide us with easy ways to recharge and create without feeling like a hassle trying to do it. That's the key. Just because you're all over the place doesn't mean that getting your coffee quickly in between your morning meetings, or making tea after dinner to finish last minute emails should be time consuming and frustrating too! We figured, why not share how our team simplifies morning routines and highlight some of our current favorite at-home morning beverages! You know The Great Company for our large, immersive events. When it comes to experiential and live events, GreatCo is one of the most sought-after agencies for our specialty in live storytelling and event designs of all sizes and scales! What you might not know is we can also help support on the Cultural Stewardship side. So what is this, and how did we get here? Well let's give you a refresher. As a team, The Great Company is driven by the philosophy of Design by Empathy and we provide clients bespoke solutions to creative needs through the three pillars of our work: Consulting Partnerships, Production Services, and Cultural Stewardship. Cultural Stewardship is our uniquely innovative approach to DEI, focused on increasing revenue, creativity, and preserving a cultural legacy. To meet the ever-changing demands of the new now, our Cultural Stewardship services provide culturally impactful campaign consultation, creative assessment, and inclusion workshops. We offer Cultural Stewardship as a pillar for business growth and prosperity. We know that culture is living, changing, and expanding by the moment, which is why our Modular Studio allows us to meet your unique cultural needs. So, here's how WE can work together! Here at GreatCo, we'll start with a cultural assessment. We'll be a part of your process from the beginning with marketing campaigns, wether digital and traditional content. We are able to audit, evaluate, and provide an inclusive and diverse point-of-view to maximize the impact of cultural relevance.  From there, we'll get a better understanding on how to help you benefit with a creative and educational workshop. A set of uniquely engaging seminars and workshops, focusing on educating and arming teams with these culture based principles to nurture creative growth. And then, we really dream big! We will then develop, frame, and execute cultural marketing campaigns that expand demographic reach and enhance engagements and relationships. So, now you have one more thing GreatCo can help with. Reach out with any questions that spark curiosity via our email below. Enjoying our newsletters? Check out our website updates for all past monthly issues! #InGreatCo