Success by Any Means Necessary - Meet The Force Behind the Essence Festival

Gina Charbonnet is the founder of GeChar and has worked as a producer and communications consultant for leading brands and media outlets like Converse, Essence, BET, the NAACP and the DNC among many others. She works with these brands to shape a creative vision and build authentic storytelling experiences. 

Now she’s starting a new venture… re-envisioning *her* brand. 

"My work with Black women will always always be at the core of what I do."

Having built a life creating social change through conversation and connection, GeChar is now a community built for “guiding advocateurs.”

Essence festival carved out her career and now she's continuing the work of empowerment and inspiration through GeChar, her resource to inspire other entrepreneurs.

Gina grew up in the family funeral home - and when you do that you're supporting a community. Growing up in New Orleans she always new that she'd do something with culture.

"That pride in culture for the black community is something that's instilled in me and I'm proud of where I'd come from.

Now, I'm taking a little piece of my blackness and putting it out into the world. To show the world what we think about, what we practice. My work with black women will always be the forefront of everything that we do."

Advocacy is a big part on how people are going to start consuming both brands and media.

From that focus on advocacy, Gina's really leaned into a new buzz word, advocateur.

"As we pivot as a country as a globe, in business, racial reckoning, corporate culture, climate change, politics, it's really about what the advocacy is behind the work. Let's do better. Let's be kinder. Let's collectively try to get to a better place together.

As we talk about entrepreneurship and social justice it's about investing in businesses that make a difference. We want to support different types of businesses, minority owned businesses - it's all about how can we be more supportive."

And that's really what advocateur is - how can you be more supportive of everyone and being able to talk about what's important to you, whether it's a cause or your sexuality or whatever you're passionate about you should have a lane to do that.

In 2020, we're making moves and getting to a point where there can start to have a more equal playing field with investment and banks relationships. Unless you know how to play the game and have others to support you with that knowledge, that's the kind of thing that those barriers will be crushed as we see more platforms for black and brown female entrepreneurs.

Gina's advice to other female entrepreneurs: "If you're ready, do it. Don't think twice about it."

You can find Gina:

Instagram: @g.therese_

Instagram: @GeCharPresents

Find More about The Tease

Instagram: @readthetease

Web: TheTease.com

(Note: Gina is a contributor to TheTease.com.)

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:...

Gina Charbonnet is the founder of GeChar and has worked as a producer and communications consultant for leading brands and media outlets like Converse, Essence, BET, the NAACP and the DNC among many others. She works with these brands to shape a creative vision and build authentic storytelling experiences. 

Now she’s starting a new venture… re-envisioning *her* brand. 

"My work with Black women will always always be at the core of what I do."

Having built a life creating social change through conversation and connection, GeChar is now a community built for “guiding advocateurs.”

Essence festival carved out her career and now she's continuing the work of empowerment and inspiration through GeChar, her resource to inspire other entrepreneurs.

Gina grew up in the family funeral home - and when you do that you're supporting a community. Growing up in New Orleans she always new that she'd do something with culture.

"That pride in culture for the black community is something that's instilled in me and I'm proud of where I'd come from.

Now, I'm taking a little piece of my blackness and putting it out into the world. To show the world what we think about, what we practice. My work with black women will always be the forefront of everything that we do."

Advocacy is a big part on how people are going to start consuming both brands and media.

From that focus on advocacy, Gina's really leaned into a new buzz word, advocateur.

"As we pivot as a country as a globe, in business, racial reckoning, corporate culture, climate change, politics, it's really about what the advocacy is behind the work. Let's do better. Let's be kinder. Let's collectively try to get to a better place together.

As we talk about entrepreneurship and social justice it's about investing in businesses that make a difference. We want to support different types of businesses, minority owned businesses - it's all about how can we be more supportive."

And that's really what advocateur is - how can you be more supportive of everyone and being able to talk about what's important to you, whether it's a cause or your sexuality or whatever you're passionate about you should have a lane to do that.

In 2020, we're making moves and getting to a point where there can start to have a more equal playing field with investment and banks relationships. Unless you know how to play the game and have others to support you with that knowledge, that's the kind of thing that those barriers will be crushed as we see more platforms for black and brown female entrepreneurs.

Gina's advice to other female entrepreneurs: "If you're ready, do it. Don't think twice about it."

You can find Gina:

Instagram: @g.therese_

Instagram: @GeCharPresents

Find More about The Tease

Instagram: @readthetease

Web: TheTease.com

(Note: Gina is a contributor to TheTease.com.)

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy