Courtney Roberson, Creative Marketing Strategist
💭 Thoughts on giving yourself balance, Poster Girl, and living in the midst of an artistic renaissance.
Hailing from Houston, Texas and now residing in NYC, Courtney Roberson is a freelance creative marketing strategist at Blo Media leading the new school of creatives. Additionally, she’s pushing boundaries as the creator and founder of Blo Productions, a live entertainment platform amplifying emerging artists. This past May, she produced NYC's first ever All Female DJ Battle, No Requests. You can find her frolicking with her iPhone around NYC creating digital strategy for the brands and people like Audiofemme, Sorrel, DJ Nyla Symone’s Certified Vibe, photographer Sophia Wilson, and more. If you think she looks familiar, it’s because you’ve seen her dancing on an elevated surface at a function.
🎯 Current focus
Currently I’m working on the second installment of No Requests: An All Female DJ Battle. I was able to bring it to life in NYC, and because it was so well received we’re bringing it down south. [Announcement coming soon on where exactly.] I have a deep passion for uplifting women in every space, but something about a talented woman in music just fires me up. If you missed out, sorry for the fomo: No Requests is making history as the first of its kind –– a high-stakes, winner-takes-all competition where 6 of the hottest up-and-coming female DJs from across the US go head-to-head, spinning an eclectic mix of rap, hip-hop, soul house, trap, and R&B across multiple rounds.
The idea for it came to me from coming into contact with so many female DJ’s since moving to New York. From veteran DJ’s like Callie Reiff to training DJ’s like Chloe Jones – they moved something in me. I was like “hmm..you really ate that. There’s not a lot of eaters in the DJ scene right now that are really shaking the table. We gotta do something about this.” So No Requests was born. :)
🎭 Living in the midst of an artistic renaissance
I’m loving the way that consumers are getting smarter. The way that someone can tell the real from the fake these days is bad for companies and brands, but amazing for the general public. We’re so tired of the gimmicks and formulas… give us something to chew on. Specifically, I'm seeing this within music. I was having a conversation with a friend just yesterday about how we’re truly in the middle of a renaissance. Everything is so much more passionate and raw from every medium of art. We’re seeing new talent rise, and I’m really excited to watch what’s next come up in real time. I do think there’s something very special about the time that we’re in right now, and it won’t be until 15-20 years from now where the world will appreciate the shifts.
🕉️ Mantra of the moment
“Lock in. Find consistent and sustainable ways for growth. Return to routines or create new ones. Don’t create drama or chaos for myself.” What all of that means is sometimes it’s really hard to lock in and do the hard things because there’s so much distraction around us both mentally and physically, but it’s a must. It’s really easy to be swayed right now if you’re not careful and serious about what you want and require for your life. In the beginning of the year I set up some really serious goals for myself, and I knew the only way that I could achieve them was through some deep discipline that I haven't even accessed yet within myself. There’s constant pep talk and reminders to myself of the end goal which is to ultimately level up, and I know that it won’t be easy.
💪 Standing ten toes down on the right side of things
Someone that I look up to would be Amanda Seales for sure. She’s an amazing actress, you might know her from Issa Rae’s (who I also adore) hit HBO series Insecure. Where my admiration comes in is for her advocacy for equity and black advancement. Also, she’s a fellow cancerian. She’s another outspoken, incredibly educated, factually opinionated, can’t-be-played-with woman who doesn’t let opposition stop her from being a truth teller.
In general, I think complicity is an issue in the entertainment industry – I’ve seen and experienced the things first hand. I think there’s so much tip-toeing around what’s right and what’s wrong, and we need more people like her who will stand ten toes down on the right side of things and not care about the slap on the wrist that comes with it. I say let the real rise. I really admire people who don’t need a crowd to speak on things that need to be addressed, and that’s Amanda all the way. My cancer sister, seriously.
What Poster Girl is doing right now is soooo hot. Who else do you know that’s getting the Clermont Twins, Aliyah’s Interlude, India Love, Kim Petras, Salem Mitchell in one campaign??? The concept of a Flavor of Love style reality show vibe was just so smart and the execution was flawless. The rollout has been so entertaining. Dropping “episodes” and screenshot like captures from the scenes is just so on par with how we consume television now, they definitely know their audience and did their homework. I’d say it’s for sure going to live on Pinterest boards of all emerging hot girls for the next 20 years.
⚖️ Giving yourself balance
This isn’t this week or month, but my birthday is coming up soon. I’m looking forward to giving myself balance. I think I deserve that much for all of the work I’ve put in thus far in 2024. I’m going to go to a day spa, get a deep tissue massage, eat steak frites, smoke a joint, lay by the ocean, and let my brain breathe. I don’t really get why people work on their birthday that never made any sense to me… but maybe that’s the Gen-Z in me.
🎧 Podcasts > reality TV
I really like podcasts. I actually have my own. It's called The Blo Up Podcast where I self narrate my journey to becoming the most bossed up version of myself possible. I listen to others too: Pour Minds, Cocktales Dirty Discussions, Smoke Sesh, Balanced Black Girl, and Whoreible Decisions. I feel like it’s better than reality TV these days. From niche topic discussions to artist interviews, it just feels like a lot of fun. I’m a big yapper so I enjoy a good flowing conversation. Also, my eyes hurt from working on screens all day.
Follow Courtney on Instagram, Linkedin and Tiktok. Start your next project by contacting www.blomedia@gmail.com.
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