The Playa Vista-based advertising firm, Deutsch LA is devoted to empowering the collective community through its complimentary marketing program, Blackness in Full Bloom. Blackness in Full Bloom is a sequence of two-hour weekly master classes for local entrepreneurs focused on varied marketing marke segments such as strategy, media, design, and production.
Blackness in Bloom champions an objective to amplify Black-owned businesses in Los Angeles, California. Established in February 2020, the program branched off from a Black History Month initiative. It evolved from an ongoing program which currently takes place 2-3 times a year.
Recently, Deutsch LA created a video highlighting four Blackness in Full Bloom alums, detailing their experience and how the program enriched their businesses.
As a Los Angeles-based advertising agency, Deutsch LA created a free program with the intention to assist and publicize Black-owned businesses in L.A. Through this directive one can connect with other local entrepreneurs through a series of two-hour weekly training courses.
“Blackness in Full Bloom was created to celebrate, amplify, and assist Black entrepreneurs in Los Angeles by providing them with the tools and resources needed to help their businesses thrive. Our free workshops, focused on various marketing capabilities, offer local business owners’ access to talented advertising professionals and strategies for immediate impact to their businesses,” said Ayn Howze, EVP, Head of Communications and Advocacy at Deutsch LA.
In addition to Blackness in Bloom, Deutsch LA Ad Executive Reonna Johnson launched Hex Code Black, a podcast for Black creative professionals, produced in collaboration with Deutsch LA and its production arm, Steelhead, focused on “creating content from an unapologetic Black POV,” with deeply moving conversations with Black professionals at the intersection of race, lifestyle, and creativity.
In the first pilot episode, Reonna and her guests debate what it means to be a ‘regular’ Black versus a ‘ethnic’ Black (with origins outside of the U.S.).
Featuring creative professionals from around the globe, guests include British Jamaican Creative Director, Tahirah Byfield-Edwards (72and Sunny); Brooklynite and Grenadian-American Art Director Rae James (AKQA); and South African creator/D.J. Xolisa Tshomela.
The first episode is now available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
