We had the good fortune of connecting with Clive EJ Salmon and Adam Sean Bailey and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Clive and Sean, how did you come up with the idea for your business?
Seeing how many stories do not get the space or attention they deserve,we created companyX to fill the gaps we know exist. Our company is based on the personal values that we share. We believe that it is important to carve out a safe space where all can come and we will help them tell their stories without the “filter” of large production houses that focus more on what is “trending”. We are focused on what mirrors our daily lives and what will endure. Authenticity will always outweigh views and dollars.

By giving creatives opportunities to tell their stories, we give them agency and as a result the World gets to experience authentic and reflective storytelling.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
While we have been working on this dream for quite some time, we are still early in our journey as a company. We are still working through many of the growing pains of a new company. Funding, finding worthy projects, connecting with people who are talented AND hungry.

On the flip side, we also see the limitless opportunities to do ground breaking things. So far, the journey has been challenging and rewarding. All along this journey we are seeing signs that we are moving in the right direction. Our network is evolving. We are carving out a platform to give marginalized people a safe space to have agency over the telling of their stories. Women, people of color, the LGBTQ communities often find them selves as objects or oddities that are used for spectacle. We believe this feeds stereotypes and widens divisions across communities. By providing these communities with the tools and the platform to take control of the telling of their stories, we elevate the art and bring people together through sharing and understanding.

One of the biggest lessons we have learned is to be patient, have faith and allow things to take shape. We are conditioned to want and expect everything right now. Right now, is not always the right time. When you see big things on the horizon it is easy to get distracted. We are here for the long haul and if that means we have to wait a little longer and work a little harder, so be it.

Special Ed once said “This is a mission…not a small time thing”

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.
Well, if they are visiting Atlanta for the first time, we would need to start with a history lesson and for us that should start at the Atlanta University Center and Morehouse College. Morehouse is a very special place to us. It is where the two of us met and formed a brotherhood that has lasted decades. In so many ways companyX really starts there.

Atlanta is also home to the King Center, the Carter Center, the Fern Bank Museum, Fox Theatre, the World of Coca-Cola, Tyler Perry Studios AND the State Capitol. So wear comfortable shoes because we have a lot of ground to cover.

Of course we have to have a little fun. Go for a run through Piedmont Park, have lunch at superica, catch an afternoon Falcons game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and then dinner at the optimist. The night life in Atlanta is unrivaled. No matter what flag you fly, there is a place in Atlanta’s party scene just for you and we have a whole week to find the perfect fit!

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?
companyX is a tree that was planted by its founders and watered an nurtured by a host of friends, family, colleagues and collaborators that saw the brilliance of our dream and wanted to see us succeed. So whether you wrote a big check, or said a little prayer, we are here, in no small part, because of our community.

Website: onecompanyx.com

Instagram: onecompanyx.com

Image Credits
Clive EJ Salmon, Co-Founder,/CEO Adam Sean Bailey Co-Founder/COO

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