Jet Up Productions

In 2014 I decided to start my own production company. Initially I had started to produce festivals and events but as my business grew, so did the scope of my work into the realm of television and film. Over the past four years I've been a part of creating a number of great events. From an Eddie Holland Tribute show that was a benefit raising more than $6K for families in need for MANNA Food Bank to Asheville's long standing African -Carribbean Festival Goombay, where we put a focus on helping minority entrepreneurs start businesses. 

RHS Community Foundation Benefit Concert with Gladys Knight featuring Little Big Town

RHS Community Foundation is the legacy project created by Gladys Knight and her husband William McDowell to turn an abandoned school into a Community Center in Western North Carolina. Gladys and William hired Jet Up Productions to produce a benefit concert to raise funds for the project. It was a magical evening with performances by the Empress of Soul and Little Big Town and included special guests Dionne Warwick, Bubba Knight, and comedian George Wallace. The Foundation is now on it's way to begin renovations of the space that will include a music school, a recording studio, addiction and recovery services, organized youth sports and programs for the elderly. 

Breeders' Cup

For the last few years I've been working with Breeders' Cup and NBC to help produce the live entertainment for "the richest two days in sports." The show is produced to 80,000 fans watching from the side of the track and is broadcast to over 60 million worldwide.  Of course the horses are the true stars, even though Kristen Chenoweth, Boyz II Men, and Richie Sambora gave them a run for their money. 

Asheville Goombay Festival

The City of Asheville ranks Goombay Festival as one of four local anchor events where families, businesses, and communities from across the Western North Carolina region gather. Goombay Festival was created to celebrate the richness and diversity of the African Diaspora and Asheville’s African American community. The festival attracts over 10,000 people throughout the weekend, and garners national media coverage.  I had been an avid Goombay festival attendee for 14 years and was then approached by the YMI Cultural Center to take over as the festival producer. Over the last three years, we have grown the festival and have put a huge focus on minority entrepreneurship. In 2016, we have over 85 vendors, from local to Kenya and Jamaica.