For the season II finale of It's A Look, Fredia and Jena sat down with Marcus Carey, co-founder, of Homage Hospitality Group. Following the recent coverage of Homage in RollingOut, The Root, and the ShadeRoom, it's incredibly exciting to have 1/2 of the duo in studio. Homage Hospitality, founded in 2016, is on course to open a series of hotels around the country. Carey and co-founder Damon Lawrence "pride themselves on creating a culturally significant hotel experience," focusing on opening properties inspired by and located in historically black cities being impacted by gentrification (Rolling Out). Their first property, 'The Moor,' opened in New Orleans during Essence Festival weekend. A couplet of others are planned to open in Oakland 2019 and potentially Detroit, Washington D.C. and Brooklyn. We sat down with Marcus Carey to talk about what it means to create a product for the culture, transferring to a growth mindset, and how he and Lawrence built Homage from the ground up. Further, we discussed securing the bag, choosing the entrepreneurship path, and why energy is so important when choosing a co-founder. Carey, a Detroit native, didn't hold much back as we talked about his humble Burlington Coat Factory beginnings, his time at Howard University, and why we'll be seeing a Homage Hotel one day on the moon.
The It’s A Look podcast presents fresh and knowledgeable views on the people and places you may know but not know much about. Join Fredia and Jena for a monthly dose of comedy and curiosity through a curated collection of candid interviews, sonic experiences, and live podcasting shows.
Fredia’s expertise within the show is laughter and making heavier topics more digestible. Jena drops the insightful gems, the questions that expand your perspective. Before you hear anything else, you hear their friendship. As a duo, F+J are tastemakers who have their freshly manicured nails set on the pulse of humanity and what holds us together.
At its core, It’s A Look is historic. It’s what Jena’s mom and Fredia’s grandmother didn’t do. It’s bigger than both of them. It’s what they saw that you didn’t-- A Look.
It’s A Look is produced by three bad ass brown women- Fredia, Jena, and Sami Hiromi. Music by Jarin Tindall. Videography by Aquavis Warfield. It’s A Look branding and website design by Amy Jasinki.