We really appreciate you both taking the time to talk with us. Please tell us a little about yourselves.
I was born and reared by my two loving parents in Atlanta, Georgia along with my older and younger sister. I
graduated from Georgia State University in 2003 with a BA in Journalism/Public Relations and minor in marketing.
Immediately after graduation I took a job in Connecticut, 900 miles from home, as an Account Manager for
Synapse Group, Inc., a subsidiary of Time Inc. I currently manage relationships with fortune 500 companies
and ensure that my division reaches its budgetary goals. Although I�m still a new resident to the area, I
quickly acclimated myself to it and am now actively involved in the community through my service to the
Fairfield County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. as Treasurer and Publicity Chair,
to the Fairfield County Chapter of the American Marketing Association, as VP of Membership and through
my hard work as CEO & President of Love Entertainment. I am also a student at Marist College
seeking to obtain an MA in Organizational Communication and Leadership.
I am originally from Trinidad in the West Indies. I actually lived there with my parents and older
sister until college when I left to attend Delaware State University. I majored in Television Production with a
minor in Business Administration and really got a chance to be involved in campus life by heading up
student organizations, running the campus television station and simply enjoying the HBCU life. After I
graduated, I moved to Stamford, CT where I now work as the production coordinator for AETN which is the
parent network for channels such as A&E, The History Channel, Biography Channel and more. I also joined
the Fairfield County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. upon moving to the area and
between my sorority responsibilities, my nine-to-five and being COO and VP of Media & Artist Relations
for Love Entertainment, my free time is non existent, but I would have it no other way.
Please let us know what Love Entertainment is all about and how you both started the company.
After having lived in CT for a while and visiting the city (NYC) I realized what CT lacked, and that was a place for
upcoming artists to showcase their talent and for residents to receive quality, inexpensive entertainment.
In October 2004, I conceived the idea of Love Entertainment, which would start off by hosting open mic nights and
poetry jams. While the event was in the process of transpiring I looked for a business partner to share the
burden and the joy of this venture. Kara Barnett, a Soror and member of my chapter, was the obvious choice as
we had worked together on several Delta projects. After approaching her with the idea she was on board and our
first event was in December 2004. Since then, although only a short time, Love Entertainment has hosted numerous
events and has expanded its event management services to include upcoming fashion shows, beach fests and the
anticipated
. As it stands now,
Love Entertainment is a professional management company that provides a platform for up and-coming artists to
showcase their talent, whether it�s poetry, singing, rap, comedy or modeling. We have a unique specialization
in open mic nights, poetry jams, launch parties and other special activities, such as networking events,
luncheons, workshops and seminars.
When Crystal approached me with the idea in October 2004, I had to agree with her. There were not many
options in the area for young, intellectual, culturally-enhanced, fun loving people such as us who did
not want to go to the club every weekend. We had no idea how the artistic community would respond to
the event so we came in with no expectations. We simply collaborated with a promoter at a local club
and arranged it so that we got one of his Saturdays a month to do our show, coined
.
The response of our first event in December 2004 was overwhelming and it keeps getting better and better
with each month. We have gone from having a crowd of barely sixty people to events with standing room
only. As the talent contact, I would have to go out and scout people for the show. Now, people call
weeks in advance to try to get onto the bill. We have also branched out to cater to a slightly more
mature and mellow crowd and that is how our poetry nights came to be. These were two audiences
that were being, more or less, ignored when it came to events that spoke to them and
we saw that need and fulfilled it.
The HBCU Network: Before you started your company, had you ever considered becoming entrepreneurs? What was your inspiration?
Crystal:
Since I was a freshman in college, every New Year�s Eve I would write a list of yearly goals versus making up
New Year�s resolutions. Sometimes my goals would be as simple as making the Dean�s list, striving to become a
member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., starting my own community service organization or staying
involved in 5 student organizations. But, as I got older and still today, the list includes more long-term goals,
such as starting my own business (accomplished), writing a book by the time I�m 35, living on the west coast
and many other aspirations. These goals guide me and have continued to guide me throughout the process of
starting Love Entertainment.
In the beginning I would remind myself on a regular basis and made it sort of a mantra,
�Don�t be afraid of success.� I repeated that to myself because I knew that failure was scary. Regardless,
I couldn�t let my fear of failure translate into my fear of success. Starting a business was
something I truly had in my heart to do and although I didn�t think it would be this soon, I
know God puts everything in front of you when he thinks you�re ready. I trust in him and I know
he didn�t bring me this far to leave me. That is my inspiration.
Kara:
I have never been one to shy away from a good opportunity or idea simply because it�s never been done
before or someone else tried and failed. I actually own my own production company, K-Ra Productions,
which is a one stop production service which includes script writing, video production and editing. My
experience as a casting associate at MTV also left me with a love for casting so K-Ra Productions has
branched out into talent casting for music videos (Junior MAFIA�s �Just Us�, Ziggy Rankin�s �Miserable Life�)
and talent booking for international events.
I also devote my video production abilities as one of the legs of TRIO Image Management. With TurnerRo Public
Relations as the PR powerhouse and Czen Productions providing all music production needs,
TRIO is the answer to the image and publicity needs of every upcoming major company, actor,
athlete, model and small business owner. With our trademark state of the art product, our
clients are given an industry debut like no other. Given the high workload associated with a
production company, event management company and image management service, entrepreneurship is my life!
My inspiration to do what I do comes from my God and my family. I am surrounded by such strong people and I
am inspired by the strength and drive of others. My parents and my sister are the perfect examples of
endurance and excellence and even my network of friends is made up of fellow entrepreneurs who share my hunger.
The HBCU Network: How did your respective schools help you in your paths to entrepreneurship?
Crystal:
More than anything, my school offered me the opportunity to get to know and meet a number of outstanding
people. And it�s those same people who continue to help me along the way as I seek to
learn more about the business, such as Darren Rogers who designed my website and
Nicole Garner who�s given me PR advice.
Kara:
I think the different leadership roles that I was given while at Delaware State University really taught me
how to carry myself in business, deal with the different personalities I encounter on a daily basis
and most importantly, manage my time well. Being a student, managing the television station,
holding down a job and completing a senior project was no small task but the multi tasking skills
I honed while going through that is what I pull from when I need to fax out press releases, call open
mic acts, call overseas to check on the hotel for a booked celebrity, draft a script for a TRIO client and
still be attentive for a meeting with Love Entertainment sponsors or media.
The HBCU Network: What were some of your most memorable moments from school?
Crystal:
There are so many! But if I had to choose a few, I would name my time as an Inceptor, which is a freshman
orientation leader, my three years as a Community Assistant (comparable to an RA), starting my own
community service organization and becoming a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Each of these lasting moments has taught me something about myself and has guided me to where
I am now. I would not trade them for anything. I truly believe that getting involved on campus
made the world of difference!
Kara:
It is so hard to pick out moments because anyone who went to an HBCU knows that everyday is an adventure.
Some of my favorite memories would include chartering the Student Ambassadors chapter on DSU�s campus,
running DSU-TV and watching the major come alive again, all those Homecomings (of course!) and the
crème de la crème-- graduating summa cum laude in front of my family and friends. Nothing replaces a moment like that.
The HBCU Network: With the spoken word genre gaining more popularity these days, how do you market your company and your events?
Crystal:
E-mail marketing is a big tool, one that we believe in fully utilizing. We�ve also learned that if we feature
people for a show, they take personal pride in the event and tell their friends who tell their friends
and it continues to grow from there. A good thing becomes contagious and we pride ourselves on
providing our audience with an exciting and unique experience in a complete package.
Kara:
For the most part, our marketing strategy relies on email, the local media and most importantly, word of mouth.
In the business of entertainment, you are only as good as your last event, hit song, performance, etc,
so we really rely on our crowds to spread the word and bring their friends to the next one. We also
keep our website up to date and always add new interesting features like profiles
on our performers, pictures from our events and our media kit. Soon we�ll be adding video
footage from our events to the website, so as you can tell, our marketing tactics are evolving on a continuous basis.
The HBCU Network: With most of your events being in Connecticut, do you foresee branching out to other states?
Crystal:
Right now, we are still in the development stages, but I�m optimistic that we will branch out to other
states and co-sponsor some larger events. Doors continue to open for us and we continue to follow them.
Plus, Kara and I both hope to live in different parts of the country eventually and we will take
Love Entertainment with us wherever we go.
Kara:
I believe that this is something that other areas of the country would appreciate. The whole idea behind
Love Entertainment was that there was hidden talent in Connecticut that needed to be showcased.
The same rings true all over the country and while the fact remains that there are other
entertainment companies doing the same thing in these areas, Love Entertainment always
finds a way to put a different spin on our events and keep the crowd involved and wanting more.
We didn�t start Love Entertainment with a set goal or ceiling in mind. The sky is the limit, not state lines :-).
The HBCU Network: Where do you see Love Entertainment in 5 years?
Crystal:
I see Love Entertainment going from offering a company that hosts local and regional events to a full
service event management provider with a specialization in integrated marketing communications and production.
I also anticipate our staff growing from 2 to 15 to 30.
Kara:
I see Love Entertainment growing to a scale to encompass full event management. With Crystal�s
public relations degree and my television production/business administration degree, we
have a good foundation for entering into this field, so at this point we are just expanding our
portfolio, building our networks and taking the time to really hone our craft. In five years,
however, I see us well on our way to becoming one of the finest event management companies in the area.
The HBCU Network: What will be the deciding factor to pursue this venture full-time?
Crystal:
The growth of our client base and potential profitability are two of the biggest deciding factors as to whether I will pursue this opportunity full-time.
Kara:
At times, it
feels like I do Love Entertainment full-time, but I
agree with Crystal. When Love Entertainment
expands to a point where it can financially sustain itself and I see development,
not only in the demand for our events but development in the quality of our service, then I will
pursue this full time. The focus is always to deliver a bigger and better event than our last and as long as we
continue to go the way that we have been going so far, Love Entertainment would be my next career move.
The HBCU Network: Do you have any advice for the HBCU Family and future entrepreneurs?
Crystal:
Yes, there are two words of advice. First, network! It sounds so simple, but people rarely utilize networking
to their advantage or their contacts. Always assess what people can do for you and what you can do for them.
Secondly, as I said before, don�t be afraid of success and in return don�t be afraid of failure.
Kara:
Professionalism is the key. Even in an industry like entertainment where the focus seems to be on having a
good time, how you carry yourself and communicate with others reflects on your business. As the double minority
of being young and black, we are constantly faced with surprise from some of our sponsors and partners when
they see how professional and organized we are despite the fact that we interact with record labels, rappers,
poets, dancers, comedians on a daily basis. What we understand, however, is that part of putting on a
good show for our performers is understanding the business aspect of it and being able to put on different hats,
so my advice is to know who you are, understand your business and carry yourself as such.
Secondly, use your resources to your advantage. You�d be surprised the business partners, sponsors,
customers and mentors you can find by flipping through your phonebook, going through your
fraternity/sorority roster or going to fun networking events like the HBCU Alumni Getaway Cruise.
Many of you are sitting on a goldmine, so get up and make it happen!
The HBCU Network: Thank you so much, Crystal & Kara! We all look forward to your event on the cruise!
Calling all Spoken Word Artists - Finally, here's your chance to share the stage with poets from HBO's Def Poetry
Jam, Laffapalooza, and MTV during the
"Scribes and Vibes: It'll Light Your Fire!" event on the 2nd Annual Official
HBCU Alumni Cruise.
Ten (10) finalists will be chosen to face judges (and professional spoken word artists) Spinxx, Abyss, Jon Goode
and Cocktails. Three (3) performers will then be chosen to take center stage and share their skills during the
"Scribes and Vibes" event.
Please submit two (2) originally written pieces to Love Entertainment via email at
info@loveentertainment.net or by mail to
Love Entertainment
c/o Crystal Love
696 Hope Street, Suite 3A
Stamford, CT 06907.
The Deadline is April 30, 2005. Finalists will be notified by May 13th.
You must be registered for the 2005 HBCU Alumni Cruise to participate.
Visit Love Entertainment
http://www.loveentertainment.net
