Key Influencers
Aligned with Black America's innovators.
The voice of influence in the African-American community drives our message.
The Interactive One "Key Influencer Advisory Board" serves to provide another facet of African-American community insights and expertise. This team is plays a crucial role in the development and execution of Interactive One's mission, strategy and community outreach initiatives. The Key Influencer Advisory Board is a diverse, multi-disciplinary group of individuals, who together, bring a rich point-of-view on African-American vision, life and experiences.
Benjamin Sun
President and Founder of Community Connect, Inc.
Benjamin Sun is responsible for setting the overall strategic direction and product strategy for Community Connect, Inc., spearheading all efforts towards overall business growth for the company. He oversees the overall design, development, and technology infrastructure, along with working closely with all departments and groups to fully optimize and manage company funds and resources to wisely.
Mr. Sun co-founded Community Connect Inc. in 1996 and has overseen its growth and success since inception. Over the last 9 years, Mr. Sun has grown the company to be a leading online publisher targeting various niche markets. According to comScore, Community Connect's sites - AsianAvenue.com, BlackPlanet.com, MiGente.com (pronounced mee-hen-tay), FaithBase.com and GLEE.com collectively generate over 500 million page views each month.
This makes Community Connect not only the leader in reaching Asian Americans, African Americans, Latinos, Christians and the LGBT community but positions their network of sites as one of the Top 50 highest trafficked sites on the Internet based on page views. Mr. Sun started Community Connect in his Manhattan based apartment with a small team of friends and a business plan. He has been responsible for growing the company by raising over $20 million from investors such as Comcast and Sandler Capital and using those resources to build powerful new media brands.
Mr. Sun has been responsible for paving the way for advertisers and marketers to reach and engage niche market consumers online. Additionally, he has been responsible for developing the largest online diversity recruiting service in partnership with Monster Worldwide Inc. to allow corporations to source a more diverse candidate pool.
Under his leadership, Mr. Sun has established Community Connect, Inc. as a profitable and growing company that is still in its early stages of success. Profiled by Crain's New York Business as one of the top under-40 executives to watch, Mr. Sun is a leader in propelling advertisers toward the significant business opportunity of reaching niche audiences via the Internet.
Prior to helping launch Community Connect, Mr. Sun worked in Merrill Lynch's Technology Investment Banking Group where he was involved in numerous corporate finance and merger and acquisition transactions in the technology industry. He executed over $500 million in equity financing transactions for Internet, enterprise software, and wire and cable industry companies. Mr. Sun holds a BA degree in Economics from the University of Michigan.
James Andrews
James Andrews is the Vice President, Director at Ketchum Interactive specializing in the creation of online media strategies, web/application development, and content production. Ketchum Interactive clients include FedEx, Monster.com, Weight Watchers, Geek Squad, Wendy's and Nokia. Andrews is based in Atlanta and manages a team of developers, designers and social media strategists based at Ketchum South.
Andrews has been working in the area of interactive/new media and non-traditional marketing for 15 years holding senior titles at Columbia Records, Ecko Unlimited and Isobar/Carat. His experience with brands such as Current TV, Sprite, Vibe Magazine and Proctor & Gamble places him in a unique category of executives that understand the convergence of both new media, content and digital lifestyle.
James blogs at Fastcompany.com as an Expert Blogger. He also maintains a blog at www.thekeyinfluencer.com where he covers the "business of pop culture" via news and interviews that span technology, new media, music business and youth/urban culture.
James Andrews attended UCLA, grew up in Silicon Valley, and lives in Atlanta with his wife and two children. He is an active speaker globally and is frequently quoted on the subjects of digital media, entertainment and innovative branding/marketing approaches.
Nadja Bellan-White
Nadja Bellan-White is a 15-year veteran of integrated marketing strategy and communications. This "A Better Chance" Alumna was not only one of the early trailblazers of Digital, New Media, and Customer Relationship Marketing, but she also helped her clients identify opportunities in the new "Transcultural Segment." She is currently a Vice President of Marketing at Publicis Modem, where she is developing CRM and Integrated Marketing Campaigns for Fortune 500 clients.
Her client experience includes: LG Electronics, IBM, American Express, Citibank, Heineken, Pepsi Cola North America, and Diageo North America. Some of the campaigns and platforms she has helped develop include My Life My Card, Blue from American Express, Blue Cash for American Express, the Seinfeld Webisodes, and the Pepsi "Firsts" Campaign. She has served on multiple panels as a digital expert and currently serves on the Interactive One Advisory Board.
Mrs. White's vision is simple -- "Partner with your client to create a clear vision for success and be a catalyst for change". Her clients have been in awe of her passion and commitment to their businesses - she is often called "The Make it Happen Woman."
Nadja is also committed to community service and giving back. As an A Better Chance, Inc. alum, Nadja also serves on the Board of Directors of Kimball Union Academy in New Hampshire. She is passionate about education and closing the gap on educational "mis-opportunity." She and her husband have been active in political circles, raising money for President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
After getting her B.A. in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia, she returned to New York to get her MBA from NYU's Stern School of Business. Now living in Harlem with her husband, Troy, and two children ages seven and four, this "Mom On The Go" has no intention of slowing down.
Siddiq T. Bello
The passion with which Siddiq approaches each situation led to the founding of Atlanta's Rogue Venture Labs in 2007. His founding of Rogue Venture Labs is the highlight of his more than ten years in the creation, development and management of consumer-facing online ventures for publishing, broadcast and recording companies. As the principal consultant with Rogue, Siddiq has been charged with the successful implementation of digital media strategy for numerous businesses.
Prior to founding Rogue Venture Lab, Siddiq served as new media manager for VIBE Magazine, founded and served as executive producer for Addictive Media Development, and worked as a strategic consultant for Bell Curves. He most recently worked as a strategist for Turner Broadcasting Systems in Atlanta.
A graduate of Hunter College of the City University of New York with a Bachelor of Arts in Black and Puerto Rican Studies, Siddiq also attended the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at The University of Virginia (UVA) in Charlottesville, Virginia. Along with earning his Master of Business Administration degree at UVA, he was also awarded the college's Consortium for Graduate Study in Management Fellowship.
Keith Bernard
Keith is a Senior Manager within AT&T's Media Innovation group, part of the larger Advertising Solutions organization. In this role, he's responsible for bridging the gap between brands and AT&T's millions of customers by developing forward thinking advertising programs that utilize technologies spanning mobile, broadband, and IPTV. He came to AT&T from HBO, where he helped to create award-winning marketing efforts for the HBO On Demand service.
He takes great care to ensure that his life outside of the office is just as rewarding. Music has always been his passion point, and in recent years, he realized a dream he never knew he had by teaching himself music production. Grateful for the opportunities that his high school afforded him, he serves on The Hotchkiss School Board of Governors. He also proudly joined the selection committee for The Deshaun Hill and Harvard Stephens Scholarship, an award for African-American Harvard College students named for two friends taken by tragedy while still undergraduates.
Keith started his career as a Financial Analyst at Goldman Sachs, which he left to pursue an MBA at Columbia Business School in 2002. Originally from St. Louis, MO, he graduated cum laude from Harvard College in 1999 and lives in Harlem, NYC.
John Chambers
John Chambers is a social marketing/communications/advocacy expert. He brings more than 14 years of experience building communities around social justice causes and campaigns and affecting positive opinion and behavior change around global health and development issues.
As senior vice president at GMMB, a full-service cause marketing and advertising firm, he has directed accounts for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's Financial Services for The Poor and Global Libraries Initiatives; the Fetzer Institute's Lincoln Leadership Series Congressional Roundtable; the UN Foundation's Nothing But Nets campaign; Casey Family Programs; the Air Bag & Seat Belt Safety Campaign's national Click It Or Ticket mobilization; Fannie Mae Foundation's Read Out Loud adult literacy campaign; the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Faith In Action program; the Justice at Stake Campaign; the ONE Campaign's Live 8 concert in Philadelphia; and Donna Edwards for Congress (D-MD). In addition to leading overall communications strategy for clients, John has also developed creative, written scripts, and directed radio and TV commercials.
John is also a co-founder of CauseChange, a grassroots organization that uses art and artists to inspire interest and action to support local and global social justice causes and organizations. John is also the owner of BloomBars, a community art space, which also seeks to be a bridge between the art, music, film, theater and social justice communities.
John's community service work includes serving as President of the Board of Directors for the United Movement to End Child Soldering (UMECS), which sponsors secondary and higher education for former child soldiers and formerly abducted children living in IDP camps in Northern Uganda war zones. He also serves on the board of the Black Administrators in Child Welfare (BACW), the Board of Trustees for Solebury School in New Hope, PA, and the advisory board of Reach for College.
Mel Clements
Mel Clements is currently the Advertising and Digital Manager - Basketball for Nike, Inc. Mel has previously worked as a Senior Interactive Brand Manager for The Coca-Cola Company and as an Interactive Strategist for Philips Design, a business unit of Royal Philips Electronics. At Nike, Mel is responsible for managing all US advertising and digital initiatives for athletes like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant; including TV, Print, OOH and Digital. At Coca-Cola, Mel led several key programs for the Sprite and Flavors business unit including The Sprite/MSN Refreshing Wall and LOST Experience ARG. Clements holds a bachelors degree in Political Science from Emory University in Atlanta, GA.
Charles Crockett
Charles is a Co-Founder and Partner of the Ascend Venture Group, a venture capital firm headquartered in New York City. With approximately $155 million under management, Ascend targets investment opportunities in the applied technology and for-profit education industries. Charles was responsible for Ascend’s investments in several datacenter infrastructure companies including Snap Appliance (sold to NASDAQ: ADPT), Netilla Networks (sold to AEP Networks) and GridApp Systems. In addition, Charles led investments in a variety of technology enabled services companies including SafeRent (sold to NYSE: FAF), Tripology and Send Word Now.
Before Co-Founding Ascend, Charles was a Director with The Beacon Group, a $2 billion private equity firm. At The Beacon Group, Charles worked on leveraged buyout and management buyout transactions in a variety of industries. Charles started his career in the Structured Finance Group at Goldman, Sachs & Co.
Charles received his JD from Stanford Law School and his BS from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Charles is a currently a member of the Board of Directors of the New York Software Industry Association, the Board of Visitors of Stanford Law School and the Alumni Leadership Committee of the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools.
Ava DuVernay
Ava DuVernay offers expertise in strategic marketing, public relations and promotions for the entertainment, lifestyle and digital industries through her award-winning firm, DVA Media + Marketing.
Founded in 1999, DVA specializes in multi-platform film, television, digital and corporate campaigns. DVA clients include: Paramount, Sony, Warner Bros, Universal, Fox, Disney, DreamWorks, MGM, Miramax, Focus, ABC, CBS, NBC, HBO, Showtime, FX, IFC, BET, J Records, Capitol, Interscope/Geffen/A&M, Warner Bros. Records, Universal Music Group, Blockbuster, Radio One, Target and AOL, among others.
Her company's portfolio consists of DVAPR, a full-service entertainment public relations firm; Urban Beauty Collective, the nation's largest urban retail promotional network; and UrbanThoughtCollective.com, a digital community exploring everything from politics to pop culture to personal stories from an African-American perspective. DVA is headquartered in Studio City, California. The company's website is www.dvahq.com.
Prior to forming DVA in December 1999, DuVernay worked as a senior executive at mPRm Public Relations and Bender Helper Impact.
DuVernay graduated from University of California at Los Angeles with Bachelor of Arts degrees in English Literature and African-American Studies.
DuVernay and her agency have been featured in Inc. Magazine, Black Enterprise, Los Angeles Times, Billboard Magazine, PR Week, and LA Business Journal. Honey Magazine named her one of "25 Hottest Women" in urban entertainment, and Essence Magazine featured her as one of its "101 Stars."
She is a member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, holding a seat on the organization's Public Relations Governing Committee. In addition, DuVernay is a member of Entertainment Publicists Professional Society and African-American Public Relations Collective, and is an advisory board member for Film Independent's diversity program, Project Involve.
Deborah Gray-Young
Deborah Gray-Young is a seasoned marketing communications professional with 25 years experience in developing and implementing strategic marketing communications plans.
Deborah's communication philosophy is "Mindset + Content = Environment(c)". It is from this perspective combined with her keen understanding of the consumer's changing media habits that Deborah led the development of the business framework for EMC's new digital and lifestyle division.
Over the course of her career, Deborah has serviced a wide range of clients in the business-to-business, general market and African American consumer market segments. Deborah's perspective and thought leadership on multicultural marketing and media is often sought from advertising trade journals and business publications. She has been interviewed by Advertising Age, Black Enterprise, Business Week, Broadcast & Cable, Television Week and USA Today, to name a few. She has also contributed to the Cable Television Advertising Bureau's 2004 and 2005 Multicultural Marketing Guides and the CAB's 2007 Guide to African American Marketing entitled Race, Relevance And Revenue.
From 2005-2007 Ms. Gray-Young served as the Chairperson of the Multicultural Media Committee of the American Association of Advertising Agencies. In her role as chairperson of the committee, Deborah co-authored an industry white paper on the myths of marketing to African American consumers.
In September 2006, Deborah was named to the Nielsen Media Research African American Advisory Council. Deborah also serves on the Advisory Committee for the Multicultural Media Expo, an organization dedicated to raising the awareness and importance of the media vehicles that service people of color.
Will Griffin
Will Griffin is President/CEO of Hip Hop On Demand, the first Hip Hop/Urban Video on Demand channel in the industry. Hip Hop OnDemand reaches 25 Million households on Comcast, Cox and Bresnan cable systems. Hip Hop OnDemand is a spin-off of Simmons Lathan Media Group, where Griffin served as President/COO for four years.
Griffin's recent credits include being a Co-Creator and Executive Producer of several television shows, feature films and radio programs: Run's House (MTV), Hip Hop Justice (Court TV), Hip Hop Laws of Success (a nationally syndicated radio show) and Co-Producer of Bishop TD Jakes' Woman Thou Art Loosed: The Movie (Magnolia/Fox).
Griffin is an entrepreneur with an expertise in launching entrepreneurial media ventures and has served as COO of Urban Entertainment; GM and EVP of eUniverse Networks (renamed Intermix Media -- acquired by News Corporation). He is frequently a featured speaker at industry conferences including: Digital Hollywood; Sundance Institute; Starcom MediaVests' Tapestry Group Advertising Conference; and the American Film Institute.
Prior to becoming an entrepreneur, Griffin held executive positions at News Corporation, McKinsey & Company (Entertainment & Media Group), and Goldman Sachs & Co. (Structured Finance Group). He is a graduate of Harvard Law School and Dartmouth College.
Hill Harper
As an accomplished film, television and stage actor, Hill Harper captivates audiences with his charismatic and authentic style, which he dedicates to each eclectic character he portrays. A Magna Cum Laude graduate from Brown University and a Cum Laude graduate of Harvard Law School, he also has a master's degree in Public Administration from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. Hill continues to excel by receiving nominations and countless awards for his acting in independent film, international film, and television projects.
Hill currently stars in the CBS drama series, CSI: NY and recently starred in the Fox Film, Mama I Wanna Sing, with recording artist Ciara and Billy Zane (Titanic). Prior to CSI: NY, Hill co-starred in the CBS series, The Handler, alongside Emmy Award nominee Joe Pantoliano. Hill also starred in the award winning HBO movie Lackawanna Blues. Other recent film roles include the lead in independent films Love, Sex And Eating The Bones and his critically acclaimed performance in The Visit.
As a television actor, Hill has had numerous guest starring roles, including appearances on Showtime's Soul Food and HBO's The Sopranos, with guest appearances on ER, NYPD Blue, Murder One, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and Married...With Children. Harper's stage credits include appearances in off-Broadway productions of Your Handsome Captain, Freeman, David Mamet's American Buffalo, and a starring run of Jessica Hagedorn's Dogeaters at New York's Joseph Papp Public Theatre.
It is Hill's deep-rooted passion regarding the plight of today's youth that drove him to write the critically acclaimed and New York Times Best Seller, Letters To A Young Brother: MANifest Your Destiny, the first in a series of books intended to provide the frequently regarded "lost generation" with words of encouragement and guidance. In his follow-up to his national bestseller, Hill shares his powerful wisdom for young women, drawing on the courageous advice of female role models and interviews with young women around the country in the New York Times bestseller Letters To A Young Sister: DeFINE Your Destiny.
Hill is co-owner of two hip New Orleans boutique hotels, International House and Loft 523. As an enterprising businessman, he is also an investor in the hot, new 5-star Beverly Hills restaurant, The Lodge Steakhouse, and Big Wang's Sports Bar in Hollywood, co-owned with Ashton Kutcher.
Lynne d Johnson
Lynne d Johnson is the Director, Social Media for FastCompany.com, a leading website and community for people passionate about business ideas that also offers the complete content of Fast Company magazine. Her Fast Company blog, Digital Media Diva, follows web, media, and consumer trends. Her personal blog, Lynne d Johnson || music, media, my life, which launched in July 2001, is the recipient of the 2006 Black Weblog Awards Black Blogger Achievement Award.
Lynne's writing has recently appeared in thedailyvoice.com, techpresident.com, blackweb20.com, and rushmoredrive.com. She also wrote the foreword for the 2008 published Tactical Transparency: How Leaders Can Leverage Social Media To Maximize Value And Build Their Brand. Overall, she has written for a variety of books, print and web publications for 17 years. An adjunct professor in the Audrey Cohen School for Human Services at the Metropolitan College of New York, Lynne most recently taught Self-Assessment Through Writing and Technology in their Bachelor of Arts in American Urban Studies program.
Prior to joining Fast Company, Lynne was the General Manager, New Media for both vibe.com and spin.com, where she managed marketing, editorial, production, business development, and sales operations for online and mobile operations. In that vein, she currently consults new media startups in the urban space on content and community strategies, as well as marketing and social media strategies.
Lynne serves on the Board of Directors of the Literary Freedom Project, a nonprofit arts organization, which seeks to empower communities of color through literature, creative thinking, and new media, as well as the Women's eNews African American Advisory Committee. She also served on the Advisory Board for BlogHer Business '08. She holds an MBA in Media Management, an advanced certificate in Multicultural Studies, and a BA in Journalism.
Guy Primus
Guy Primus is Head of Interactive Media at Overbrook Entertainment, the film, TV and interactive production company whose partners include Will Smith, James Lassiter and Ken Stovitz. Overbrook films, including "The Pursuit of Happyness," "The Secret Life of Bees," "Hitch," "Lakeview Terrace," and "I Am Legend," have grossed over $2 billion at the box office--Guy was tapped by Overbrook's partners to deliver a similar level of success via Overbrook's digital initiatives.
In addition to leading Overbrook's interactive business, Guy serves on the board of PluggedIn Media, an online service that offers freetoconsumer streaming of over 10,000 HD and broadcastquality music videos. He is also regularly a part of the public discussion on interactive media and content, and is often quoted in the Wall St. Journal, LA Times, Bloomberg and Business Week--among others.
Prior to joining Overbrook, Guy was Director of Digital Media at Starbucks Entertainment. In this role, Guy was responsible for setting the strategic direction of Starbucks' digital entertainment initiatives including negotiation and product planning for Starbucks' groundbreaking deal with Apple iTunes. Guy also served as Group Product Marketing Manager at Microsoft's MSN division, where he oversaw marketing and revenue advertising for MSN Entertainment, and at Bad Boy Entertainment, where he served as Vice President of Strategy & Planning for Blue Flame, the marketing and advertising agency founded by Sean "Diddy" Combs.
Guy earned his MBA from Harvard Business School and his bachelor's and master's degrees in industrial engineering from Georgia Tech. Guy, his wife, Heather, and their son, Grant, reside in the Miracle Mile area of Los Angeles.
James Rucker
James Rucker is the Executive Director of ColorOfChange.org, an online citizens' lobby of over 450,000 people dedicated to amplifying the political voice of Black America and forcing politicians to be more responsive to its needs. ColorOfChange.org was created in the aftermath of the failed government response to Hurricane Katrina and has expanded to lead a broad range of advocacy and electoral campaigns.
Prior to founding ColorOfChange.org, James served as Director of Grassroots Mobilization for MoveOn.org Political Action and Moveon.org Civic Action, pioneering new technology in the field of online organizing while driving numerous fundraising, technology, and political campaigns. Prior to joining MoveOn, James worked in various roles in the software industry in Silicon Valley, co-founding and leading Imana, Inc., an enterprise software company in San Francisco, as well as providing management coaching and technology consulting for other start-up ventures.
James is also co-founder of Secretary of State Project (www.secstateproject.org), an effort to elect progressive Secretaries of State at the state level as a strategy to ensure both access to the ballot and that all votes are counted. In 2006, the project raised over $500,000 for five candidates in swing states. James is also co-founder of Video the Vote (videothevote.org), a citizen-journalism project that enables everyday people with home video cameras to serve as the eyes and ears for the public on election day. In 2006, over two hundred volunteers were dispatched in coordination with national election protection programs and highlighted on all major networks and the two largest evening news programs.
James grew up in Seaside, California and has a BS in Symbolic Systems from Stanford University. He lives with his wife, Heidi, and one-year-old son, Jonah, in San Francisco.
Omar Wasow
Omar Wasow, 37, is pursuing a doctorate in African American studies and political science at Harvard. In addition to his graduate work, Omar is the co-founder of BlackPlanet.com and an on-air technology analyst. Under Omar's leadership, BlackPlanet.com became the leading site for African Americans, reaching over three million people a month. Omar also works to demystify technology issues through regular TV and radio segments on shows like NBC's Today, CNN's American Morning, and public radio's Tavis Smiley show. Similarly, Omar tutored Oprah Winfrey in her first exploration of the Net in the 12-part series 'Oprah Goes Online'.
In 1999, as a result of his active participation in a number of social issues, particularly the charter school movement, Omar was selected to be a fellow in the Rockefeller Foundation's Next Generation Leadership program. In Fall 2003, a K-8 charter school that Omar helped found opened in his hometown of Brooklyn. In 2007, in recognition of the promise of his academic research, the National Science Foundation selected him for a Graduate Research Fellowship. Most recently, the Aspen Institute selected him for their Henry Crown Fellowship that recognizes emerging leaders. He received his BA in Race and Ethnic Relations from Stanford University. He can be reached at owasow (at) gmail dot com.
Brett Wright
Mr. Wright's creative talents, coupled with his keen business acuity, have earned him a reputation as a leader among his colleagues. His twenty years of experience in the music, internet, publishing, advertising and fashion industries have established him as an innovator in delivering brands to urban culture.
Mr. Wright is currently founder and CEO of the Harlem based NuAmerica Agency. NuAmerica Agency was founded in 2001 to capture the true essence of urban/popular culture and provide a cultural context for companies wishing to communicate intelligently, as well as relevantly, to the hottest demographic and psychographic ever, the hip-hop generation. Wright is also the co-founder and Co-CEO of Uptown Media Group, parent company of Uptown Magazine. Uptown Magazine was started with business partner Len Burnett in 2004 and it is the first luxury regional publication for affluent African Americans.
Wright's experience with new enterprises has given him great insight into developing businesses from the ground up. He has become a specialist in establishing brands and creating innovate marketing and advertising vehicles. "Marketing is about vision, ideas and the critical process of execution. It is that task that we embark on with every advertising and marketing effort."
Wright's former positions have included serving as an original member of The Source Magazine, senior director of marketing at Uptown Records, vice president of Loud Records, vice president/general manager of Volcano Entertainment, vice president of marketing and A&R at RCA Records, president of Yo! B. Consulting and president of Hookt.com. Under Wright's marketing vision, these companies established their respective marks in their respective industries.
Wright has worked with powerhouse brands and clients: Pepsi, Luster Products, Courvoisier, Rocawear, Tommy Hilfiger, Mountain Dew, BET, Vibe Magazine, Apollo Theater, And-1, Uptown Magazine, Bulldog Bikes, Showtime Networks and Oster Products.
Wright has been a long time resident of Harlem where he lives with wife Yvonna Wright and children Lola and Marley. Wright also serves on the executive boards of Apollo Theater, Harlem Hospital, 125th Street BID, Uptown Media Group, and Harlem Wing and Waffle.