In support of Black Business Month, we're spotlighting nine Black entrepreneurs doing exciting and innovative work. From PR and events to fashion and design, read on to meet gamechangers from coast to coast.
Founder: Jenelle Hamilton
HQ: Los Angeles
About: Jenelle Hamilton’s clients reap the benefits of her well-rounded career prior to launching her lifestyle PR agency in 2010. Her work with nonprofit, fashion and beauty clients spanned London and New York, and now she calls Los Angeles her HQ.
Founder: Tiffany Farney
HQ: NYC
About: Tiffany Farney pivoted from a decade-long career in healthcare to support art and design clients in PR and comms, and this successful shift means many talents and underrepresented voices are finally getting the spotlight.
Co-Founder: Steven Wilson
HQ: Los Angeles & New York
About: Founded by Steven Wilson, Hayley Antonian and Ron Hofmann, Scenario serves start-ups and legacy companies alike, supporting organizations across corporate, technology, fashion, beauty, health and fitness, lifestyle, television and entertainment from their offices in LA and NYC.
Founder: Chanel Cathey
HQ: NYC
About: Chanel Cathey started her shop by supporting female founders and BIPOC and minority-owned businesses, and five years in, she’s helped an impressive list of companies like private equity firm Fairview Capital and emerging brands boost visibility and reach milestones.
Founder: Alexa Rae Palacios-Pierre
HQ: NYC
About: You’d never guess that Alexa Rae Palacios-Pierre’s agency has technically only been around for a year, considering the 100% referral-based roster of values-driven brands and thought leaders she supports with integrated communications strategies.
Co-Founder: Erica Taylor Haskins
HQ: NYC
About: Erica Taylor Haskins, Adette C. Contreras and Liz Castelli are the team behind Tinsel Experiential Design, a company you might have recently read about, as they were just acquired by Stagwell. To date, some of their clients include Sony Music Entertainment, Github and Uber, and specializations include environmental design, 3D renderings, and conference and corporate events.
Elliot Carlyle, Consultant & Empowerment Speaker
HQ: NYC
About: Elliot Carlyle is a man about town and a multi-hyphenate. A consultant, coach and speaker, Elliot serves as Creative Consultant for the CFDA, as well as the Director of Cultural Diversity & Inclusion for NYC Jewelry Week (and both his wardrobe and accessories confirm his expertise).
Founder: Lauren Godfrey
HQ: San Francisco
About: Former advertising pro Lauren Harwell Godfrey shifted gears to design fine jewelry, launching her brand – Harwell Godfrey – at Paris Fashion Week in 2018. Since then, the California native has put out incredible handcrafted pieces with aesthetic roots in the ancient textiles and patterns of the African Diaspora (many of which support good causes, like her 2020 Charity Heart series, which sent 100% of proceeds to organizations including NAACP, World Central Kitchen, Futures Without Violence, Human Rights Campaign, Every Mother Counts and Everytown).
Founder: Monique Webber
HQ: Los Angeles
About: Monique Webber launched her agency in 2020 in an effort to fill two voids: a lack of PR representation of minority companies, and a lack of minority-owned PR agencies. Today, she boosts businesses across the fashion, beauty, lifestyle and financial communities. MLWPR has landed a range of minority business owners the opportunity to have their products in Vogue, Elle and Glamour, as well as on A-list celebrities.
