Get 'Em Girl of the Week : Valeisha Butterfield

Valeisha Monique Butterfield is an African-American entertainment executive and social activist.

Butterfield was born in Wilson, North Carolina to G.K. Butterfield, a United States Congressman and Jean Farmer-Butterfield, a Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives.

It was at the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN) that Butterfield found a professional home and a way to successfully accomplish both goals. Valeisha's meteoric rise from intern to Executive Director of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, the world's largest non-profit coalition of hip-hop artists and entertainment industry executives, is analogous to that of a total eclipse – rare, luminous, engaging and a force to be reckoned with. Butterfield is the first woman to lead the organization's philanthropic initiatives and business operations under the direction of Russell Simmons and Dr. Benjamin Chavis.

Considered by most as the youngest African-American executive director in the United States, she is an exemplary illustration of the fresh leadership needed in today's entertainment corporate social landscape.

Upon witnessing the recent public outcry, particularly among women, on the issues of misogyny, sexism and racism in entertainment and in society, Butterfield felt compelled to take a leadership role in the discussion and the solution. As the Founder of the Women in Entertainment Empowerment Network (WEEN), Butterfield has dedicated her life to improving the quality of life of women of color and hopes to leave a meaningful legacy on the business and creative practices of the entertainment industry and in society. Her goal is to make significant improvements in the quality of life of women of color in the areas of education, self-esteem, financial independence and overall happiness through entertainment-based mentorship.

Get 'Em Girl of the Week : Nydia Norville

Nydia R. Norville is about to make her mantra: “Beautify Not Toxify” a household phrase. She always knew she wanted to start her own business. Nydia always had a love for modeling, fashion and beauty. Throughout high school and college she was approached to model, and while she dabbled in it, school was always the priority. Once finished with college, she decided to give modeling a try. A year after graduating from Seton Hall University with a B.S. in Business Administration, Nydia found herself living in New York City and pursuing modeling full time. “I never wanted to only model, I viewed it as a stepping stone towards the future I wanted for myself.”

Fast-forward three years and Nydia is being featured in Essence, Harper’s Bazaar, Glamour and InStyle magazines, but the desire to start her own business still lingered. So she took some time off from modeling to plan her next endeavor. During this time, Nydia began experimenting with creating moisturizers. She had always suffered from extremely dry skin and had never been able to find a moisturizer that worked. After researching ingredients used in the moisturizers sitting on her bathroom shelf, she realized that many of them contained harsh chemicals that weren’t
good for the skin.

“I noticed there was a shift towards all things natural and organic in the United States.” This was demonstrated with the success of all-natural supermarkets, such as Whole Foods, and the appearance of more organic products on their shelves. “I was determined to make a product truly all natural and organic.” Shortly afterwards, she made her first moisturizer, which was an organic and all natural lavender scented body butter that truly worked for her dry skin. “I was hooked. I loved making and using the body butter and eventually began sharing it with friends.
They loved it too!” she says.

With the growing trend in the food industry towards all things natural and organic, she assumed the trend would eventually lend itself to the personal care industry.” Her train of thought being “if a person is concerned about what they are putting into their bodies, they would also be concerned about what they are putting on their bodies. The skin absorbs about 60% of what is put on it,” she notes. Her assumption was correct, and after doing extensive market research; Nydia realized she was right on the mark. She sent a sample of the body butter to a chemist to be tested. After receiving kudos from the chemist on the formula, Nydia knew she had a good
thing. A year later, with money she earned from one of her last modeling jobs, Luxe Essentials was launched. Capitalizing on the experience, income and contacts gained through modeling, Luxe Essentials went from a vision to an actual dream come true.

Learn more about Nydia and her products at www.luxeessentials.com and www.luxeessentials.blogspot.com

Get 'Em Girl of the Week : Allyson Leak

Swarovski Crystals, Freshwater Pearls and Rare Imported Stones Make the Debut Line of Ally Marie Couture Jewelry

Combine mother of pearl with brass accents and a touch of crystal quartz and you get one of the unique pieces featured in the debut line of Ally Marie Couture Jewelry. Funky yet classy, vibrant but stylishly elegant, Ally Marie is for the woman who views jewelry as more than just diamonds and pearls; but rather as a creative reflection of their beauty, thoughts and ideals.

How often can you say you are wearing your favorite piece of art? According to Ally Marie designer Allyson Leak, it can be every day. The Ally Marie line defines itself as wearable art, reflecting the vintage goodies that clutter your grandmother’s jewelry box and inspired by the many color hues in nature, the architectural design of city buildings, and even basic everyday items. The Ally Marie line features the Bamboo Necklace – bamboo with mother of pearl shells and wood; and the Spork Necklace - a chain of Swarovski black and teal crystal beads and a Swarovski crystal accented natural horn pendant. Instead of following trends, Ally Marie creates them.

Other key features of the Ally Marie line include the 1805 Pocket Book Necklace – a 14k gold filled purse with a string of brass chains; the Pearl Necklace – a mix of antique sterling silver beads, freshwater pearls and a sterling chain along the back; and the Harmony Earrings – a mix of jade stone, sterling silver, and a natural horn heart pendant.
MORE MORE MORE

Leak founded Ally Marie upon the idea that women should embrace their unique style by wearing jewelry that best reflects their personality. While designers spend their time telling people what they should wear and determining the best pieces for the season, Ally Marie says wear what works for you. Forget the trends; wear jewelry that makes you feel your best. Allyson reflects, “I remember how glamorous I felt playing in my grandmother’s jewelry as a little girl. Every piece was different; yet fit perfectly with who my grandmother was and her ideals. And they were so beautiful! The glitz and glam are what women really love. My goal was to create a luxurious and timeless line that can be passed down from generation to generation.”

Further, Leak created the Ally Marie Couture Jewelry Line because “people are tired of buying cheap jewelry that breaks two months after they buy it. I also knew that diamonds were not in everyone’s price bracket; so I wanted to create a line that fell in between the two.” Leak also wanted to go against the norm. “It is very easy to play it safe and create jewelry that is aligned with what’s already out there or what seems to ‘work’. In the end, everyone ends up looking the same.” The Ally Marie client is the woman who dares to be unique. Someone who is a trendsetter, loves exclusive jewelry, and isn’t worried about the price because they feel that quality and rarity are more important. She is someone who wants couture jewelry while everyone else looks the same in the usual designers.

Ally Marie can count Grammy Award winning singer/songwriter Alicia Keys as one of its many fans. In November 2007 Keys wore the Ally Marie Bamboo Couture Necklace when she hosted MTV Hits “Alicia Keys Takeover Week”.
Retail prices range from $58 to $360. To find out more about the Ally Marie Couture Jewelry collection visit www.allymarie.com

Get 'Em Girl of the Week: La Shell Wooten

La Shell Wooten is a true native New Yorker. She has lived, loved and learned in New York City. Born and raised in the Bronx, Wooten still resides in her childhood home where she grew up.

Earning her Master’s degree in Social Work from New York University, Wooten went on to become a licensed therapist. Through her work in the medical field, foster care system and non-profit organizations such as the Children’s Aid Society and the New York City Mission Society, Wooten has helped a countless number of children, teens and their families.

Presently, Wooten works at a not for profit organization; Room To Grow, where she provides parenting support and childhood development education to the parents of children ages zero to three.

La Shell Wooten is also a licensed feng shui consultant. Her undying desires to assist people in living better lives and her strong beliefs in universal energy led her to branch out into this different form of therapy in 2001. Since then, she has been providing services to private clientele that allow them to feel more comfortable in their living space. By evaluating the energy of their space, Wooten recommends anything from color schemes to the decor for that particular space that improves energy in turn improving their lives. “I love providing this service for people. It improves productivity, health, communication, energy and much more,” she explains.

Wooten has found yet another way to give back to the universe – this time as an author. Her writing is a culmination of all that she has experienced in her career, life and especially motherhood. “I thought it was my job to teach my children, little did I know they would be teaching me so many important lessons,” said Wooten.

This heavy influence of her children on her life inspired her first writing project; a self-published series of children’s books, very appropriately titled Boomerang Bounce Books.

The series deals with the idea of karma or the “boomerang” effect of universal energy, in attempt to help children consciously think about their actions and the affects of their actions. The first two books in the series are titled “The Sharing Secret” and “Good Hands”. This is just the beginning of much more to come from La Shell Wooten as she plans to write longer stories as well as screenplays.

Get 'Em Girl of the Week: Etwin Gordon

It would all start with a sudden urge to make new dishes. This urge found Etwin Gordon taking courses at The Art Institute of New York City in Culinary Arts Management. Etwin initially wanted to go into the catering business, but after taking a pastry course she quickly changed her mind. “Baking cakes is what I wanted to do” is the motto that Etwin chooses to live by. She finished up at AINYC with an AOS in Culinary Management and a Certificate in Pastry Arts.

While taking the Pastry courses Etwin would bring my baked goods to her co-workers. They loved it! She was asked to make a Red Velvet cake for a bake sale at work and this would be the start of Essential Cakes. Why Essential Cakes? Is a cake not the most essential element of any party? If anyone said that word of mouth wasn’t the best way to get the word out, they were wrong. The word has been spreading ever since and her telephone hasn’t stopped ringing since. Etwin takes great pride in everything she bakes and puts all her heart and soul into it...or as the saying goes, she puts her foot in it!

Etwin’s specialty is southern staple, Red Velvet Cake, but Essential Cakes have a list of many other cake choices. While EssentialCakes.com is still in the making, for more information go to myspace.com/essentialcakes for photos, cake selections and pricing. Essential Cakes makes cakes for any occasion; birthdays, baby showers, weddings or just because.

Multi-talented poet, journalist, on-air personality, scholar, singer is this year’s quintessential artist

The steady disappearance of female emcees in hip-hop has rendered singer/songwriter/emcee Amanda Diva restless. “When the Grammys removed the Female Rap category, I knew something had to be done,” says the 26-year old Grenadian American. “Whatever I do, I’m gonna bring it back.” That’s just one of her goals for 2008. The other is to remind the world exactly what a dope female emcee is. And she won’t be riding any man’s coattails to do it. She doesn’t have to. An accomplished poet, journalist, radio & television personality, scholar (she has a Master’s degree in African-American Studies), singer, and rapper, Amanda Diva is definitely the best kept secret in female emcees. Her numerous gifts and abilities are what make her the quintessential artist.

Just look at her achievements: she hit the scene as a spoken word poet on Russell Simmons’ Def Poetry Jam in 2002 and 2005 and went on to host the Sirius Satellite Radio show “Breakfast at Diva’s” on HipHopNation/40 from 2003-2008. Around the same time, she became the “face of hip-hop” as host of MTV2’s “Sucker Free” programming from 2004-2005 and has interviewed the likes of Jay-Z, Nas, Outkast, 50 Cent, T.I., The Roots, Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Mariah Carey, Kanye West, and more.

Channeling her magnetic media personality and sage lyricism into one vessel, Amanda released the poetry mixtape It’s Bigger Than Hip-Hop, The Mixtape: Vol. 1 in 2004. Two years later she followed up with the critically acclaimed Still Sucka Free Vol.1, of which Scratch magazine wrote: “Amanda is a fresh breeze…Not only is her pen as sharp as OJ’s knife, but her storytelling game is up there with the best of them.” (Feb ’07)
Now, after a brief stint replacing “Rhymstress” Natalie Stewart of the Grammy-nominated R&B duo Floetry (Amanda toured on the 21-city Floetry Remix last year), Miss Diva has released the seminal EP Life Experience, the first installment in her “Experience Trilogy” series. Issued by her own DivaWorks Inc. imprint, the “Experience Trilogy” is a set of EPs each with their own themes of “Life,” “Love,” and “Live!”
With production spanning from legends like Clark Kent to newcomers like Don Cannon of the Aphilliates, Life Experience is full of soulful tracks with production reminiscent of golden-era Hip-Hop. Amanda fearlessly paints pictures of the experiences that have shaped her and allows listeners to see both sides of her artistry -- the emcee and the songstress (yes, she sings!). She flaunts those emcee skills in the Caribbean-spiced song “SupaWoman:” Indeed, Amanda Diva has something to say. And she’s saying it for women, for hip-hop, and for the world. Now just let any man try and stop her…

For more on Amanda check out:
Myspace.com/AmandaDiva
DivaSpeakTV.blogspot.com
http://www.blogger.com/

Or you can check her out this Friday, Jan. 25th in Atlanta, GA opening up for Lupe Fiasco at the Roxy (3110 Roswell Rd.)

For media inquiries or press opportunities, contact Shante Bacon at http://www.blogger.com/, (917) 553-0005 or Saptosa Foster at http://www.blogger.com/, (404) 909-6493.

Get 'Em Girl of the Week

Reaching the Industry One Image at a Time

Since the invention of the camera, entertainment and visual imagery have been co-dependent on each other. Creative visuals and packaging have become more important than ever in any marketing effort. Next time you’re browsing the internet, visiting your local record store, news stand or bookstore or enjoying a meal at your favorite eatery take some time to take in the design surrounding you. Compare the album covers of Dead Prez, Memphis Bleek, Jay-Z, Big Pun, M.O.P., Beres Hammond, Lil Flip, M-1, Wu Tang Clan, Killer Mike, Bone Crusher, Prodigy of Mobb Deep, Raekwon, Three Six Mafia, Capleton, Tanya Stephens, I Wayne, and Junior Kelly. Check out the book designs of some best selling authors and study the magazine layouts and advertisements in The Source, Vibe Vixen, Don Diva, and Ozone Magazines. While they may not have anything in common, if you read the credits closely, one thing becomes evident, they’re all designed by Kerry DeBruce of KLAD Creative. You’ll also notice that while each design or packaging comes from the same artistic mind, the product has its own distinct design.Based in New York City, KLAD Creative, an industry secret for over 8 years has grown into a full-service design studio. Kerry was at the top of her game when she decided to give up her corporate job to start her own business. She launched KLAD Creative, a full-service design firm in New York eight years ago with her first clients: Sony Records, VP Records, Cicatelli Associates Inc., and Planned Parenthood of Nassau County.Armed with a Bachelors of Art in Design from the esteemed Cooper Union For The Advancement of Science & Art, Kerry has received awards from both the Art Director’s Club and AIGA. With over ten years of experience as a graphic designer and art director, her professional background includes two design positions at two major advertising agencies and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, but much of Kerry’s work in the entertainment industry spiraled from her experience working at Loud Records / Sony Music. Kerry DeBruce was one of the first to bring “bling” to album covers with the historic last album cover for Big Pun, making that aesthetic the formula for many albums created especially in the south. Aside from KLAD Creative, Kerry is also a fine artist, interior designer, event planner, and craft specialist.In the last eight years, KLAD Creative's attention to detail and unique ability to capture the essence of their clients’ one pixel at a time has landed them contracts with major entertainment industry companies including Sony Music, Atlantic Records, and VP Records to name a few and on the speed dial of every in-house art director, and urban savvy marketing company.“As a full service design studio, our goal is to bring to life your vision using a combination of art and graphics to communicate your message. With a little guidance from you, we can create a masterpiece,” explains Kerry DeBruce, KLAD Creative’s Founder and Creative Director. “We’re known for our album packaging, but we don’t just create album covers. We are one-stop shop for everything you need artistically, from corporate branding, album packaging, graphic design, advertising campaigns, branding, logos, posters, marketing materials, website design and more.” “Our goal with a project is to capture the essence of your company and bring it to life.” With Kerry DeBruce at the helm, KLAD Creative is a one-stop creative shop.

****Get 'Em Girl Alert- Miss Kerry is also responsible for the beautiful layout of the Get 'Em Girl's Guide to Unlocking the Power of Cuisine****