Parlour Maven: Shante Bacon on Running a Successful Business
Sony, Paramount Pictures, Spike Lee; for aspiring marketing professionals these are dream clients but for 135th Street Agency founder Shante Bacon, it's just another day at work. After graduating Hampton University in 1998, the Queens native started her first job in marketing at Def Jam records. Seven years later, Bacon opened her own communications and marketing firm and her small but dynamic team has successfully worked on high-profile projects that rival large firms. So successful is her svelte shop that The Network Journal celebrated Bacon as one of their 40 Under 40 award recipients. The winner chatted with Parlour about being honored and the challenges and rewards of running her own business.Parlour: Congratulations, what were you thinking when you accepted your award? Shante Bacon: I was beyond excited and grateful. When you own your own company, you work hard to build something from nothing. It’s rare that small agencies win awards when you’re competing with huge PR firms but the award was more about my own professional career accomplishment. I was at Def Jam for eight years and there was no award for a music industry executive that worked really hard.What did you learn from working at Def Jam?Graduating from undergrad and joining Def Jam was like getting a master’s degree in entertainment. The expectations were high but the executives there at the time were the best teachers. Every single lesson I learned comes into play when I’m bidding for big projects like Disney, Sony and Paramount Pictures.What challenges have you experienced building the 135th Street Agency?Finding people that are as passionate about my company as I am. If they’re not, because we’re so small, it can impact the productivity and culture of the business immediately. We’re not Def Jam or Edelman, in a small company a person not pulling their weight makes everyone else’s load heavier.What are your best and worst client experiences?My best client experience is happening right now, working on Spike Lee’s independent film Red Hook Summer. He’s a decision maker and what I’ve learned from him is amazing. You’re never going to catch him slacking. He’s 20 years older than me but he’s up at the crack of dawn and works without getting tired. The worst clients are ones that pay you to do a job but they are the biggest obstacle.Why did you name the agency 135th Street?When I moved to Harlem, it wasn’t the borough you know now. Gentrification was just getting started and lots of businesses were coming in so I moved to 135th Street. I was in my early 20’s and had just moved out of my mom’s house. I was finally on my own in my own place with my first car and my first job in my career. 135th Agency, like my street, just felt right.In reference to the recent Gabby Douglas hair beef, how do you feel about some black women who berate others despite their achievements?I had this conversation with Spike Lee, I did not pay any attention to the nonsense surrounding Gabby’s hair. First Lady Michelle Obama and Sherri Shepherd of The View were saying how great she is, we should not give attention to riff-raff who can’t recognize an Olympian. For her to have that kind of career at 16, I don’t care if she had one strand of hair on her head.Did you ever get teased for your last name growing up?Constantly, when I was in elementary school I was super shy and wouldn’t volunteer in class because I didn’t want people to tease me. My dad was a military-type and if I had an A- on my report card, he’d meet with my teachers to find out what I needed to do for an A+. He helped me out of my shyness, it was why I wasn’t getting higher grades. He passed away when I was 16 and after that my amazing mom taught me to reclaim the power in my last name by making fun of it myself. Now when I check into a hotel, I’ll say ‘Shante Bacon, like bacon and eggs.’What else is next for the 135th Street Agency?We’ve got the Urban World Film Festival in September and then the reality show, Vince and Tamar. It should all be fun. Chantell O. Black lives in Brooklyn and you can follow her at @ChanBacknBklyn