Logo

Three Black customers to find out more about their individual journeys, the mentors that led them to the point they are now, as well as their dreams and hopes to shape our future.

       Karl Ferguson Jr.  

Karl follows the artist belief that your work should fund your passion, until it can become your entire lifestyle. Karl has managed to do just that: through balancing work and his love of portrait photography. One glance at the website will leave stunned by the sheer number of famous people he's shot in the field of entertainment. Karl's digital presence has helped show off his work to a plethora of clients with ease. "One one of the best attributes is the manner in which I'm able to drag and drop images and rearrange them at a moment's notice," Karl says.

The community has played an important role in Karl's success with photography. Bouncing ideas off of other Black photographers gives him a sense of camaraderie in an industry that can be isolated in times. Karl is hoping to pay it forward through his career so that he can create a similar kind of community for new artists in the industry. "Paying it forward involves making myself accessible," Karl says. By openly sharing his experience and expertise, Karl hopes to help others become the most creative that they could be.

If asked to what advice he would advise the younger version of himself, a person just starting his photography practice Karl's recommendation is: "Don't get so intense that you lose interest in making. Being patient and enjoying the process is the most important thing to do as a photographer."

For more details about the work of Karl, go over to his website.

       "Black In Corporate  

Ambassador and social media specialist Candace Marie is the founder of Black In Corporate The Black In Corporate group that advocates for Black people working in the corporate world. The inspiration for Black In Corporate was born through her personal experience of navigating work environments where systemic racism is making it challenging for Black employees to be successful. "While Black In Corporate was born out of my own personal experience," Candace says, "a key reason for starting the organization was that I knew that there were several Black people in my network who's experiences were comparable, if not identical to my personally."

One of the numerous pillars Black In Corporate is based on is the virtual Mentorship Program, which gives Black professionals access to possibilities, resources, and collaboration. The website of Black In Corporate has been pivotal in promoting the program's benefits to its target public. "While the press and social media are the main drivers of traffic, the beautiful style and ease of navigating the page ensures that our customers are interested and returning," Candace says about the impact of their website.

The expression "it takes the whole village" is especially true for Candace and her journey with the creation of Black In Corporate. The success of her venture has been made possible with the assistance from mentors, sponsors, friends, and family who helped her along through the process. In so many ways, Candace offers this same level of support to Black professional. "This journey is hard enough doing it alone," she says. "Whenever I'm able to give some advice, sit on a panel, or make an introduction to a contact for a colleague--I'm really intentional about nurturing the other Black people in this space."

Discover more regarding Black In Corporate on their site.

       Elton Anderson Jr.  

In the past 14 years Elton Anderson Jr. worked in the field of photography which included shooting celebrity photographers and of the most popular brands. He decided to change his direction after noticing that the job he'd always been enthusiastic about wasn't as fulfilling. After a serious case of malaria while traveling to Brazil, Elton vowed to devote his entire life in improving himself as well as the lives of those around him.

In the present, Elton is doing just that with the work every day: In addition to exploring new roles such as producer, creative director and host of a travel show, Elton also launched Creators of Color the platform that tells the stories of Black creators across various industries.

For Elton taking these adjustments is an essential part of the creative process. The advice Elton gives younger Black creatives seeking to switch careers is to follow their intuition. "If there's no way to say Yes and it's not a no," Elton says. "This mantra has helped me make my career switch significantly more productive and authentic to me."

When you're a creative person like Elton, who has multiple projects to work on, digital marketing plays a huge part in sharing the story of his life. Elton's aim is to become a "Master Storyteller." Both of his sites, as well as his social media profiles enable him to accomplish exactly that. "I use my website as an opportunity for people to enter, have a seat, and get to know me," Elton says. "My social media platforms are where you can take the journey along with me at any time."

Learn more about Elton and his story through his site.