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RICHARD BLACKWOOD: COMEDIAN, ACTOR

Born in Clapham, South London  Richard claims he always wanted to be a performer. His inspiration has come from other comedians like Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy and Chris Rock, and his comedic style can be described as an amalgam of these three, with a healthy dose Afro Caribbean and South London humour. After graduating with a business degree, he did a one-off gig at ‘The Spot’ in Covent Garden, and from there his popularity grew. He did guest spots on ‘The A- Force’, BBC2′s late night black entertainment programme, as well as sketches on ‘The Real McCoy’ and ‘Five Night Stand’. He has had his own talk show on Channel Four, hosted ‘Singled Out’ and ‘MTV Select’ on MTV, and currently does work on the BBC digital channels 2011 saw Richard turn to aacting where he played the role of Russell the Store Manager in Anuvahood.

He is currently playing the role of Donkey in the West End production of Shrek the Musical.

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AMARU:  Founder  ‘AMARU DON TV’

Amaru Don TV has gained over 400,000 views on youtube and a reputation for being a respected provider of original content with substance. Over the past 11 months Amaru Don TV has conducted interviews with the music industry’s leading names including Keri Hilson, Neyo, Trey Songz, Big Sean,  Wale, Chipmunk, , Wretch 32, Giggs, The Foreign Exchange and many more. Amaru Don TV’s content is distributed globally and has been featured on some of the biggest online platforms in the US & UK such as; AOL, Thisis50, The Source, Rap Radar and Necole Bitchie. In addition to the interviews Amaru Don TV also conducts professional photo shoots with interviewees, participants have included Britain’s Next Top Model runner up Alisha White, Will Young , Chipmunk, Dwele, Bilal, Kimberly Wyatt, Aml Ameen, Talay Riley and singer Alexis Jordan among others.

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ALLAN OKOH: Entrepeneur

Allan Okoh is the founder of  Newtrepreneur Coaching. It is a personal development consultancy that specialises in coaching new entrepreneurs. “What inspired me to become an entrepreneur coach was the desire to help people start up their own business” Allan, who is also a published author, recalls  “I know a lot of people that want to start their own business but have no idea how to go about it. I wanted to create something for them to assist in helping them achieve their goals.” His techniques help clients discover the way that they behave and think in order to maximize their performance. “I believe that three of the key principals from the 10 mentioned in my book are important to a successful business -  discipline determination, and action.” His advice to young people who have what they believe is a great idea for a business but are unsure about the first steps to take is,  take time laying solid foundations.

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KWASI AND KENNY, FOUNDERS  ‘PLAY DOT APPAREL’ FASHION LABEL

Play.dot Apparel is the newest urban fashion experience soon to be in all good urban outlets within the UK. Play.dot Apparel specialises in caps, polos, jackets plus more.   Their designs  are based around a variety of increasing innovative characters so there is a character for everyone.  Play.Dot Apparel has been worn by Lil Wayne, Dappy plus more.

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POSTY: Founder GRIME DAILY

Posty is the founder of Grime Daily, one of the UK’s most popular websites  to showcase ‘UK urban culture’.

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SEBASTIAN THIEL, Managing Director ‘It’s Upshot’

Sebastian Thiel is Managing Director of It’s Upshot, a pioneering youth entertainment brand which has become a shining example of what hard work, dedication and creativity can produce. The It’s Upshot brand was created with its motto of “Educate, Empower and Inspire” in mind. Although the company’s name  is a reference to Sebastian’s former career as a promising basketball player, It’s Upshot is also a reference to the importance of aiming high and standing tall despite hurdles and obstacles placed in front of you. The team produces a range of distinctive t-shirts that use different concepts to generate humor, surprise and provoke thought. The It’s Upshot Dream series of t shirts is a best seller and has been donned by the likes of Bashy, Chipmunk, Sway, Dynamo and Flawless. Sebastian also runs Upshot TV, an online entertainment website that broadcasts comedy sketches, dance and music videos, filmed poetry performances, documentaries and short films.  “We will show anything that elevates people. We wouldn’t show or design anything that has a destructive message. For example our ‘Drop me your digits’ t-shirts which are part of our ‘joker’ series. It’s funny without being destructive. It’s not like we’re asking a girl to drop her knickers.”

His advice to budding entrepreneurs who want to create their own business success story is to “work hard. And if you want it enough then you will attract all the necessary things needed to make your dream happen. The key thing is to do it and not stop.”

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KANO: Actor, rapper

Kano made his first major acting debute in 2011 playing the role of  Sully in the 2011 Channel 4 drama Top Boy. 2011 Also saw Kano back in the recoridng studio recording a 4 track collaborative EP with producer Mikey J. The EP was title ‘Not For The A List’ because Kano didn’t want anything to stand in his way when it came to making the music.

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Uche Chukwu, Founder & Editor ‘Pappzd Magazine’

Uche Chukwu, the previous head of Bang FM founded Pappzd online magazine in 2011. He say’s

“I felt we needed a gossip magazine dedicated to UK urban acts with a fun, light-hearted approach…..Pappzd is all about creating a regular, ongoing hype about UK urban artists, based around quick, sharp gossip articles. We believe that it’s gossip that allows fans to engage with artists on a personal level, whether it’s because they love or dislike what that gossip is. Remember that all news, including bad, is good news.”

Pappzd reaches a massive 85,000 people in the UK each month!

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Marcus Noble: actor, producer and writer

Marcus Noble has acted in Harry Potter and The Bill. He is mostly known for his hilarious online comedy sketches which have recieved over 300,000.

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Chuka Umunna, Labour Politician

Chuka Umunna is a British Labour Party politician and employment lawyer. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Streatham since 2010. After less than 18 months in Parliament, he was promoted to the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Business Secretary by Labour Leader Ed Miliband on 7 October 2011. Umunna has described himself as being “One Nation Labour” and has written articles promoting the Blue Labour trend within the Labour Party.

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Marvyn Harrison – Founder of The Sunday Show

Marvyn has worked in the music industry since 2005, previously having cut his teeth in Marketing and Digital Consultancy for brands such as BetFair and The Sun Newspaper.  He moved into music working with Levels/EMI, sourcing and developing fresh talent within the industry.  He now runs and produces several popular national events including the Sunday Show which has developed a loyal and regular fan base and media coverage.

Marvyn won BROWN-EYEZ MAN OF THE YEAR 2010

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JAMAL EDWARDS: Founder SB.TV

Jamal Edwards founded SB.TV  in 2006 . He began filming rap freestyles with a handycam, which he would then upload to his YouTube account. For the first three years Edwards acted alone to provide amateur footage regarding many British grime artists, such as Dizzee Rascal, Wiley, Chipmunk and Tinchy Stryder, with the first SB.TV video being uploaded in February 2007. As the channel began to attract more attention, it also began offering lifestyle interviews and event coverage, and a production team of ten was established. Recently, the company has cited its aim to become a more ‘diverse youth lifestyle broadcaster,’ incorporating more genres of music. This has been seen in the inclusion of acoustic artists such as Ed Sheeran and Nicki Minaj.  In February 2011, SB.TV launched their own music label Just Jam (an imprint of Sony RCA) and recently announced their first signing as east London MC, Maxsta. In March 2011 it had been suggested that the company are expected to go into business with restaurant chain Nandos. In August 2011, Jamal was seen starring in a Google Chrome advertisement, which tracked the emergence of SB.TV as one of the UK’s rising youth broadcasters. The SB.TV site subsequently crashed as close to a million people googled “Jamal Edwards. This was revealed to be the most watched YouTube video advertisements in 2011. Such has been the success of SB.TV that Edwards has been credited with helping to ‘reinvigorating’ the UK Rap and Grime scene.

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Ssegawa-Ssekintu Kiwanuka, PHD Student

A CAMBRIDGE-EDUCATED chemical engineer whose research has been used by the World Bank has topped a list of Britain’s most outstanding black graduates. PhD student Ssegawa-Ssekintu Kiwanuka came up with the genius idea of using sugar cane to produce fuel while spending a month in impoverished Haiti as an under-graduate. His study earned the 24-year-old an entrepreneurship award at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2007 while on a one-year exchange program at the leading US university. The following year, his vision was a winner at the World Bank Global Development Marketplace Competition which is just one of a collection of plaudits the former head boy from south London can reel off his list of achievements.

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KOJO: Comedian, raidio presenter, actor

Dubbed “The Fresh Prince Of Hackney” Kojo is fast becoming one of the biggest talents to come out of the black comedy circuit. In 2000 Kojo signed up and joined “The Comedy School” which was set-up by fellow comedian Rudi Lickwood and Keith Palmer. There he learnt to perfect the art of performance on stage and the different sides of comedy. In the Summer of 2005, Kojo was recruited by the CBBC channel where he co – presented a kids show alongside presenter Reggie Yates called ” The Mighty Truck Of Stuff ” on Saturday afternoons for 2 years. Kojo is now a firm favourite on MTV and MTV Base with all his comedy shows. He has appeared on MTV Base with the Fresh Prince of Hackney (Sold out Hackney Empire), The Young Gods Of Comedy and now Kojo’s Comedy Funhouse. He is also part of the MTV presenting team who interviews some of the top artist in entertainment. Kojo worked on a show with controversial comedian Jim Davidson called ” So you think I’m an asshole” for Virgin 1. Kojo acts as a mentor in changing his views and outlook on life and people. He was recently seen performing on The 5 O’ Clock show on Channel 4 presented by Lenny Henry and The Stephen K Amos show on BBC2 acting within various comedy sketches. He has had his own show for 2 years called Kojo’s Comedy Funhouse on MTV and MTV Base. He is much more than a comedian. He also runs his own production company called Small Print Productions which involves writing movie scripts, and putting on comedy events. Kojo has just written is first feature movie called “THE WEEKEND” which is an urban comedy movie set to go into production summer of 2011.

Kojo has sold out the hackney empire twice with solo shows and plans to tape is first solo DVD in 2012. An engineered steady rise to fame includes a stint on digital radio station BBC 1Xtra and now he’s been signed up by Choice FM’s Breakfast show.

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ASHLEY WALTERS: ACTOR, RAPPER

Actor and rapper Asher D made quite a few appearances on our screens this year. He starred as Jack Holt in the ill-fated drama Outcasts (TV series) on the BBC. For the BBC Learning project “Off By Heart Shakespeare”, Walters delivered one of Shakespeare’s best known speeches, “But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?” from Romeo and Juliet.  Walters starred in the Arjun Rose slasher ‘Demons Never Die’, he was also the main character (Dushane) in one off drama (4-DAY) ‘Top Boy‘ .

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Peeks, Founder ‘MOAM Network’

Sassy Female blogger called Peeks who chats and shares info and inspirations on her favourite things in life. This includes fashion, relationships, sex, beauty and skin care, lifestyle and entertainments and much more. She say’s  “I am here to help women empower themselves in lifestyle and fashion and make-up. You can transform your life with a little knowledge a day.” Jessica Huie ____________________________ Jessica Huie, Founder ‘Colourblind Cards’ Award-winning serial entrepreneur Jessica Huie is the brains behind Colorblind Cards and JH PR. Colorblind Cards, founded in September 2007, is a unique range of greeting cards and gifts focused on highlighting the beauty of people from Caribbean, African, Asian and mixed race descent. JH PR, a full service public relations agency representing celebrities and brands including Samuel L Jackson, Kelly Rowland and the Virgin London Marathon, was established in January 2009. In addition to running her companies, serves as an ambassador for the government’s Mark your Mark campaign and was invited to Downing Street as an enterprise adviser by former Prime Minister, Gordon Brown. _____________________________ Miss LaLa, ‘Radio host, stylist, tv presenter, founder of Bloggers-Delight and The La La Report’ Miss LaLa is a presenter on Bang fm radio and fashion stylist working with the cream of the crop UK talent. She has also created a successful  blog ‘The La La Report’ where she features the latest news and updates in entertainment over here and the US.  Miss LaLa has also earned a spot on the Jump Off TV Debate Show! ______________________________________ Charlene Wilkinson, Founder ‘I-dentity’ I-dentity is a youth focused organisation providing Caribbean Studies programmes based in London. Founded by Charlene Wilkinson in 2009, I-dentity aims to inspire, challenge and promote positive cultural awareness and understanding for students both in and outside mainstream education. I-dentity delivers modules in cultural studies and presents a platform that pushes forward the notion of Caribbean antiquity, underpinned by current perspectives. _____________________________________________ Yinka, Founder ‘Vex In The City Blog’ Vex in the City is a beauty blog written and edited by, Yinka, a  make up hoarder obsessive from London. She say’s “This is my personal blog, a creative outlet for all things superficial, so if you’re looking for a new lipgloss shade or blush recommendation then you’re in the right place. It goes without saying that my reviews and opinions are based on my own usage experiences, so please bear that in mind when purchasing skincare or cosmetic products that I recommend. I’m not a beauty expert, I’m just an enthusiastic consumer who likes seeking out new products in a never-ending quest to find a stream of holy grail products.” ___________________________ Lisa Bent, TV Presenter, qualified Counselor and founder of ‘Deeper Than Twitter’ Lisa Bent is a TV Presenter and qualified Counsellor combining her skills to produce and present refreshing new material. Self-Central is the name of her online interview show where she seeks to get to the heart of what makes them tick. Lisa has hosted  Quiz Time the only game show transmitted Live to Barbados main channel CBC-TV8 and Mint Africa the sister quiz show to the UK version. She has worked with Black Filmmakers (BFM) as a presenter on Rollin’, a movie review and has interviewed some of the biggest names in film and music including, Danny Boyle, Jennifer Hudson, Mark Wahlberg and Cuba Gooding Jr to name a few. Lisa holds a BA Hons degree in Performing Arts and a First class BA Hons degree in Counselling  and is Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP). Lisa’s passions and interests are captured within her blog page Deeper than Twitter where she intertwines her knowledge in psychotherapy as a qualified counsellor, to further help understand the raised issue. ____________________________ Sasha Shantell, Founder  ‘In-SpireLS Magazine’ In-spireLS is a creative space for up and coming and established talent  and features interviews and articles that aims to leave you feeling in-spired and motivated. “We want you to read the magazine and leave feeling that you have gained valuable information that you can apply to your own lives.” ________________________ Adelle White, CEO ‘EGO Management Consultancy’ Ego music Management is an Artist consultancy and National Specialist Independent Radio Plugging Company who prides themselves on quality relationships, especially with National Radio & London based stations such as BBC Radio 1xtra, 1, and 2, Choice FM, Capital FM & Kiss 100. Not to mention the integral Relationships with Radio Producers, Executives & DJ’s across the BBC & National stations. Ego Management provide their clients with strategic ‘plugging campaigns’, which are tailor made to each individual client, always ensuring they can receive the maximum exposure. __________________________ Janice aka Miss Madnews, Founder ‘Madnews Blog’ Mad News is the brain child of South East London based Founder/Editor-In-Chief/writer/commentator/observer, Janice Spence aka Miss Mad News. Mad News brings you the latest news and gossip from within the increasingly bizarre world of entertainment and everything in between! Janice won BROWN-EYEZ WOMAN OF THE YEAR 2010! __________________________ Annika Allen, Founder ‘Flavour Magazine’ Flavour Magazine is a transcultural youth lifestyle magazine for the young ambitious and cool dedicated to showcasing the latest trends in music, fashion, business, art and technology and a platform for emerging and established creative talent. The idea was formed out of a deep conviction that the formulaic newsstand magazine was not meeting the needs of the youth, so this fascinating new print and digital concept was born. __________________________ Salem-Ayesha, Founder ‘ROOT2TiP Haircare Solutions’ ROOT2TiP manufactures premium, natural and innovative hair care products for men, women and children with textured hair. Founded by Salem Ayesha, the North London based company provides a nature-led solution for people with textured hair in addition to providing enlightening workshops and consultations. _____________________________ Simone Bresi-Ando, Founder ‘I’mPossible’ The I’mPOSSIBLE conversation is a series of intimate events which bring various British women of colour together to share their stories on how they became POSSIBLE. A cross between the TV programme; ‘Inside the Actor’s Studio’ and Oprah’s Legend’s Luncheon; the audience poses questions to the panel via the host and an exhilarating experience of learning, sharing and listening happens; in order to find solutions to life’s quirks on their own terms. I’mPOSSIBLE. gives a unique platform for women of colour in Britain to highlight their achievements and digitally connect their ideas and opinions __________________________ Anuna Rose, Founder ‘Anunarose.com’ ANUNAROSE is an online interactive fashion site and fashion TV channel providing the best in celebrity fashion, fashion news, runway reports, exclusive interviews, fashion TV as well as showcasing the best in new and up & coming designers. ANUNAROSE is the first fully online interactive fashion site providing From-The-Front-Row access and interviews with designers, stylists and celebrities alongside fresh, fabulous and young fashion editorials. ____________________________ Rachel Williams, Founder ‘WE GIRLS ROCK’ Rachel Williams is a international model and founder of We Girls Rock, a London based company offering young women the skills, experience and self confidence needed to plan and fulfill their future life and career goals. “……..We are predominately all about having fun whilst learning and performing new skills!……” Our team are here to empower, encourage and educate young women about different areas of specific industries, by providing them with TASTER COURSES, where they can actively explore a desired area of work. _____________________________________

LABRINTH FT TINIE TEMPAH ‘EARTH QUAKE’

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CASHTASTIC ‘GASSED IN THE RAVE’

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WRETCH 32 ‘DON’T GO’

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BOUNTY KILLA, GHETTS, SHYSTIE, TRILLA, 3.2.1, & ENGLISH FRANK ‘LIMB’

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CHERRI V ‘GREEDY EYES’

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SNEAKBO ‘THE WAVE’

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WILEY ‘NUMBERS IN ACTION’

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GHETTS ‘ON A LEVEL’

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MS DYNAMITE ‘NEVA SOFT’

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GIGGS ‘MONSTA MAN’

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EMELI SANDE ‘HEAVEN’

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MOtive  ‘ULTIMATE OTIS’

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MARGER FEAT JOSH OSHO ‘THIS YEAR’

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VARREN WADE

 

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AKS

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KALEEM TAYLOR

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KADIJA KAMARA

 

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JERMAINE RILEY

 

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ANGEL

 

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SHAKKA

 

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TANYA LACEY

 

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JARETH

 

 

 

 

 

Despite the dodgy American accent I kinda like this.

So I’m googling pics of Bradley and came across some of his old skool looks….

Awww

( Sorry but I was not cheeky enough to ask the man to pose for a photo! I had to take this on the sly lol lol).

THE GOOD

• I love the concept and it was refreshing to see UK talent being acknowledged!

• Dan Kira dancers were exciting and polished.

• Kadija Kamara gave a breath taking performance! The girl looked stunning and her voice is just amazing!

  
  
  
  

• Akai (Britain’s Got Talent Winner) was just brilliant! He won ‘BEFFTA Young Achiever Award’.

THE BAD

• The award show went on for far too long!

• There was an award for everything like ‘Best Former Beauty Queen’ and ‘Best Female/Male UK based Afro/Caribbean Act”! Totally unnecessary……I’m surprised there wasn’t an award for the ‘Best BEFFTA Award 2011′ lol!

• Pauline Long (the founder ) should take a leaf out of Kanya Kings book and not host the event!

• No bar, no food!…..I was not impressed!

• Having the likes of Will Smith and Tyler Perry in the  nominations list just seemed very desperate! Yes, the aim of the  BEFFTA Awards is to acknowledge ‘the best showbiz and entertainment personalities in the black and ethnic communities in the UK, USA and globally’ but could you imagine Will coming to Camberwell to collect his award? No I didn’t think so!  Next year just keep it UK! No need to beg friend from the US!

• The organisation was so badly organised that the host didn’t even know if some of the winners were in attendance. After announcing the winner all I kept hearing on the mic was ‘Is….here?’ It was as if I was at a Christmas pantomime.

• What made it even worse was that some of the winners were seated all the way upstairs  in the back row! Having to wait on people walk from upstairs to the stage just showed that the logistics of the whole event was not thought through properly.

  
  

AND THE ANNOYING……

• Like I said before the event was just toooooooooo long. It started out quite promising and ambitious with some great performances, but after hours of watching people walk up and down the stage without any short breaks or entertainment in between the awards (why they put the majority of entertainment on at start of the show I don’t know) the event just became boring, mundane and annoying! I left the show feeling rather disappointed!

  
  

But anyway, I do like the concept and I hope the BEFFTA AWARDS can grow into BETTER  things!

Check the snaps below!

Read on to see more.

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