Beautiful Ventures

The Renaissance Initiative (TRI) is the entrepreneurial support program of Beautiful Ventures Foundation, Inc. -- a narrative change social enterprise providing culturally-curated professional development, learning opportunities and community for Black, story-driven, creatives.

Inspired by the Harlem Renaissance, TRI is suite of programs is designed for and by Black (including Black women-led), story-driven, creatives at various stages of building enterprises that generate neighborhood revitalization, generational wealth and liberatory narrative legacies. TRI is situated within Beautiful Ventures' ecosystem of intergenerational networks, learning experiences, and collaboration across multiple features of Black diversity. This is #TheNextHarlemRenaissance.  

TRI program suite consists of: 

1) The Launch Pad - introductory workshops (on negotiation, financial literary, business forms & structures, pitching, intellectual property, etc.), referral services (to BIPOC and women-owned businesses) and curated educational resources for creatives who want to develop as "creative social entrepreneurs" (a phrase BV Advisory Circle member, Rodney Trapp, has coined).

2) The Collaboratory - A custom-designed, immersive hackathon gathering to provide writers/producer/content creator teams (Black and Black-women-led) with breakthrough solutions for bringing their Black humanity-affirming stories to market and 

3) The Fellowship - an 18 month accelerator for seasoned creative businesses poised for expanded cultural impact and business leadership. The accelerate-in-place design consists of business education, business planning, coaching, field trips, visioning retreats, brand development, team curation, relationship-building and a $100k funding award for each Fellow/team.

Anti-blackness in the storytelling industries is a crisis directly and severely impacting the health and wellbeing of the US' 41.6 million Black people - and owing to Hollywood’s global influence - of 7.8 billion Black people worldwide. 

This problem is one of content - that harmful narratives are embedded in the stories: The ingestion of daily distortions about Black people on TV and in movies shape perceptions, identities, and behavior. These stereotypic and one-dimensional images have an injurious effect on the material conditions of Black people. The content informs and misinforms opinions about Black people, ultimately influencing laws and policies that govern and define Black lives — with harmful psycho-emotional consequences for Black people of all ages, ethnicities, genders, and socio-economic levels. 

The problem is also one of process - how Black professionals are systematically excluded from producing, directing, green-lighting and distributing stories for mass consumption: Less than 6% of writers, directors, and producers of US-produced films are Black. Blacks are scant in final decision-making roles, as 87% percent of TV and 92% of film C-Suites are white. Black actors play leads in only 11% of film roles, and are often funneled to race-related projects, which typically receive lower production and promotional dollars. In 2019, less than 5% of Blacks were leads on streaming shows.

This problem is not by chance, nor is it new. The anti-black culture and content of US storytelling industries (theater, journalism, TV, film, gaming, music, etc.) has existed since the 19th and 20th centuries.

Our work is well aligned with the aims of the Truist Foundation Inspire Award Challenge. Beautiful Ventures (BV) is a Georgia-based, 501c3 non-profit organization. TRI is one of BV's three core services supporting our community of Black storytellers and storylovers.  It is an entrepreneurial support program for creative leaders who are Black, Black women-owned and other Black-identified (e.g., Afro-Indigenous, Afro-Latinx, LGBTQ) entrepreneurs.

Beautiful Ventures intentionally forges and weaves values-aligned networks and professional relationships of our members. For example, the first hour of our bi-monthly Network Gatherings is dedicated to relationship-building amongst a variety of stakeholders such as small business owners, audiences, investors, non-profit leaders and researchers. Our relational approach is a hallmark feature of how we (as our tagline states:)  "cultivate the ecosystem for #TheNextHarlemRenaissance".

Independent storytelling, coupled with Black-led institution building, is how we usher in Black humanity-affirming narrative change at scale. As a founding member of the Black Innovation Alliance, Beautiful Ventures is already embedded within a national network of Black-led entrepreneurial support ecosystems. We leverage this network, our Founder's membership in the Echoing Green network (she was the organization's first Entrepreneur-in- Residence) and the relationships of our 500+ Network members in and beyond the entertainment industry, to provide coaching, mentorship and consulting (real estate advising, financial modeling, business planning, impact measurement, marketing, team curation, etc.) for our entrepreneurs. Presently, we are piloting TRI through skill-building workshops, curated resources, consultations and advising for creative teams in New York, Pennsylvania, Los Angeles and Georgia.

Beautiful Ventures is looking to directly and meaningfully improve the lives of the 500 members of our Network, they:

• identify as Black of African descent,
• range in age from 23 - 60 years
• are 60% are women-identified
• 10% identify as LGBTQ
• 2% identify as Afro-Indigenous , Afro-Latinx or bi-racial

The target population for our Solution (TRI) is Black creative entrepreneurs.  Black business owners generally are 5.2 more likely to be denied a loan; for owners whose products are in the knowledge-based economy, the numbers are even more daunting. Echoing Green reports that the unrestricted net assets of the Black-led organizations in their portfolio are 76% smaller than their white-led counterparts. And, the racial disparities within venture capital and social impact funding space is well documented. These are some of the ways this population is currently underserved and stymied.

All of our programs, including The Renaissance Initiative, are developed, designed, staffed and are continually evaluated by members of the BV Network. Our leadership team ("Center Circle") consists of 6 members of the Network along with our CEO. They meet monthly, coordinate and engage member participation across all of BV's programs. Some of the ways we   understand the needs of our members include administering pre-and post- surveys, recording video testimonials and hosting a yearly briefing for our  Network members and partners.

We are not aware of any other entrepreneurial  accelerator that focuses on Black-led creative enterprises as the solution to the anti-black narrative crisis. Our inclusion in, proximity to, and deep knowledge of Black creative, entrepreneurial and entertainment spaces provides us with the competencies needed to curate tailored spaces, programs and strategies that can help their businesses thrive -- from solopreneurs to industry veterans - despite the structural barriers that they did not create but are valiantly navigating.

Currently we operate in the following Truist states:

• Maryland
• Georgia
• Pennsylvania

Those not listed:

• Massachusetts
• New York
• California

Beautiful Ventures' mission is to influence popular culture, disrupt anti-blackness and elevate perceptions of Black humanity.  

Our Vision is for a world where the humanity of all Black people is presumed, affirmed and unchallenged.

In furtherance of this Mission and Vision, The Renaissance Initiative accelerates the business aspirations of Black, story-driven, creatives to launch and grow businesses and institutions that are sustainable, wealth creating, and deliver affirming stories of Black humanity to the marketplace. 

Without media and creative businesses dedicated to stories reflecting the full equity and inclusion of Black people --- racism, the racial wealth gap and harmful dominant narratives will persist. While we support even well established businesses, the heart of our entrepreneurial programming is to  evangelizing creatives to consider ownership business models for their intellectual properties (v. working exclusively as gig to gig independent contractors who license of sell their IP to mainstream media brands). 

Through custom-designed business education and coaching, TRI accelerates the entrepreneurial success of Black, story-driven, creatives, for the purpose of fortifying their narrative-shaping influence and generational wealth.

These Outputs (in bold ) and Activities  (marked with *)...

1.1 Entrepreneurial Skills and Mindsets are developed (Launch Pad)

      * design workshops
      * recruiting workshop attendees, faculty
      * promoting workshops 
      * hosting workshops - in person, virtual
      * evaluating workshops 

1.2 Writing teams are curated (Collaboratory)
  
      * develop, implement recruitment plan 
      * select teams

      * design bespoke Collaboratory to solve for teams' key problem

1.3 Breakthrough solutions generated for writer/producer teams/businesses  (Collaboratory)
      * stakeholder analysis performed to assess who to invite to each team's  Collaboratory 
      * secure regional sponsors

      * 3 Collaboratory events hosted within 3 regions/year
      * breakthrough solutions generated
 
1.4 Seed capital is awarded to catalyze business operations (Fellowship)
 * sponsors and philanthropic partners commit funds for seed capital awards 

       * awards disbursed at the start and finish of the Fellowship year

      * Fellows report out to sponsors/Network how the award helped catalyze their businesses

1.5 Business leadership is developed (Fellowship)

  *6 cohorts participate in TRI's 15 month, 5-phase program:  1) Education, 2) Visioning, 3) Entrepreneurial Growth Strategy, 4) Village Activation and 5) Launching in Legacy.

  * Each year current and past year cohorts retreat to deepen their networks and potential business partners/collaborators.

 1.6 Cultural influence is increased (Fellowship)

 * branding, social media and marketing strategies developed for cohort members 

  * case studies profiling Fellows developed for future cohorts

  * Fellows' creative projects (documentaries, films, books, articles, VX products,) are brought to audiences, customers across the globe.

...will lead to these Outcomes:

1. Black story-driven creatives are resourced.

2. A new network of asset-building, job-creating, Black-led, narrative shaping, businesses are created and accelerated.

3. Popular culture, media and storytelling supports a tipping point that normalizes authentic and humanizing perceptions of Black people.

4. Policies and institutions are re-designed to eliminate anti-black barriers, significantly improving life outcomes for all diversities of Black people.

5. Overall wellness outcomes of Black people substantially improve -- across various socioeconomic indicators.

Number of small businesses... 

Currently serving:  25

In one year: 40

In five years, at full funding: 250

BV's community consists of the 500+ members ("Network"). Network members are "storytellers and storylovers", mostly aged 24 - 45, who affirmatively join the BV community (via newsletter sign up, attend events in person/vitually, donate, etc.) and engage.

TRI community is a subset of the Network -- business owners plus those not yet in the Network who are already creative entrepreneurs/business owners or who are creatives who want leverage their art-making/storytelling towards entrepreneurship and institution building. They are inside the mainstream entertainment industry and outside of it; veterans in the entertainment centers of New York and Los Angeles, or start ups  founders in  the entrepreneur-friendly cities of Boston, Baltimore, Atlanta, Seattle and Philadelphia. They are showrunners, museum curators, animators, filmmakers, and more. 

The organizational strategy is set by the CEO with input from the following stakeholders:

• Network members 
• Center Circle
• Board of Directors  
• 13 Advisory Circle Members and 
• Strategic Partner organizations.

TRI's home base is Atlanta, GA - known as "The Mecca" for Black ambition, home to the consortium of HBCUs that make up the Atlanta University Center, birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement, an epicenter of progressive organizing in the South, and recently dubbed,  "The Hollywood of the South". BV has strong ties to its Black arts & culture and start up communities, where we are careful to add to rather than extract resources from our city, its institutions and neighborhoods.

Before COVID, the majority of our local programming took place in Atlanta's historic Sweet Auburn neighborhood. There, one our key partners, the Auburn Avenue Research Library, allowed us to host our Clips & Conversations salon discussion series there. In addition, Beautiful Ventures held a small business membership in the Friends of the Auburn Avenue Research Center, an organization of community leaders responsible for the Library's financial sustainability and program viability. 

Other key local partners who help ensure our work is locally informed include The Black Mecca Project, The Alliance Theater at the Woodruff Arts Center and Emory University's Candler School of Theology. And, so that we are no the pulse of trends in  in Georgia's entertainment industry, BV help organizational membership with Georgia Production Partnership, the leading organization representing the entertainment industry in Georgia. 

Of our 500+ Network members, approximately 30% are based in Georgia, 30% in New York, 15% in California, 10% in Massachusetts, and 15% spread between Maryland, Pennsylvania and Washington DC. Our 6 Center Circle leaders are members of the Network who volunteer their time to host various programs and support engagement with our Network members. On this leadership team, a seat is reserved for our graduate school intern, and another seat reserved for our Digital Media Lead, who also supports community engagement via our social media platforms.  

The Renaissance Program pilots we run support businesses in  New York, California, Georgia, and Pennsylvania. Our CEO/Founder, Melinda Weekes-Laidlow, runs an organizational development consulting firm, Weekes In Advance Enterprises, and is herself a writer, former entertainment law attorney and radio show host. Melinda leads TRI's implementation, in collaboration with BV Advisory Circle member Baylor University Marketing Professor Tyrha Lindsey-Warren, with support from Lindsey-Warren's Ohio-based firm, LAI Communications. Dr. Tyrha is also a film producer, serial entrepreneur and consumer behavior scholar. As African-American women business owners, they are both deeply acquainted with the barriers faced by women and Black-owned businesses when it comes to issues of financing, underinvestment and structural barriers; and, their leadership is also proximate to the upside realities as well -- the ingenuity, resourcefulness and resilience indicative of Black innovation and entrepreneur communities.

We take trust-building seriously. To illustrate, see these excerpts from our Center Circle ("CC") Charter:

Purpose: What We Do and Why

Center Circle members are BV Network members who commit for 1 year  to work collaboratively as a team to:

• Build trust and connection within the CC, via their specific Network assignments and throughout the BV Network... 

Center Circle Responsibilities

What are we responsible for cultivating?

Connection.

Relationships grow and are deepened through trust. Trust must be built, earned, actively supported; it does not naturally exist in abundance. We take up the responsibility to co-cultivate trust through our presence and practice within the BV ecosystem.

...

One trust-building method we use comes from a relational culture framework training we provided for CC members. A storytelling practice we learned there aligns beautifully with our storytelling ethos. Now,  we now employ this practice regularly, including during our bi-monthly Network Gatherings.

TRI Impact Goals for Next Pilot Year:

• 40 Black-led businesses supported or accelerated
• 60 Black writers, producers, directors reached
• 20 jobs or new opportunities created for Black families 
• $250,000 circulated in Black communities
• 30 original, Black-humanity affirming, projects cultivated or developed

How we will achieve these goals:

• raise $250,000
• Hire consultants to support TRI Lead
• design and launch TRI Fellowship Pilot 
• Host Charrette for Fellow or other launch of community of practice model 
• continue current programs to find creative entrepreneurs:
  •  Baldwin Morrison Writers Group - 2 cycles
  • Writing and Thriving Salon (with Storyteller Session partner)
  • Clips & Conversations
  • Network Gatherings - 6/year
  • Story Consultant Service/Pool
• track new works cultivated or developed via  TRI/Network member form.
• Recruit 25 attendees for Negotiation Skills Training workshops 
• track spending dollars with Black-owned businesses, contractors etc., and ask Fellows, etc. to do same.
• set up tracking mechanisms to track new opportunities, jobs, and business created via or through BV/TRI relationships.

TRI Five Year Impact Goals:

How we will achieve these goals:

• integrate learnings from pilot years 
• recruit MBA graduate students to conduct modeling for 2 - 3 versions of TRI 
• raise minimum of $500k - $5M
• Expand TRI-dedicated team 
• secure Corporate and Philanthropic partners 
• secure program partners 
• Launch and sustain Launch Pad workshops, curate resources and referral pool - 5 years
• Produce 10-15 Collaboratory events
• Run 5 Fellowship cohorts 
• Recruit pool of coaches and consultants
• Develop and implement robust marketing and branding strategies

Our CEO, Melinda Weekes-Laidlow, and one of our Advisory Circle members, Tyrha Lindsey-Warren, are leading up TRI's program design and implementation.  Melinda is a former transactional lawyer, social entrepreneur and runs a national consulting strategy and management consulting firm. Tyrha M. Lindsey-Warren has over thirteen years of experience working in marketing and public relations in the health, arts, entertainment and non-profit sectors. She joined Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Marketing where she teaches Advertising and Digital Marketing. Her credits include work with Quincy Jones, David Salzman Entertainment, NBC, Creative Artists Agency and Edmonds Entertainment -- developing television and film ideas and properties. She also runs her family’s award-winning marketing/PR consulting company, L.A.I. Communications , which specializes in creating strategic marketing/PR solutions with a focus on cross cultural marketing for media companies, corporations, arts organizations, health nonprofits and small businesses.

As educators and facilitators, both bring speciality in curriculum design, event operations, teaching adults and managing teams.

The geographic coverage area and entrepreneurial commitment of the Truist Foundation dovetails wonderfully with the design and goals of TRI. 

MIT's design thinking prowess also appeals to us as we would be able to leverage the interdisciplinary reach of its networks. Both entities would add value to our creative businesses fusing business, tech and storytelling . 

Specifically, the Challenge could add value and help us with the barriers we described earlier through:

• helping us prioritize resources and support are most appropriate to accelerate TRI's impact.
• Expanding our network of resource partners, mentors, and coaches across industries and sectors. 
• Helping us refine our business model, theory of change, and plans for scaling. 
• Helping us build our impact measurement practice. 
• raising our visibility on a national level
• providing access to MIT's research, design thinking, entrepreneurial and student communities.

• We need partners that will support us in the ways we have identified but also help us think through how best we can attract resources for our entrepreneurs -- consultants, mentors, coaches, funding opportunities, etc.
• We need partners who appreciate our commitment to Black-led institution business and generational wealth creation.  
• We especially would welcome curriculum/program design thinking in the the areas of finance, business modeling, impact evaluation and financial literacy. 
• We need research help -- landscape analysis, regional trends, information on entrepreneurial teams, prospective partners, funders, etc.

• Regional businesses in our geographic areas to sponsor the Collaboratory
• Georgia based partners to support our work with the entertainment industry here.
• High profile entrepreneurs whose brands can elevate our work and who can mentors and sponsors for our entrepreneurs such as Slutty Vegan, Dreamville, Black Ambition, etc.
• Entertainment , philanthropic and corporate brands, including:
  • Ford Foundation - multiyear funding support from its arts & culture, film or racial justice portfolios
  • Pivotal Ventures - multi-year funding 
  • Emerson Collective - multi-year funding from media portfolio
  • NBCUniversal - provide content and storytelling to profile our entrepreneurs 
  • Skoll Foundation - multiyear operations support 
  • Participant Media -  non-fiction storytelling and documentary creative teams support, impact storytelling programming