Category: Events & Concert

With pandemic restrictions slowly being lifted worldwide, people are starting to feel normal again. As the general public prepares to take a step forward to a life post-COVID, many institutions have started reopening their doors as the desire for normalcy gets heavy. For Involved Entertainment, it’s time to get the party started.

Involved Entertainment LLC is a multimedia company specializing in exceptional entertainment and private events. Their brand’s purpose is to create a more enjoyable experience for their clients using their resources and the professionals in the field. 

Involved Entertainment has evolved from a household name to an exclusive and excellent nightclub planner through evident dedication and hard work. Five years from now, the brand sees itself developing into something more: something bigger and better. From their Wescott theater location, they aspire to expand nationwide in the years to come. In addition, Involved Entertainment wishes to be the constant talk of the town aside from being a massive name on social media. 

What separates Involved Entertainment from other competitors is that they have taken years of experience into account and molded it into something big. The brand is also capable of providing original music to their clients and remixes of existing songs with genres ranging from EDM to Trap Music.

The company has built a solid footing in the entertainment industry using nothing but resilience, hard work, and just enough juice to get through a party. Backed by people with tons of experience in the entertainment and music industry, their largest sale is currently from their Glo Loko event on December 4, 2021. The event will include several renowned DJs, including DJ Melvin, DJ 2Velissaris, and Zoe Anderson. Backing up the DJs are two state-of-the-art compact disc jockeys: the Tour 1s and the Pioneer Tour Mixer, giving them a chance to showcase their superb skills. The event will surely be wild and will probably go down in history with its many activities and playthings like Glo Paint, CO2 Cannons, and maybe even fire.

The brand encourages people to buy tickets to the Westcott Theater on December 4 for this exclusive and wild event. A ticket buyer will be able to see the daily track updates on Kuvo and be acknowledged by any of the DJs in the event with a head nod upon their arrival. The team is expecting a great turn-out filled with positive vibes and good energy to ensure that the night becomes one of the best nights ever. 

It’s not the first time that Involved Entertainment is holding a banging party, and it certainly won’t be the last. People won’t want to miss out on their Glo Loko: White Out Edition party. Guests are expected to throw on an all-white ensemble to help enhance their UV black light and laser show. In addition, the brand promises an enormous production value and some other new elements that are sure to make their party the best one in the Fall semester.Learn more about Involved Entertainment and its events through their Instagram and official website. For anyone who’s interested in the upcoming event, check this out.

When the global pandemic reached the shores of America last year, many events had to be put off. However, vaccines and strict protocols have allowed music festivals and concerts to make a comeback. Queennak, a rising artist from New York, took advantage of the lifted ban by organizing Queennak’s 9/11 Album Release & Networking Gala, a gala and concert to remember the 9/11 tragedy, COVID-19 pandemic, and celebrate their survivors. The concert was also dedicated to her debut album. 

Held at the Park banquet hall in Bronx, New York on September 11th, Queennak’s 9/11 Album Release & Networking Gala gathered a series of stars, diplomats, media personalities, and New York-based organizations. The event started with a prayer from Prophet Ernest Amoateng and his wife, Pastor Aisha, before a speech delivered to inspire the present generation, reminding them not to forget their Heavenly Father in everything they do. 

Madam Isatu N. Timno, the Honorary & Goodwill Ambassador of Sierra Leone, graced the stage with a powerful speech that was written to uplift the youth and entertainers, putting the spotlight on them and uplifting them with the message that they’re the ones that can bring attention to a nation and encourage them to carry on with their work. Sierra Queens brought various African homemade food, leaving the guests satisfied throughout the night while the Formula Team poured an explosion of different alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. 

Queennak’s sister and media personality Fatima spearheaded the organizing committee, ensuring that every task was taken care of and everyone was happy. Winstina, also Queennak’s sister, contributed as a sponsor, giving a warm speech that gave tribute to the lives lost to the 9/11 tragedy and pandemic victims and celebrated the survivors.

Throughout the event, life and art were all around as Queennak organized an exhibit to showcase her artworks, culture, and sponsored, auctioning her album with some of her paintings. The concert would not be complete without a performance from the artist herself and Queennak performed. Joining her performance was the Afro Afro Afrique company, sparking some numbers that blew away their audience. 

Queennak’s 9/11 Album Release and Networking Gala would not have been as successful without its sponsors. The artist recognized Kofi G, Winstina Taylor, Eastern Kartel, and Sierra Queens as the most helpful sponsors. Each was impressed with the turnout, and the artist herself was incredibly open in her appreciation for their work. “They’re all ready to sponsor more for part two the next year,” said Queennak, “They’re calling on everyone to be a part of it.”

The day after the event, the organizers pulled together a ‘Thank You Cookout’ to show their appreciation for all the stars who participated, co-organized by Ashmia and Mr. SS. The stars praised and congratulated Queennak and her team for their hard work and making a significant impact in the Sierra Leone entertainment industry. 

With a huge turnout, Queennak’s 9/11 Album Release and Networking Gala raised a massive sum from the performances, art sales, and donations from the consul. Rather than keep it to herself, Queennak will be putting the funds forward to donation. The event’s success has also given the artist and organizers enough confidence to conceptualize a second event next year.

Learn more about Queennak by visiting her official website and following her on Instagram.

The difference between a good stage production and a great one is design. While it might not be obvious to every audience member, the sets, costumes, sound, and lighting are integral pieces of the play creating atmosphere and context that allow the story and characters to come alive. Christian Fleming, an emerging stage designer who is this year’s USITT Scene Design Award winner, shared some of his thoughts on and approach to design. 

The following is an excerpt from the interview:

What is the most important thing to consider when designing a play?

It is important to remember that you are designing a story – a story that unfolds over time. It’s experiential. I work in an audience-centric design approach where the audience factors in every step of the way. Approaching the design through the audience’s experience makes it easier to determine if a design choice is adding context and is clear. It is too easy to get lost in conceptual or thematic ideas and forget that the audience is not in your head but are experiencing everything fresh in the moment. By considering the design in actionable steps (ex: “the audience walks into the theater and then x happens…”) you can distill any intellectualized concepts into the design decisions that support them. Those specific choices about the world and characters create context for the audience dramaturgically framing the production they are about to experience. 

Do you think that your audience-centric philosophy stems from your work as a director? 

My experience as a director arms me with an intense appreciation for the production process, an intimate understanding of how to tell a story onstage using all the elements available to a production, and a critical eye to be able to see when something might be exciting, but isn’t contributing to dramaturgical clarity. I’ve always enjoyed the world-building process and what I love about theater is that it is a collaborative art form and each production is a fun puzzle to solve together. Each team brings a unique perspective on how the production will reveal new aspects about our world and the human condition. I believe that design, like directing, is all about storytelling, and by extension, I view my job as a designer to make visual storytelling decisions that activate the audience’s imagination. 

Activating the audience’s imagination through design is really interesting. Can you elaborate more on how you achieve this?

Part of what excites me about designing theater is the inherent non-literal nature provides a platform for a greater array of expressionistic modes of conveying story. I am fascinated by how a prop such as a red scarf, can be more powerful than the actual blood it signifies because in its transformation into a symbol the scarf activates the audience’s imagination. I carry this directly into my work. I often view my process as one of distillation. I cull inspiration and ideas and strip them away to find the poetic essence of the play. In that process of stripping away, I discover the elements that have the most symbolic power. In pursuit of clarity, I trust in a “less is more” approach to ensure that those main symbolic choices will have great impact.

Do you have a typical process? 

There is a sort of standard process most designers go through – reading the script, meeting with the director/team, discussing the themes and high level ideas about the world of the play, culling visual research, and beginning to formulate the design. I find it exciting that each production is different and my process tends to change based on what a particular script “wants.” Part of what drew me to theater design is that it combines many artistic disciplines (drawing, painting, sculpture, architectural drafting, scale model making, 3D modeling, fashion design, graphic design/illustration, photo-manipulation, etc). Often I’ll work in rough sketches and then begin a preliminary model to check the ideas in three dimensions. I find it best to work in a scale model because the true depth and perspective closer mimic what the audience will see. I do, however, see the industry shifting toward a digital practice and have been incorporating 3D modeling, 3D printing, and game engine pre-visualization into my workflow. 

Is there a particular production where you discovered something about how you approach the work? 

When designing “The Light in the Piazza”, I focused on what was psychologically holding the central characters (Margaret and Clara) back and developed a design that put the incident of Clara’s trauma onstage. Wrestling with the design cemented my understanding of “content dictates form”. I realized I had designed an art installation of the play instead of a world that would allow the action to come to life. The core of the idea was solid, but the execution didn’t match the way the show was written. This lush, sweeping score needed a design that matches it’s refined sophistication and allowed the audience to be transported to the romance of Florence, Italy like the central characters. We, as an audience, are most familiar with scene changes where furniture travels horizontally, so I decided all of the furniture would float in and out because that gesture beautifully matched the feeling of Guettel’s gorgeous score and aligned with the idea of being transported to a new, but familiar romantic world. It was stunning to see scenes end and the furniture of the world slowly float away as strings and harps arpeggiated. 

Christian Fleming is certainly a designer who intimately understands how to tell a story and use all the elements available to a production to his advantage and has positioned himself as one of the young designers Broadway’s eyes are keenly watching. Based in Manhattan, Christian looks forward to Broadway’s return and designing sets and costumes both in NYC and regionally. He holds an MFA from Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama where he trained under noted designer Narelle Sissons. His work has recently been seen at Pittsburgh Festival Opera (Rusalka), Pittsburgh CLO (Game On), and Pittsburgh Opera (Afterwards: Mozart’s Idomeneo Reimagined).

To know more about Christian Fleming and his work, make sure to visit his Instagram account and website.

The twenty-first century has seen an endless string of changes in the social, political, economic, and technological landscape. These changes have addressed the limitations restricting people from finding success in their choice of industry. Before, countless aspirants had to keep their socio-economic status in mind when deciding what path to take, but today, people from all walks of life now have a shot at translating their personal and professional visions into reality so long as they persevere amid the odds. Additionally, barriers to entry have broken down to the extent that go-getters may attempt to establish their names in several fields. Sharon Terry, also known as Champagne, is among those who have taken advantage of the times, dipping her toes in numerous arenas and acing the game.

This acclaimed powerhouse, born and raised in Rochester, New York, currently stands at the helm of multiple ventures. Widely heralded as a renaissance woman, Sharon Terry is an entrepreneur, screenwriter, actress, motivational speaker, executive producer, and model who has reached great heights over the years. Rising through the ranks in the world of entertainment, the passion-fueled personality has captured the interest of viewers worldwide through her performance in the film Living the Dream as well as in Unc Trent’s comedy I’ll Drink to That. She is also credited for her role in the web series In Between Jobs. 

On top of being heavily involved in the film industry, Sharon Terry also has a considerable presence in the fashion world. The multi-faceted figure, who is a published print and runway model under Hass Entertainment, has graced the stages of several high-profile fashion shows, including The Night of Elegance and The Summit, both of which were hosted in New York during the renowned Fashion Week. 

The Rocawards “Author of the Year” nominee also boasts a prowess as a writer, serving as the creative mind behind the urban fiction books, The Goddess of Lust, Love & Infatuation Part 1 and Blissful Lust Part 2, and the anthologies Dark Memories and The Crossover. Taking her writing endeavor to the next level, Sharon Terry is proud to announce the birth of the TV show The Goddess, which is scheduled to air in the fall on Roku’s MJ Own Network. 

From the get-go, Sharon Terry did not set her eyes only on reaching the forefront but also on gaining a standing that will allow her to enable the success of others. Through Champagne Books, LLC, she managed to accomplish the goal of giving fellow self-starters a leg up, providing mentoring and coaching to authors seeking guidance in their journey as a writer. She is active, as well, in training budding screenwriters at Coach john Screenwriting Academy.

Since carving a path toward the summit, Sharon Terry has amassed a number of accomplishments and milestones. This career-driven icon has cemented her reach even further not only through her initiatives that span across multiple industries but also through her guesting in interviews and shows, including The DJ Gatsby Show, The Beautiful Butterfly Radio, Vibration Radio, Good Deeds Radio, On the Rise Radio, The Authors Show, African Online Broadcasting, Big Body Broadcasting, The Situation Room, and more. In the coming years, more can be expected from this power player as she secures a coveted spot at the top of more fields. 

Learn more about Sharon Terry by visiting her website.

The growing saturation of today’s industries and their inherent competitive nature have driven go-getters to become more aggressive in the pursuit of their dreams. However, despite the all-out approach one takes in translating their vision into reality, success is not guaranteed. Not only do some still have to contend with the harsh reality that comes hand in hand with hailing from humble beginnings, but others also need to face the truth that naysayers run rampant. In the case of Brandon Dean Johnson, his encounters with doors being closed on his face and people failing to acknowledge his potential served as great fuel behind his drive to establish a name in the arts and entertainment industry. Currently, the 101 Hoodlins Pop Up Art Show founder is bound to take center stage with his creative and passion-fueled initiatives.

Also known as BigFoot, Brandon Dean Johnson stands at the helm of BigFooters, a start-up production and development company for animation and live-action content. Armed with the mission to provide a steady flow of high-quality, original content for major outlets, it boasts an impressive portfolio of live content for action films and animation for major platforms, including feature films, streaming services, and television. Through this fast-growing venture, which is steadily rising through the ranks because of the competence and dedication of its team of professionals, the self-starter created a YouTube series called The Ratchet Raychel Show.

Highly talented, BigFoot has over six years of animation production experience under his belt. So far, he has worked with industry household names, such as Warner Bros, Disney, DreamWorks, and Netflix. On track to reaching greater heights, he is proud to introduce the fruit of his labor in the last year: the 101 Hoodlins Pop Up Art Show. At the heart of this exhibition is The Hoodlins, the minions who Ratchet Raychel consider as friends. Last year, when COVID-19 forced billions of individuals home, he spent his winter creating 101 different art pieces of The Hoodlins, completing the endeavor within six months.

On June 11 to 13, BigFoot is looking forward to unveiling his brainchild. The event will not only showcase his impressive arsenal of skills as an artist but will also allow BigFooters to step into the limelight. Additionally, it will enable the team spearheading the acclaimed production establishment to cement its reputation within the industry even more solidly and give them the opportunity to highlight the upcoming pilot episode of The Ratchet Raychel Show.

Apart from the anticipated opening of his exhibit, more projects can be expected from BigFoot. Although he has already managed to carve a path toward the forefront of the industry, he does not plan to slow down anytime soon and is committed to securing a spot at the summit. As he continues to make waves in the future, he aims to achieve a purpose much more significant than gaining fame. Above anything else, this well-respected personality hopes to make a difference through his talent and works.

Learn more about BigFoot and the upcoming 101 Hoodlins Pop Up Art Show by visiting its website.