Co-Founder of Claima and Former Nike Marketer, Bimma Williams interviews leading and emerging creatives and entrepreneurs of color about how they were able to build their own tables by turning their hobbies, side hustles, and ideas into thriving small businesses. From these stories, listeners will learn how to claim their dream careers by stepping into the world of entrepreneurship. Featuring Melody Ehsani, Jeff Staple, James Whitner and more. Follow Claima Stories (@claimastories) and Bimma ...
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EP 102: Raven B Varona, Photographer, Director and Philanthropist
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With infinite pride and hunger, Raven or RavieB comes from the Bronx and she always comes to represent herself and the individuals she captures with her lens of choice. Though Raven dabbled in many different fields, when she picked up a camera, she felt at home and instantly knew photography was the career she wanted to pursue. Now, Raven, who has …
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EP 101: Hema Persad, Owner and Principal Designer of Sagrada Studios
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Born in Toronto to Indo-Guyanese parents, Hema was taught the value of good work ethic. Regardless of what she’s into, she’s always going to do it at 110%. Hema found herself constantly chasing fulfillment throughout her many professions, whether that was being a successful lawyer, morphing into an A-list stylist for the likes of Madonna to Andy Sa…
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EP: 100 Chris Gibbs, Owner of Union, LA and Beth Birkett Gibbs Owner of Bephie's Beauty Supply
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We've made it to our 100th episode!! A definite milestone for the Claima Stories Family! And we're doing it with none other than whom GQ Magazine has crowned them Streetwear’s First Family. Chris Gibbs, owner of Union LA and his partner Beth Birkett Gibbs, owner of Bephie’s Beauty Supply, film director, and creative collaborator with Chris amongst …
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EP 99: Humberto Leon, Co-Founder of Opening Ceremony and Owner of restaurants Monarch and Chifa
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Being a glass half-full type of creative and entrepreneur has allowed today's guest, Humberto Leon, to build a vibrant career. In the 70’s Humberto and his family Immigrated to LA where he would fall in love with fashion and often find himself in the aisles of thrift stores mining for just the right pieces. Fast forward to a storied career in the i…
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EP 98: Calmatic, Film Director
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Not many creatives have the opportunity to come out with two films in one year but with remakes of cult classics like White Men Can’t Jump and House Party but today's guest, Calmatic, did just that. Calmatic proudly grew up as your quintessential Black nerd, creating flyers, making beats, designing album covers and capturing memorable moments for L…
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EP 97: Manila Mixtape, Artist and Owner of Manila Home Goods
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They say your twenties are meant for self-discovery and today's guest, Manila Mixtape, can attest to that. After a career in fashion bouncing from celebrity styling to merchandising to retail, Manila decided to walk away from it all. Knowing he needed a real break from that world, he moved back to NYC to become a truck driver. Serendipitously, his …
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EP 96: Shequeita Frazier, Co-Founder of Camp Yoshi
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If you asked today's guest, Shequeita Frazier, if she would be a Co-Founder of an outdoors brand, she probably would've laughed. Though she grew up playing outside all the time, Shequeita distinctly remembers avoiding the woods. It wasn't until meeting her husband who would go on regular camping trips and moving to Portland did she fully understand…
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EP 95: Autumn Merrit, Co-Founder of Sir & Madame
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A Chicago native, Autumn Merritt, has been a boss since she was a teenager, from managing a coffee shop to running a streetwear store...getting the job done with quality and intention was always her priority. In 2007, Autumn opened up a boutique with her husband originally named Solemates (now Sir & Madame). And that's just the start of her journey…
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EP 94: Telsha Anderson-Boone, Owner of T.A.
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Today’s guest, Telsha Anderson-Boone, knew pretty early on in her career that she wanted to be her own boss and that fashion would play a major factor. While figuring out what that business would be, Telsha worked just about everywhere from Hypebeast to Food and Wine, and even stopping at Atlantic Records for a stint. While she was tapped into the …
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EP 93: Kiauna "Kee" Nelson, Owner of Kee's #Loaded Kitchen
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With parents that battled addiction, today’s guest Kiauna “Kee” Nelson, was always an independent kid. Her life took multiple turns from spending time in a gang to a short jail stint. Ultimately, Kee knew she wanted more than that life. At 31, Kee enrolled with college with ambitions of opening a food cart. With the help of little herbal refreshmen…
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EP 92: Kimberly Drew, Curator at Pace Gallery and Author
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A lifelong lover of museums, Kimberly Drew's entry into the working world of art started with creating a Tumblr page dedicated to Black art and culture called Black Contemporary Art. The page immediately took off and helped her land a social media manager gig at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Entering the space through her digital experience helpe…
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EP 91: Meymuna Hussein-Cattan, Owner of Flavors from Afar and Director of the Tiyya Foundation
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Growing up in a traditional Ethiopian household while living in California, Meymuna Hussein-Cattan often found herself balancing many identities. From coaching friends on what to expect when they came over to her home to compartmentalizing her worlds and finding solace through writing poetry. She eventually took all those identities and found her p…
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EP 90: Intisar Abioto, Artist and Photographer
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Our guest today picked up her first camera at the age of 14 and has worked in the world of photography ever since. Intisar Abioto, grew up in Memphis surrounded by Black art and found her path towards storytelling through taking images with Black women as the lead. Eventually making her way to Portland, she launched the Black Portlander project in …
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EP 89: Duk-Ki Yu, Founder of MAJOR DC
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An immigrant from Seoul, Korea who moved to California at the age of 12. Duk-Ki Yu, owner of MAJOR was and will forever be a lover, advocate, and participant in the advancement of hip-hop culture. Duk-Ki Yu is the epitome of an 80s baby and as he navigated his way through his adolescent years living between the cultural traditions of his origins an…
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EP 88: Jabari, Founder of COLORS Worldwide
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A lifelong student of hip-hop, Jabari always knew he wanted to work in the music industry specifically on the media side. While at Howard he started interviewing artists for a website including Fabolous, Nicki Minaj, and Justin Bieber, early in their careers. After working in social media at Capitol Records, the itch to create something of his own …
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EP 87: Jessica Monzalvo, Founder of SBJ Esntls
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Growing up on a farm in Mexico is where Jessica Monzalvo's story started. That deep connection to being on native land and watching family care for each other inspired her future. As Jessica shifted into her entrepreneurship journey, helping others with their self-care would be at the center of her work. This deep passion drove her to New York beco…
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EP 86: Olajuwon Ajanaku and Earl Cooper, Founders of Eastside Golf
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If you ask today’s guests Olajuwon Ajanaku and Earl Cooper, golf has always been a great game. The two met as teammates on the Morehouse College golf team where they won a National Championship and then remained friends as their lives ran parallel in different career fields. But the game always remained in Olajuwon’s heart and as a lover of design …
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EP 85: Imani Ellis, Founder of CultureCon and The Creative Collective
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Imagine making your childhood dreams come true - working in television, living in NYC, becoming a VP at NBC Universal…all by your 30s and then what? After all those accomplishments, Imani Ellis was still in search of something bigger and more connected. As a self-proclaimed introvert, she held a dinner party for young creatives of color that plante…
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EP 84: Jerald Cooper, Founder of Hood Century Modern
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Born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, Jerald has always immersed himself in the community with a focus on telling stories. From changing the subject of his college thesis to Molefi Asante and afrocentricity to opening a sneaker store. After a stint away from home, in 2019, Jerald moved back to Ohio to understand how architecture played a role in our…
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EP 83: Lynae Vanee, Creator of Parking Lot Pimpin'
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Writing is something that always came naturally to Lynae, but becoming gifted storyteller is how she found her true purpose. After a full-ride at Spelman College, Lynae wasn't clear on her career path so she went on to teach high schoolers and create a Black studies curriculum. Inspiration set in during the protests of June 2020 where she wanted to…
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EP 82: Douglass Williams, Owner and Chef of MIDA and APIZZA
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A diagnosis of Crohn's disease didn't derail the path to becoming a chef for Douglass. His approach to food was only heightened by having to chew each morsel 30 times, focusing on the feel, texture and taste of each bite. After working in world renowned kitchens, Douglass made building a community and creating a lasting legacy the focus of how he a…
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EP 81: Essie Golden, Golden Confidence Blog + Founder of Thick Laces
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Growing up in foster care, early childhood was anything but ordinary for Essie. Transitioning from different homes until she was the age of 6, Essie was luckily adopted by a family that poured into her and was the first successful Black family she ever saw. Essie started to step into her confidence after attending a HBCU, but that high she was ridi…
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EP 80: Daniel Buezo, Co-Founder of Kids of Immigrants
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Since he was a youngin, Daniel has always been about community and having the back of his homies and loved ones. When he was only 18, his sister unexpectedly passed away and it sent Daniel into a very dark place of rage. He started getting in trouble a lot and was even arrested for silly things like trespassing. After making a promise to himself to…
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EP 79: Karleen Roy, Founder of The Vanity Group
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Being surrounded by Black Excellence in and outside of her home, Karleen grew up with the confidence that she could do whatever she put her mind to. Making her way to Howard and working in a myriad of jobs post-college, one thing always rang true...Karleen approached every opportunity with excitement and resourcefulness. This work ethic got her not…
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EP 78: Terrence Low & Brandon Crump, Founders of Michael Lavelle Wines
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Hailing from Chi-town Terrence and Brandon dove immediately into the DC night scene when meeting at Howard University. Brandon found a knack with throwing parties and actually went on to hire his now business partner, Terrence to help him out. When both were finished with school, Brandon worked in hospitality and Terrence was going door to door as …
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EP 77: Sandro Roco, Founder of Sanzo Sparkling Water
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Going to a predominantly white college, Sandro quickly learned that other peoples worlds weren't as colorful as where he grew up. The lack of representation combined with his Filipino upbringing made Sandro competitive and he initially jumped into traditional career fields. None, however, felt quite right until he fell into the world of entrepreneu…
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EP 76: Sonja Rasula, Founder of Unique Markets
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A naturally curious person, Sonja has held many different careers before arriving to where she is today. From writing as an editor in tech to becoming an interior design expert on TLC's show Trading Spaces. When she found herself suddenly unemployed, Sonja used the unexpected break to dive headfirst into politics to help register voters during Obam…
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EP 75: Maggi Simpkins, Jewelry Designer
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Growing up art wasn't just art, it was a way of life in the home Maggi grew up in. She loved to make things from candles to her own pants. Looking to escape Portland, Maggi enrolled in college in LA but dropped out shortly after. She started to work for a woman who had her own jewelry line. It was an eye opening experience for Maggi. Both good and …
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EP 74: Heather White, Founder & CEO of TrillFit
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Feeling profoundly misunderstood during her adolescent years, Heather realized early in her career she had a knack for building community for the misfits. A job at Karmaloop brought Heather into the streetwear world, where she learned that work culture could be fun, but understanding work politics was just as important. She eventually moved on to w…
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EP 73: Dapper Dan, Fashion Designer and Style Icon
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A self proclaimed, “underground designer” Dan’s journey began in 1980, when he started making bootleg versions of high-end designers for the streets. He’d even buy left behind equipment at auctions supplied by fashion manufacturers that moved overseas. Although Dan felt like he was fashion’s best kept secret, more affluent Black communities didn’t …
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EP 72: Brittany Chavez, Founder of Shop Latinx
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Sick of the stale fluorescent lights of the corporate world, Brittany started to Uber and used that money to travel to Nicaragua and Guatemala where she gained a whole new perspective and love for her culture. When she returned to LA, targeted immigration policies were running rampant, her pride turned to anger and Brittany put her boots to the gro…
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EP 71: Alex Hill, Home Chef and Food Blogger at Just Add Hot Sauce
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Originally drawn to baking, Alex's journey to becoming a Home Chef and Food Blogger started in her mom's kitchen where she felt most comfortable expressing both sides of her Black and Puerto Rican heritage. While she loved baking, her dslexia proved to make the precise measurements very difficult. Alex made the pivot to focus on savory cuisine and …
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EP 70: Gavin Mathieu, Designer and Founder of Supervsn Studios
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From making t-shirts in his granny's kitchen to opening up the first black-owned streetwear shop on Fairfax in LA, Gavin knew early on that his connection to being creative ran deep. While that first shop, YOUth, eventually closed...Gavin started making hats and giving them out to people not worried about making money. The more hats Gavin gave out,…
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EP 69: Peter Cho, Chef and Owner of Han Oak and Toki
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A job delivering groceries at the first Whole Foods location in NYC ignited Peter's curiosity in food. He eventually started to look into enrolling at culinary school which came with a hefty price tag. Heeding a friend's advice to skip school and learn on the job, Peter walked into The Spotted Pig and asked for just that. He started at the bottom a…
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EP 68: Cristina Martinez, Contemporary Visual Artist
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On this week's episode, we sat down with Cristina Martinez (@sew_trill), a contemporary visual artist based in Seattle. Being an artist was something Cristina gravitated towards from early childhood - from watching Bob Ross on PBS to getting resourceful with art supplies (like using lasagna noodles as a canvas). It was during her young adult life t…
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EP 67: Sevetri Wilson, Founder and CEO of Resilia
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A serial entrepreneur, Sevetri Wilson started her first business while attending Louisiana State University, a newsletter, using her community as a resource to help her get things going. After college, at the age of 22, she founded Solid Ground Innovations, a full service strategic communications and management firm. As a self-proclaimed bootstrapp…
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EP 66: Ibrahim 'IB' Hamad, President and Co-Founder of Dreamville
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After moving around the world as a kid, IB quickly fell in love with hip hop and basketball when his family ultimately settled in Queens, NY. It was that love of basketball that would lead him to meet his best friend and business partner J.Cole. Hooping with Cole at St.John’s University, led to them building a bond that would lead to IB encouraging…
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EP 65: Cheetie Kumar, Founder and Head Chef at Garland, KINGS and Neptune's Parlour
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With dreams of being a rockstar, Cheetie realized at a young age she didn’t quite fit in. Moving from India to the Bronx as a kid, Cheetie struggled to figure out what she wanted to do with her life. As she got older, two things really came into focus: Music and Food. While on the road touring as a guitarist Cheetie fell in love with Raleigh, and s…
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EP 64: Julian Gaines, Fine Artist and Founder of JuWorkingOnProjects
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In searching for the thing he could truly call his own, Julian aka JuWorkingOnProjects, found that art was his calling. While working as a brand ambassador for Jordan Brand’s store in Chicago, Ju noticed an opportunity to create custom pieces of apparel that ultimately led to impressing artists like Teyana Taylor with his work. In a lot of Ju’s pai…
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EP 63: Cydnie Smith McCarthy, Founder of Drink Mamey
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Inspired by the need to fight the racial disparity in the healthcare system after losing her father to a heart disease he wasn't aware of, Cydnie started educating herself on ways to boost immune systems and how to use food as part of preventative healthcare. With no true business motivations in mind, she started making juices for herself at home a…
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EP 62: Trinidad James, Musician and Founder of DAD Socks and Hommework
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Hailing from an immigrant family, Trinidad realized early on that he was a hustler, selling everything from Pokemon cards to pictures of Super Sayains as a kid. But it was fashion and his unique personal style that would take him on a journey of owning his own store and eventually building a name for himself. Today, Trinidad James is the founder of…
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José shares a story about creating meaningful, high quality dishes that are accessible to his community, all with a refreshing new look. That was José Leon, Owner of Kiss Pollos based in Phoenix, AZ. The Claima Stories with Bimma: Community Stories series is presented by 99designs by Vistaprint, as part of the 99 Days of Design initiative. Learn mo…
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Jason Mayden shares story about designing at Nike and creating his own consultancy Trillicon Valley
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On today’s show, recorded at ComplexCon in Long Beach, California,we speak with former Nike designer, lecturer, and youth advocate Jason Mayden. Born on the Southside of Chicago, he almost died At the age of 7 due to a blood condition. While in the hospital he was inspired by comic book inventor and Batfamily member Lucius Fox, then deciding he wan…
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Woodie White shares story about turning his passion for exploring into Oyster Holdings
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On today’s show, recorded live at ComplexCon in Long Beach, California, we speak with Woodie White, Founder of Oyster Holdings - a brand for everyday enthusiasts based in Los Angeles, CA. Woodie cut his teeth as a promoter, throwing parties and doing his fair share of street team activations. Former Nike Marketer, Bimma Williams interviews leading …
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John Okevu Ojo II shares story about how his Nigerian heritage inspired his brand Little Africa
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On today's show, recorded live at ComplexCon in Long Beach, California, I speak with emerging designer John Okevu Ojo II of apparel brand Little Africa. Growing up in South Central, John grew up splitting time between his Black American mother and Nigerian father, oftentimes feeling as if he sat between two worlds. Former Nike Marketer, Bimma Willi…
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John Okevu Ojo II shares story about researching the architecture behind some of his favorite brands Former Nike Marketer, Bimma Williams interviews leading and emerging BIPOC creatives about how they were able to break into the notoriously guarded creative and sneaker industries. From these stories, listeners will learn how to claim their dream ca…
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Woodie White shares story about relating to the everyday enthusiast with Oyster Holdings Former Nike Marketer, Bimma Williams interviews leading and emerging BIPOC creatives about how they were able to break into the notoriously guarded creative and sneaker industries. From these stories, listeners will learn how to claim their dream careers. Featu…
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Jason Mayden shares story about how growing up in Chicago strengthened his work ethic Former Nike Marketer, Bimma Williams interviews leading and emerging BIPOC creatives about how they were able to break into the notoriously guarded creative and sneaker industries. From these stories, listeners will learn how to claim their dream careers. Featurin…
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Jewan Manuel shares story about creating space for Black & Brown creatives in the plant based foods market
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On today's show, recorded live at Claima Stories: Feast Portland edition, we speak with chef and entrepreneur Jewan Manuel, also known as Plant Based Papi. Growing up in Flint, Michigan Jewan witnessed black entrepreneurship first hand as his grandparents owned a grocery store that supported their community. Former Nike Marketer, Bimma Williams int…
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Jewan Manuel shares story about how women uplifted his passion for cooking About Claima Stories with Bimma: Former Nike Marketer, Bimma Williams interviews leading and emerging BIPOC creatives about how they were able to break into the notoriously guarded creative and sneaker industries. From these stories, listeners will learn how to claim their d…
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