- The speaker, Olori Lolade, is the founder of NOIR Labs, NOIR Press, NOIR Fest, and the NOIR Labs ecosystem, focused on inspiring and operationalizing Black liberation worldwide.
- NOIR Labs recently completed phase one of the Brooklyn Arts Council’s Brooklyn Innovation Portal, a platform to help artists find resources, opportunities, and connect with each other.
- The project involved working with a Nigerian software development team, which the speaker sees as a form of cultural remittance and connection to their Nigerian roots.
- The Brooklyn Arts Council is a crucial institution for supporting artists in Brooklyn, having given grants to influential figures like Spike Lee.
- Olori Lolade emphasizes the importance of technology in maximizing impact for arts organizations and artists.
- Key aspects of working with Nigerian talent include:
- Assessment: Thorough vetting process including “human guides” and skills assessment
- Cultivation: Understanding and nurturing talent within the organization’s culture
- Remuneration: Paying competitive wages while benefiting from cost savings
- Olori highlights a “$10 trillion opportunity” in engaging Nigerian talent, with potential savings of 70-96% compared to U.S. rates for similar services.
- NOIR Labs is focusing on increasing content production and distribution, with opportunities for sponsorship and collaboration.
- She introduces “New World Haven,” an Afrofuturistic anime project about how New Haven becomes a hub of innovation and culture, driven by Black talent.
- NOIR Labs is seeking teenagers interested in illustration, storytelling, and animation to participate in the New World Haven project.
- Advertising opportunities are available for businesses to be featured in the New World Haven story, starting at a $2,000 level.
NOIR Labs: Pioneering Black Liberation Through Innovation
Olori Lolade, founder of NOIR Labs, NOIR Press, and NOIR Fest, is on a mission to inspire and operationalize Black liberation worldwide. Her ecosystem of organizations aims to create platforms and opportunities for Black artists and innovators to thrive. Lolade’s background in technology and her passion for cultural empowerment form the foundation of her ambitious projects.
Brooklyn Innovation Portal: Maximizing Artist Impact
Olori’s latest project, the Brooklyn Innovation Portal for the Brooklyn Arts Council, aims to connect artists, provide opportunities, and maximize their impact. This platform is designed to help artists find resources, collaborators, and paid opportunities more easily. Olori emphasizes the crucial role of arts institutions in cultivating talent and creating ripple effects in culture, citing Spike Lee’s first grant from the Brooklyn Arts Council as an example of this potential.
Harnessing Nigerian Talent: A $10 Trillion Opportunity
A key aspect of Lolade’s approach involves working with Nigerian talent, which she sees as both a form of cultural remittance and a significant business opportunity. Her process involves careful assessment, cultivation, and fair remuneration of talent. By using a “human guide” approach for filtering and assessing potential team members, Lolade ensures a good fit for her organization’s culture and goals. This strategy allows her to tap into high-quality talent while potentially saving 70-96% compared to U.S. rates, all while providing competitive wages in Nigeria.
New World Haven: Afrofuturistic Storytelling and Youth Engagement
One of NOIR Labs’ exciting projects is “New World Haven,” an Afrofuturistic anime that envisions New Haven as a future Silicon Valley for the arts, driven by Black talent. This project not only aims to tell an empowering story but also seeks to engage young creatives. Lolade is actively recruiting teenagers interested in illustration, storytelling, comics, and animation to participate in the project. Additionally, she’s offering innovative advertising opportunities for businesses to be written into the New World Haven story, creating a unique blend of storytelling and brand integration.
Strategic Storytelling and Future Plans
Lolade emphasizes the importance of strategic storytelling in all of NAR Labs’ projects. From articles on artificial intelligence in Africa to the New World Haven anime, the focus is on telling stories from a Black perspective and showcasing Black talent. Looking ahead, Olori plans to increase content production across various platforms, including social media and their website. She encourages interested parties to join their newsletter and engage with their content, promising exciting developments in the near future