Welcome to the Collective!
Thank you for taking the time to learn more about CULTR Collective. After 15 years in the media industry, I recognized a pattern of Black-owned brands and creators of color being exploited in brand deals, significantly underpaid, and undervalued.
Since being impacted by the 2023 industry mass layoffs, I have decided to commit to my purpose and utilize my gifts to provide strategic services to brands looking to work with diverse talent, and offer freelancing opportunities to my former colleagues.
This led to the birth of CULTR Collective. Our mission is to provide strategic services to brands and curate a community that empowers underrepresented voices and paves the way for a new era of creativity and content production.
Past Experience
Over the years, I have spearheaded numerous groundbreaking campaigns for leading brands and organizations that reflect my expertise in creating & distributing impactful content & culture-driven brand partnerships.
Role: Senior Director, Brand Partnerships
Brand: ComplexCon
Year: 2019-2023
Overview: ComplexCon, an annual celebration by Complex, draws thousands with its mix of pop culture, music, and art. The event saw over 20 brand activations and collaborations in 2022, setting a company record for large-scale productions and brand partnerships. The team skillfully managed and executed campaigns for top brands across diverse platforms, culminating in over 20 brand activations and merchandise collaborations in 2022. This achievement represented a record high for the company, underscoring their ability to execute large-scale productions and foster relationships with major brands.
Role: Senior Director, Brand Partnerships
Brand: Timberland
Year: 2022
Overview: Directed the brand partnership with Timberland as they sponsored Hiking With Rappers, a show that takes your favorite rap artists out of their mansions and into the hills to hike. Season 1 drew so much success, with top episodes garnering over 250K views, the Timberland client returned for Season 2, which featured all-new locations, intense physical challenges, and top MCs like 2 Chainz, Flo Milli, Jadakiss, Doechii, Princess Nokia, and Offset.
Role: Senior Director, Brand Partnerships
Brand: Coca-Cola
Year: 2022
Overview: This collaboration, known as the Coca-Cola Dreamworld, was an innovative step inside the mind of the versatile Harlem native, Kerwin Frost. Known for his distinctive creativity in music, fashion, and sneakers, Frost and Coca-Cola Dreamworld had created a unique interpretation of his dream world. This partnership centered around a virtual playground influenced by the Coca-Cola Dreamworld limited edition. This immersive digital experience allowed consumers to journey through surreal and imaginary realms, mirroring the ethos of Frost's creative perspective. Participants were invited to explore and customize this digital playground as they saw fit, encouraging users to let their imagination run wild
Role: Co-Founder
Participants: Black People Will Swim, Claima Stories, Wing Zero Apps, Swatchcandy
Year: 2021
Overview: Co-founded Complex’s first incubator initiative called Complex B.O.S.S., a 12-week mentorship program for US-based BIPOC, Women, and LGBTQ+ small businesses, supported by Complex Networks’ brand-building expertise. Program benefits included weekly one-on-one consulting with in-house experts, an estimated $250,000 worth of media support and added amplification across the Complex platform.
Role: Senior Director, Brand Partnerships
Client: Microsoft
Year: 2020
Overview: Led the execution of Microsoft Windows’ collaboration with Complex Networks to create an editorial series called "The Business of Building Communities." The series featured individuals who have created brands or philanthropic organizations to uplift their communities. It resulted in a 51% increase in overall delivered impressions compared to a previous series and received positive brand affinity for Windows 10. The stories were shared organically on personal channels, generating significant earned media and serving as a source of pride for the featured talent.
Role: Senior Director of Media strategy
Client: Beats By Dre, Apple
Year: 2019
Overview: Directed and executed the media strategy for Beats by Dre as they unveiled their Powerbeats Pro in a high-energy, star-studded global campaign 'Unleashed'. Directed by Hiro Murai and featuring new music from Beck, the film showcases some of the world's most elite athletes—Simone Biles, LeBron James & Serena Williams among them, using Beats earphones to take their training to an even higher level.
Role: Senior Account Executive
Client: Procter & Gamble | My Black Is Beautiful
Year: 2018
Overview: Managed and executed the digital media strategy for, "The Talk". Directed by Malik Vitthal and produced with BBDO and Egami Group, it showed the difficult yet vital conversations Black parents have with their children to ready them for discrimination due to skin color. It earned many awards including a Daytime Emmy Award and 2018 Ad Color ‘Ad of the Year.’
Meet Our Creative Director
Hi, I’m Jessi Ujazi, Creative Director at CULTR Collective. As an artist and designer, my work is grounded in honoring the stories and experiences of the African diaspora, creating bold visuals that celebrate Black identity and resist historical erasure. At CULTR Collective, I bring this vision to branding, digital strategy, and design—helping creatives and business owners show up fully and with pride in their work.
View my portfolio HERE