We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shaquille Bell a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Shaquille, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. f you needed to find a key partner or facility – how did you find them, what was the process of striking a deal like and what would you do differently knowing what you know now?

We conceived the idea of doing a Juneteenth event in the Summer 2022. In hopes of not ending up like Fyre Fest, we started planning for Juneteenth 2023. After months at the drawing board, we discovered a grant opportunity via the Portland Office of Events and Film early 2023, and knew it was time to get moving. With just a two person team, we knew we had our work cut out for us.

After submitting our application, we patiently waited for the decision to be made. In the coming weeks, we started doubting our ability to make it happen and were worried that we had bitten off more than we could chew. The vision for our event was an all ages, free community event for the whole family, complete with a concert, a variety of local BIPOC vendors, a kids corner, food, and a fully stocked bar. Our goal was to bring the community together in celebration of freedom and unity. How were the two of us going to make this happen, with limited experience in event planning or coordination?

We were honored that the Portland Office of Events and Film saw our vision and potential, and believed in us enough to award us a grant. This really empowered us to push through all obstacles and bring our dream to life. They were one of our biggest advocates throughout the whole process, from support with licenses and insurance, to allowing us to network with people we otherwise would not have met, to publicity and marketing.

An important aspect of planning our Juneteenth Cookout was finding a venue that would fit our needs. After a couple of unsuccessful inquiries with a few different venues, we found Ecotrust’s Redd, a venue big and flexible enough to house our vision, and reasonable enough to fit our projected costs. Our contact at Ecotrust, Rachel Stolfe, was a saving grace in terms of helping us get things in order. Not only was she there for mental support, she provided us with checklists and timelines for licenses, blueprints, and so much more. It really felt like we added another person to our small team.

Although we were grateful to be awarded the grant, we knew that in order to accomplish all of what we had set out to do, we would need to secure additional funding. By the time we were moving on all of this, most of the organizations we reached out to had deadlines that had already passed, or required 501(c)(3) status. We didn’t let this set us back though. This was just a lesson learned for next year. Despite the fact that we could not secure additional financial support, we were able to secure in-kind sponsorship from Red Bull, local distilleries like AIMSIR Distilling Co. and Freeland Spirits, and local brands, Soufflé, the Barreled Bee, Stackin Kickz, Food for Thought, and Kinfolkz Ent.

Scouting and securing local BIPOC owned businesses was integral for making our event a success. To do so, we went to many local markets and events to recruit vendors and spread the word. We had created an informational flier for vendors, and used these to spread the news via word of mouth. We met a lot of great members of the community this way. Even if they were already booked, they were excited to hear about it, and possibly join us next year.

Social media proved to be a very useful tool throughout the entire process, from vendor procurement, to advertising to the public. We heavily explored Instagram hashtags for local Portland businesses and talent, and reached out to gauge interest.

Using these methods, as well as reaching out to our existing networks, we were able to round up an outstanding team of artists, sound team (shoutout Friends of Noise), bartenders, volunteers, as well as an incredible DJ and host.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Shaquille Bell, and I am the owner and CEO of BNO Entertainment. I am also a recording artist by the name of Swiss Micheals.

I opened BNO Entertainment with the help of my partner in 2020, initially launching it as a record label to distribute my own music. After doing so, I had visions of taking it to a new level. Not only did we want to develop a department for music recording, production, publishing and distribution, we also wanted to get into photography and videography, as well as event planning and coordination. Thus, our venture into the realm of entertainment began.

One of our goals is to help bring other artists up. This can involve multiple layers, depending on where the artist is currently at. From my individual work as an artist, I’ve built a tight network of producers, DJs, and local artists, and creatives, and was familiar with publishing and distribution. If I could do it for myself, I’d be comfortable helping another artist get there as well. I was my own guinea pig, so to speak.

Through networking, we started collaborating with a local mentor that specialized in event promotion, videography, and photography. I would bring on help for our photography division, while I was hands on with videography and post-production. We really started to network and get to know local creatives and artists this way.

All of this led the way to our final specialty, event planning and coordination. We had the idea of planning a free community Juneteenth event, and incorporating all of the areas that we specialize in. Not only would it allow us to do what we’re already good at, but it was a great opportunity for us to bring in the community and allow us to move towards our larger and more meaningful goal of unifying the community.

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

For the team over at BNO Entertainment, our goal is simple. We wish to bring high quality and safe entertainment in a time where the whole community is a bit shaken and divided. We dream of bringing up artists and local entertainment, and giving them a proper platform to be seen and heard in the pacific northwest.

Our mission however, is much greater and more significant than that. We hope to be a pillar for our community. As minorities ourselves, we wish to help and give back to underrepresented, underserved, and overlooked communities. We think it’s important to create a safe space for these individuals to flourish. Many times, people in these communities are silenced. Their voices, stories, struggles, hardships, are not heard. We are in the early stages of creating a platform that will allow us to help the community on a grander and larger scale.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being an entrepreneur in the creative space is having the freedom to forge my own path. If I’m feeling creative on a Saturday, I can write something, or freestyle to a beat and use it as inspiration for a song later on. If I’m feeling operational, I can sit down with my operations manager and plan the next month of goals and to-do’s. This type of freedom is what lights the entrepreneurial fire, and motivates me to keep going. To keep checking those boxes off, accomplish the next goal, cross t’s and dot i’s, so to say.

More than just the reward of freedom, it allows me to feed the soul and express my own views whenever I’m feeling silenced. Whenever I feel the pressures of life, when I feel like I’m drowning with no one around, music and writing allow me to express myself. Being able to record it and share my story with others is just a bonus.

The last thing I want to mention is that I do what I do in hopes of creating change and creating a difference in a community that is typically extremely toxic. You hear a lot of artists nowadays only talking about violence, guns, cars, girls, etc. Very rarely do you hear anyone talking about how they’re going to help their community. Nipsey Hussle was a prime example of the type of artist I want to become. He used his influence for good and encouraged people to “buy back the block”. That’s the type of artist I want to be. Many people do this to be famous, but I don’t even want to be that. I just want to be a leader in my community, and to help and teach others how to do better for themselves and for each other.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bnoentertainment.com/
• Instagram: @bnoentertainment
• Facebook: BNO Entertainment @ https://www.facebook.com/BNORecords/
• Other: Contact us via email: [email protected] https://linktr.ee/bnoentertainment

Image Credits
BNO Entertainment