Press

Gone are the days when the only AI that mattered was Allen Iverson.

As artificial intelligence reshapes creative industries, there’s a pressing concern beyond typical fears of job displacement: the potential erasure of authentic Black perspectives and representation.

The lack of diversity in the tech industry — Black people comprise only 7.4% of the industry, far below their 13% population representation — is already manifesting in troubling ways.

AI image generators are producing stereotypical depictions of people of color, facial recognition systems are misidentifying Black individuals at alarming rates and language models are perpetrating racist ideologies. Most recently, brands began using AI-generated Black models, raising serious questions about authenticity in representation.

Through it all, Sanders has made sure to pay attention to his own health — and that’s where his new partnership with California Almonds comes into play.

“I was a person who always enjoyed almonds for the health part of it and how it kept me lean, my physical presence,” he says about the ad campaign, which will run throughout the NCAA football season. “You’ve got to understand, I’ve been through a multitude of surgeries, so to be able to recover from the exercise that I’m putting in now with strengthening my whole body and strengthening everything about myself is tremendous.”

“And just being in my prime,” he says, possibly pun intended. “I feel like this is the third phase of my life, although I’m a long way from done. It was like Prime Time. Then I went to Prime. And now it’s Coach Prime, and I love it.”

Deion Sanders has done a lot of promotions in the past, but the latest one seems to be unique. Coach Prime is teaming up with California Almonds for a “partnership of a lifetime to help consumers own their PRIME.”

The goal is to bring awareness to the health benefits of almonds in a recovery regimen for athletes.”Being in your prime is a mindset,” which is the message of the campaign. Coach Prime is encouraging individuals to be smart about recovery.

In the gleaming towers of Madison Avenue, a revolution of representing black creatives in advertising is taking shape. INK—MGMT, the first full-service talent management agency dedicated to championing Black creatives in the advertising industry, has seen the number of candidates in its database triple since its launch last month, according to a spokesperson. The agency, created by a triumvirate of award-winning Black creatives, will focus on the innovative staffing of Black talent, with the goal of reshaping the industry’s landscape.

This pioneering agency was founded by Jason Pierce, a Detroit native and highly acclaimed creative director; Ant Tull, a writer with an art background known for his culturally resonant ideas; and Sebastian Walker, a multidisciplinary artist from Florida with an eye for the vanguard of design, fashion, and photography. All three have made their mark with some of the world’s top agencies and brands, including Droga5, VML, CP+B, MullenLowe U.S., and Grey NY.

INK-MGMT, a new talent management agency dedicated to Black creative talent in ad land, has announced its launch today. Built as a direct answer to performative antics that often backfire, especially post-George Floyd, INK-MGMT’s biggest goal is to represent the ‘new mass market’ by connecting them to the world’s top brands and agencies.

Based out of Denver and New York, INK brings together a trio of award-winning heavyweights as its founders: Photographer, chef and creative director Jason Pierce; Droga5 and VML alum Ant Tull, and multidisciplinary artist Sebastian Walker. Amongst this trio, they’ve brought 40+ years of brand-building skills and unique perspectives to elevate brands including Acura, American Airlines, Hotels.com, Domino’s, Hennessy, Instacart, and Wendy’s.

Jason Pierce, Ant Tull and Sebastian Walker have teamed to launch INK—MGMT, billed as being the full-service talent management agency representing Black creative talent in adland. The three founders are Black creatives whose lauded work spans brands including Acura, American Airlines, Hotels.com, Domino’s, Hennessy, Instacart and Wendy’s. INK—MGMT brings a highly specialized and much-needed set of services: focusing on the innovative staffing of Black creatives from traditional and nontraditional backgrounds, helping to improve company cultures, and ensuring Black creatives can flourish.

Creatives launched INK—MGMT, a talent management agency representing Black creatives