We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful DaVeon Smith. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with DaVeon below.
DaVeon, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
My mission is to connect Young Black San Antonio, one event at a time. As a transplant, moving to the city in 2015; I found it hard to know about events catered to Young Black Professionals in San Antonio since San Antonio is such a spread-out city. I eventually joined a GroupMe with other young black professionals where we built community through game nights, pool parties, community service opportunities and the discussion of current events. However, due to the pandemic, communication eventually became stale in the chat. So, I created a new chat and the Young Black San Antonio Instagram page. On the Instagram page, I started by reposting black centered events and nightlife in San Antonio.; very similar to what I saw in other cities like Austin & Dallas. Eventually, I started to craft my own happy hour series where we rotate at different venues, once or twice each month.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is DaVeon Smith, I am originally from Los Angeles, CA; currently residing in San Antonio. By trade, I work in the financial services/investment management industry and DJ at a few places in town. Aside from that, I am pursuing my Masters of Science in Finance at UTSA and am a proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
Yes, it is my hope to facilitate genuine interactions and connections among Young Black San Antonio. I want the Instagram page to be a place to see what events are going on in San Antonio. Whether it be a concert, a community meeting, or nightlife events going on; I try my hardest to repost the event to the Instagram page.
As someone who has lived and visited in different parts of the country, I noticed a gap in San Antonio. I knew that as the 7th largest city in the nation and despite the 7% black population, there were enough of us around to connect. Especially after the pandemic, I figured that there’s no way that a population of Young Black San Antonians did not want to connect with each other. Moreover, I saw a lack of the happy hour culture that I saw when I visited other cities on the east coast. This is how the idea of having monthly or bi-monthly happy hours came about. So far, we have held happy hours at Weathered Soul Brewery, Bentley’s Broadway, Amore Café, Chicken & Pickle, The Moon’s Daughters, George’s Keep, Cherrity Bar, and Box 903. In 2023, I am hoping to add more venues to this growing list.
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
My most effective strategy has been supporting others. As I repost other events in the city that aren’t thrown or hosted by me; my audience is growing. As well, staying consistent has been a big key for me. I try to post to my instagram page’s story everyday; so that folks can expect the page to be a constant source of information. I’ve also grown my following through word of mouth and direct contact.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @youngblacksanantonio