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WITH MY FAVOURITE NYC ANNUAL FESTIVE ART – ACROSS THE STREET FROM RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL.
The last 12 months have flown by! I just returmed from New York after a very festive week!. Did you achieve all you desired? A great friend once shared her family tradition with me and now I do this with my nearest and dearest. We all gather at Christmas dinners and pop into a box a list with our 5 desires for the next year. We share them with each other before putting them into the joint box and then one of us seals it. When we gather again a year later we open the box to see what’s been achieved. This makes us not only put our desires out into the universe- speak on it and it will come to you- but also means now we have shared our ambitions with others we are under pressure to actually take steps to make them happen.
WITH MY SECOND FAVOURITE ANNUAL NYC FESTIVE ART-USED TO THINK IT WAS LIPSTICKS UNTIL CLOSER INSPECTION REVEALED CHRISTMAS LIGHTS LOL!
Last year mine included making the final months of my fathers life as comfortable as possible and sharing conversations with him that I’ll never have the chance to have again. It also included a wish to concentrate solely on my mother after he passed so she could really make the most of her life and enjoy her elder years- I just took her to New York for her first trip out there last week – she had a once in a lifetime experience. It made us both so happy.
Last year I had also added that I wanted to share as many perks of my job with everyone around me. I share the love whether its music gig tickets, fancy balls, goody bags, books and so on. It makes me feel good. The more i give, the more i get back in positive energy. The harder I work the luckier I get!
WHILST IN NY NELSON MANDELA PASSED. THIS WAS THE HARLEM APOLLO SIGN.
I had additionally also wanted to work in an environment where I could scale down the rock & roll side of the job and still do what I am skilled up to do- work in the broadcast media industry- but to balance that with giving back to others. I do this with the LONDON360 TV show, which brings in 120 young 18-25 year olds annually from across London’s capital and teaches them EVERYTHING about being a one man/woman TV/radio/print press/multi media genius. These reporters make TV features about London and act as a mini Reuters style news hub. Their hard work has paid off as this March their show and they themselves have been hired for a brand new London TV channel!
The only thing I could’ve done better on is making more time to exercise and finally do that ballroom dancing course I’ve always wanted to- so that will be going on this years list with the rest. Will you make a list too? Let me know what’s on it. I’d love to hear what your ambitions are.
Here are other people who achieved well this year in my humble opinion.
PHARRELL WINS MY BALLER OF THE YEAR AWARD WITH HIS HUGE YET UNDERSTATED COMEBACK.
LAURA MVULA WINS MY BALLER-LADY IN MUSIC 2013!
Once again UK urban music acts continued to do well and pimped out the music charts both nationally and internationally. Honourable mentions go to Rita Ora, Naughty Boy, Tinie Tempah, Wretch32, Rihanna, Jay Z, and Emeli Sande but my BALLERS OF THE YEAR IN MUSIC crown goes to Bruno Marrs for an exceptionally strong body of work that works in the charts, on radio and parties, Pharrell for having the global charts on lock with his happy two-step grooves all year, Laura Mvula who came with the realer than real self, velvet vocals and brumy accent and smashed all music charts and finally Queen Bee Beyonce who flew in at the last minute and changed the game with new rules, like her hubby, by releasing a whole new album with videos with no promo!
IDRIS ELBA WINS MY MOVIE MYSTRO OF THE YEAR 2013.
In the movie and small screen world, actors and directors that get a nod include Noel Clarke who silently, humbly continues to make diverse films and bring in more and more young uns like Femi Oyeniran under his reign as well as act in blockbusters like Star Trek. Ashley Walters for his consistent appearance on mainstream TV and film. However, MOVIE MYSTRO OF THE YEAR Idris Elba takes the gold for killing it this year with his triple threat acts of Mandela, Luther and continues to push his passion with his on going music career.
MP CHUKKA UMANNA WINS MY POLITICAL POWERPLAYER OF THE YEAR 2013!
Politics has never been stronger on the public agenda with mainstream events like the Woolwich murder, youth unemployment and immigration issues. So many great organisations are stepping up to make a pro-social difference. Orgs like Spirit of London Awards, One Big Community, the Amy Winehouse Foundation and more are stepping up to take ownership and make a change. However my POLITICAL POWERPLAYERS OF 2013 are the UKYP (UK Youth parliament) who are slowly and steadily making changes to students learning across the UK with their ‘curriculum for life’’ studies now being taught across UK, as well as young south London MP Chukka Umunna who has made a sharp rise in profile and helps engage more of the young and black community into politics in a refreshing new way.
SAMUEL BENTA AND CHARLENE WHITE WIN MY MEDIA MAVEN AND MAJOR OF THE YEAR AWARD 2013!
In 2013, more black and minority ethnic students are taking media studies as degree subjects than ever. We are making strides in having our faces seen and voices heard in the mainstream media. Young faces are grinding away daily to generate new platforms for media digestion. Special nods in my MEDIA MAVENS AND MAJORS go to Huffington Post editor Carla Buzasi, Radio 1 newsreader Tina Daheley, KissFMs Rickie & Melvin, Capital Xtras multi talented Kojo, Radio 1Xtras Sarah Jane Crawford and Charlie Sloth, SBTV’s Liam Toothill, and Maleena Pone –former LONDON360 reporter about to blow up on mainstream TV this coming year. This year my winners are young screenwriter and actor Samuel Benta for having his online TV series ‘’All about the McKenzie’s’’ commissioned by new London TV channel London Live which launches in March, as well as ITV News reader Charlene White who sits on our news screens daily delivering London’s news with style and panache and being strong enough to withstand social media abuse and stand her ground when abused this year for her decision not to wear a poppy onscreen.
GEORGE THE POET WINS MY SPOKEN WORDSMITH WIZ OF THE YEAR 2013.
In the arts and culture world, the art of the spoken word has had a fire reignited within poetry genres, young new names like female poetess Hollie Mcnish who is selling out venues and performing at the iconic Abbey Road Studios, MC Akala continues to move mountains with his hip-hop Shakespeare movement, young black gay poet Dean Atta who is fast and topical with his content. However my SPOKEN WORDSMTH WIZ award of 2013 goes to a young man breaking boundaries in music charts and performing live at sold out venues with politically, thought provoking conscious content- stand up George the Poet-inspiring a whole new generation of articulate fans.
DARCUS BEESE WINS MY INDUSTRY INSIDER INGENUITY AWARD OF THE YEAR 2013!
None of these stars would be stars without the insiders working for their advancement daily. The press, marketing and PR departments at brands are the secret make or break teams that influence what you see, hear and watch daily. People that deserve a shout out in 2013 are Industry players like Twin B- both brothers but in particular Alec ‘Twin B’ Boateng was appointed Artist & Repertoire (A&R) director of Atlantic Records UK, Music manager Zeon Richards who has worked hard to have his artists become household names. His multi-talented roster which includes George The Poet, Jacob Banks, Wizzy Wow, Knox Brown and artist Funny Tummy is lead by Wretch 32. Kwame Kwaten – music manager of the year- manages this years big shotter Laura Mvula- formerly managed singer Rumer, but with Laura proved it wasn’t just a one off, Sonia Meggie who runs the Inspirational You sessions, connecting people and opening minds, the hip hop worlds photographer to the stars- Paul Hampartsoumian- man that has loyaly captured the music scene on his lens for the past two decades, Princess Nyah empowering young ladies with her sessions, Yvonne Thompson- a very successful business woman that’s campaigning to get more women and BAME awardees on the Queens honours list. However, the INDUSTRY INSIDER INGENUITY AWARD must go to Darcus Beese –Island Records President (Amy Winehouse etc) – this year marks 20 years in his job-that’s a milestone right there for any man let alone a black man in a very male white world!
GOOGLES ADRIAN JOSEPH – GOOGLE WINS MY BOMBASTIC BRAND BALLER OF THE YEAR 2013!.
It’s always important to understand that none of these industry insiders could do their jobs well without the support and empowerment of the brands that they represent. Brands that continue to champion and empower the community with events or resource like THE VOICE, BET, Flava Magazine, Adidas and more need a nod, but its Google who have stepped up this year and opened their doors welcoming people from all walks of life with their community engagement projects that win the BOMBASTIC BRAND BALLER of the year 2013.
MAGICIAN DYNAMO WINS MY LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN AWARD 2013!
LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN AWARD goes to my old compadre Magician Dynamo, who has above and beyond all possible odds defied bullying, ill health and TV knock backs to making his own lane in global TV with his own show Dynamo Magician Impossible. a true example of the saying ‘ when you don’t have a lane to follow- build your own!’.
PEOPLE TO LOOK OUT FOR IN 2014- NOEL CLARKES NEW MUSIC SIGNING TZY!
People to look out for in 2014 include Noel Clarkes new music signing-a young man called TZY, singer Delilah who may have lost her UK record deal but was swiftly picked up by none other than the music legend- Prince- who has been flying her out to his studio in Minneapolis to record with his team. British singer-songwriter Sam Smith who already has a No.1 under his belt after featuring on Naughty Boy’s ‘La La La’ and 23-year-old Kwabs who reflects a mixture of his African roots with RnB & Gospel influences set against a backdrop of electro-synthesized soul. Maybe we’ll see some of them on my 2014 end of year champions list!
Happy holidays readers! Love and laughter! X