We recently connected with Brigitte Andrade and have shared our conversation below.

Brigitte, appreciate you joining us today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

I found a unique and fun way to market tourism in the City of Miami Beach. I am celebrating the 25th anniversary of The Adventures of Bibi & Friends comic books. I collaborated with the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, the City of Miami Beach, local businesses, and brands to highlight our world-class destination through the creative blend of comics and reality.

The Adventures of Bibi & Friends is the story of a fictional character, Bibi, a PR, marketing, and branding specialist, with a vibrant social agenda. Her unique talent lies in incorporating her clients and their businesses into her aspirational fictional lifestyle. The illustrated books provide a look behind the scenes where you see the actual places and real citizens. The Adventures of Bibi & Friends comic books have turned out to be a living documented history of Miami Beach, from its blooming renaissance in the 1990’s through today. Marketing efforts through advertising and sponsorship generate revenue for local businesses and provide niche marketing by sharing information, humor, and education through real places and people. The individuals featured inspire and, as comic characters, actively participate in marketing to further expand the audience for the comic books.

This has led to many recognition’s including 4 proclamations, a Key to the City, a Championship Medal, and nominated for Tourism Professional of the Year 2023. Additionally, I was honored to receive the inaugural Black History Month Community Member Award from the City of Miami Beach and The Black Affairs Advisory Committee in recognition of my exceptional commitment and dedication to art and culture in the City of Miami Beach and the world. As a small black businesswoman owner, I feel incredibly humbled and honored. I like to remind people that what may appear as overnight success, often can take many years of hard work and dedication.

Brigitte, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a multifaceted publisher, artist, writer, and fashion enthusiast, who graduated from New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology. I began my career as the Managing Director of Beauty Bookings in New York City, where I oversaw talented artists at the first and largest Makeup, Hair & Photography agency in the country. My experience spans the advertising and fashion industries, which led to roles in branding, marketing, and publicity for various clients. For much of my career, I operated behind the scenes, helping others achieve success. My ability to think quickly and adapt to real-time changes has been one of my greatest strengths. Eventually, I relocated to Miami Beach, where I discovered my true artistic talents. Although I had previously created campaigns, I had never produced the artwork myself. While advertising and marketing with comics have existed for years, I discovered an innovative way to engage local citizens and businesses, making them integral to the narrative with great success. I attentively observe my clients’ businesses and analyze tourism trends related to this vibrant city.

As a former agent, I like helping other artists succeed and to be involved in the community of Miami Beach. That includes serving as a current board member of the Miami Beach Arts Trust, current Vice-Chair of the Black Affairs Advisory Committee, and former member and now friend of the Miami Beach Sister Cities committee. I created the website Art December Miami for local artists and art events in the community providing free marketing and branding for the past 16 years, all as part of my support to the art community during Art Basel and year round. My personal & comic Art has now appeared in over 21 art shows around the world, including Paris, Monaco, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Milan, New York City, Los Angeles and Miami. I created a booklet and artworks of Muhammad Ali & The Legendary Soul Man Sam Moore for the 60th anniversary celebration of Muhammad Ali’s (aka Cassius Clay) historic heavyweight title victory fight vs Sonny Liston on Washington Avenue Miami Beach and produced by Troy Wright for Washington Avenue BID, which ran from February-August 2024. I curated a fantastic sports art mapping exhibition for the annual Washington DC’s Miami Take Over and the Art of Go Go at the Miami Beach Bandshell in July 2024, while also launching a new sports site called Bibi Sports Adventures to focus on our upcoming sporting events, including the World Cup. But what I am most proud of is that I now have 20 books published and this year, the 2 books I just completed are very different from anything I have previously done. I completed my first children’s book, a Ukrainian comic book of hope called T-Superheroes that I created with my Ukrainian summer high school intern Myroslava Koliadenko. The book is in both English and Ukrainian. I also just published an illustrated history book for my 155-year-old high school Saint Vincent Academy in Newark, NJ which is attached to a scholarship we created for the school to help subsidize student tuition’s. And this January 18-20th, 2025, Bibi Art Media and Expo Metro have teamed up with Art Deco Weekend & The Miami Design Preservation League in Miami Beach on Ocean Drive for the 14th edition and 3rd Art Train interactive art exhibition celebrating 100 years of Art Deco, Martin Luther King Day, and the Presidential Inauguration. We invite all artists participate in this international art show by visiting https://expometro.co/en

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I have set several new goals, with the next major one being the launch of a 24-hour live ART streaming channel named Art Display TV, scheduled for 2025. This will be one of the most significant projects I’ve undertaken. I also aspire to finally monetize my YouTube channel, something I’ve been eager to do for a while, and I could really use the support of Canvas Rebel readers, as I’m on a mission to grow my audience. If you could subscribe to www.youtube.com/@bibiadventures and share it with your friends, I would be incredibly grateful, as exciting new content is on the way. Additionally, I’ve developed a new line of creative merchandise that includes custom products for my fans and followers. I invite you to support my journey by visiting www.theadventuresofbibiandfriends.com to join the adventure or pick up some fun merchandise! My goal is to enjoy my work, excel at it, and live well from my efforts!

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

There are many countless experiences to draw from, and I wouldn’t even know where to begin. My entire life journey has revolved around resilience persistence and never giving up. It’s important to understand the distinction between letting go and giving up. I’ve learned to never allow others to dictate who I am or what path I should follow. I also never accepted “no” as a final answer… haha! For me, “no” simply meant I would return with a new strategy. If they wouldn’t let me in through the front door, I would find a way in through the back, and if that failed, I would seek out an open window — and yes, it worked! It’s it called time and timing!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.theadventuresofbibiandfriends.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bibiadventures
• Facebook: The Adventures of Bibi & Friends
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bibi007
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@bibiadventures

Image Credits

Miami Herald Article: Photographer Carl Juste
Take Care of Our City Campaign: Photographer of Brigitte Photo, Leesa Richards