Imani Ellis spent years looking for a space in New York City to serve as a cultural and networking hub for Black professionals and creatives of color like herself. She attended small-scale events, considering the many ways she would do it differently and better. She recalled a famous quote by President Barack Obama: We are the ones we've been waiting for. And it hit her. Maybe I had to be the one to create what I was looking for.
Cue CultureCon, a leading cultural destination for-and by-diverse creatives and young professionals. Imani's original idea was a bimonthly gathering of 10 friends and friends of friends in her apartment eating tacos. Over time and with the help of many collaborators, the idea grew into the experience boasting 3,000+ attendees that it is today. I'm always so in awe that these brave spaces resonate with the larger community, Imani told For the Record.
This year, CultureCon New York has expanded into a full weekend conference with a block party and a career fair. As Imani put it, It's a year of a lot of firsts -including a collaboration with Spotify. We are the streaming home for the official CultureCon playlist, and this weekend we will host an interactive Hear Me Out audio booth at Activation Alley. We'll also run CultureCon's first-ever live Talk That Talk podcast pitch contest cohosted by Lovers & Friends podcast host Shan Boodram.
Ahead of the convention this weekend, For the Record talked to both Imani and Shan about collaborations, communication, and culture.
First up, Imani Ellis.
What are some notable moments that have come out of past CultureCons? One of the biggest collaborations that I'm proud of happens within our team. We are a group of about 25 individuals, and everyone's a unicorn with a unique perspective. The gumbo that is CultureCon is such a collaborative effort. I think it's a space where we can disagree on things and wildly agree on other things. And what comes out of that collaboration is culture. And so I like to say that CultureCon is kind of like a love story to our community.
Another story that I'm proud of is Mark Clennon-an incredible photographer and a dear friend. He was our first-ever portrait photographer and shoots our talent every year. He's gone on to shoot the cover of TIME magazine and incredible projects like that. CultureCon is growing, his star is growing. It's really inspiring to be able to grow our community and see it evolve over time.
Why is it especially important to provide networking opportunities for Black entrepreneurs and creators? Access and equity is so crucial. We don't know what we don't know. I have a background in publicity, but I didn't know I could be a publicist until I met a publicist. There's so many resources that we are providing within the ecosystem that we're creating a CultureCon. For example, students get to attend CultureCon for free and experience many different opportunities before they even leave college and begin their career journey.
And I think at a bare minimum, we all deserve a space where we can truly be our whole self. There's a level of holding your breath as a Black person in America, that is just a part of the experience, whether you're navigating different corporate roles or just navigating the world. It's so important to come into a space and know that it was built for you-that we're not just asking you to fit into a box-there's a relief that washes over you when a space has been built with you in mind. We want to provide relief.
How do you stay on top of culture and trends? What podcasts, shows, audiobooks, or publications do you follow? I'm a New York Times girl. I come from a publicity background, so I have a lot of diverse streams of content. I also read The Shade Room and watch and listen to NowThis; I love snackable pieces of information. How I Built This is another personal favorite. My group chat keeps me super current and serves as my newsroom. So if I'm missing something, and let's be honest, my goodness, the cycle never ends, the group chat keeps me on my toes.
Everyone should watch the first two seasons of The Bear. I cried like a baby. My sister is a chef and I felt it on a molecular level. It's incredible story writing and fantastic watching. Currently, I'm reading Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin and I'm about halfway through. I also love We Can Do Hard Things, Glennon Doyle's podcast, and Oprah's Super Soul Sunday. When it comes to audiobooks, I'm looking forward to listening to Atomic Habits by James Clear and More Than Enough by Elaine Welteroth.
Spotify is honored to host the official CultureCon playlist. What do you want to see on that playlist? I definitely want to see some SZA, Usher, Burna Boy, Fred Hammond, and Kendrick Lamar. I wanna see Ice Spice. A little bit of Cardi B and some Offset. And Outkast. (I'm from Atlanta, so we absolutely need to sprinkle something from the South in there.) We just want to have people really excited, high energy. It's a celebration after all!
How does Spotify align to the CultureCon mission? What are you most looking forward to in our partnership? I love any partnership that incorporates something that I'm already utilizing in my life. So when I think about our partnership with Spotify and I think about how important music is to culture, it feels natural and seamless to amplify Spotify's platform and amplify how important music is to our culture. Together we're working on the incredible podcast pitch program. The DMs have been crazy, our audience is so excited. It's such a testament to Spotify's dedication to creatives and creators to do this contest and I'm really excited to see what comes out of it!
Talk That Talk This year at Cult
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Zero in on one that says yes (and no)
Andy Marken May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Hero image courtesy of Deposit Photos
For content creators the most difficu...
29/05/2026
With InfoComm 2026 just weeks away, NDI is giving attendees plenty of reasons to...
29/05/2026
Reaffirming a partnership that has defined Canadian sports broadcasting since 19...
29/05/2026
Mobile/tablet is No. 2 device for watching TV, suggesting that the sports-production industry needs to take another look at the format
Ring Digital's Sprin...
29/05/2026
Berliner Ensemble, one of Berlin's five major theater companies, has expande...
29/05/2026
Solid State Logic will showcase its new compact, fly-away TCA Tour audio product...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, passed away last month on April 12 ...
29/05/2026
Paramount+ will be the English-language U.S. home for Barclays Women's Super...
29/05/2026
Further strengthening its virtualisation strategy to fully support broadcasters ...
29/05/2026
Swiss broadcaster Canal Alpha has deployed Harmonic's award-winning, software-based XOS Advanced Media Processor to modernize playout operations across cant...
29/05/2026
PTZOptics will showcase a new generation of intelligent video workflows at InfoComm 2026, June 17-19, Las Vegas. Visitors to booth N8227 will see how PTZOptics ...
29/05/2026
Arizona's Family has launched the Arizona's Family Sports (AZFS) streaming app, a new direct-to-consumer destination for live, local sports. The app is ...
29/05/2026
Starting in 2027, DAZN will be the exclusive home of The Canadian Football Leagu...
29/05/2026
Comcast Business has detailed the advanced network infrastructure it has deploye...
29/05/2026
In two-day event, leaders from academia and industry explored solutions to chall...
29/05/2026
The Basketball Tournament (TBT), now entering their 13th year of competition, ha...
29/05/2026
Roku has launched FOX One as a Premium Subscription on The Roku Channel in the U.S. Roku customers can now subscribe to FOX One using their Roku account for liv...
29/05/2026
In its sixth year, the broadcaster's coverage has become a global brand and ...
29/05/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent ratings news and is derived from press re...
29/05/2026
The days are getting longer, the temperatures are rising, and playlists are filling up for the season. With summer around the corner, Spotify's global edito...
29/05/2026
New retro-inspired MPC announced
There are few devices that have gained the status held by Akai Pro's MPC range, and in recent years, the company have s...
29/05/2026
Save up to 30 on acclaimed titles
Following a successful launch at Superbooth 2026, Bjooks have revealed that they will be continuing the Kickstarter campa...
29/05/2026
Binaural monitoring application improved
Genelec have just released an update that brings some powerful new features to their HRTF-based binaural headphone ...
29/05/2026
6 June 2026 at SAE Institute, London, UK
IMSTA FESTA 2026 is almost upon us, with some of the biggest names in pro-audio set to descend upon SAE Institute i...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, died April 12, 2026, at his home in...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Comparing 5 AI Video Enhancers for Restoring Old Video Quality
Kate Luvis May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Digitizing VHS, MiniDV, and other legacy formats doe...
29/05/2026
Studio Hamburg Builds New Post Pipeline with DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Workflow replaces a patchwork of legacy tools...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
At the Intersection of Music and Dance, an Epic Collaboration Boston Conservatory musicians and dancers found creative parallels in their recent performance o...
29/05/2026
Back to All News
Latino Film Institute Fellows Screen Their Short Films at the Egyptian Theatre
The Inclusion Fellowship and Spark Animation Grant uplifts 15 ...
29/05/2026
GLOOKAST LAUNCHES CINNAFILM TACHYON PLUGIN FOR MEDIA PRODUCER AND MEDIA SERVICES
This release first appeared here.
Visit our Tachyon product page or contact...
29/05/2026
May 29 2026, 09:00 (PDT) Dolby and rednote Bring More Immersive Storytelling to...
29/05/2026
Something fundamental has shifted in how people consume media. Audiences aren't abandoning television or radio content; they're just expanding how, wher...
29/05/2026
Youtube exclusive special drops today
Watch now
UKTV today announces another e...
29/05/2026
Back to All News
The Official Trailer of Physical 100 Italy, on Netflix From Se...
Imani Ellis spent years looking for a space in New York City to serve as a cultural and networking hub for Black professionals and creatives of color like herself. She attended small-scale events, considering the many ways she would do it differently and better. She recalled a famous quote by President Barack Obama: We are the ones we've been waiting for. And it hit her. Maybe I had to be the one to create what I was looking for. 
