The Connection
Being from the Philadelphia area I caught myself listening to “Soulful Sunday” WRNB 100.3 less than a week ago. While listening to the station I heard bits and pieces of what sound like an amazing experience. Of course I heard the most important parts such as the name of the company some of the owners etc. Taking notes and driving had my information all over the place. Fortunately for me I did a little social media stalking and found all the pertinent information that I needed. Still I wanted to know more about this company that offered a great music experience of wheels! I did a little more digging and finally I had made The Connection and I was introduced to This Is Dope! via social media.
Honestly, I wasn’t expecting anyone to get back to me so quickly because I saw that This Is Dope (TDI) had the Essence Music Festival coming up. To my surprise less than a few hours later I received an email from Ms. Wendy Robinson. Extremely pleasant I was in shock/awe and she was willing to help me get this write-up completed!
Who is This Is Dope!
This is Dope! is a team comprised of former music executives, each with over 20-years of experience, with extensive relationships and expertise in marketing, publicity, event planning, brand-marketing, social media management, sales, college marketing, and festival activations.
Wendy Washington: has managed several PR, marketing, sales and digital/social media departments. She was the SVP of PR for Universal, Motown and EVP Jive Records publicity departments, and was the head of marketing and operations for Sony Music’s start up label, RED Associated labels. She oversaw television performances and productions for such artists as Britney Spears Pink, Chris Brown, Stevie Wonder, Erykah Badu and more. Through the course of her career, she’s overseen the PR (entertainment and corporate), marketing, social media strategy, sales, distribution and digital marketing departments. Wendy is a Managing Director of This is Dope!, and handles businesses development, marketing and operations.
Shirronda Sweet: A highly regarded PR expert who entered the business as a publicity assistant at Interscope Records working with such acts as BlackStreet, Gwen Stefani, No Doubt and Death Row Records’ artists, and became a senior PR executive for several labels within the Universal Music Group, overseeing national and regional digital, print and TV campaigns for top-selling artists such as Lil Wayne, Erykah Badu, Akon, Amy Winehouse and more. Five years ago, she launched her own successful PR firm working with The Recording Academy and various labels for music’s biggest award – The Grammy! Shirronda is a Managing Director of This is Dope!, oversees agency services and also contributes to business development and brand management.
Anthony Ellis: Over the course of his career Anthony has held several senior level sales/marketing VP positions at top major labels groups including Sony Music, Universal and Interscope. He rose through the ranks first as a college rep for Sony Music and oversaw and overhauled college rep departments, managing up to 50 students at a time. He has extensive sales marketing experience and relationships, working closely with such artists as Eminem, Beyoncé, Michael Jackson, Miles Davis and more on the execution of the sales strategies for their launches. Anthony has produced and coordinated festival events and logistics for artists, conferences, appearances, performances and parties in his capacity as a sales executive. He also has insights into retail operations. Anthony is a Managing Director of This is Dope! and spearheads retail, brand partnerships and logistics.
Other Key Staff Members: Ambassadors, Drivers, Social Media Team and Admin Support. We take pride in helping younger people develop skill sets (PR, marketing, co-ordinators) and providing interim work for some who have been displaced (i.e. drivers).
Meet This Is Dope! (the interview below)
How did “This Is Dope” come about? Was there any inspiration behind the idea? What year did the company began?
1. We observed how marketers build platforms and activations around mainstream, mostly music festivals and noticed that there was not the same engagement targeting varying segments of the African-American demographic. So we viewed it as an opportunity to fill the void.
2. I was at a music festival and noticed a mobile billboard promoting an artist and thought “that looks great, but there should be a call to action, point of sale or promo activity going on around the truck that would be more impactful.”
3. We want to super-serve the African-American consumer 16-55. This is important because we feel like the AA consumer 45+ is not usually appreciated or super-served.
For 2 Chainz, his team created a “trap truck” complete with a stove, parquet floor, black couch and the interior walls were decorated with graffiti-like “pretty girls like trap music” stickers. There was a silent party with 3 channels playing music fro 2 Chainz Spotify playlist and fans could tag a wall next to 2 Chainz signature. We also connected Chainz with TURBOVOTE and they created a customized URL (prettygirlsliketovote) to encourage people to register to vote. We also had a selfie booth where folks could get physical print outs of images they posted.
Building From the Ground Up
This Is Dope has hit the ground running! As stated in the interview the company started last year! As a Grassroots company they are building from the ground up and TID is constantly making moves. Starting with one truck they are now onto their second truck that will help them expand their business. Although they have dealt with big name brands, TID will work with regional/local businesses. I say this to say never sell yourself short! In such a short time TID has made major moves. The company is an inspiration for anyone willing to step out on faith and use the right resources. TID has put their money where their mouth is! The visionary owners were able to create a service in the music/festival industry. Their service they created bridges a gap that put consumers/fans back in touch with music/ festival activities.
If you come across This Is Dope! participate, engage and enjoy! You will not be disappointed! If your interested in this industry and this company peeks your interest REACH OUT! TID is willing to help their workers develop their skills and put it to use with the company.
TO CATCH UP WITH THIS IS DOPE! AT THE ESSENCE MUSIC FESTIVAL CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW:
Final CERTIFIED THREADSHOP press release
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