The fifth annual Essence GU Disruptor Summit featured a dynamic panel led by GU Founders Rechelle and Sophia Dennis, real sisters who embody the theme of “Partner In Prime.” The panel also included Raymonte Cole, Malik McIntyre, and DeAndre Brown, who discussed the power of authenticity, individuality, and influence. They emphasized the importance of supporting and uplifting each other.
Sophia Dennis highlighted the panel as a safe space for “partners in prime” to have conversations and support each other. Rechelle Dennis introduced the panelists’ podcast If We’re Being Honest, and Sophia inquired about their friendship and the journey in building their business relationships. The panelists discussed how their different personalities complement each other and emphasized the value of their bond, likening it to a family.
“We really genuinely liked each other’s company and our friendship kind of just blossomed. It was very organic and very unexpected. Sometimes people say I don’t see how they are friends, their personalities are so different. I think that’s what makes it the best and honestly, people don’t know behind the scenes how many things we have in common,” Raymonte told GU.
Rechelle posed a question to the panelists about any specific engagement techniques that they use to prove how effective these techniques are at growing one’s community. Raymonte, known for being the definition of an influencer, emphasized the importance of being authentic and consistent, while Malik stressed the need to put positivity out into the world. He also shared his experiences of growing famous at a young age and emphasized the importance of being true to oneself.
“Be who you are online, just be that light in real life because that shines and people can tell. You don’t have to look for PR moments because they just happen when you are a good person,” Malik told GU.
Rechelle then inquired about any challenges the panelists may have faced with being influencers and how they remain true to themselves.
If you are genuinely a part of Malik’s fan base then you have seen Malik grow famous through his Facebook stories and reaction videos that went viral along with his initial clothing brand Kash Kouture featuring celebrity Nia Kay in his promo shoot. Thus, molding his vision for his brand McIntyre that went viral for their reversible chaos zip-up hoodie and collaboration with Choyce Brown.
“You have to learn how to not care. If you know you are a good person, you can’t let how other people view you because you can’t change that. I can’t change how you perceive me. I can change the type of person that I am and I know that I’m a good person and the internet is very fickle. Just be yourself, be a good person, put good things out into the world and you’re going to get blessed from it,” Malik told GU.
DeAndre shared his experiences of dealing with negative criticism and the importance of not letting others’ perceptions define who you are. He emphasized the significance of surrounding yourself with supportive people who truly know you. Through his TikTok videos, he was able to provide essential gems to Generation Z within the workforce on how to navigate your space within the Corporate America industry.
“The narrative about me is always that he’s elitist and that’s so from my reality and everybody that knows me, knows that. The thing that my mom told me is that you only start to worry about it when the people who are closest to you tell you that you are that. If the people that are closest to you don’t tell you that then that’s not the case,” DeAndre Brown.
Sophia then asked the panelists what inspired the podcast If We’re Being Honest. DeAndre expressed their dynamic energy amongst each other and listeners will be able to get a glance at their different perspectives and the range within them all as individuals.
“Just being black gay males, a lot of people usually perceive all black gay men in one way and I think that we are actively showing that you can be black and gay. You can be completely different and have different walks of life, but still come together and have similarities within one another,” DeAndre told GU.
In true Pisces and Bubble fashion, Malik expressed the importance of unity within the community that will be expressed in this podcast and how that domino effect of success can benefit everyone involved. “It’s good for the community too, like both of the communities that we’re a part of. I feel like you don’t see collaboration often so it’s good to see all of us come together and not be all catty and competitive. It shows people that you don’t have to claw each other down to get to the top, we can walk across the finish line together,” Malik told GU.
Raymonte gave the attendees a little more insight into the dynamic of the podcast and how it will focus on giving flowers to those who need them, thus emphasizing the power of positivity along with offering advice to callers on the podcast.
Then the panel continued as the panelists were asked how they maintained their individuality while collaborating to create a new business endeavor through their podcast, If We’re Being Honest.
“I think we all do a really good job at making sure we don’t lose ourselves in our friend group. We all have niches. DeAndre doesn’t lose sight of his corporate content, I’m still passionate about fashion and business, and Raymonte uses his platform in so many ways to speak out about things that I feel like so many people chose to stay silent about and I feel like none of us lose sight of that. We also do a good job holding each other accountable,” Malik told GU.
Rechelle then inquired to the panelists how they maintain their relationship as friends without getting competitive with one another.
“Not talking to the internet. Not letting that affect a real friendship like if somebody says something crazy about us like we can talk about each other us three, anytime anybody else says something you’re getting jumped. These are my girls. It’s a real friendship. It wasn’t something that TikTok put together. We already had a friendship of our own. These are my friends for real,” Raymonte told GU.
The panelists were asked to reflect on the moment that they understood that their content would be the driving force that fueled the success that they have obtained today. DeAndre started the discussion by breaking down his transition into realizing that his content would create lucrative success.
“There are multiple points that I realized different things. When I first started and I had viral videos, I realized I could gauge an audience and keep people entertained so I kept that going but I didn’t think at that moment, that I’m going to quit my job and leave and do all of what I do now. Then I started speaking on panels and I started making a lot of money and then I’m like wait I can do this. I think that’s the stage where I realized this can be a real thing,” DeAndre told GU.
As DeAndre continued he impressed upon the audience the importance of utilizing your individuality when you are developing your future creative goals as that will be the essential factor of you standing out amongst the crowd. Raymonte explained that his path was slightly different than his fellow panelists as he was introduced to club hostings and saw the lucrative business that his personality brought him. He continued the conversation by discussing the monumental achievements that he was able to obtain as he transitioned his endeavors outside the area of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
“Your hometown might not get it right away, but they will get it later. People focus so much on getting support from their peers. When the support of strangers will get you the furthest,” Raymonte told GU.
Malik concurred with his fellow panelists as he described his journey from becoming viral on Facebook and TikTok. “When you’re meant to do something, it’s always going to find you again and that’s how my journey started,” Malik told GU.
Panelists then unpacked the disconnect between parents and the new generation of content creation and how they were able to gain support from their parents. The panelists covered that while their parents may not have initially understood the strategy behind making content, eventually they saw the benefits that come from being an entrepreneur in this creative field. As the panel came to a close, panelists were asked what legacy they hoped to create through their podcasts and individually.
“I support black women because black women support me. I love black women. I want to have foundations. I want kids in urban communities to know that they don’t have to be hairstylist, singer, or athlete. I want to hone on different skill sets and show people that they can do anything they want to do,” Raymonte told GU.
DeAndre emphasized his love for his HBCU community and how he intends to create a scholarship and give back to the black gay male community in college to help support them navigate through their journey from college to the workforce. Malik expressed his hopes for being able to represent someone who can make it by being their authentic self.