Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ezra Jones. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Ezra, appreciate you joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

Ezra took the unconventional route when it came to learning the business. A vast majority of his experience was a combination of drawing from his previous history and skillset in the retail industry. Knowing what he knows now he could have sped up the learning process by building a team sooner, engaging in more selective collaborations and learning about the importance of implementing referrals and reviews early on, says Jones. He believes his most essential skills to be faith, creativity, openness, leadership and organization. The obstacles that stood in the way of learning more for Jones included: access to mentors, limitations on travel and limited capital.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

theFstate Tagline ? “Individual CREATIVES collectively a STATE of mind.”

What theFstate Does? We use strategic communication and Public Relations to develop Artists and Brands to inspire LOVE, Human Value, ACCEPTANCE and Social change. We DEVELOP, REPRESENT, and MANAGE the careers of Black male models BIPOC – Fashion Photographers, Wardrobe Stylists and Creative Directors; the millennial and next generation FASHION and ART icons.

For Brands? We develop projects from concept to execution. “Transforming the diverse color of image into profit.”

CONSULTING + BRANDING + PUBLIC RELATIONS

CREATIVE DIRECTION – brand development ideas made reality in the form of Logos, Advertising Campaigns, Marketing Materials, Events, Press and Strategy – how your concept affects your target audience and changes the perception of your brand. We oversee and guide all the pieces to create a consistent image while maintaining the company’s bottom line.

About theFstate? The first and only FIVE STAR RATED BLACK OWNED AGENCY with a specific interest in representing BLACK MALE MODELS in a women’s dominated industry. An agency with an emphasis on highlighting, supporting and increasing the faces and infrastructure of BIPOC (black and indigenous people of color) including behind the lens on production teams.

“theFstate” is home to Model Citizens and Artist Crusaders that build and protect HUMANITY. Branding LOVE.STYLE. CULTURE and connecting people in creative spaces. A Creative Mother Agency specializing in Fashion PR.

theFstate Clients and Publications? Our work has been featured in national and international publications such as OBIVOUS, Krave, Glamour, Vanity Teen, Vogue Italia, Vogue Runway, Lucy’s, Boyfriend, Horizont, Picton, Mob Journal, Vertiqle, Opium Red, Mordant, Twisted Male Mag, Selin, Shuba, Marika, Astound, Avante, Elegant,Volant, Intra Magazine, Feroce, Only Monday, Know, RoidX and many others. Our models have walked the runways of PROJECT RUNWAY, NEW YORK FASHION WEEK, LA FASHION WEEK and others.

The Chief Executive Officer with over 20 years of experience in the fashion industry, Ezra Jones is a former freelance and signed model, a multi-published national and international photographer as well as a Creative Director. Jones also hails as the Editor-in-Chief of “theFstate Magazine” (www.thefstatemag.com) and is also a standing member of For(bes) the Culture. His work includes online features in Vanity Teen. He has organized cover shoots with notables such as Dana Isaiah Thomas – husband to famed American Idol celeb Jordin Sparks, RIAA Certified Platinum Austin Sexton, Actor Norman Towns from HBO’s Emmy Award Winning hit show Insecure produced by Issa Rae and Los Angeles based Music Artist Tyler Jacob

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Some of the most rewarding aspects of being a creative artist are freedom and impact. The ability to rise daily to do that which you love is rewarded with value. Value is far beyond a dollar amount although the dollar amount doesn’t hurt. The value is the difference that we make in the lives of people. It is the value that we impart as we assist in building and seeing the growth of character. In this industry you can literally see someone grow from the escape of the awkward odd ball to owning their superpower. You can see a new face model transform into a model superstar with investment, development, guidance, time and dedication. You can see the imprint of change on brands, small businesses, large businesses and the alike.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I think there are a multitude of factors that helped build our reputation in the marketplace. Among the most important are our values: love, style and culture. We as an agency remain true to those today. Some other key indicators include strong selective collaborations, quality work, consistency and client reviews. A few mantras are “the right people, at the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing”, “Treat others how you want to be treated” and lastly “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”(Dr. Maya Angelou)

Always choose quality over quantity because excellence will always make a lasting first impression.

Contact Info:

• Website: thefstate.com
  
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/thefstate
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thefstatec
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/ezra-jones-44423b11/
• Twitter: www.twitter/thefstatec
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeD2VowfqIPKwdpAcFj-1Og
• Other: thefstatemag.com  ezrathecreator.com

Image Credits
Ezra Jones Desmond Fletcher Tre Love Rosella Joseph Aisya Washington Gauldan Ward Corey Kennedy-Robinson Natha Pasha Kayla Johnson Shaun Covington Lewis Beilharz Norman Towns David Anthony Estelle Aporongao Austin Thach Slim Goodwin Austin Sexton Suria Ross Valentino Loyola