A3C2020: For the Culture Virtual Experience

The eminent Atlanta-based music festival and conference, A3C (All Three Coasts), partnered up with Facebook, which was the official streaming partner of the virtual conference experience, “A3C2020 For the Culture”. The event took place on October 15-16, the free two-day conference enlightened and encouraged the audience from dawn to dusk (8:00AM to 7:30PM PDT). It was hosted by Anisa Breneé, a media personality at DJ Scream’s Hoodrich radio and the founder/curator of the series called Soul Food Sessions ATL, along with Del Ro an Entrepreneur, Brand Ambassador, and Founder/Host of Double A Management. Some of the top acclaimed artists/leaders in the industry today were guest speakers/made an appearance at the virtual conference.

The virtual conference kicked off on October 15 at 8:00AM, The “Music Made Me Talk” was the first discussion and had Tunecore as a partner for the event, nothing less than greatness was expected and the event did not disappoint. It was moderated by J1 and had special guests Amy Oraefo an entertainment attorney, Dom Kennedy a Hip-Hop recording artist, and Melissa Keklak founder of MMKPR and President of Heavy Camp. Next was the “Go Deeper” panel presented by DEEPR it was moderated by Darrell Thompson the COO of DEEPR and had special guests Eric Bellinger an independent artist/songwriter, Austin Webster CEO of DEEPR, and Nieman Johnson a Manger/Co-Owner of Your Favorite Song. During this interesting panel they talked about what it takes to become/how to successfully be an independent creator/artist. After that Facebook hosted a panel titled “Bridging the Distance Through Music and Storytelling” with special guests Tobe Nwigwe a visionary/entrepreneur/artist, Lanell “Nell” Grant a sister and producer, Jade Lewin a strategic partnerships manager at FB music, and Angela Yee a Radio Personality as the moderator.

Shortly after that “Activism in 2020” with Deray McKesson a Civil Rights Activist discussed the importance of activism and empowered the people with Ryan Wilson Co-Founder/CEO at the Gathering Spot and President at A3C Festival & Conference as the moderator. “Releasing Singles During The Pandemic & Beyond” followed with a helpful conversation about how to navigate through the music industry/how to be successful in the music industry in 2020 and beyond, it was moderated by Chris Robley of CD Baby, and had

Tate 228, Cherae Leri, and Cashe for special guests. Next was the panel titled “Restoring Your Sanity & Mental Health in the Entertainment Industry” with Shanti Das the founder of Silence the Shame as the moderator and Lecrae an American Christian Hip-Hop recording artist as the special guest. Then Janee Bolden the senior content director at Bossip, moderated the “Dear White Music Execs” panel. Barry Hefner President at Since The 80s, Danielle S. Price SVP, Business and Legal Affairs at 10k Projects, and Ray Daniel CEO at the Raydar Report were the special guests. This was one of the events you didn’t want to miss, they delved deep into big companies like Warner Brothers, Epic, Motown, and Interscope Records. Lastly, Hip-Hop legends Swizz Beatz and Timbaland wrapped things up with a bang. They headlined “The Inception of Verzuz” panel discussion, which was moderated by Fadia Kader, Instagram’s strategic music partnership manager. The panel discussion was very informative and even went into the process some of the industry leaders in music, fashion, culture, etc, went through to achieve excellence/their dreams. Finally to close everything out on October 15, Social Club Seltzer presented a live mixer for everyone to socialize virtually.

On the second day of the virtual conference, October 16, Facebook hosted 4 masterclasses. Starting at 8:00AM with L. Londell McMillan owner of The Source, then Marie Leggette of The Curvy Fashionista, followed by Marcus Moore from Instagram music/Partner Solutions manager, and Kristin Wong from FB music/Partner solutions manager with Jared Fankhauser a Entertainment/Partner Solutions manager, and Mayola Charles a Entertainment and Social Impact strategic partner manager. L. Londell McMillan started the virtual conference discussing media, music, and monetization during his masterclass. Marie Leggette followed by informing people of what they need to do to take their business/blog/etc to the next level. After that Marcus Moore taught people how to effectively expand their reach/following on Instagram, and why it’s important to use all the features Instagram offers from Reels to Shopping. Kristin Wong, Jared Fankhauser, and Mayola Charles joined forces for the final masterclass of the day, they discussed making money from monetizations and social impact/the importance of giving back via Facebook. Lastly, there was a virtual networking mixer “Mix With Music” powered by Deep Eddy and moderated by Porchia Marie the founder of Dope People Meet. It was a very fun interactive event where 50 people were selected to win a Deep Eddy Mix With Music Kit, and DJ CeNo performed during Happy Hour to finish off the two-day virtual conference in style.

Even though the in person festival had to be postponed, the virtual conference experience dropped all the knowledge and gave all the vibes it needed to virtually. While social distancing is still being enforced A3C looks forward to next year and hopes the in person festival can happen then. Until that time, check out their website and follow them on all social media platforms for more information about all of their upcoming shows/events.