We had the good fortune of connecting with Candace Haynes-Garrett and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Candace, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
Consulting 4 Creatives, LLC (C4C) mission is to provide the entertainment industry with creative solutions that will assist with achieving unique outcomes that highlight the clients vision. C4C helps companies and individuals achieve their goals by connecting the dots between their business strategy and creative solutions. C4C takes a unique approach to Creative Direction, Project Management, Brand Development, Event Coordination and TV / Film Production. On Thursday, November 9, 2023, my company launched our first ever THE BLUEPRINT event sponsored by C4 Energy Drink. The purpose of this event is to raise funds for a select creative within the Atlanta, Georgia area and have fun while doing it. The first part of the event consists of a private fundraiser event where industry leaders, celebrities, and special guests attend a movie screening. After the attendees view the film, the select candidate has an opportunity to pitch their project and receive donations for their upcoming project in real time. The second part of the event is the afterparty. Aspiring and established filmmakers, actors, entrepreneurs, choreographers, dancers, and other young professionals enjoy an evening of good food, fun games, and a second opportunity of crowdfunding where all proceeds go towards supporting the select candidate’s project. I am currently producing my very first film and used the first THE BLUEPRINT event to crowdfund for my project. I was blessed to raise over $4,000 for my film project from this first event from donations alone.

The Atlanta TV / Film scene is growing but a lot of upcoming filmmakers aren’t necessarily receiving the same tax breaks, funding, or other resources to assist them in producing their original content at an indie level. This is where C4C comes in and hopes to continue to host these fundraiser parties to provide the community I was born and raised in opportunities that I did not have and know that the community needs more of. My goal is to partner with various corporations to help fund THE BLUEPRINT as well as provide donations that will go into a grant that C4C will award to the next select creative. For now we are focussed on young filmmakers but the goal is to expand into other creative markets.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I grew up in a home filled with music, imagination and love in Stone Mountain, Georgia in the Smoke Rise community. I was always dressing eclectic and making outfits with everyone else’s clothes in the house. I am the third child of four and always used my siblings in skits that I would think of and make them perform with me. We were a quartet and played in talent shows at Smoke Rise Elementary. I loved dancing, choreographing, drawing, painting, science, math, sports, planning parties, and just about anything that was creative and mentally stimulating. I was always good at presentations and performances, maybe because my mom said I would put together two puzzles at the same time when I was only two years old. I know that I had a lot of natural skill but I watched my dad and his brothers when they played in a band together. I learned a lot about rhythm, a variety of instruments and artists. And my mother….wow….MY MOTHER! She tells me that I remind her so much of who she was at my age because she was a professional dancer / choreographer, competed and won pageants, cheerleader, playwright / Director, and she would host the most magical events every month in our home. I definitely observed the meticulous planning, creative thinking, and problem solving my mom practiced. Everything she produced was magical. My sister and I would dance with my mom and she can still hit her splits even at the young age of (I’m not telling lol). The activities I participated in while at Tucker Middle and High School were swimming on the swim team, soft ball, Captain of the Varsity football cheerleading team, gymnastics, State Champions in track and field, President of Student COuncil, I did the morning announcements, and was homecoming queen. The most notable experience was being mentored by Jaquel Knight who selected me to take over coordinating and choreographing the THS pageants. He had a dance group at the time called Tru Stylze and I wasn’t as good as the other dancers to be on that team but I did have the opportunity to perform with him on one show. It was at that moment I knew I had to make a decision – get serious about my dance training or focus on another career path. I decided that I was going to continue to focus on my passion for dance, even through college.
I attended the University of Georgia and graduated on the Dean’s List with a Bachelor’s in Rhetoric and Communication Studies from the University of Georgia in 2014. I was inspired to attend UGA because of my Aunt Mary Frances Early, the first African American to graduate from not only this flagship institution, but within the entire state of Georgia. I attribute much of my success and talents to Aunt Mary and three other powerful women in my family: Aunt Tzonda – “Chilli” from the girl group TLC, sister Carmin McCray – Account Executive at Google, and my mother Linda Haynes – Chief Judge of the DeKalb County Juvenile Court System. These four women have trained me to think both critically and creatively, delivering relevant projects on schedule, under budget and in alignment with a client’s brand. I stand on the shoulders of giants who continue to mentor and support me in everything I produce.
While at UGA, I created my own dance team called Mahogany who won first place at UGA’s Best Dance crew, I choreographed for an open show for Pamoja Dance Company, I sang/rapped in a band that performed in different venues in Athens, Georgia, I party promoted for some of the largest homecoming parties, was Stroll Master of my beloved sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., was a part of the Young Democrats, and Treasurer for the NAACP, a member of the Black Theatrical Ensemble, just to name a few of the activities I was a part of. College expanded my horizons on where dance could take me. Even more so, it showed me all of the other skills I could add to dance to make me a serious quadruple threat in this industry. Once I graduated, it wasn’t only all about dance…
Right after college, I joined two acting agencies and went on some amazing auditions in studios across Georgia. The truth of the matter is that I bombed every single one of them, or so I felt. it wasn’t about not receiving callbacks when I thought I should have, it was about I wasn’t performing at the highest level I knew I could and should. but that takes time and serious focus to hone in on and I started to realize that yet again, what I wanted to do, who I wanted to be was far greater than only acting and dancing.
While I spent three years touring as a background dancer for Keith Sweat which ended in 2020 due to the pandemic, I remained the Outreach Director for a nonprofit organization called the Association of Controls Professionals (ACP). With the help from partners like the Siemens Foundation, National Science Foundation, and the BEST Center, ACP provides underprivileged students with the tools and resources necessary for them to succeed in the STEM and Building Automation Systems (BAS) industry. ACP promotes educational equity, thus fighting to reduce the opportunity gap. I assist a team of professionals in producing training modules, developing the nation’s first Non-Proprietary BAS Technician Certification, designing a retrofitted mobile laboratory, and partnering with community organizations like The Georgia Division of Family & Children Services (DFCS) in creating the program “STEM Skills for Success”, which gives hands-on career development opportunities to foster children. I also had the pleasure of producing, directing, choreographing, and hosting a STEM-themed musical / mobile lab tour called “A STEP in STEM”, performing at partner institutions across the nation. This immersive and engaging expo spreads awareness about the cool, high-paying tech careers available in local communities. Working here is when everything starte to make sense – I am not one body with multiple career paths. I started to figure out how to market and promote all of my services and customize them to whoever the client was.
My background is deeply rooted in the entertainment industry, my true passion. I believe my top-tier industry experiences combined with innovative, natural talent makes me a radical threat and change maker. I have over 10 years of experience working in various capacities of the entertainment sphere with small to large size companies and talent of all ages. Some of my work includes consulting, creative direction, project management, talent casting, talent development, choreography/dance, acting, and hosting for some of the best in the industry. A few companies I’ve worked with include Netflix, BET, The CW, VH1, MTV, CW, Bounce TV, SXSW, Belk, Champion, PBS, GPB, Tyler Perry Studios, Athena Studios, Trilith Studios and more. I am a proud member of SAG-AFTRA.
Some of my previous works include choreographing for the TV series “Tom Swift” on CW and receiving the award of “Best Director and Best Show” at the Black Theatre Festival for Asst. Creative Directing and Choreographing the musical SuperStar Dreamz LIVE. I was also a Principal Dancer / Stepper / Assistant Choreographer on Season 1 and 2 of the hit TV series “The Quad”, Principal Dancer on a three-year national tour for the King of R&B Keith Sweat, and a Principal Dancer performing with Drumline LIVE.
I recently wrapped production as Choreographer / Asst. Casting Director on the movie “Pain Hustlers” to be released on Netflix this October 27, 2023. I had the honor of collaborating with the infamous Director David Yates to bring his vision to life. Having the opportunity to work one-on-one with star actors Chris Evans, Emily Blunt and Chloe Coleman was such rewarding work on this production. A second project that I just completed was working as Assistant Director / Creative Director / Choreographer for a docu film called “When the Dogs Left” in partnership with The University of Georgia, Athena Studios and Trilith Studios. This was the very first project to be shot at this studio. I was commissioned to assist in developing the curriculum for the institution’s first production class, giving 14 students course credit for working on this project with the crew. I am the founder and CEO of Consulting 4 Creatives, LLC (C4C), where I consult with various clients like I-Inspire Studios and New Hope Studios as well as house all production projects I am fortunate to work on,
I am currently looking to work for a production company to continue to hone my crafts, learn new skills, and be surrounded by like minded creatives. After what feels like 20 plus years of feeling stretched and pulled in so many different ways trying to achieve all of these creative careers individually, I recently found where I know I belong and will leave my mark. I belong in TV / Film production and can’t wait to see what God has for me next!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We would go to these places in Stone Mountain, ga: – Trend urban cafe
– Stone Mountain Park
– Los hermanos
– Walk through some of the shops in down town stone mountain

now that my husband and I live in Midtown, Atlanta, we would also go to these places:
– The Battery Atlanta to watch a baseball game, do an escape the room activity, and end the night watching a movie at Silverspot
– Walk my two dogs at Westside Reservoir Park
– Dinner at 5 church Rooftop
– brunch at Taverna in Buckhead Shops

Then we would drive our friends down for a few days to stay at our vacation home and enjoy the food, culture, and beach in Brunswick / St. Simons Island / Jekyll Island areas

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I am shouting out my “Three Treat” group. This group consists of my older sister Carmin Haynes, Account Manager at Google, and my mom Judge Linda Bratton Haynes, who recently retired from working in the DeKalb count Juvenile Court System. I would not be where I am without their wisdom, professionalism, and creativity. They have taught me all I know about branding, business, and being authentically myself. I am honored to have both of them as my family, best friends, and life mentors!

Website: candacehaynes.com and consulting4creatives.com

Instagram: @thecandacehaynes and @consulting4creatives

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/candace-haynes-923817ba

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/candace.marie.5686322

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyb5lfi99TUCvgC0ZO8oMkQ

Image Credits
George Harrison Stephen Osadolor, Jr

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