Inside Black Beauty Roster’s First Creators Summit – Essence

In Los Angeles, the weekend was about all things beauty. Ahead of Beautycon 2024, Black Beauty Roster gathered to celebrate Black content creator voices at their first Creators Summit.

Set on a cool and sunny fall day in Los Angeles, the BBR Creators Summit convened on Friday for a one-day event held important conversations about navigating systemic barriers in the beauty industry.

“As the creator economy continues to grow, we are already seeing an equity gap with Black and brown creators against the rest of the market,” BBR founder Maude Okrah Hunter explains to ESSENCE. “We want to get ahead of the experiences that beauty professionals have been dealing with for decades by ensuring that we are building a space that drives knowledge, access, and community to bridge that gap.”

The Creators Summit, powered by Mielle, was indeed as informative and uplifting as it was colorful. As to be expected, every person in attendance was dressed to the nines in their most vibrant, beautiful looks. Black designer labels such as Andrea Iyamah and Christopher John Rogers were spotted multiple times in the crowd. Creativity was exemplified through the myriad of hairstyles that filled the room, from whimsically fashioned protective styles and natural curls, to blunt bobs and buzz cuts with dyed patterns.

To set the tone? BBR began with mindfulness and mental health conversations courtesy of Dora Kamau, Nyma Tang, Scott Evans, and Yolo Akili Robinson.

Celebrity makeup artist, creative director, and Naked Beauty Podcast Co-host Sir John hosted the run of show by anchoring each segment with a welcoming and interactive stage presence, well-received by the audience. He cultivated a bubbly and engaged atmosphere as he connected with creators who had flown in from Dallas, Birmingham, DC, Memphis, and even Toronto to share space with like-minded beauty lovers.

The Building With Brands panel had creators Monica Veloz, Tabria Majors, Nanette Wong, Karen Chimal, and Kristie Dash offer advice to those looking to create content that will execute and attract successful brand partnerships. Advice included: leveraging events for networking, creating highly-edited videos, and above all, as Sir John said, remember that you don’t need to ask for permission to put yourself out there and keep trying.

The Bigger and Better panel, moderated by Dr. Robin Barrett, platformed Crystal Cartwright of LTK, Tara Liggins of L’Oreal, and Hallie Pullum of the Cycle Agency. Together, they discuss how to scale personal brands and leverage deals. These professionals empowered creators to recognize their impact and the value they bring to a brand partnership, because ultimately, “brands don’t know more about your community than you do.”

The Influence of Your Voice panel focused on the importance of discernment and alignment when it comes to curating a personal brand and which partnerships to take on. Panelists Drea Okeke, Chelsea Lazkani, Mohamet Mbaye, Candy Lover, and Delina Medhin broke down their decision-making processes. Attendee takeaways included supporting Black businesses you believe in, because “small dreams turn into big dreams, which turn into community.”

Renowned makeup artist and global brand owner Danessa Myricks hosted the following panel of beauty powerhouses. Sitting down with Mielle founder Monique Rodriguez and Forvr Mood co-founders Jackie Aina and Dennis Asamoah, they explained how they evolved from being creators to full-time brand owners. “When you have a dream, that yearning—that fire that’s inside of you is never going to go away,” Rodriguez reflected.

They discussed the positive and negative sides of having such a public presence on the internet, which includes the way rampant misinformation can spread. Rodriguez took the opportunity to set the record straight: “Mielle’s formulas have not changed, Mielle does not have any lawsuits, Mielle does not cause people’s hair to fall out.”

As someone who has been in the creator space for roughly 1.5 decades, Jackie expressed that “social media has this really unfortunate way of taking you from being the underdog to the sellout, and it happens so quickly.”

To round out the powerful conversation, Rodriguez and Asamoah each left the crowd with a final word, “be purpose driven and there is nothing that will cause you to break,” Rodriguez shared. When asked about legacy, Jackie stated, “I want other people to see themselves in me and vice versa, and I would feel happy knowing that everyone believes that they’re enough.”

For the final segment of the day, entertainment journalist and multi-hyphenate media professional Gia Peppers set the stage for a keynote conversation with supermodel and Cay Skin brand founder Winnie Harlow. The two spoke to Harlow’s journey in the industry, how she became the representation she never saw, and how that lack of representation pushed her to create a skincare brand that catered to her specific skin needs as a person with vitiligo, as well as the needs of all skin types.

Meanwhile, the venue’s lobby afforded summit participants with the space to mingle, connect, and experience premium brand activations.

Mielle’s pop-up introduced beauties to their newest product in their Avocado and Tamanu line—the anti-frizz mousse—which uses cold-activated technology to reduce frizz in the hair-styling process.

Forvr Mood displayed their newly restocked fragrance line, which first launched in April and sold out instantly. Hair care brand Oribe completed the selection of brand activations by educating participants on their annual holiday artist collaboration, this year with Kenyan artist Thandiwe Muriu.

As the day came to a close, Black creators left the Black Beauty Roster Creators Summit with their cups, and beauty bags, filled with newfound support and information on how to push forward in an industry that benefits from their light, and needs to compensate them accordingly.