We recently connected with Antuan Wright and have shared our conversation below.
Antuan, appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
My mission is to create a platform and a space for Black entrepreneurs and professionals of all fields. We are the culture and contribute much more than rap or twerking. We are dentists, accountants, politicians, film directors, fashion designers, and that list could go on and on. We drive the culture of the world and set the trends for the world to follow.
So at Apex Coture Magazine, we do not wait for a society that constantly exploits and benefits from our contributions to validate us. We validate ourselves and do not seek the approval of the dominant society. We’re telling our own stories from the root of where they begin to the pinnacle of our careers.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I was born in Jesup, GA, and raised in Orlando, FL. Throughout the 90s and 2000s, I was a recording artist that put out several albums through record labels, M2k Records, Overdose Ent., Madface Records and So What Records. In 2004, while part of a three-man hip hop trio “The Hurricane Mob”, I went on the Rock the Vote tour with David Banner, Fiend, and other celebrity artists sponsored by Sean “Diddy” Combs.
In 2013 I was brought on to be the liaison for Apex Coture Magazine which started in Syracuse New York. A set of circumstances would have me take over as Editor in Chief of the publication. Nine years and counting building the platform and learning to exercise my newfound journalistic capabilities afforded me many great opportunities.
In December of 2021, I was brought on as campaign manager joining the Melissa S. Myers Passion team on the campaign trail. This was a pivotal shift for me and my publication improving my skillsets in communications, data analysis, marketing, and grassroots organizing among many others.
2022 was a highly successful year for Antuan Wright as Editor In Chief after being nominated for two major awards. I won the 19th Annual Southern Entertainment Award for “Publication Of The Year” in May. I followed that up with an Indie Music Award (IMA22) for “Magazine Of The Year” in September. Both awards beat out all publications in the southeastern market.
At Apex Coture, we provide a platform for Black entrepreneurs and professionals to have a space where they can market their brands and be who they truly are without having to pervert themselves or be exploited by the dominant society. All too often we have to over-sexualize ourselves or basically become a minstrel show to gain any recognition for our talents or skillsets. That’s the problem we’re here to solve for our clients and subscribers.
We work with all groups of people but our main focus is Black professionals in WHATEVER field they work in. We have a specific history that requires a specific strategy for marketing that other groups either cannot or will not provide without it being to our detriment in the long run.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
I built my following on social media by staying consistent in posting my business. I stopped posting any personal status updates. The only thing I post is my links, flyers, videos, etc associated with my magazine. Nothing else. When people scroll down my timeline, this is all they see.
I also stopped being concerned about getting likes, comments, and shares as I learned through experience that people see what you’re posting, they just tend to respond to personal things like jokes, drama, and things that evoke emotions.
Over time with consistency, they’ll grow to respect what you’re doing without bias because you’re not attaching your personal beliefs or any gimmicks to your work. You will then be recognized for your work and your work only and this will pay off greatly.
I use this strategy to this day.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
In 2019 I was admitted to the hospital with severe acute pancreatitis. This was a six-month hospital stay, seven emergency abdominal surgeries, and other procedures that had me at the point of death at least four times. After three months of the surgeries, I was sent to a rehab facility where I had to relearn how to walk, eat and even talk.
Once I was released from there I had to stay home to heal and wait for my last surgery which would be my reconstruction surgery to finally close my abdomen. During this time I was getting wound care treatment and rehab from nurses who did home visits. Of course, this was a traumatic time for me.
Through all of this, I never gave up on my mission with my publication and continued where I left off wherever that was because I couldn’t remember. I basically started anew not allowing the tragic incident that nearly cost me my life to deter me away from what I had set out to accomplish. This was something that paid off greatly for my brand.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.apexcoturemag.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apexcoturemag/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ApexCotureMag/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/antuandwright/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ACMpub
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ8kF8FY3KHztRzNCD8f8mA
Image Credits
Apex Coture Magazine