Today we’d like to introduce you to Destanye Baldwin.
So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Hailing from the Windy City of Chicago, I began my undergraduate studies at the University of Missouri-Columbia with aspirations of becoming the next Oprah. However, I quickly realized that I enjoyed being behind the scenes pulling the strings to make everything comes together more than being in front of the camera. I graduated from Mizzou in 2012 with a degree in Communications and moved to the Southwest to start my “adult” life in Arizona.
While living in AZ, I became involved with Phoenix Fashion Week (a series of events leading up to 4-days of runway shows). Working with Phoenix Fashion Week sparked my passion for events. I loved seeing how things transformed from a mere idea and morphed into a big scale production. Ever since my first event, I was hooked to the late nights, rockin’ with a crew to get it done, and of course, being onsite and seeing people enjoy themselves at an experience I helped create. Throughout my four years at Phoenix Fashion Week, I moved up the chain from a Brand Ambassador to the Media Relations Coordinator all while undertaking a 9 to 5 and pursuing a graduate degree in Communication Management at the University of Southern California (Go Trojans).
After graduating from USC, I decided to pursue my dreams and move to LA to work in experiential marketing and production. During my time here, I’ve had the opportunity to work with some amazing people, brands, and companies (i.e., BET, Instagram, C4, Array, Afropunk, NVE, Coin Convos, byeCOVID, Nike, Murad, etc.). I’m excited about all I’ve accomplished and all that is yet to come.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The journey has not been easy; and to be honest it still isn’t easy! I started my career in LA working for a Fashion PR firm as a Copywriter and Assistant Publicist. At the time, I thought publicity is where I wanted to be, but working that PR job solidified how much I enjoyed working events and the adrenaline rush of being onsite. That job showed me that I really wanted to do events and production on a full-time basis.
I started working a lot of events as a volunteer and hustled at those events as if there was a paycheck in it for me. Hard work does not go unnoticed and during the process, I met two amazing women along my journey (thank God), who mentor and advocate for me in the field, With their friendship, guidance, and support along with working in the corporate experiential marketing space, I continue to learn so much and seen growth with every project I’m on.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I am known for working at some fun and interesting productions throughout LA. I think of myself as “The Cultivator” and that every project I work on I help to further or improve upon the experience in some capacity. I am the proudest of my work ethic and my ability to be flexible and adaptable to not only get the job done but to wear many hats while creating collaborative avenues and connecting people to brands, businesses, and opportunities.
In addition to my events and production work, I’ve recently co-founded a company called Books, Bubbles + Banter: A Bookclub for the Intellectually Bad + Bougie, with a couple of my closest friends. Once a month we shine a light on minority authors from all different genres by selecting a different theme each month and honing in on the genre, related to that theme. There is so much power in reading and we want to make an impact through books and having critical thinking discussions.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I don’t believe that luck has played a role in my career trajectory at all. It’s really a matter of hard work, hustle, and continuous prayer that gets me through. My motto is, “Work hard, play hard, and pray hard,” and it’s something that gets me through my career highs and lows, along with being surrounded by my tribe of people who are for me.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.DestanyeB.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @DestanyeB
Image Credit:
Brittney Janae
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