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This dynamic panel brings together a new wave of creatives using audio, editorial, and visual storytelling to build audiences, preserve culture, and create new revenue streams. From digital magazines and archives to podcasts and visual diaries, this conversation explores how Black women are reclaiming their narratives—and turning them into platforms that reach, resonate, and sustain. Attendees will learn how storytelling can open doors to visibility, community, and income—while serving as a tool for documentation and self-preservation in a time when our stories matter more than ever.
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00:01What's going on, Essence Fest?
00:04Listen, y'all look good out here.
00:06I am excited to be here
00:08because we're about to have a fabulous conversation
00:11called From Story to Streams,
00:14how black women are turning narrative into income.
00:17Now, I want to say this.
00:18If this is your very first time at Essence Fest,
00:21welcome, welcome, welcome.
00:22If you have been coming for one, two,
00:24or maybe you lost count of how many years you've been coming,
00:27welcome back.
00:28And if you just found a seat,
00:30we're happy to have you here as well, okay?
00:33So my name is Quinn Conyers,
00:35and you are officially at Essence Fest 2026,
00:38and I am your host for the We Love Us stage.
00:41Now, we're going to have a fabulous conversation
00:43on how you can turn your story to streams.
00:46That means your story can make you money.
00:50Now, here to moderate this fabulous conversation
00:53is Anayo Awuzy of Carefree Mag.
00:56Can we give her some love as she makes her way to the stage?
01:01Also, y'all, give it up for the pants, y'all.
01:04Y'all see these pants?
01:06She is fabulous.
01:08Now, in just a second, what she's going to do
01:10is give you a cool description of what this panel is about,
01:13but I'm going to go ahead and introduce the other amazing women
01:17who are going to join you in just a second.
01:18Is that okay with you?
01:19That's all right with me.
01:20All right.
01:21Joining Miss Anayo is Imani Gardner of Ethos Sync.
01:26Can we give Imani a round of applause?
01:32Up next, we have Isita Diallo of Tresfecta.
01:37Can we welcome Isita to the stage?
01:41And last but certainly not least,
01:44to round out this powerful panel of discussion,
01:46we have the one and only Courtney Kelly of Courtney Kelly Brooks.
01:51Let's give her a round of applause.
01:54So now I'm going to go ahead and pass the mic over to Miss Anayo,
01:58who's going to give you a description of this panel conversation.
02:02All right.
02:03Hi, everyone.
02:03How are you guys doing today?
02:06Doing well.
02:07How are y'all doing today?
02:09Okay.
02:10I'm like, I don't hear nobody.
02:12So I'm going to hop right in since we only have 20 minutes.
02:15But today's panel is called From Story to Streams,
02:19How Black Women Are Turning Narrative Into Income.
02:22So what happens when black women stop waiting for someone else
02:26to tell their story and build a business and community around it instead?
02:31This panel brings together three founders who did exactly that.
02:35Courtney Kelly, a self-published author who turned her lived experience
02:39through Hurricane Katrina into a children's book empire sold in four languages.
02:45Isita Diallo, a beauty entrepreneur and founder of Tresfecta,
02:50disrupting the braiding industry by centering community before products.
02:54And Imani Garner, founder of Ethos Sync,
02:57a music company empowering independent composers while helping brands,
03:01studios, agencies, and filmmakers access rights-ready, culturally-authentic music.
03:07So give it up for these ladies one more time.
03:12All right.
03:13So we're going to hop right in.
03:15So, ladies, my first question is,
03:19every business here started with something that you kept noticing
03:23and kept seeing that nobody was addressing.
03:26When was that moment?
03:28What was that gap?
03:30And when did you realize you were the one that had to do something about it?
03:33And that's open to all three of you.
03:35We can start here, Imani, with you.
03:40So I started my career on the creative side of the business.
03:44I'm a composer.
03:45But I also worked on the media side for about 17 years, most of my professional life.
03:54And I saw that a lot of the productions sometimes struggled with finding culturally-authentic music for their productions.
04:05Working on the business side and also being around a lot of talent, I just knew that there were a
04:12lot of composers,
04:13a lot of singer-songwriters that just had music sitting on their hard drive and not really effectively putting it
04:19to use.
04:20And they all brought something very unique.
04:23And I thought that that was exactly what the productions, what I was seeing on the business side, there was
04:28this gulf between it.
04:29So I just felt like creating this company was a way of answering that call, kind of creating a bridge
04:37to access for composers who ordinarily wouldn't have that access.
04:44Go ahead, Issa.
04:45Yeah.
04:45I would say a similar theme kind of echoing Imani's story is that lived experience piece I think is the
04:53best teacher for understanding that gap
04:56and being able to position yourself to build, to fill that gap.
05:00And for me, that was specifically as someone who I've braided my hair my entire life.
05:06I braided in college, and so naturally I was very close to the pain point that I'm building for today.
05:12And I think sometimes without having that very close front row seat of what the pain point is you're building
05:19for, it's hard to understand how to build that thoughtfully.
05:22So I think that's something that felt really important to me, especially as I looked around and recognized that the
05:28solutions that I needed weren't out there for me.
05:31And I think it made me feel even more compelled to be the one to build it.
05:36So, yeah.
05:38Yeah.
05:39Hello, everyone.
05:40My profession is in civil engineering.
05:42I'm actually a construction project director.
05:45Normally, I have a hard hat, boots, and a safety vest on.
05:48And working in an industry, I'm usually the only person of color or the only female that's in a leadership
05:53position on a job site.
05:54So I wanted to change that, but I also wanted to tell people about my story and how Hurricane Katrina
05:59drove me into civil engineering.
06:01So I combined the two through my children's book, Celeste Saves the City.
06:05From there, Celeste has gone on to have two more books written about this civil engineer from New Orleans traveling
06:10the world and exposing kids to the ideas that you can do hard things,
06:14that it's okay to overcome difficult situations through resilience, and seeing someone that looks like them doing things that we
06:21typically don't see right now.
06:22So it may not change today, but it's going to change tomorrow.
06:26Beautiful.
06:27Thank you so much, ladies.
06:29So let's get into the next question, story as the business strategy.
06:33And so I think all of us here kind of spoke to our personal stories and perspectives and how that
06:39led us to starting our businesses.
06:41A lot of founders think about their product first and their story second, but I think all of us are
06:48doing it the other way around.
06:49How has filling that gap and leading with your unique perspective fueled your business and informed your business strategy?
06:57And whoever wants to hop in first.
06:59All right.
07:00I'll go ahead and kick us off.
07:01Because my story is uniquely about me, right?
07:04It's about my journey growing up in New Orleans, Katrina's impact on my life.
07:09There's a lot of authenticity in my message, as well as, you know, in construction, I'm a subject matter expert.
07:15So for me, it was very easy to translate that into a product that people will want to gravitate towards
07:20because Katrina really impacted everybody.
07:22It didn't matter if you were here in the convention center or in Alaska.
07:26Everybody was impacted by Katrina if you were alive at that time.
07:29So that's really what connects with audiences around the world with my first book and I've been able to carry
07:35it on through the rest of the series.
07:38I can go next.
07:40I think, as I think about the next generation of consumers and buyers, people care about what they're buying into.
07:48People care about who's behind it.
07:50People care about why it was built.
07:52And for me, I think that was an insight that I, like, came in with from the jump, just understanding
07:58that people want to hear the story.
08:00And I think, like, when it resonates with them more or when they feel that type of connection to your
08:06product, it can ultimately open up doors in terms of, yes, having customers down the line.
08:12But also just building community around that same pain point that you're solving for.
08:17I think it's really important, especially as someone who is more so in the pre-launch phase while I don't
08:23have a product on the shelves yet.
08:25Something I do have is a community of people who get to own that experience with me and I can
08:31be much more thoughtful with what I'm bringing to market.
08:37For me, I would say that, you know, I'm product obsessed.
08:42Part of what Ethosync does is it marries sound and picture.
08:48And we support what you're seeing on the screens, whether it's through advertising, film, podcasts.
08:56Like, everything has a soundtrack.
08:58Everything is, has to serve the story.
09:01And so a lot of our relationships are built from this, pretty much this two-sided marketplace.
09:09Really understanding that is where the strategy comes in.
09:12And us being able to capture exactly what the filmmaker, exactly what the advertising campaign is trying to portray, I
09:21think is extremely important.
09:22Um, so I would say that a lot of what we do, um, the story has to, the music has
09:28to, has to, um, serve that purpose.
09:31Um, and it, and it has to tell the story in a very specific way.
09:35Um, so yeah.
09:38And I'll even answer that question, um, from a Carefree Magazine perspective.
09:42As a publisher, I think, of course, the story is extremely important.
09:47But one thing that I've noticed is being able to create a community of readers and writers through the publication
09:54has made the brand and the business even stronger.
09:59People know who they're interacting with when they do interact with Carefree Magazine.
10:03They know me, they know the editor, you know, they, we have a chat where all the writers talk to
10:08each other.
10:08And so then down the line, when we announce, you know, products like a book coming out or, um, an
10:15event, people are really excited to join because they know who's going to be there and, um, who they're going
10:21to get to interact with because of that community that we've built.
10:24So I think all of these things that we've been talking about are super important.
10:27And it's, you know, the product of course is important, but building up that community, being able to, you know,
10:33see who the brand owner is, knowing the purpose and the mission behind the business, I think is super important.
10:39So I agree with all of that.
10:41We have the same strategy at Carefree.
10:43So thank you.
10:46All right.
10:47So I think also one thing that's come up in our conversation, which is very specific to how black women
10:53build.
10:53And I know there's a lot of builders in this audience.
10:57Um, we don't just open a door for ourselves, but we prop it open to make sure everyone can come
11:04through.
11:05And so we bring along our communities when we do start these businesses.
11:10So like I was saying with Carefree Mag, the mission is to empower black women writers and make sure that
11:15they get paid.
11:16And Imani, you're doing that with your composer collective at Ethosync, Isata with hair braiders, Courtney with publishers, writers, authors,
11:24children.
11:25How do you guys think about building in a way that creates access for others?
11:29And does that actually make the business stronger?
11:33I can answer that first.
11:36So the core of our business, we don't exist without the content.
11:41And we don't exist without composers, you know, submitting music and writing for our productions.
11:51So a lot of what, um, goes into creating just a community around creativity and around supporting artists is being
12:01able to tap into what each of them do specifically.
12:06You know, um, every creator has, it's almost like a fingerprint, like we, it's, it's something that only they can
12:12do.
12:13And I think that that's what makes the pool very strong, um, in terms of growing the company, just realizing
12:20that, you know, the, the composers that we have, no one can duplicate what the, what the next one can
12:25do.
12:25And they each provide something very unique, which, um, I think speaks to a lot of, uh, what our buyers
12:31and our clients need from an authentic, um, perspective, so.
12:39Um, for me, I'll say two pieces to it.
12:43I think one is the ownership piece, being able to, we talked about community so much as building community around
12:50a product, um, is so important.
12:53And I think naturally it makes people feel like they own the product with you and you get that buy
12:58-in and validation early on that this is something that people want.
13:02So I think that's one piece because I think that also ultimately inspires people to think more about, you know,
13:09what their role is in the industry and how they can sort of disrupt the industry with their own experience
13:15of pain points and different problems that they're passionate about solving for.
13:19And then I would say the second piece is really just like that efficiency piece.
13:25A lot of our solutions are focused on, um, technology and bringing technology to the textured haircare styling experience that
13:34has been overlooked.
13:35Um, and I think bringing that efficiency is something, especially for stylists, for braiders, um, really unlocks a lot of
13:44time back that they get to do different things with their business.
13:47So for a braider, if I'm removing one or two hours from your routine, then maybe you can take an
13:53extra client or maybe you can use that time to do something that is supportive of moving your business forward.
14:00And so I think ultimately that also unlocks revenue opportunities, um, for the customer that you're building for.
14:08Yeah. And I'll just share two quick things. Uh, number one, I'm self published, which means that I don't have
14:12a big brand, uh, backing me or doing any of the things that I do.
14:16And it is very hard to get self published books into retail spaces, but I've been able to crack that
14:21code.
14:22And when people see my success, it allows them to be a little bit more lenient with other self published
14:27authors.
14:28The other thing is a shout out to essence fest. I've helped plenty of authors either become self published or
14:34accelerate their self publishing journey.
14:36So I met a lady in 2022, my first year at essence.
14:40She later did a consultation with me and is on her way to releasing her first book.
14:45There's another lady that emailed me and said, Hey Courtney, I met you at essence.
14:48The tips that you gave me allowed me to self publish.
14:50So I'm empowering, just like she said earlier, empowering and inspiring other people to do the same.
14:56Can we clap it up for that?
14:58Yeah. Thank you. That's beautiful.
15:01I think we're all, you know, when we start these businesses and ventures, I think in the moment, it feels
15:08like, okay, we're, we are starting this and as we build, you know, community kind of shows up.
15:14And we're all this puzzle piece in this larger puzzle that, you know, as one person snaps into place, it
15:22creates room for another person to snap into place right next to them.
15:26So I love that.
15:30I'm going to ask one more, one more question.
15:35Well, two more questions.
15:37What is the cost of not telling your story, not just for you, but the people who needed to hear
15:44it?
15:45And so, knowing what you know now, what would have been the cost if you didn't start your venture or
15:52start your business?
15:54You know, what would have been the, the con to not starting it for you personally?
16:01I think for me, I think there's just lost opportunity. It's lost dreams. It's dreams deferred. Like, you know, I
16:11had, again, you know, been in the industry for, since I was in before undergrad.
16:18And, and I think that one of the things that I struggled with is seeing a lot of talent and
16:25a lot of people that didn't really progress in their careers because they did, they lacked access to opportunity.
16:32And, and, and I know for a fact being on the business side that those, there's so many different stories
16:40and so many different productions, you know, currently going on that doesn't necessarily, that has exactly what that talent needed.
16:49So I, I just, I, I find that there, there has to be a better system in place to create
16:56and opportunities and access to people who, some may, may be great business leaders, may, may be great networkers, but
17:06not everyone is.
17:07So I think that having a place to kind of plug into and, and, and, and place and get your
17:14music heard and seen and distributed, I think is a, is a really powerful thing in terms of that.
17:20So.
17:20Absolutely.
17:20And you're, um, Imani, you're giving access to people globally.
17:25Yes.
17:26Not just in the U.S., but like communities that may not have had access otherwise to.
17:31Exactly.
17:31Connect their music with global audiences.
17:34So.
17:35Yeah.
17:35You know, we have, um, talent in the Caribbean.
17:38We have, um, a Latin American, uh, talent as well.
17:42And, you know, right now we're a bridge.
17:44A lot of the things, um, a lot of the productions are taking place, you know, basically in the U
17:49.S.
17:49Also internationally, that's been picking up, um, in the last, especially with the streaming wars that are going on right
17:55now.
17:55There's a lot of investment, um, in, in international, um, uh, productions.
18:00So, you know, we're, we're trying to tap in there, but also give people, um, access on an, on a
18:06global scale.
18:07Yeah.
18:08I'm going to speak for the both of us and say she nailed that one.
18:11Yeah.
18:11We're good.
18:11We're good.
18:12Yeah.
18:14Love it.
18:15All right.
18:16So we're going to go into a rapid fire question.
18:18I want everyone to respond.
18:20What is one creative revenue stream outside of the obvious that has actually worked for your business?
18:28Yeah.
18:28So I'll start off.
18:29Um, I actually have done multiple international speaking engagements.
18:32I've done, uh, four in Germany, three in Singapore, and one virtual visit in Columbia.
18:38So that's just opened up all kinds of possibilities.
18:40Now I've shown people that it's possible for them to do the same, but also my books had never been
18:45sold in Singapore.
18:46And so I physically went there and did three separate engagements.
18:49Uh, one with their national public library, one with the, uh, German European school, and one with Alliance Francaise, a
18:55French cultural institute.
18:57So it's not just English speaking people.
18:58It's people of all cultures and backgrounds that are now able to connect with me.
19:01And then I can use that as leverage as I move forward in my business.
19:06So look globally.
19:08Yes.
19:09Looking for new revenue streams.
19:10Yes, yes, yes.
19:11Go globally, guys.
19:12Yeah.
19:13Any other, I know Issa, you're still.
19:16You're still building your business.
19:17So do you have any ideas of like what you might want to try?
19:21Yeah, of course.
19:22I mean, I would say for me, like the way that I think about revenue right now, again, it's like
19:27going back to that community piece.
19:29Um, I like to play on the term cash is king.
19:32Like for me, like community is king because I don't have a community to back me saying that they want
19:38this product or that this is a pain point that is worth solving for.
19:42Then I don't have anything.
19:44Um, and so for me, I think that's the biggest thing is just like being able to build out that
19:49community that will ultimately trickle into my, who my customers are and what opportunities come out for revenue.
19:59Absolutely.
20:00Absolutely.
20:00Absolutely.
20:00So community going global.
20:03Do you have a final one for us, Imani?
20:06Yeah, I would say, you know, um, a lot of our strategy is based on our clients as well.
20:12Like they lead the way.
20:13Um, and you know, what was kind of surprising is that I never expected to be so heavily embedded in
20:20sports music.
20:21And, um, so we recently commissioned a five EP, um, Latin sports, um, uh, project that was literally created for
20:31the world cup and a lot of those activations and events.
20:35Um, and, um, and I think that I just got back from Cannes Lions last week and there was a
20:41heavy presence and need for, um, a lot of athletes were out there, a lot of sports activations.
20:47So I'm just seeing across many different brands, this, um, inclusion of sports and media and entertainment as being one
20:56thing.
20:56And actually a lot of the music that we're, we're creating right now is, has, it's pretty much in that
21:02lane.
21:03So I, I didn't expect that.
21:05So I would say looking outside of your niche.
21:08Definitely.
21:09Yeah.
21:09Yeah.
21:09Looking outside of your niche for other opportunities.
21:11Love these ideas, ladies.
21:13Well, thank you all so much for the conversation.
21:16I hope you guys enjoyed it and hopefully took some things away.
21:19Clap it up for our panel.
21:22This was from story to streams.
21:23I would love if you guys have anything you would like to share or plug or let the audience know
21:27this is the perfect time to do so.
21:30Yeah, I'll start.
21:31Uh, my face is right there so you can scan and cure our code.
21:34Um, I'm also going to be right next door at 3.30 doing an activation where we'll be diving into
21:39writing your own stories.
21:41You can also catch me in the we love us marketplace, the Courtney Kelly books.
21:45Uh, I'll be doing a story time reading in the new voices village tomorrow morning and back on this stage
21:50and Sunday afternoon.
21:52So, it's all on my Instagram at Courtney Kelly books.
21:56Yeah.
21:57For me, I would say you can find us on socials.
22:00Um, we're very present on there because as we said, telling our story is really important to the people who
22:05will ultimately be buying from us.
22:06So, um, I try to share the journey of, you know, how I'm building.
22:11I try to build with the community.
22:12I got their input on there.
22:14Um, get lots of perspective.
22:15So you can find us at Tresfecta on all platforms.
22:19Um, and I'll stick around for a couple of minutes if anybody wants to chat or anything.
22:23But yeah, thank you.
22:25Yeah.
22:26Um, if there are any, uh, filmmakers, uh, advertisers, creative agents in the house, um, please, I'd love to chat
22:33with you.
22:34Um, also, if there are any composers or artists who, um, are interested in Sync, um, you can, uh, reach
22:41out as well.
22:42Um, I'll leave an email address, info at ethosync.com.
22:47And, um, and I'm, I'm also available to chat as well.
22:51So, thank you for coming.
22:52I really appreciate it.
22:53Thank you all so much.
22:55I'm Anayo at Carefree Magazine.
22:56If you'd like to subscribe, you can head to carefree.substack.com.
23:00And thank you all so much for joining us and listening in.
23:04Have a great rest of your day.
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