The largest live conference for Black students and creators is set to take place at Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta on November 17-18
NEW YORK, Oct. 5, 2023 - Advertising Week, the worldwide gathering of marketing, advertising, technology and brand professionals, and Watch the Yard, the leading destination for online Black college culture and Black fraternity and sorority news/culture, today announced YARDCON — a career development event and continuing education platform for the Black college community — will make its in-person debut this November 17-18 at Clark Atlanta University.
The event will bring together Black students from across the nation to meet, train with and be hired by top companies such as Endeavor, GroupBlack, Hartbeat, and more. All content will be streamed to allow for nationwide participation. The festival will also feature hands-on sessions with experts, tours of creative employers, a career fair and additional music and cultural experiences.
Established as a response to students losing internships during the pandemic in 2020, YARDCON quickly became a vital resource for Black students nationwide, connecting them with internships and career opportunities with top companies across the United States. To date, students representing 700 different colleges and universities have participated.
"After successfully hosting this event digitally for two years, we are excited to bring this dynamic experience to a vibrant HBCU campus such as Clark Atlanta University," said Jonathan Rabb, CEO of Watch The Yard. "Yardcon allows students to engage in an enriching experience, and this year's conference is poised to be an exceptional gathering that empowers and connects the next generation of Black leaders and creatives," Rabb added.
"We are thrilled to partner with Jonathan and Watch the Yard to build the YARDCON platform. Advertising Week is committed to the next generation of leaders and support the talent pipeline of companies within our ecosystem," said Lance Pillersdorf, Co-Founder & CEO Advertising Week.
Attendees will hear from a lineup of leaders in the entertainment, marketing, advertising, tech and media space. Confirmed speakers to date include:
Bonin Bough, Co-Founder, Chief Strategy Officer, GroupBlack
AJ Andrews, Professional Softball Player, MLBTV Host
Brittanie Boyd, SVP, Marketing, Philadelphia 76ers
Melani Carter, Founder, Made For The W
Ric Edwards, VP, Brand Design – Look of Games/Executive Design Director for LA28 Olympic & Paralympic Games
Kelle Coleman, SVP, Strategic Partnerships & Experience, Nielsen
Zaire Franklin, Linebacker, Indianapolis Colts and Host of The Trenches (Podcast)
Adrian C. Jones, Executive Director and Market Team Lead, J.P. Morgan Private Bank
Kesha McLeod, Brand Consultant & Author
Thai Randolph, CEO, Hartbeat
Jawara Tariq, VP Strategy, Hartbeat
Joe Branch, Agent - Head of On-Court Basketball Strategy, WME (William Morris Endeavor)
Registration for the event will open in early October. For more information and ways to get involved, please visit advertisingweek.com/yardcon.
ABOUT ADVERTISING WEEK
Advertising Week (AW), an Emerald X company (https://www.emeraldx.com/), is the premier global event and thought leadership platform focused on marketing, media, technology, and culture. Founded in 2004 in New York, AW's award-winning global event franchise includes: AWNewYork (NYC), AWEurope (London); AWAsia (Tokyo); AWLATAM (Mexico City); AWAPAC (Sydney); and AWAfrica (Johannesburg).
In addition to live and virtual events, the year-round global content platform also contains best-in-class e-learning from the world's leading practitioners (AWLearn); original audio, video, and editorial content (AW360) and proprietary event technology (AWLabs). For more: https://advertisingweek.com.
ABOUT WATCH THE YARD
Watch The Yard is a media company revolutionizing the Black college experience. Founded in 2014, Watch The Yard has quickly become a leading destination for Black news, culture, and conversation online. Our interactive, international, and intergenerational community attracts over 10 million people across the African diaspora each month.
Our mission is to empower the next generation of leaders, builders, and doers by digitizing Black college culture, archiving Black legacies, and celebrating their contributions. For more: https://www.watchtheyard.com
Media Contact:
advertisingweek@ssmandl.com
SOURCE Advertising Week
