We had the good fortune of connecting with Larry Allen II and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Larry, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
The idea for Industreets TV was sparked in the Summer of 2019 after a conversation with my colleague and friend, Quindon Hall (Qthespeaker) where we brainstormed ways we could release concise information and properly brand minorities in the media.
Our objective was to effectively build his brand of public speaking and trauma consultation while simultaneously working towards my goal of becoming a media conglomerate and successful filmmaker. We began bringing commercials and other content to social media that would highlight artists and brands within the city of Dallas. Our hope was that with a rebrand, we could not only change the narrative of Blacks and minorities in the media, but help to control it as well.
Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Today, it is still our desire to create content highlighting entrepreneurs, creatives in the media industry, artists, and budding brands in the street fashion world. We do this most effectively with our shows and segments. Our most notable show, “Hot on the Block”, highlights music artists. In recent episodes, we interviewed rapper, GMK as well as rapper, Sauce Walka.
Since the launch of our official YouTube channel, we have had 1.1 million impressions and we also average around 4,000 to 7,000 views monthly. Our content has been highlighted on media outlets such as HipHop DX, an online outlet that reaches about 3.5 million readers monthly. They recently picked up our interview with Sauce Walka where he gave his opinion on the controversy surrounding rapper, Gunna’s song, “Pushing P”.
We pride ourselves on giving artists a safe space where they can express themselves freely and not worry about their words be altered or edited to fit a certain narrative.
Throughout the three years since our media network was founded, we have continued to build strong relationships both in and out of the industry and we’re actively working to help artists establish themselves and solidify their brands. We have consistently collaborated with outlets like SayCheeseTV to assist our clients with promoting themselves and exposing their brand to broader audiences.
Currently, we are in the beginning stages of launching a partnership with Prairie View A&M University to offer an internship program to college students that will feature an experiential learning approach grounded in the real world of music production and marketing, and uses a unique educational model that will place students in work settings while at the center of their educational experience.
Our aim for the future of the brand is to launch a venture that emphasizes the goal of creating consistent content for rising artists, digital brands, and entrepreneurs for the Gen-Z and Generation Alpha audiences.
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If I had a good friend visiting the area, our itinerary for the day would look like this:
Cool Runnings for some good Jamaican cuisine then hit a local lounge like Parma or Avant Garden for music and nice vibes. From there, we could hit a thrifting or resale vintage clothing store and then go look for records. Once we leave from there, we can take pictures by the graffiti walls downtown off Leeland Street. From there, we would grab smoothies from Nekter or JuiceLand and take a walk at one of the parks downtown like Buffalo Bayou or the park off of 610 and so we can enjoy nature. We could hit the studio with an artist to listen to them record a few tracks before heading home and calling it a night.
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to give a shout-out to my team, Ron Gray, my best friend and web designer; ZaNaria Bowens who is a personal stylist, television/media personality, and host of “Chopping it up with ZayAngelita”; and Chastity Fields who is a publicist as well as a lifestyle and fashion content creator.
Website: industreetstv.com
Instagram: @IndustreetsTV
Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCouYciqTc-nCwXB0-QEX8Aw
Image Credits
Huge thanks to @shotbywealthy for the photo of myself and rapper, Z-RO as well as Josh Lettuce for the photo of myself and Tr3way6K.