No Need To Ask with Amani Duncan
No Need To Ask with Amani Duncan
No Need to Ask "CEO Talk" with Karleen Roy, CEO Vanity Group
Welcome to Episode 6 of Not Need to Ask podcast "CEO Talk". My name is Amani Duncan and I am your host on this journey.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Karleen Roy, CEO The Vanity Group. Karleen and I have known each other for +10 years and she is truly an inspirational leader. Growing her business from an idea to a successful event planning company has been incredible to watch.
The Vanity Group is a highly sought after boutique agency that specializes in producing bespoke events and other worldly experiences for their elite clientele. All you have to do is watch pop-culture, velvet rope events in the news and on TV and can safely assume The Vanity Group is the brainchild producing the one of a kind event.
On this episode, you will hear Karleen's story - from the very beginning of her career to present day. Karleen is young, bright and a talented CEO. I know her story will inspire many. So make sure you have a pen and notepad ready to take notes that can be applied to your professional journey.
If you like what you hear, please feel free to write a lovely review here.
Until we meet again, be safe and be well.
[inaudible]
Speaker 2:Welcome to another episode of no need to ask podcast. My name is Amani Duncan, and I will be your host on this journey. This episode is CEO talk with Carlene, Roy founder, visionary and magic maker for the vanity group. Now Carlene is one of my dearest friends, and I'm so glad that she's joining us today because she is someone that truly inspires. I've known Carlene Roy for about 10 years now. And I have been able to watch her develop into one of the smartest business women of our times. It's not easy to have a dream and try to make that dream ambitions. So please join me in welcoming Carlene Roy to no need to ask podcast CEO talk, Hey, Carlene, stop it girl. But you know what you just said right now, I think is the most important characteristic of a leader of a CEO of anyone that's at the top of their industries is humility. Um, I, I think it's such a amazing quality to have as a leader and it, I seriously believe that it's what draws people to certain people that are at the top. So ms. Carlene, I think back fondly on our days with Sean Combs and propriety, you know, I remember me starting with you guys. Oh gosh. It was 2000. Yeah, 2008. And I had just left EMI and you know, I was greeted by your incredible smile and wow. You know, let's talk about those early, early days because you know, no need to, as podcast is really, really about inspiring others, inspiring women, inspiring men and business from shared experiences. So I really want to hear, you know, the, the, the, the beginning days with you, because you are still so young and you've accomplished so much and you truly are an inspiration to so many people. So take us back to the days of Memphis.
Speaker 3:Oh my God. I am a Memphis girl through and through. Um, in a nutshell, I grew up like the coffee shop like that condo was my world here. Um, in Memphis, my parents were a power, couple of Memphis, Tennessee, which is so funny to me before that even was, um, a word. But I grew up in a very loving home. My mom actually was a principal at a performing and creative arts high school. So I've been surrounded by crazy people and inspiring people. People who love to dance, people who love to draw people who love to create, um, my whole life. And my father was a business owner. My dad was my, my parents couldn't be opposites. And my mom is kind of like me, like she's a butterfly. And my dad is like about business. I say, my father was a business owner. He owned a bunch of car dealerships growing up within black enterprise, always on the news. So all of that. So as, as darn as my father was, he, they always, um, they supported whatever my hair, brain schemes were as a kid, like whatever I wanted to do, like my parents for always for it. So they were very supportive. Um, grew up in Memphis, went to Howard, which is the Mecca of all things, black excellence. I think in your life, you have key life decisions that you make, the kind of shift your world. And for me, um, being a Howard experience in Howard and graduating from Howard was one of those life changing experiences. I was just surrounded every day by black excellence, um, extremely competitive, you know, student body of people who wanted to win. So, um, it was great to spend your formative years and that type of environment. And, you know, everybody that goes to Howard wants to be a superstar. I just think of anybody that's black and payments Raji and said, um, Sean Combs, uh, everybody goes to Howard law, you know, so everybody wants to have that whole like Hollywood connection. So I remember as a student, I was watching sex and the city and our like study lab. And I saw, um, I saw Samantha and not thought that she was the most amazing woman in the world. She was bright. She was sharp. She didn't care what nobody has to say. She wasn't holding her back. She was fly as hell. I had never seen nobody like fell flat and my life just like everything about her. And she was doing like cold things. And I remember turning to a friend and the study lab, like, what does she do for a living? Like what, what is this? And it was like, she's an entertainment publicist. And I literally, the next day went and changed my major to PR. I'm like, whatever this woman does, I want to be heard. This is the lifestyle. And that really got me to New York and opened up my world to like, Oh, there's something called entertainment. Then you can be a publicist and you can have a fly life and get paid to do it. So that is what opened my mind, opened my eyes and opened my mind to like, you know, the New York lifestyle of working in show business, which we do there. That's why I think it's so important to do speaking engagements and tell your stories because some people just need to hear and that's spark could just open up so many windows of exploration for them. Cause growing up in this office, you know, you think you can be a doctor or a lawyer or a teacher or at FedEx, FedEx, you know, founded here in Memphis, but you don't know that there's so many other careers or so many other jobs that you can actually make a career out of in New York.
Speaker 2:You touched on something so important. And that's why I love this shared stories so much. You know, I was like you, I, I was always thinking I was going to be a lawyer and I followed the line to be, you know, exactly that I went to university, did a political science major. Um, and then I had that moment of like, okay, I don't want to be a lawyer.
Speaker 3:I don't want to do this, but then know what to do.
Speaker 2:Remained open a little stress, but open. And just one day decided I was going to be in the music business. And the rest is history. The story, because I know it can inspire so many people like you, you don't always have to have it figured out.
Speaker 3:Yeah. Okay. I actually think it's crazy that at 18 years old, between 18 and 21, that someone is saying decide right now what you want to do for the rest of your life. It's like you haven't lived life. You haven't explored, you. Haven't met people. You don't, you don't know. I'm always telling young people to, don't be afraid to explore and give their self time to just figure it out exactly.
Speaker 2:Coming to New York or were you just like, I'm going to be in the big Apple.
Speaker 3:Aye. Everybody graduated. And everyone had jobs at Morgan Stanley and at Ford and all these fancy companies. And I couldn't find a job in PR or public relations. I couldn't find a job. And the summer that I graduated, I went to New York and I met a woman who was the PR assistant at Def jam. And that was please put me on like what I gotta do to y'all need another assistant. Like I was talking her off summer. I was, and she was like, and you know, from the label, like those jobs are hard to come, especially, this was like early two thousands. So it was like, unless somebody died at their desk and it's like, there was no openings. It just was not a lot of Rapids. So she was like, there's no openings at dev dam in the PR department, but you can come and be my intern, but you have to be on the official Renegade intern because you have already graduated. Like our intern program is only for college students. So, so she gave me the opportunity. I tell my parents, I said, I'm moving to New York, I'm taking a U haul truck. I'm moving to New York. I'm going to stay on my friend's couch. And her futon actually, cause she stayed in a studio apartment and I'm like, I'm going to go to New York and I'm going to figure it out. And my dad was like, you're crazy. I'll walk on water. You're going to get ate up in central park and all this stuff. And they was like, don't do it. Bring your butt back to me. My mom, my mom was like, I'm rooting for you. And my dad was like, y'all ass back home. I go to New York and I am an unofficial intern at Def jam, which means you come in as a visitor and you just stay all day. Like you get your visitor pass and you just stay in there all day long. So I will be the first one there, the last person to leave. And I interned there on paid for like damn near a year. And my mind would like money. So I can like live in peace and all of that. So, but that's what I had to do to get my foot in the door. If I wanted to work in the music business or an entertainment industry and I wouldn't trade it for the world, cause working a dev jams, it's opened up so many doors for me,
Speaker 2:Of course. And you know, I want to stop you and just highlight the gems that you are dropping right now. You found a way in, it may not have been the perfect way, but you've found a way in, you know, it's like it's I always knew we had so many similarities, but I didn't know we had this many similarities because I was also a college graduate intern when I started at Def jam West. And, but you know, we weren't, we weren't that official where we had to like key in and key out.
Speaker 3:Yeah. I was like, I found my way.
Speaker 2:And then once you got in you mean
Speaker 3:Good, good.
Speaker 2:Um, that is so incredible. And I'd love your dad because my parents were the same way. I mean, I literally pulled them on a Friday that I was moving to New York and I was on the red eye Sunday night.
Speaker 3:My mother's crying. My dad's just,
Speaker 2:I just listened fortune favors the bold. And I try to tell everyone that I speak to that is looking for professional advice. You got to humble yourself. You gotta be prepared to be the first one in the office. And the last one to leave, you have to be prepared to separate yourself from the masses because there's a a hundred use trying to get a job, trying to hustle. And it all comes down to who hustles the hardest.
Speaker 3:Yeah. And I don't think our parents are trying to hate on us. Like, Hey know your dreams. I just think that they are afraid and they want the security
Speaker 2:Back. Then the music industry was still like, is that even a real job?
Speaker 3:Isn't a thing. Yeah. My dad never play. He's not a real dad. He's like Jana and parent is not a job. Do you get insurance? Do you have a business car? Like, yeah, what's the area color. I didn't know what they was talking about. I was just like, I'm in the building. Like let me just live my life.
Speaker 2:That's real though, because our parents love us and they wanted the best for us. But um, it's still funny now. It wasn't funny then, but it's true.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:You're hustling. You're at Def jam. You're interning. What happened? I mean, what was
Speaker 3:I'm waiting for the big like, yeah, so I met them jam. I'm like number one intern, and then I'm also just volunteering around town. So if it's fashion week, I somehow work my way into a backstage helping backstage. If it's the MTV awards, I'm somehow helping him with the baby fat show. Like I'm just like, I have my hands in. Like everything I could have my hand in. And I met a gentleman, a dub jam to Sean Gale and at bedtime to Sean worked in the marketing department and Sean was leaving and I caught him on his way out. He said, I'm about to blow up. I just found this artist named Neo. And when I get settled, I'm a holler at you. And I was like, okay, like I just was not big. And then he was real. And then like, he literally called me maybe a week later and was like, we want to hire you to like be our assistant. So Neil had just got signed. It was extroverted, like Neo Rihanna, Jeezy. They all got sign that same summer at Def jam. And he said, we're going to give you a job. And that was like my first official, like getting put on jobs.
Speaker 2:I want to reiterate what you said. Like he stopped and said his intentions for you. So you're always on stage, right?
Speaker 3:Yeah. People are always watching,
Speaker 2:Even when you think they're not watching you.
Speaker 3:And so you always got to come out the gate at your best. Yes. People watch and I'm watching them
Speaker 2:In the mouse, seeing how they interact with others. And I'm also
Speaker 3:Listening to what people say about
Speaker 2:Them when they're not in the room. So everyone out there please remember you're always on stage and because Carlene was on stage, it led to her first pain.
Speaker 3:Yeah. Very good.
Speaker 2:Tell me about working with Deshaun and working with Neil. So yeah,
Speaker 3:I was the assistant to Neil's production company, which is called compounds. So I assisted to Sean, I don't know, you know, tango to Sean tangle and Mia. So it was like, it was four of us. And I was just figuring out I was booking flights with the label, like the artists, you know, development department. Like I was helping pick out hat. I would be going to the photo shoot, bring in like water, like whatever they needed me to do. It was like a quintessential, like assistant job, whatever they needed me to do. That's what I did. And I worked there. Um, and then I learned so much from Tyshawn. He's so beloved in the music industry. Um, and very, very much on phone. I love how calm he is all the time. Like it could be like the biggest fire into Sean, like not going to flinch about it. So I learned so much for them. He was a mentor to me then. Um, and he's a mentor to me that now, so you're right. People are always watching you, like, even as an intern, he was watching and was like, yo, this girl is moving and shaking. And like, whenever like my shit pop up, like she's going to be the one I called. So I'm always like, from a grateful for him just for like giving me the opportunity. So yeah, I leave compound. I go to legacy recordings, which is the catalog, the vision for Sony I'm working in copyright sound working in con that was like my first job where I had like insurance and I had like a steady paycheck and I worked at five 50 Madison. Um, so that was like amazing for me. Like I went through training and I'm like, Oh my God, this is great. You know, I could get a company. I mean, employee discount at the Sony store, you know, all these things. Um, and that my dad, my dad was like, now that's what you call a real job. My dad was very happy about that, but I would work at sunny during the day. And then the evening I would volunteer at violator management. So I actually went in the mother story. I actually got to violator because I went in to interview to be Mona Scott's assistant and I didn't get the job. So I was around, it was like, well, we're not going to hire you, but we need help. Cause then I'd stay around and just kind of like get in where you fit in, then you can. So I would be at Sony during the day and in the evening I would go to violator and work in the evening. So I would work under Claudine dozer and Lori Dobbins. And they became like my big sisters and not just was like so amazed by them and how they were like running shit. And they were like working on Missy tours and there'll be like 18 million dancers. And I'd be like typing up the itinerary. Like they were running shit. And for anybody that's listening, that's young violator is basically the original rock nation. Like it was a music management company. If you were, uh, artists, you know, like they manage everybody who's on top of their game. So shout out to Chris Lighty. So I know Chris, he was my other boss once we get there, but not, he was my boss too. So of course, of course he did. So it was at violator who also managed puff that the opportunity came about to work at bad. Boy, Claudine was like, yo, they hiring that bad boy. Um, we think that you would be perfect for this job. So again, being in the right place in the right town, um, being very humble working and just happened to be there when the opportunity came. So, um, got the opportunity of the lifetime to work at bad. Boy, let me tell you, I was there for a few reasons. The first time I went in was to be hard, assistant hard was the president. I didn't get that job. Then, then they remember me and they brought me back to cause they were hiring for the[inaudible] for the chief of staff. The offense I got that job I originally got in the building as being a D as first assistant. So for anybody that's listening, it's like you have the assistants. Then you have the chief of staff is so she's like the right hand to the boss. So I worked there of via the assistant. And then at this time puff had a million assistants. And so Diaz Dina's first assistant is actually pumps unofficial second assistant that's that's how it works as far as like support staff. So pumps first assistant left and he didn't have an assistant. So one day he was at the office. I wanted, I was so scared. This was late at night. And you know, for working at Babel, you work late. Like it's nothing, right? So, um, mr. Combs was in the office late one evening and I thought to myself, if I want to be his assistant, because he doesn't at this point, he doesn't know I exist. I'm just a girl who works in the office. So very much devil wears Prada. So I go in his office, literally knock on the door, knock, knock, knock hammers to Combs. Um, I don't know if he know me, but I'm Carly, you know, the, his assistant and you know, the second assistant in the office, I noticed that your assistant is no longer here. I want to offer my support to you. So there's anything you need in the interim, as you guys are maybe looking for someone like, I want you to know to like, I'm here and I'm available for you. And he was on his library. It was like, okay, all right. And then like walked out the office. I was like, Oh shit. I like walk back to my office with my hands and my hands. And that night I got an email from him and it said, book me a jet to go to DC. And that was my beginning to, I never booked a jet in my life. I hadn't figured it out that idea. Like he emailed me and said, book a jet, like what does,
Speaker 2:And that was how I got my job. I just sent to him fortune for bold, seriously
Speaker 1:[inaudible]
Speaker 2:So I want to stop right here and point out a correlation. So if you go back to the episode with Joshua Johnson, the head of A&R for Hidcote music, you will remember him recounting a story of him very early in his career, walking up to LA Reed in the hallway and having a conversation that was so pivotal that he decided to go into the creator side and work in ANR. If you can remember my story of getting in, getting a job at Def jam West coast office as the office manager, and then proceeding to call Kevin Liles in New York, Kevin Liles is the CEO of 300 entertainment now and making sure that I was on his call sheet every single day. And eventually he offered me a job. And now Carlene is saying her boldness, even though she might've been so scared, but what boldness, what, what confidence it took to knock on the door of Sean Combs and present a value proposition, which ended up with her actually becoming his first assistant. So the correlation it's obvious, you know, you are the architect of your career. I don't care at what stage you are in entry level or C suite. You are the architect of your career and it's up to you to make opportunities happen. So don't let that fall on deaf ears. That is so important. And I don't, you know, it doesn't matter if you are in the music industry, manufacturing, agency, marketing, whatever, it's the same fortune favors the bold. So you might be afraid, but put that fear aside because you never know what the outcome can from being bold and assertive for bumps. That was actually the tagline we came up with when we were pitching for the Guinness fortune favors the bold, and it's just become part of it.
Speaker 3:What's your favorite quote,
Speaker 2:Positive. And so many others are proof positive. So you are landing literally the most amazing job in your young career.
Speaker 3:He hyphenated. Yeah,
Speaker 2:Literally, literally your dream job, you are more than putting in your 10,000 hours.
Speaker 3:I watch. And I would always leave your area. Like, I don't know how they'll call me in the middle of the night. I'm out. I would still get the phone calls. Yeah, I know you've eaten dinner. So
Speaker 2:I watched it, I mean, there's, you know, Carlene was a force because just imagine everyone, you know, you really need to understand how important this role is that Carlene really the architect of everything that moves around Arlene. And she handled it with such grace and, and integrity was like, I love this girl. And I want to be here.
Speaker 3:You know,
Speaker 2:About, you know, when you say putting yourself out there earlier in the conversation, just, just taking hold of these moments, you know, at Howard being inspired by the people around you. I mean, you know, you've traveled the world. You've had the opportunity to travel all over the world. Tell us about an experience, you know, abroad that was impactful for you. That helped shape even more, your perspective, how you viewed the world, how you viewed your job, how you viewed your future, because I'm a firm believer that travel is so important. And I always encourage people, but traveling just opens your mind to so many things. So tell us about an experience, um, abroad that really kind of was that aha moment.
Speaker 3:Well travel was any of your ride traveling definitely will help open up your eyes and peel back the layers. Um, and as, um, pumps, assistant ag of course traveled the world. I probably was on an airplane more than I was in my apartment. I actually was on an airplane more than I was, um, in my apartment. So we, we went all over the world two, three times, you know, working with him and I believe we were in it's so funny. I believe we were in Helsinki, Germany, I believe. And he was doing a show someplace. We were doing promo for last train to Paris. We were on an international promo run for last train to Paris, which was like, we would get off, get off the jet, be in one, go to another place. And I remember being in Germany, I felt like we were in Germany and no one spoke English, nobody spoke English, but everybody knew who he was like, it was at that time that I realized that music was universal. And just by people respond to sound, the feeling and emotion that music gives you. And it really was at that time that I started listening to a lot of international music. It's like, if you can follow the melody and just, I get the emotion from it, like, it's the like makes you feel good inside. So that is when I realized that music is so much bigger than like lyrics on a sheet of paper or just like what we experienced here, um, in the United States, um, America. And I was like, wow, here, here we are. He's this global person. They don't even know what he's saying, but they are still so like, you know, like Google guy got over him just by, they can't even like wrap their heads around it. I was like, wow. Music is just so much bigger than, you know, like what we see day to day. It is universal
Speaker 2:That you had so, and continue to have so many amazing experiences. Like I'm just ready for the book Carlene. I'm just ready for
Speaker 3:No real life. When I was, I realized that I was in a lucky place. Maybe we were like in central pay or our can. And we were out shopping puff was in a crowd and people were following him like everywhere we've been, we will be in a Chanel store. They would have to close it down and we'll be in the mood at the time. Like people be outside, like banging on the doors. And I realized, I realized that for hip hop puff was really the first to do it. Do it as such a fly level, like being on God's, um, white flowers, drinking Fiji water. I remember the first time I've seen Fiji water was like on the first making the band, like say pants. Like the band was like at his park Avenue, apartment. Hello. And then they paint, they pants up on a yacht and central pay. He had Fiji water. And I was like, what is that? I've never seen water that looks so shake. You know, like my eyes would just be in a can and just seeing people's reactions to him and how, you know, we react to him in the States. I'm like, he's the first to really show on a broad level, black excellence being fly and being black and being on yachts and doing flat shit. I mean, we would land and there'll be like 30 may backs lined up just the stuff just off doing dope shit at the highest level. And I'm like, yo, if anything, like he is the architect. And I'm just so happy to have a hand in that. And it really was him that refined my taste as far as like lifestyle, because he just has such a high palate for living and lifestyle, just from like the fruit in his home to just like the clothes on his mother, everything, um, with super, super important to him. So he was the first to ever do it. And it's as far as like hip hop it's.
Speaker 2:So I now want to really talk about the man.
Speaker 3:I mean,
Speaker 2:Being up on the top floor and talking with you, and you were articulating to me, this, this thought that you had, you know, about this company, you want it to launch and I was more, yes. And it was just
Speaker 3:Like, you were just ideating at the time
Speaker 2:To now I just sit back with so much pride, you know, for you. I I'm just like I can say, I remember when you know, and you are, you are,
Speaker 3:You are such an inspiration. So talk to us about the vanity group. Yeah. So it's everybody listening. I want to publicly give a shout out to money for believing in me very early on before I actually probably believed in myself. So I never, some people go to an organization like I'm here to sneak because I want to be a boss to life that never was my thinking. I was at bad boy to learn and soak up the gym. The thought of working for myself didn't happen to later on. And to your point, Amani, I was just ideated. And I'm like, okay, what could I do next? I could start my own company. I could, I didn't know what it looked like. So here I go, knocking on the CMOs door at bad boy, like I know you have a million things to do, but do you have a few minutes to talk to me about like my life while you were trying to run a whole global corporation over here and Amani was gracious enough to take out time to speak to me. And I came for money and I say, I have this idea. Or I'm thinking of starting my own business and Amani, when it's a full almost she called a meeting and our executive conference room on the fifth. She has the other marketing people in there. I think we had the art director in there. I don't even know the art director was like a mining at all. These people in there just like brainstorming ideas with me, just like what this could be from like logos. So like tagline. But I was just like, Oh shit, is this like, what really happened? So thank you Amani for actually like lighting the spark for me, because I had never had that opportunity before just to like fit in a room like that for my own being. I've been in rooms like that, my whole career, especially at bad boy, the best of the rows with the brightest people. But for someone to call that talent for me is like, I'll never forget it. And it means so much for me and taught me Monte taught me two other lessons. So she did that. She taught me also to get on LinkedIn. I had never heard of LinkedIn. So let me tell you, when you are working for someone like Sean Combs, the rest of the world is oblivious to you because you work all day, all night. I'm like what? There's something called LinkedIn. Like I had never heard of it. So she definitely was like, you are a professional, people need to see like where you are and what you do. You need to be on LinkedIn. So now I'm obsessed with LinkedIn. I tell everybody like, you need to be on LinkedIn. And then from a lifestyle perspective, um, Amani saw me one day and I had a Chanel bag and it was stuff. It was just like bunch of shit. It probably had like AC blackberries types of shit in it. And Amani was like a woman never stuffed her Chanel bag. That was for me, that was for me. I said, Oh, this is the flag I'm doing it to like, at that point I was like, I have my Chanel bag. I have a bigger tone, nice luxury, top floor, everything else. So that was when I started like, Oh, email, like my accoutrements is like a young professional woman. Like it needs to be together too. So thank you for brightening. I mean, opening that door for me. Cause I had no, I had all types of things like falling out that smell bad. Like it was stuff to the core. Yeah, it was for the spark of the baby groups started when I was in bad boy, but I actually didn't launch it until 2013. And the vanity group is a New York based, um, event production company. But we don't do any of the live events. We do events or your favorite celebrity, your favorite artists, your favorite actors. So we work with everybody from common. I still worked for puff. Um, DJ Khaled, Migos, Justin Bieber, Cardi B, you name it, they got Grammys or Oscars. We probably worked for them. And I got, when I was, what month I have resigned for bad boy, I actually was talking to a good friend of his and he said, curly, whatever you do next, it got to be the flyers shit ever because you don't get an opportunity of a lifetime to work for someone like Sean Combs, all the contacts, you have all the knowhow and wit and wisdom that you picked up and go do some regular shit. You, whatever it do, it has to pop off. So I knew like whatever this next thing is, it has to pump in seven years later, it has completely, it completely passed.
Speaker 2:You could wax poetic about the greatness of Carlene for hours on end because it just, I love to see women of color exercise, their power and their potential. And we're talking about a young lady that was so young and yeah,
Speaker 3:Yeah. She puts had
Speaker 2:Just, just to see you now is just, I don't know. It just makes me proud. And, and everyone needs to check out. Carlene's a website, the vanity group's website. You just need to understate the creativity and the work and the passion that goes behind every bespoke event that it's bar none. And it's, You're a household name in the industry there. I don't know anyone that does not work with you. I mean, you, you, you named all these artists, but you, you know, we would be remiss not to mention Netflix.
Speaker 3:Yeah. Netflix. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Chip brands, you know,
Speaker 3:I'm trying
Speaker 2:More than trying. You're doing more than trying,
Speaker 3:But let's talk about the
Speaker 2:Times, like, you know, where we're living through a novel pandemic, it's, it's, it's mind blowing when you just stop for a moment and allow yourself to really think about the times that we're living in. So you're resilient, you know, you're so creative. What have you been doing during this time?
Speaker 3:What have I been doing? So at the beginning of the pandemic, I would tell you, Amani, I literally was like depressed. I did not, I could not conceptualize the global plan and then what was happening. And it was directly impacting my business because if you have to be six feet, six feet away, and you can't gather, you can't have an event, the purpose of an event is to be together, is to gather, you know, regularly, like this is what the purpose of an event is. So I, I know all industries took a hit, but our industries in particular, cause like you can't work at all. You know, there is, there is no live events if you can't gather. So I'm gonna tell you I was depressed. I feel like I looked in my bed, looking out the window at the rain. Like I was in the RMB Trey Songz video. And I was like, Oh God, like I was like, yo, this is a high Williams video. I am just like looking like an RV extra right now. So I was like, looking out my window, what actually is happening. And then like, once I got out of my funk, I had a conversation with my staff and I was like, now is the time for me to figure out and work on saving the business. So we actually have a business to come back to, right? This is not going to be the end of us. And this is not going to be the end of the Vandy group. So I really had to put my CEO hat on and do the things. So like a lot of founders. Cause you know, it's very glamorous now to be a founder and say that, you know, you're an entrepreneur, but like when the rubber meets the road, like this was one of those times for me. So I had to cut the fat for things that we no longer needed and no longer served us. Um, I had to like cut some hours for my staff. You know, like these are real decisions that business owners, um, have to make, you know, you had to put your big girl panties on like speaking, like our landlord where our office is making operational changes so that we had a home, um, to return to. And um, I know everybody right now is talking about pivot, but for me, I really think it's pivot or perish, you know? So I'm trying to figure out now, like what are some ways that we can remain relevant? We can remain top of mind. And so we now are offering like virtual workshops. Um, a lot of people, um, were always asking me for, you know, advice for, you know, how to grow their event business and a lot of up and coming women who want to be even producers or look up, look up to me. So I would have never had this opportunity when we were in Gomo like we are moving nonstop. We probably produce an event a week between New York, LA, um, Miami and Atlanta. So I would have never had the opportunity. Yeah. So now that I have the opportunity and have a bit more flexibility in my schedule, we are, you know, offering virtual, you know, classes to people who want to get an event business. And it has been really successful for us so far. We had a masterclass it's sold out twice. Um, so I think we're, we're moving in the right direction.
Speaker 2:So smart and I can attest you are very booked and busy.
Speaker 3:I love it. Well Carlene before we, before we finish episode, I just want to thank you
Speaker 2:Leaning in and just being your always authentic self. I just, I simply adore you and I'm one of, one of your biggest champions. You have so many, I am just part of them and I'm proud to be that
Speaker 3:Before we close. I always like to
Speaker 2:Ask this question to all of my guests. It's called trading places. You could trade places for a day with anyone current or past who would that person be and why?
Speaker 3:I would want to trade places circa 2008 with Deseret Rogers. So Deseret Rogers was the first black social secretary at the white house. Um, she worked under the Obama administration. So if you don't know what the social secretary does, she basically basically plants all the events at the white house. And I was like, when I realized that this was a job in 2008, I was like, Oh my God, this is my second dream job. So the fact that this black amazing tall, sharp, like money she's like you, like, she don't play around. She would live in me. And she is doing all of the events for mr. And mrs. Obama. Like, I was just like floored by that. Oh, and let me back up. A lot of people ask, like, how do I get into events, you know, as the assistant. So when you're the assistant, you do a lot of things. So one big part of my job was doing events on behalf of mr. Collins, whether it be his personal event. And if it's a big event like starting a Hollywood walk of fame, I wouldn't be the one planning it, but I would kind of be like the chairperson or, you know, the chair lead on behalf of the chairman. So I got really good at events, especially last minute events. So if the twins wanted to have a birthday party in five minutes, it was my job to do it, you know, and it needed to look like it took three years to do it. So I got really good at producing events with the short amount of time. So that is the personality of the Vandy group. But yet Deseret Rogers would be the one that I would love to trade places with. Um, and then before we close, I also just want to thank Amani. So anybody who's ever worked with the money I was taken by her the first time I met her, she was like, tar hair was like, you got to understand there's a recurrent thing would be like, Samantha. I'm like, who are these women? I've always been surrounded by powerful women. I'm happy that you and Amani are in my circle. And people always say like, how is it broken in them and the man industry? And I was like, I've always been surrounded by dope women. So that hasn't been like my story or my experience. I'm so grateful for you. And another thing just by showing up and being you, how you inspire the people around you. So thank you. I'm just so happy that you know, the, the star is alive and we were, we are now in each other's labs. Okay. I'm crying now. So please,
Speaker 4:Oh honey, I love you.
Speaker 3:I really do. And thank you for your kind words. This is what we do. You know, when you get in any position of note, you gotta pull up a chair for others. You, you make yourself available, you reach as you climb. You definitely. That definitely is your story. I love you. Well, I mean, this needs to be part one, two, three, four. I mean, we, I hope because you just, this is a great way to start the day. You are just amazing. And if anyone has the opportunity to meet Carlene in person or to attend one of her incredible bespoke events, I'm telling you it will be life changing. So my dear, thank you. I love you for having me. Absolutely. So friends, this the end of
Speaker 2:No need to ask podcast CEO, talk with Carlene Roy founder, CEO of the vanity group. So until we meet again, be safe and be well
Speaker 1:[inaudible].