Community builder: Besa Gordon’s Real Seattle Media Mixer creates a space for entrepreneurs, influencers and more
Besa Gordon is all smiles at the Real Seattle Media Mixer (photo Marvin Patterson)
Converge Media’s Pop Culture Queen Besa Gordon has been creating space for business enlightenment and community building through her monthly Real Seattle Media Mixers. Gordon creates space for entrepreneurs, influencers and media creators to come together and share experiences and knowledge.
“I wanted to bring everyone together because there are business owners that sometimes just really don't know how to properly get in touch with certain influencers, there's influencers that don't know how to get in touch with business owners, and there's also people in media that simply want to learn more and get in touch with both,” Gordon said.
Gordon is uniquely suited to the role thanks to her experience working in radio. Starting as a member of the KUBE 93.3 street team, she now works at iHeart Radio and is on the air on stations HITS 106.1 in Seattle, JAM’N 107.5 in Portland, B95 in Fresno, 102.3 The Beat in Austin and V101 in Sacramento. She says that being able to bring a variety of individuals together creates an environment where shared knowledge and ambition can create a truly special night of education and connection. The panels, too, are specially curated to pique the interest of people in various sectors and to be engaging.
“When I decided to do the mixers, I didn't want it to be like any other mixer. None of the mixers I had been to had panels that I actually wanted to go to,” Gordon said. “So I decided that if I was going to do a mixer, there needed to be a panel and each panel needed to kind of help people in various ways.”
The panels put together by Gordon feature experts on topics ranging from social media presence to marketing to podcasts.
“I thought it was very beneficial,” business owner Jasmine Williams said. “I've been to quite a few mixers, but I felt like this one actually gave useful information.
Williams owns Shameless Love, a lingerie company based in Seattle. She said the mixer provided an opportunity to network and to gain valuable insights into the business world. She also praised the panelists, saying they didn’t withhold information and were happy to help and answer all questions.
Jay Martin Jr., the host of the PBS show Crosscut, said the he was thrilled for the opportunity to share knowledge while also continuing to learn.
“I felt like between the panelists sharing their perspective on business and life, and then being in a room like that of all different people, it just gives such an inspiration,” Martin said. “I remember being the person in the room that was waiting for the next moment, so that was cool to remind me that yeah, I've gotten to a certain place, but to always hold on to that hunger. That's what was in the room last night: hunger, it was people that wanted to make an effort to connect, and build and bring change.”
That energy and drive is something which Williams noticed as well. She also said that event being free made a huge difference for her and others.
“it means a lot especially with it being a free event. I think that makes a difference too. So shout out to the sponsors because sometimes people don't want to go to these types of events because they don't know how much useful information that they're gonna get,” Williams said. “The fact that the event is free, you can take home so much more.”
Gordon is able to keep the event free thanks to key sponsors like Friends of Seattle Waterfront and Market Street Shoes. These partners invest in the space and see community health as a big part of their success.
“This has been a very powerful thing to support and Friends is honored to be in partnership with Besa,” Marie Kidhe of Friends of Seattle Waterfront said. “It’s important to us to keep sharing the stories of the programs and the people and the impact that waterfront park will have on all of our corridor communities.”
Ryan Stauffer of Market Street Shoes agrees, saying that supporting the community is a building block of their business.
“It’s our responsibility as a local business to support and uplift Black voices and stories, and as fans of Besa Gordon we are excited and honored to be able to support her efforts at building and uplifting in our community,” Stauffer said.
The work Gordon is doing and the excitement felt at the mixers doesn’t go unnoticed. Williams said it was ‘heartwarming’ to see real support.
“It means a lot to me, it lets me know that someone does care,” Williams said. “It means for me as a Black female business owner, that there is space for my voice to be heard.”
You can connect with Besa on Twitter @besagordon
For more information on the next Real Seattle Media Mixer, follow @besagordon on Instagram
