Music Event Production

In 2019, after successfully booking tours for my bands Spooky Cool and Majjin Boo, I was hired as the booker for a local Richmond, VA venue. There, I produced and promoted numerous high-quality indie rock events under the banner of PRSMCAT PRESENTS. Since then, I’ve hosted approximately 90-100 shows and earned a reputation as one of the top show bookers in the city. In my first year, my independent production company was voted among the top three live show series in Richmond, only trailing behind city-backed programming.

After a hiatus during the pandemic, I relaunched events with a sponsorship from Jack Daniels. I also partnered with Baripete Productions, another local booking group, to co-produce our first large-scale festival, DAYDREAM FEST. This festival featured top talent from across the state, including Butcher Brown with special guest Charlie Hunter, and J. Roddy Walston’s band, Palm Palm. The festival was a resounding success, selling over 1,000 tickets and being voted the top music festival in Richmond, VA for 2022 by Style Weekly Magazine.

The Birth of ZAVISMELLS Candles

During the pandemic, I found solace in candle making. As a pet owner in a small apartment, I relied on candles for a comforting atmosphere and to keep my space smelling fresh. However, constantly buying candles became expensive, so I decided to start making my own to cut costs.

What began as a personal project quickly blossomed into a passion. I started gifting my handmade candles to friends and family, and their positive feedback encouraged me to pursue this hobby further. After perfecting three unique scents, I created a brand—ZAVISMELLS.

Since then, I've crafted hundreds of candles and successfully placed them in stores all over Richmond. This journey has been incredibly fulfilling, teaching me valuable skills in starting up a small business, print and photo production, and branding.

I'm excited to continue creating captivating scents and producing engaging content to share ZAVISMELLS with even more people. Learn more at zavismells.com

Activism Through Advertising

During the uprisings of 2020, I leveraged my branding experience to lead a team of advertising activists aimed at pressuring Richmond’s Commonwealth Attorney, Colette McEachin, to drop charges against peaceful protestors and reopen the case of Marcus David-Peters. Collaborating closely with Richmond activists, we developed impactful digital and social media content to mobilize protestors and direct their collective power toward influential government officials.

Our digital social ad campaign gained significant traction, being shared thousands of times across Richmond and beyond. Esteemed organizations like the ACLU, Martin Agency, and RVA Mag reshared our content. We also produced an out-of-home (OOH) billboard outside the local detention center, leading to interviews with ABC and RVA Mag.

Following these achievements, we partnered with the LatinX-led social activist group "Free Them All," dedicated to supporting immigrants detained by ICE. We created compelling content to spotlight the unethical practices of the for-profit detention center, Immigration Centers of America, in Farmville, VA, exposing the inhumane conditions and the dire impact of COVID-19 on detainees. Our efforts underscored the power of advertising activism in driving social change and advocating for justice.