#80: Imani Ellis - Hosting Thousands from a Harlem Apartment, Channeling Ambition, Creating Community, and Founding CultureCon in NYC
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Episode Description
In today’s hyper-individualistic culture, creating community is more important than ever. In this episode, we dive into the idea of creating community with Imani Ellis, founder of The Creative Collective NYC which hosts CultureCon.
Imani Ellis was driven by her competitive nature and ambition as a ballerina for 14 years, becoming the first black ballerina in the Atlanta Ballet in 75 years. After quitting ballet, track took her on a full ride to Vanderbilt University where she realized her dream of pursuing work in entertainment.
Through that same tenacity that drove her athletic pursuits, Ellis started work at NBC Universal in New York City, but she struggled to find her community in the bustling city. She decided to create her own space that grew into the Creative Collective and eventually CultureCon.
Show Notes
Childhood: Ellis’s upbringing laid the foundation for her later success, starting with her two pastor parents.
Ballet: Ellis’s work ethic brought her success in ballet, even though it was often unexpected.
Track: A chance tryout shrouded in white lies and peer pressure led to a track career that would influence the rest of her journey.
College: Ellis’s love affair with entertainment began with a college venture.
Nickelodeon: Ellis wanted to be where all the action was, New York City, and she did whatever it took to get there.
NBC: If internship opportunities didn’t exist, Ellis made them.
Graduation: Ellis only applied to one job leaving college and the rest is history.
Mentorship: Through an open door policy for informational interviews Ellis mentored people in a similar position to where she was, trying to find her path in the entertainment industry.
Starting Creative Collective: It all started with starting to replicate one of her old family potlucks in her one-bedroom apartment.
Scaling Intimacy: How a small event grew into a larger community, establishing the Creative Collective.
Obstacles: The challenges that come with creating a larger community that maintains the initial small group atmosphere.
What Now: Ellis is continuing towards building community in new innovative ways, the sky’s the limit.
Links From the Episode
Imani Ellis Website: https://www.imaniellis.com/
Imani Ellis Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imaniimani/?hl=en
Imani Ellis Twitter: https://twitter.com/imaninaomi?lang=en
The Creative Collective NYC Website: https://www.theccnyc.com/
The Creative Collective NYC Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theccnyc/?hl=en
The Creative Collective NYC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheCCnyc/
The Creative Collective NYC Twitter: https://twitter.com/thecc_nyc
CultureCon Website: https://www.cultureconathome.com/
Fixed vs. Growth Mindset: https://www.brainpickings.org/2014/01/29/carol-dweck-mindset/
NBC Page Program: https://www.nbcunicareers.com/pageprogram
The Surprising Benefits of Being an Introvert: https://time.com/5373403/surprising-benefits-introvert/
