We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Anthony Drakeford a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Anthony thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?
The birth of Black Billionaires Collection: The Black Billionaires Collection came into fruition in 2020 when Covid-19 hit. I knew I wanted to do something different. With everyone becoming more isolated and less social, I wanted to create a brand that did the opposite. I started the brand with 100 T-shirts, 1 design in two colors( black and white). Then I conceptualized a free event in NYC called the ‘Pop Up Picnic’. It was free for everyone to attend and featured a live DJ, live art and vendors. I never promoted the brand on social media at that time, I only would wear the shirts during the event and by the 4th event, all of the shirts had been sold out. The people loved the reaction and feedback they would receive from the public while wearing the shirts and came back each week to buy more for friends and family, or to get the other colors.
Over the next few months, I began to release more T-shirts along with sweatsuits, sweatshirts and in 2023 we’re excited to have expanded our brand into home decor, home art and pet accessories.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
About The CEO/Founder: I started my career as an intern on music video sets, which opened the door for me to get into the Fashion & Entertainment business. My first internship came about during the weekend after I graduated from junior high school, and I never looked back from that day on.
Anthony Drakeford Jr., also known as “Ant Lava,” is a seasoned music industry professional with a diverse background in marketing, promotions, and film production. He has been involved in several high-profile projects in the recording industry over the past two decades, and his work has greatly contributed to the success of several platinum-selling artists and record labels.
Anthony began his career in music marketing and promotions, working for companies such as Frontline Marketing, where he was responsible for street promotional campaigns for well-known brands such as Nike and Universal Music Group. In 1998, he became the National Director of College Radio and Street Promotions for Undeas/Untertainment Records, where he led the label in promoting platinum-selling artists such as Lil Kim and Cam’Ron.
In 2000, Anthony joined Sony Music as Assistant Director of Urban Promotions, and in 2002, he was appointed as the Director of Brand Promotions for all Roc brands, including Roc-A-Fella Records, Rocawear, Diplomat Records, Dash Films, Armadale Vodka and America Magazine. In this role, he was responsible for creating and distributing global promotional media and cross-marketing brands for radio and street promotions. He was instrumental in marketing platinum-selling artists such as Jay-Z, Cam’Ron and Kanye West and exposing The Roc Brands in new markets.
As a film and video producer, Anthony has worked alongside renowned directors such as Hype Williams and Benny Boom, and has produced several high-profile videos for artists like Mariah Carey, Missy Elliott and Swizz Beatz. He is highly sought after in the fashion and entertainment industries for his creative vision and leadership skills.
In 2007, Anthony founded More Famous Media, a marketing, management, and film production firm, where he currently serves as Chief Visionary Officer and lead brand consultant for several musicians, fashion brands, and celebrity personalities.
In 2020, he founded the Black Billionaires Collection, with the mission to inspire and motivate the world through its contagious lifestyle and fashion.
Anthony is a valuable asset to his community, the entertainment industry, and fashion industries. He is a gifted mentor and team player who effectively connects his professional experience with the ever-changing culture, making him an exceptional leader who can create and spearhead high-performance teams.
I think the biggest misunderstanding of Black Billionaires Collection is that people think the brand is only for black people, but it’s a brand for everyone. If you support black wealth and uplifting minorities, and people around, then this brand is for you.
What makes Black Billionaires Collection stand out from other brands is that we are simple in style, but bold in our message. We will always stand on the side of the people. I’m excited to create more home decor and expand into the NFT space later in 2023.
What makes me most proud is to hear my customers’ feedback. I love to hear stories about how they had a meaningful conversation with someone they never met before and it all started over a piece of BBC clothing; and I don’t see that happening from a lot of other brands on the market.
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
Constantly creating new content is a major key to growing your brand. I started with simple pictures on social media to now, producing mini videos that can live across all social platforms and show the lifestyle rather than just one pic.
Any advice for managing a team?
Communication is the key to any relationship, allowing your team to express how they feel, and also, explaining the full plan so that everyone on the team knows their role and who they can go to for support.
Contact Info:
- Website: wearblack.onuniverse.com
- Instagram: @blackbillionairescollection @antlavanyc
- Twitter: @antlavanyc
Image Credits
@_SparkShots-photos with pillows @TheRealMarBlogs-photo with black jacket @ThisIsChunk2- lil girl in pink @mybless- singer/song writer-pink hoodie with pillows