Since 2012, I have had the pleasure of being a part of the ADCOLOR family. ADCOLOR, founded by Tiffany Warren, is an organization that champions diversity and inclusion in creative industries. Their goal is to create a community of diverse professionals who are here to support and celebrate each other. I don't know where to begin when I try to express how much this organization means to me. It has welcomed me from day 1 and given me a sense of purpose as to why it's important for me to be part of the creative industry.
This year the conference was held in NYC. Even though the organization is based in NYC, it was surprisingly the first time they had hosted the conference there! I wasn't able to attend the conference portion for the last few years, but was really glad I got to again this year because the panels were spectacular. My favorite was called "Me, Myself and the Media" which discussed how in 2015 we witnessed a major increase in multicultural talent on television. The panel discussed what made this happen, who was responsible and how can we make it happen more consistently, analyzing the way media decisions are made and how content creators, advertisers and fans can impact the images we see on screens – big and small. It was powerful to be in a room with TV execs who were able to shed light in this information. Each panel discussion had a muralist who created a visual of each panel which I thought was great also.
Every year I attend the event at a point when I am feeling 'purpose-less' at work. Once I am surrounded by My ADCOLOR family I regain purpose and makes me work harder to make the world a little better with our work.
