00:00We are back in 2022 after two years being away.
00:12Oh!
00:14This is going to be something amazing and we're so excited to be back in NOLA
00:17supporting the city that's always supported us.
00:20Good to see you. You good?
00:23It's going to be fuller than full effect.
00:26I think folks are going to be so energized given all the time that people have been home
00:31and haven't been able to congregate with their community.
00:36You know, we've gone from sort of being isolated to not being able to see our friends.
00:40This is going to be us kicking off getting back with our community,
00:43so I think it's going to be an incredibly special year.
00:48I'm extremely excited about what we'll deliver in 2022.
00:51I think we will be able to be back together live in a way that's safe,
00:54but also give the opportunity for a whole bunch of our virtual friends
00:58to experience both this festival, this Super Bowl of Culture,
01:02along with be able to get to know this beautiful city called New Orleans.
01:06We couldn't be more excited to be back here in New Orleans
01:08and we're looking forward to seeing everybody soon.
01:10Essence 22, here we come!
01:14This year, for our gospel experience, we're looking to really revamp that as an immersive gospel experience.
01:29On Sunday, we know that the biggest crowd, so this right here is the New Orleans Theatre.
01:35Come on in!
01:36I would love for it to start to have, like, local choirs.
01:40Like, really, to me, it should never be a dead moment of sound.
01:43Oh yeah, for sure.
01:44So if it is where we have already something piping through, gospel piping through,
01:48when they're coming in, the vibe has to happen as soon as they're into that space.
01:52The festival Sunday gospel experience is something that is so close to my heart.
01:58Just what we create with that experience is just so magical.
02:02So having it have its own separate place to really feel special,
02:06really feel like you are going to Gospel Sunday,
02:10that is going to be such an amazing change
02:12and I'm really, really excited for that audience to see it.
02:28Essence Festival feels like being hugged by a half a million people.
02:33It's like the ultimate family reunion.
02:36So when I say that, it's because when we are planning this,
02:39we're planning this for our family.
02:41I'm not seeing, you know, a ticket being sold or a headcount.
02:46I'm seeing family that, you know, deserves to have some Black joy in their lives
02:50and deserves to do it safely.
02:58I think for Essence Festival, because it has such a long legacy,
03:05we're going into 27 years.
03:07Some people still call it Essence Music Festival
03:09and we are more than evening concerts at the Superdome.
03:12There is a huge experience here at the Convention Center
03:15where we're talking about everything from wealth and power,
03:17empowerment type conversations, to beauty, to entertainment, to tech,
03:22a new men's experience that's coming,
03:25our wellness and other spaces that we occupy within the city.
03:28So we want to let people know that there's so much reason to be here,
03:32so much reason to connect with folks
03:33and we haven't had the opportunity in so long
03:36that it'll be really refreshing for everyone.
03:41My head is a swirl and I'm taking a lot of notes,
03:44but I have a lot of big ideas.
03:46For 2022, we'll be back on ground.
03:49So we're expecting, you know, our Black culture,
03:52our families to come back together on ground.
03:56So just after the site visit that we saw today,
03:59you can definitely see where we're elevating
04:01the look and feel across the entire campus.
04:06When you think about the Convention Center,
04:07there's so many new opportunities with LED screens,
04:12ramping up technology and just really blowing out the creative.
04:16so it really feels like a huge immersive experience for our audience.
04:26Essence Festival is like no other.
04:29It is the culmination of the culture of our,
04:34you know, the Black culture.
04:35It has everything.
04:35It touches every facet of health,
04:39technology, entertainment, empowerment,
04:44Black-owned businesses, the networking.
04:48There's so many different facets to festival.
04:52It's the most complex, but the most rewarding.
04:55And I think it's the most comprehensive experience
04:57that our audience can have where it's for everyone.
05:01It's the only event I've ever done that's so comprehensive
05:03that it literally follows a lifestyle of the Black culture.
05:08Part of what is the pivot of 2022 festival
05:10is the always strategic intent to be live and virtual, right?
05:14And so that isn't just about the live experience
05:17or just about giving people who aren't here
05:19some sort of vision for the live experience,
05:21but also creating virtual-only experiences.
05:24Know that from a strategic perspective,
05:26the business is strong.
05:27We're excited to be back.
05:28Spread the rumor that Essence isn't going anywhere
05:31because people can ask me if we're leaving.
05:32We will have a Mardi Gras float this year
05:34for the first time.
05:35So we're really excited about that
05:37and the message that will send about our need to be here.
05:39All because it's kind of the time
05:46Whoa!
05:47Whoa!
05:48Whoa!
05:49Mr. Crew of Ben Fatale!
05:51Oh, well, it's kind of the time
05:54and everybody's at the end.
05:59Oh, well, we got the way to finish up.
06:07So we'll be back in the end.
06:08If you didn't become a fan of the music,
06:09everybody needs to be honest.
06:09I'm sorry.
06:10All right.
06:11All right.
06:12Here we go.
06:13I'm not the camera.
06:13I'm like, oh.
06:15Well, I'm not the camera.
06:16So we can.
06:17Let's look at this.
06:18All right.
06:19See you next time.
06:20Check the times.
06:21I'm not the camera.
06:22Woo.
06:23I'll be right back.
06:24I'm not the camera.
06:25I'm not the camera.
06:26I'm the camera.
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