No Pix After Dark Podcast

NoPixAfterDark Live at Baltimore Peninsula Womens History Month Celebration

NoPixAfterDark Live conversation series event at Baltimore Peninsula's ROOST continued on Thursday, March 7th. The  host Aaron Dante was joined by Award-Winning Chefs Catina Smith, Keyia Yalcin, and Amber Croom in celebration of Women's History Month. There was a food tasting provided by the Chefs before the show. We discussed an array of topics such as why did you get into the industry. What are some of your proudest achievements. How they overcame adversity in the culinary field being a woman. This is an episode you don’t want to miss.

NoPixAfterDark EP 265: Dr. Danielle McCamey Founder and CEO of DNP of Color

Dr. Danielle McCamey is an acute care nurse practitioner, visionary leader and trailblazer in the nursing profession. She is a passionate advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion. Her scholarly pursuits and fervent dedication are centered around propelling diversity and development within the nursing workforce. As the Assistant Dean for Strategic Partnerships at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, Dr. McCamey leads initiatives to build and strengthen relationships with key leaders, including healthcare organizations, educational institutions, and community partners. She is also the founder and CEO of DNPs of Color, a national nonprofit organization that provides community, mentorship, and advocacy for nurses of color pursuing and holding doctoral degrees.

EP 264: Amber Wendland, AIA, AICP Associate Principal at Ayers Saint Gross

Amber is an Associate Principal at Ayers Saint Gross and leads the firm's practice in community and campus edge design. Trained as both an architect and planner, she works on projects that bridge across disciplines and scopes from feasibility studies for the Smithsonian Institution to campus master plans for Purdue University to neighborhood vision plans for East Baltimore.

While she enjoys working on a wide variety of project types, Amber has a particular passion for creating thoughtful and sensitive planning and design solutions for communities in need. By sharing her knowledge, she works to elevate client and community voices in crafting the future of their neighborhoods. Amber is particularly proud of her work designing revitalization plans for East Baltimore and the Harlem Park neighborhood, some of the most historically disinvested neighborhoods in Baltimore. Her engagement and master planning efforts in Baltimore and Washington, D.C. have been awarded the Greater Baltimore Committee's Mayors Business Recognition Award and the American Planning Association National Capital Area Chapter's Award for Outstanding Regional or Comprehensive Plan.

Amber leads the firm's People and Culture committee and is passionate about promoting gender and racial equity in the field of architecture. Outside the firm, she serves on the board of the Neighborhood Design Center, the board of the Baltimore Tree Trust, as a member of the Greater Baltimore Committee Economic Development Committee, and as a mentor with the Baltimore Design School. In 2021, Amber was included on the Daily Record's list of "Maryland's Top Women" for her professional achievements, community leadership, and service to others 

EP 263:JADA McCRAY Chief Operating Officer BTST Services & CO-Owner of BLK SWAN & Prim and Proper

With a start in the Baltimore school system, most notably the historic Western Senior High School, Jada M. McCray, LCSW-C, began a lifelong dedication to education and growth. After receiving a Bachelor's Degree from Coppin State University, Jada moved on to the University of Maryland School of Social Work, where she received a Master's Degree of Social Work with Honors. After graduation, Jada launched her career as a Social Worker in the Child Protective Services Unit at The Baltimore County Department of Social Services.

This eventually led to an active leadership role, introducing and implementing innovative programs such as Family Team Decision Making Meetings, which continue to help at risk families, social workers, and other community stakeholders find common ground. It was in this capacity that Jada discovered a passion for helping people to find mutual understanding and amiability within relationships. She further developed her clinical skills to begin training as a psychotherapist. Jada continued advancing her career and became a Licensed Certified Social Worker Clinical, a Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners Approved Supervisor, and a Certified Trauma Trained Therapist. With a continually growing love for mental health, Jada fully immersed herself into providing individual and family therapy, continuing her work and eventually becoming Director of Program Development at an area community mental health clinic, helping to grow the company from a small organization with 15 therapists to a major mental health provider with nearly 100 employees and 3 locations. Though having already succeeded greatly, Jada felt the call to forge new paths in the mental health field. In recent years, ada has become an entrepreneur.

Presently, Jada M. McCray, LCSW-C, is the Co Owner and COO of Cornerstone Health Management, the founder and CEO of The Inspire Institute for Professional Development and Continuing Education, Founder of Joshua Homes, as well as the Co-Owner and COO for BTST Services Outpatient Mental Health Clinic, a mental health provider in Baltimore City, Prince George's County, Frederick County, Washington County. She wholeheartedly agrees with the agency's mission "to become the leader and trailblazer of both the health and social work fields..." In this capacity, Jada is a member of Baltimore County Schools Mental Health Committee, an Advisory Board Member of the Cecil County CSA, a Board Member of the Children's Guild and a member of the Charles Village Business Association. Most recently, Jada was honored as one of the "Women Who Move Maryland" given by the Baltimore Magazine.

NoPixAfterDark 262: D. Watkins NYT Best Selling Author| Writer| Editor

Aaron recently had the pleasure of interviewing D. Watkins, a New York Times bestselling and award-winning author, writer, and 2024 Gordon Parks Fellow from Baltimore. During their conversation, they delved into Watkins' passion for reading and how he's committed to helping other creatives. Watkins also shared insights into his journey to becoming a bestselling author and TV writer for some of HBO's most popular shows “Slow Hustle” and . Check out the interview to learn from this accomplished writer and gain inspiration for your own creative journey. #DWatkins #NYTimes #BestsellingAuthor #HBO #GordonParksFellow #Baltimore #Creatives #WritingCommunity 

NoPixAfterDark EP 261: CLARENCE " KD" MCNAIR Author - Entrepreneur - Brand Architect

McNair is a Baltimore native who began his career as a recording artist and producer in his early teenage years. He landed a multi-million-dollar music contract with his mother help at Motown Records. This opportunity led his music group to work with Grammy-awarded music producers. They landed a feature in Jamie Foxx soundtrack for the action-comedy film Bait and made T.V. appearances on Soul Train, MTV2, and BET&106th & Park with hosts A.J. and Free.

The group gained recognition in Vibe, Billboard, Sister 2 Sister magazine, and the media mogul radio show Wendy Williams. The group also performed in Tokyo, Japan, for the U.S. troops. After McNair music career, his ability to stay current with entertainment industry trends led him to the reality television space. He coordinated and co-produced the first fashion runway presentation for Coco &; Lucious Apparel&; during season three of &; Ice Loves Coco on E! at
N.Y. Fashion Week in 2012. Shortly after, he worked closely with some of VH1 top reality stars to create content and enhance their careers. His expertise helped him broker successful brand deals and secure bookings for the BET Awards. McNair passion for music navigated his path to work with music executives like Brooklyn Johnny, known for kickstarting the career of Grammy award-winning artist Cardi B. McNair worked as the brand strategist to Pinky Cole,

CEO of Slutty Vegan, a company valued at 100 million dollars. Today, he works as Pinky Cole Manager on her personal management team. He recently closed one of the most significant partnership deals of this decade, solidifying Slutty Vegan founder and CEO Pinky Cole as a development partner in Rye Street Market, a five billion-dollar development project on the Baltimore Peninsula led by MAG Partners and MacFarlane Partners. The deal also includes investments from Under Armour founder Kevin Plank plus his Sagamore Ventures Investment Firm and Goldman Sachs Asset Management Urban Investment Group.

In November 2019, McNair released his first book, Give It One More Try to shed light on the importance of mental fitness. He shares the depths of his early traumatic experiences and how he found ways to push for the life he has now. During his Give It One More Try campaign, he received honorary awards, and his book was rated number one on Amazon for men health. He appeared on T.V. One Sister Circle Show, FOX, and radio outlets. His second book Blessings in Uncertain Times featured a foreword by Cora Jakes, daughter of world-renowned Bishop T.D. Jakes and Serita Jakes. The book offered a new perspective in times of uncertainty. McNair recently sat with White House Correspondent Gerren Keith
Gaynor to share how his book, “Give It One More Try,” has inspired thousands across the globe to persevere in the face of adversity and never stop striving for their goals.

McNair is grateful for his knowledge and experience as a strategist and problem solver. His life skills and career coaching have inspired many lives. He received multiple recognitions and awards for his community outreach. In October 2023, he was honored by the Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness, for his distinguished community service and leadership. Today, he
advocates for programs that help the youth; get ready for obstacles in the world. These programs are especially significant to him because the organization focuses on mental health and positively impacts minorities. McNair's experiences have led him to become a problem solver and strategist. He is grateful for the opportunities that have allowed him to help others through
community outreach and advocating for programs focusing on mental health and minorities.

NoPixAfterDark EP 260: LUKE COOPER Founder and General Partner of Latimer Ventures

Luke Cooper is the General Partner and Founder of Latimer Ventures. A JD/MBA from Syracuse and Babson, he is a multi-exited founder and M&A specialist. Early in his career he achieved more than a quarter of a billion dollars of transactions as a corporate attorney at DLA Piper and in-house counsel with State Farm. He went on to build 2 VC backed enterprise software companies, exiting both for 8 figure all cash deals to Fortune 300 buyers, the most recent one occurring in late 2020. Mr. Cooper is a product of abject poverty growing up in Bridgeport Connecticut with a father in prison. He knows firsthand the importance of wealth creation and how to achieve it for the diverse unicorns he interacts with daily. One of Mr. Coopers core values can be summed up in the Latin phrase... Esse Quam Videri... which means ‘to be, rather than to seem”

NoPixAfterDark Live ft. Equitech Tuesday - Baltimore Tech Scene

Live podcast recording of the NoPixAfterDark conversation series at the Baltimore Peninsula!  Aaron Dante, host of the award-winning Baltimore-based podcast, is joined by Kory Bailey CEO of UpSurge Baltimore, Jeff Cherry Independent Board Director, CEO, Business Executive, Venture Investor and Dr. Tammira Lucas CEO of The Cube Cowork,Speaker, Professor, and Expert Business Consultant
Recognized as one of Baltimore's Top 40 under 40

• Kory Bailey: CEO of UpSurge Baltimore
  With over a decade of leadership in both early-stage startups and big tech, Kory Bailey has emerged as a thought leader on equitable economic growth and the biggest advocate for the tech community in Baltimore. A 2022 Technical.ly RealLIST Connectors Award winner and 2023 RealLIST Tech Community Leader of the Year nominee, Kory is the CEO of UpSurge Baltimore, an ecosystem building organization with a vision for Baltimore to be recognized as the first Equitech city in the world. A new model for American innovation. UpSurge's mission is to mobilize the tech ecosystem around startups by strengthening its culture and connectivity, with an intentional focus on strategies that produce better outcomes for Black, women, and other underestimated founders and leaders.
  
  
• Jeff Cherry: Independent Board Director, CEO, Business Executive, Venture Investor
  Jeff Cherry is a seasoned CEO, entrepreneur, corporate executive, startup advisor, venture and wall street investor, speaker and writer with a track record of strategic execution and innovation. Over the last 35 years he has built award winning companies in engineering, design, strategic consulting and investment management. He has been a trusted advisor to Fortune 500 executives, government agencies and startups, with a focus on helping teams understand customers and build dynamic, high-performing organizational cultures.
  
  
• Dr. Tammira Lucas: Author, Speaker, Professor, and Expert Business Consultant
  Recognized as one of Baltimore's Top 40 under 40, Dr. Tammira Lucas is a thought leader who has quickly emerged as a trailblazer among millennial professionals and a powerful voice for communities locally, nationally, and internationally

 

NoPixAfterDark EP 259: Kory Bailey CEO of Upsurge Baltimore

In this episode, Aaron interviews Kory Baily, CEO of Upsurge Baltimore, about his journey from a football scholarship at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill to becoming the new CEO of Upsurge Baltimore. Kory shares his vision for the company's future and discusses Baltimore's potential to become the next tech hub. Tune in to hear more about Kory's story and insights on the tech industry. #UpsurgeBaltimore #TechHub #Leadership #Entrepreneurship 

With over a decade of leadership in both early-stage startups and big tech, Kory Bailey has emerged as a thought leader on equitable economic growth and the biggest advocate for the tech community in Baltimore. A 2022 Technical.ly RealLIST Connectors Award winner and 2023 RealLIST Tech Community Leader of the Year nominee, Kory is the CEO of UpSurge Baltimore, an ecosystem building organization with a vision for Baltimore to be recognized as the first Equitech city in the world. A new model for American innovation. UpSurge's mission is to mobilize the tech ecosystem around startups by strengthening its culture and connectivity, with an intentional focus on strategies that produce better outcomes for Black, women, and other underestimated founders and leaders.

NoPixAfterDark EP 258: Gary Coichy CEO & Founder of Pod Digital Media

In the latest episode of Nopixafterdark podcast, Aaron had the pleasure of interviewing Gary Coichy, the CEO & Founder of Pod Digital Media. They discussed a variety of topics, including the origin story of Pod Digital Media and how it's helping Brown and Black podcasters with advertising deals. Gary also shared insights from his best-selling book and his successful investments in real estate. Thank you, Gary, for taking the time to chat with us. It was a pleasure to film this episode on location in Miami. #Podcasting #AdvertisingDeals #RealEstateInvestments 

 

Gary the CEO and Founder of Pod Digital Media. Pod Digital Media is the first and largest Multi-Cultural Podcast Network in the World. “ Pod Digital Media has established partnerships with prominent companies such as P&G, AMEX, AT&T, New York Times, Walmart, Visa, HBO, Toyota, Showtime, Walgreens, Universal Studios, Paramount Pictures, and many others. In January 2022, PDM secured a groundbreaking multi-year, multi-million-dollar deal with McDonald’s “ Website pod digital media

NoPixAfterDark EP 257: Brian D. Pieninck CEO of CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield

In the latest episode of NoPixAfterDark Podcast, Aaron sits down with Brian D. Pieninck  CEO of CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield. The conversation touches on a variety of topics, including the importance of community and transportation, as well as CareFirst's role as an anchor in the Baltimore-Washington region. Did you also know that Brian was a DJ back in the day, spinning tracks at roller skate rinks in Philadelphia? Check out this fascinating episode, available now on YouTube, Apple, and Spotify. Don't miss out! 

https://lnkd.in/evfqUsGy

Brian D. Pieninck is the President and CEO of CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield multi-line, not-for-profit healthcare company. Brian embodies CareFirst's mission leading over 8,000 individuals dedicated to transforming the healthcare system to make it more equitable, affordable, and accessible to the 3.5 million individuals we serve across Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia. 

Brian's community involvement centers on equitably advancing opportunities at the intersection of health and economic wellbeing throughout the mid-Atlantic region, a personal investment and expertise that closely aligns with CareFirst's mission. He is the Chair of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association Board of Directors and chairman of the Boar Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare (CAQH). 

Additionally, he is an active member of several boards, including the Federal Employee Program Board of Managers, Baltimore Committee, Baltimore's Promise, BCS Financial Corporation, Greater Washington Partnership, Synergie Medication Collective, the Greater Washington Board of Trade, the United Way of the National Capital Area, and a member Morgan State University Board of Regents. Brian holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Southern New Hampshire University and is a graduate of Leadership Maryland's Class of 2016. A native of Southeastern Pennsylvania his family currently resides in Baltimore County, Maryland