We had the good fortune of connecting with Manny Faces and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Manny, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I have always thrived in mutli-modal work situations, particularly where there was a need for innovation and problem-solving. I was lucky to be working in journalism during a time of great evolution and upheaval, but my way of seeing things allowed me to predict the changes technology would have on the industry and implement innovative solutions — often with few resources. This helped my organization adapt and continue to be successful. However, the business did morph into a form where there would be less opportunity for the kind of inspiring work that we had been doing as an organization, and that I was doing as an individual, especially creative storytelling through different mediums, the amplification of under-represented voices, and my personal advocacy revolving around the use of Hip Hop music and culture to help uplift humanity. I wanted to form a company that would allow me to expand on my ideas, and house all of my journalistic and creative efforts — as a podcast producer and editor, as a writer, as a keynote speaker, as a consultant — so I launched Manny Faces Media in 2019, signing that former employer as my first client.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
As a life-long learner with an entrepreneurial spirit and a Hip Hop/DIY mindset, I was never quite satisfied intellectually, but also always marched to my own beat. So while traditional learning spaces weren’t where I thrived, I would self-study voraciously, often to learn how to do a thing I didn’t know how to do. Initially, I had artistic goals, and learned to DJ and produce Hip Hop music. I started a home studio and began recording myself and local acts. I didn’t have a lot of money, so I had to engineer ways to, as it is often said, make a dollar out of fifteen cents. I couldn’t afford to hire help, so I learned all the things I had to do, through whatever means were available. I had to advertise the studio, so I needed to learn graphic design, eventually, web design. I learned journalism through colleagues, and launched my own publication. I saw podcasting as a new medium and jumped on it early. I was always aware of societal disparity and injustice and so I sought information and insight and learned from folks facing and fighting injustice. This abbreviated list of skills transferred into workplaces, especially small, scrappy, startup-style operations where creativity and out-of-the-box thinking was necessary. All of these experiences have culminated into the main work I do today — produce award-winning podcasts, create impactful journalism, and deliver compelling lectures that focus on — and often combine — social justice and the arts, particularly Hip Hop music and culture, to not only tell stories that are all-too-often otherwise overlooked, but that inspire new solutions to old problems and new ways of thinking to create new possibilities.

 

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.
I’m originally from New York, and you know how we can be about other cities — it’s hard to impress us. But Atlanta has definitely lived up to the challenge. We still love learning more about the city and its history (and we love to eat), so we enjoy going on the Atlanta Food Walks tours with visiting friends. Eateries like Toast on Lenox (run by a childhood friend of mine!), Busy Bee, Che Butter Jonez, or any number of random spots that one can just wander into and usually leave happy. The King Center is always an inspiring place to visit. Hip Hop heads would enjoy The Trap Museum or the monthly Soul Food Cypher series. I love small, local, uniquely-vibed spots that incorporate music, so places like Buteco and Rock Steady come to mind. Wherever DJ friends like DJ Cozy or DJ Kemit are spinning (or wherever I might happen to make an appearance on the ones and twos!). Ponce City Market or the Battery are always cool experiences. The Georgia Aquarium for kids is fantastic. There’s just an ever-growing list of new and old spots that make me happy to have moved to such a vibrant area.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
It’s been a somewhat long life so far with a lot of help, for sure. I was fortunate to have two parents who each had very different skills and attributes that combined, provided a great foundation of intellectual curiosity and compassion for others. My own children, now (mostly) adults, provided me a purpose in life, and have made me enormously proud. The great Mrs. Faces has helped guide my life in a positive manner from day one. I have several colleagues that have become friends, and we share our creative, entrepreneurial and altruistic journeys with one another. And in an overarching way, I want to shoutout Hip Hop culture, for teaching me and millions of others a way to recognize, appreciate and express brilliance, beauty, creativity, joy, camaraderie, self-worth, and inclusivity through its unique approach to peace, love, unity and having fun. I attribute much of my outlook and success to having a “Hip Hop mindset” and so I collectively shoutout and thank “The Culture.” (and while we’re at it, Video Music Box creator Ralph McDaniels, who may have, in fact, coined the phrase, but was certainly the one who initially brought the “shoutout” to the masses.)

Website: https://www.mannyfaces.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mannyfacesofficial

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mannyfaces

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/mannyfaces

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mannyfaces

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mannyfacesofficial

Other: https://www.mannyfacesmedia.com https://www.hiphopcansaveamerica.com
https://www.hiphopadvocacy.org

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutAtlanta is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.