The first panel of the day started out with the faces behind the brands that most of us know, love, and follow, being deemed by Revolt as those behind “The New Hustle.” The panel features Prince Chenoa, Founder of Galore Media, Natasha Eubanks, Founder/CEO of The Young Black & Fabulous (Theybf.com), Issa Rae, producer, writer, and director, Stephanie Ogbogu, Sr. Editor at Baller Alert, and our very own Karen Civil. Sitting in front of a packed audience, each panelist spoke on their brands, their story, and dove into some of their recipes for their brand’s success. Natasha Eubanks quickly became a highlight for audience members, as she shared her story of giving up law school to turn her TheYBF website, which started as a hobby, into the next big entertainment outlet. “A lot of people are not here for you. You have to rise up and do it yourself,” she said of working through her tougher times with building the site.

Karen Civil also spoke on how she has been able to create resources that have contributed to her brand’s prosperity by preparing great marking pitches to companies and major brands to go into business together. All of the candidates also spoke on how they utilize social media to their advantage, and create a uniqueness to their platforms. Stephanie explained her way of making her readers feel like she was “one of their homegirls,” in order to set a comfortability level for them to comment and share their thoughts.

“I decided to be a bit more personal and get my followers to be more inspired,” explained Karen of her own social platforms. The panelists concluded their conversation with some audience questions, which ranged from topics of social media building, as well as how to tackle controversial topics such as the Black Lives Matter movement.